Pan American Health Service's Blog

“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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Our beloved Papi

Stephen A. Youngberg, born in South Dakota, was the son of Norwegian immigrant parents who took him to the mission field in India when he was one year old. Stephen grew up in India observing as his parents served the poorest of the poor, thus was born his love for the less privileged.

After marrying Verlene DeWitt in 1942, he attended Loma Linda University Medical School graduating in 1946. He was commissioned as a Captain in the United States Army and received an honorable discharge in 1954. During the 1950′s Dr. Youngberg worked in Southern Mexico helping to establish a medical mission there, he later owned succesful medical practices in South Texas.

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Rosita

Is enough to observe her little smile and her beautiful eyes to feel that you love her, she is a sweet and beautiful girl who arrived at PAHS three years ago, with only 14 months of age, finding in our institution her new home, she is Rosalinda Pineda.
To Rosita, life has taught her really hard lessons since she was a baby, first she lost her sister, three years ago, because of the malnutrition, she died the day before that personal of PAHS arrived to her community, she did not have the opportunity that Rosita had to recovery. The center of health of the community of San Antonio, place where the family lived, communicated with PAHS to ask for aid for the older sister of Rosalinda, nevertheless her state health was very serious and she died before we could arrive at the community, but Rosita, that seemed was destined to suffer the same fate, if she did not receive immediate medical attention, had the blessing to recover her health. Then, another tragedy for the baby, her father died and the abandoned mother does not have to whom to resort reason why is maintained to itself gathering sweepings in the streets.
Rosita does not have a stable home to go, that is the reason for her remain in PAHS, the place that has become in her new home, the only home that she knows, and it will continue being while it allows it to God. Thanks to the will of our God, Rosita is now five years old, the same age that had her older sister when she died by malnutrition. But the destiny of Rosita has been different, doubtless God has very special plans for her. Rosita will attend to the kinder garden the next year, and from now she is really excited for going to school.