Cedeño Eductational ProjectSpring 2005 NewsletterCedeño, Honduras Together with the Honduran nonprofit, Asociación Andar, and with the help of churches, schools, and individuals here in the US, we are improving educational opportunities for children and young adults in Cedeño, Honduras. Our two main educational projects are:
Our New Volunteers
Ben and Leslie Roth began thinking about the possibility of working in Cedeño as early as February of 2004. They learned about the CEDIF from our posting at www.idealist.org and contacted Emily expressing interest. Both of them had spent some time in Honduras before, and Ben had also spent more extended time in Nicaragua and Argentina. Over six months and many phone conversations later, Ben and Leslie made the difficult decision to leave their work and friends in New York for a year working in Cedeño. Ben and Leslie have spent the past few years working with Spanish-speaking immigrants in New York. Leslie has her background in early childhood education and social work; she had been working with Mexican mothers and their children, age birth to three. Ben had been working as a social worker within the juvenile justice system. In Cedeño, Leslie will be working primarily with the CEDIF, while Ben will be accompanying the scholarships and other community projects, as well as doing research of his own related to emigration to the United States.
Reflections from new volunteer, Leslie Roth
I am honored and excited about working this year at the CEDIF. My husband, Ben, and I arrived in Tegucigalpa on January 18th, and will plan to stay in Cedeño for the school year. I am absolutely in love with the children and the educadoras have also stolen my heart very quickly. They are incredible young women, and I love working with them. We are happy living in Cedeño, even though it menas our house is often full of visitors. We are adjusting to different cultural norms about the use of time and visiting habits. We have been welcomed to the community in a very warm way, and there is never a lack of the following in our house: freshly made juice, jocotes, hot tortillas, rosquillos, mangoes, roasted marañon seeds, coconuts, or kids. We have found the infinitely quiet beach near Don Benjamin’s house (the isla) to be a great getaway play, and have enjoyed going there often. Living and working in such a small community is unlike any other living-working experience I have had. There is something unique about living next door to the CEDIF families, and encountering them anywhere I might be – selling things on the beach, playing outside their homes ("Profe!" they often yell) or riding by on a bike with an older sibling. – Leslie Roth Returning to Cedeñoby Emily Montgomery When I left Cedeño in January of 2003, I promised that I would return within five years. The mothers of the CEDIF children chided me, "Nuestros hijos ya van a ser grandes! Our children will be so big by then!" It was true, six-year-old Arnold would be eleven if I waited five years to go back. But I didn’t want to make a promise that I couldn’t keep. So it felt like a wonderful gift when I was offered frequent flier miles to return to Honduras this past August, just a year and a half after my first departure. It also felt like a fitting time to return. The CEDIF had been without an international volunteer for the 2004 school year, and although it continued to have the support of Andar, I knew that they were in the midst of a difficult financial situation and were spread too thin among multiple projects. I wanted to see how the CEDIF was surviving without the same level of daily supervision that had supported and nurtured it in the first two years. I also wanted to meet with the scholarship students and their parents, as well as with the committee that helps oversee the project locally. It was a whirlwind visit. In only ten days, I tried to fit in many hours of professional work with what seemed to be an endless list of personal visits. There were so many people to see, and not enough hours in the day to see them all! Still, it was incredibly rewarding to see the projects and to see the extent to which the community is invested in them. And it was wonderful to meet with mothers and children whose lives have filled my thoughts and prayers since leaving.
