Official support and care for many disabled people in Honduras are largely lacking. On the island of Guanaja, a married couple is dedicating their time and personal funds to help these individuals, working to provide them with brighter days through stimulation, social integration, and building self-confidence. Join us on a journey to the island as we meet these inspiring people and support their efforts as a Rotary Club!
Friday afternoon. I am nearing the end of my journey from Roatan to Guanaja. I am visiting the island as the club’s president-elect and public relations chair on the board of directors.
First, I take the ferry to Bonacca Town for an hour and a half, followed by a speed boat ride through a canal before heading north along the west coast. We pass "The Soldado Beach," where Christopher Columbus landed on his fourth trip 523 years ago, before we dock at a worn-out pier in the village of Brisas Del Mitch. From there, I ride on the back of an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) with my host for the weekend, the local legend and fellow Rotary member, Mack Yovanne Baca Bennett. We drive up a road that used to be the airstrip, which is now the main road in the village named after the devastating Hurricane “Mitch” that ravaged Honduras in 1998, essentially stripping the island of its vegetation. Those who settled along the former airstrip were mainly the ones who lost their homes by the waterfront.
Mack's wife, Rosa, serves me a delicious meal on the porch before Mack and I head to today’s event. After a short ride on the ATV, with a massive Bluetooth speaker in front and me on the back, we arrive at the school called “C.E.B Ramon Calix Figuerora.” During the day, this school serves students from first to ninth grade. However, this evening we are here to support an arts & crafts event for the disabled.
Ball games are always fun (Photo: Roger Bjoroy-Karlsen)
Seven participants sit behind the desks, eager for what’s to come. Leading the event is Elisayolanda Giron Lobo, known as Elisa to anyone. For five years, she has organized activities for disabled people, all 31 of whom reside on the island of Guanaja. She operates with the support of her husband, Terry Briceño, and they funds everything on their own.
Terry and Elisa that makes it possible for disabled to get stimulation and a better life. (Photo: Roger Bjoroy-Karlsen)
“I really wish we had a center and the finances to run it properly,” Elisa says. Currently, nothing is offered beyond what Elisa and her team do three times a week.
Mack ensures that the speaker adds music to the event, and the group warms up with a sing-along before they dive into painting. Mack moves along the desks, dispensing paint from a syringe to each participant. The participants are thrilled and, despite their disabilities, create impressive art.
I am proud to be present as a Rotary member, witnessing the dedication of Elisa, Terry, and all their helpers, supported by Mack, as they work to create meaningful experiences for the disabled participants.
The remainder of the trip includes visiting Soldado Beach and soaking in the island's life. There is more for us to do here as a Rotary Club, and Mack, both as a member and a Service Project chair, will have new tasks ahead.
Thank you to everyone who provided me with an unforgettable Rotary experience. And thank you to those working for a better life for the disabled, and let’s keep our fingers crossed for a center sometime in the future!
The frame of strength (Photo: Mack Yovanne Baca Bennett)
A proud artist (Photo: Mack Yovanne Baca Bennet)