Pan American Health Service's Blog

“Be glad of life because it gives you the chance to love ♥ and to work and to play and to look up at the stars.” ~ Henry Van Dyke

The work day had ended. It had been a productive one. I, wearing my logoed polo and white Capri pants, sat and contemplated the day in the office I share with two other people. Read the rest of this entry »

“Mommy, where’s my dad?” It’s the question that day by day five-year-old Max asks his mother Lola, one of the 15 single mothers who seeks refuge at PAHS. Lola simply evades her son’s question and changes the subject. Just like she did, her children are growing up without knowing their father. Four decades ago, at the age of two, Lola came to our children’s home. She was not malnourished or sick, but her mother did not have the resources to sustain her. Lola was always characterized as a devout and responsible lady. She finished her high school and received the opportunity to study at Unadeca, the Adventist University of Central America located in Costa Rica. She spent a year studying nursing; however, the “bad decisions” that she made occasioned that she abandon college. Years later, she bore her first son, Elden, who is now 14 years of age, and then she had Max. Both children have different fathers whom they do not know. The bad decisions that Lola made when she left the university has made her carry the responsibility of raising two young children, without work and without financial resources.

Lola sees the need to seek assistance for her children from the same institution that she grew up at and that gave her many chances. “When you have the responsibility of raising children alone it is difficult because you have to play the role of mom and dad, and you had to work hard to provide education. I prayed to God, and He enlightened me to return to this place,” says Lola. Elden, her eldest son, is now in seventh grade and is happy to be able to receive education, and Max will start school next year. Lola is considering a sewing course at the Technical School. Along with her son Elden, Lola was re-baptized, and they are now active members of our church.

However, there is one more factor added to the complication of becoming a single mother. Although Lola was 27 when she had her first child, there are many young girls that become single mothers at as young as fourteen years old. The statistics show that of every 1,000 pregnant women in the country, 140 are teenagers. Such is the case with *Maria, who at age 16 became pregnant. This was the same year that she was to graduate from high school. She hid her pregnancy for four months and managed to finish school. She is an intelligent young woman who was highly likely to achieve her dreams and is much appreciated by everyone at our institution, but the birth of her son changed her plans. Three years have passed and in this time she has had to overcome many obstacles; Maria lost her scholarship to study and now she has to work to provide support for her son. She is aware that the bad decisions that she made as a teenager are affecting her life. Unfortunately, this is the reality of many young girls in Honduras. Despite having the opportunity to be successful in life, many continue making bad decisions.

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Dora & Maria loves their plants

It is fascinating the way God feeds us through the land. He did in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve; He provided them food for their livelihood, and He has continued to do so, as He did for all the past centuries with all mankind.

At Pan American Health Service, we feel very blessed by the * widely fertile land that for years has satisfied many of the nutritional needs of the institution. Since the beginning of the “homes” in this program, we have welcomed thousands of youngsters who have enjoyed the opportunity to receive the worthy comforts of a family, and we have emphasized the education of each of these young men and women in the native land. One of our priorities is to give them a formal education; however, we do not put aside the importance of learning an occupation, as this will be extremely important in the lives of our youth.

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