I had the opportunity during my August visit to meet with each of the scholarship students, both in large groups and individually. I also met with their parents and had several fruitful meetings with the committee of parents, teachers, and community leaders that helps oversee the project locally. In talking with students and their parents, I felt near to tears many times. I wish I could truly capture on paper how much our support means to them. As one of the mothers said of the scholarship donors, "No tenemos como pagarles, pero si sabemos que Dios les va a pagar. We don't have a way to pay you (for all you have done), but we know that God will pay you." Her words, I believe, capture a sentiment shared by many of the parents and students. One of the most inspiring aspects of my visit was seeing the extent to which the scholarships, and the CEDIF, have generated a renewed belief in education within the community, as families begin to feel that education is a real possibility for their children. In 2001, the year before I went to do my Fulbright work in Honduras, there were three students participating in the Radio Education program ("Maestro en Casa," IHER). In 2002, there were ten students enrolled in the program. This year, in Cedeño, there are 90 students enrolled in "Maestro en Casa" and 55 enrolled in another radio education program, "Educatodos," designed for individuals who were unable to complete sixth grade. These students range in age from eleven to over sixty. It was incredible to see all of these students gathered together to receive instructions about the upcoming semester and then, in the days that followed, seeing groups of 20 to 40 students meeting to study together. One of the deepest sources of inspiration to me, was seeing the grandmother of one of our scholarship students who is enrolled in first grade through "Educatodos," working diligently to overcome sixty years of illiteracy. One of our scholarship students, Nohemias, was serving as her tutor. Watching them work together was a powerful example of the kind of work that we are fostering together, creating educational opportunities that both strengthen individuals and build community. The ten days were far too short and I learned my lesson. Next time I return to Cedeño, I will have to stay for at least twice as long! Still, it was wonderful to see Arnold and all of the other CEDIF children again so soon. At age seven, Arnold is at the top of his second-grade class, along with several of his CEDIF classmates. They were all there to meet me when I first arrived and were also there to send me off. It was an inspiration that will keep me working hard for them from here, until the next time I can go back to Cedeño and see their smiling faces again! Honoring the Life and Work of Narda Meléndez
– Emily Montgomery We would like to especially acknowledge the following donations that were made in memory of the lives of loved ones who are now deceased: Tom Corcoran; Cy Morrison; Jacob Vordal; & Dorris Holland.
Summer 2007 Newsletter
A World Institute for a Sustainable Humanity |
Several wonderful volunteers with a wide range of backgrounds have supported the CEDIF over the first three years of its existence. After Emily Montgomery left Honduras in January of 2003, Rose Shuman spent six months with the CEDIF, followed immediately by Lynne Davidson and her three children, Danny, Teresa, and Christopher. Rose brought with her a background in International Development, while Lynne had her background in Early Childhood Development. The 2004 Honduran school year was a more difficult year for the CEDIF, without the daily support and guidance of a volunteer. So we feel fortunate this year to have two volunteers accompanying our work in Cedeño.
We feel very fortunate to have Ben and Leslie on our team. They have a great deal to offer to our projects in Cedeño. The relationship between international volunteers and the community of Cedeño has been an important component of our work, as American volunteers gain deeper understanding about the challenges facing rural Central America and community members form meaningful personal and professional relationships with their northern neighbors. A warm welcome to Ben and Leslie!
While 2004 was not the easiest year for the CEDIF, I was amazed to see how committed the mothers and educadoras were to the project and how strongly the entire community feels about continuing to support it. Due to financial constraints, the educadoras stipends had been cut in half and the nutritional snacks provided by the center were replaced by parents sending individual snacks with their children each day. And yet, in spite of these setbacks, the educadoras were as dedicated as ever to the daily work of the CEDIF and mothers proudly told me that the first grade teachers repeatedly say that CEDIF children are the best-prepared students entering elementary school. They also showed me, with great pride, the land that has been purchased for building a permanent structure for the CEDIF.
Narda Meléndez, the founder of Asociación Andar, passed away unexpectedly in October, at the age of 50. Narda was truly a visionary who dedicated her life to human rights and women's rights in her country. In recent years, Narda's sister, Santa Meléndez, had served as the director of Andar, while Narda dedicated increasing time to working with the Honduran government around questions of human rights. Narda's absence has been felt deeply by all of us, especially by her family and closest friends but also by the many individuals and organizations in Honduras who saw her as an example of a life dedicated to equality and justice. Narda was the one who first welcomed me to Honduras in 1999, and she offered her home to me every time I was in Tegucigalpa during 2002. I was deeply touched by her friendship and mentoring. She was one of those amazing individuals who brings together intelligence, compassion, vision, and a deep love of life to work for a more humane world for us all. May our continued work in Cedeño honor her and the work to which she dedicated her life!