a l i v e & a w a k e

What's a loonie worth these days? In the ever-fluctuating economic market, some days a little, and some days a little more. Although we would never see our dollar as any spectacular, a group of Ottawa students and a couple of us teachers saw it as a very powerful thing indeed.

9 excited students from Nepean High School and a couple of even more excited teachers flew out of Ottawa International Airport on a quest to save the world; or at least to make a little dent in the small country of Honduras (for those who need a geography refresher, that's Central America). Armed with a few sports and medical supplies, $700.00 CDN and a whole lot of teenage-energy we landed in San Pedro Sula not sure of what we would encounter.

Needless to say, there was a slight culture shock as we stepped out of the airport to 85 degree weather and lush tropical carpet. Honduras is a spectacular country, whose latest claim to fame unfortunately dates back to Hurricanes Mitch and Andrew. The people are simple (in lifestyle), friendly, hard working and extremely resourceful. And many are poor.

In our first few days we spent a bit of time in a tour bus travelling to our orientation camp in the "cloud rainforests" and to the community in which we would spend a week. It was on the road we were able to observe the living conditions of the average Honduran. You would drive along watching banana and coconut trees whipping by, and then, somewhere in the shadows of these large trees, a small, thrown-together building of concrete blocks, wood chunks and pieces of scrap metal, with the tell-tale clothes line weighed down by the drying "rags" they would use as clothes.

We were all touched by what we saw and began to realize just how fortunate we are living in a great country like Canada (I think many of us knew this already, but sometimes it takes a wake-up call to remind us). The question was asked, "How much does it cost for a family to buy the most simplest of homes?" Our guides informed us that for a family to own a piece of property and a home with concrete walls and a sheet metal roof, it costs about $1000.00 CDN. You could smell smoke burning as people fervently calculated how many house we could of bought if we donated the money it took us to get there (about 26). I think I took a loonie out of my pocket and began to admire its power.

When we arrived in Taulabe (the community where we spent our time helping a local school), we witnessed first hand the life of a Honduran. The homes we stayed in were simple but complete. They had electricity and running water (but don't drink the water!) and were furnished much like ours (we were definately with the middle-upper class citizens!). However the community had its share of poor sections, and no one could escape the sound of the 4 O'clock wake up call by their roosters (one of the ways they provided for themselves). There were constant reminders everywhere of our wealth that we don't ever recognize (how was your hot shower this morning?). Most of our students had more spending money on them than families would earn in a month. In a country so impoverished, where do you begin to help? Where would we invest our $700.00?

We soon found our answer. On about day 4 of our time in Taulabe we were given a tour of a small Social Health Clinc along the main street. The clinic was a beacon of hope and life in the community, as well as to the 40 surrounding communities it served. Specifically geared to pregnant women and their babies, it was a hub of activity as line ups would form early in the morning and last most of the day. In Honduras (we were told), the death rate of infants at birth is 45% and of birthing mothers - 30%. That means almost half of the children born never make it home, and for 1/3 of the girls and women, pregnancy is a death wish. But because this clinic existed EVERY baby survived and EVERY mother was able to go home! 100% success! We sat in awe listening to this information with a sudden and deep respect for the builing we were in. And we knew instantly where our money would go.

I am glad to report that all of the money we brought with us bought life-saving machinery that was deparately lacking. On top of that, when the students realized that the clinic's wish list would cost more that $700.00, they were eager to donate their own money to guarantee that everything was purchased. It was a great testimony to their generousity and compassion. I am extremely proud of how they responded.

So what am I saying? Basically as I Canadian I am rich. Maybe not in Norway or Switzerland or the UK, but in wonderful countries like Honduras, I am a millionaire; and because of that fact I feel the weight of a global responsibility to do what I can to help. Taulabe was the start for us at Nepean High School and for me personally, but more important it permantly opened my eyes to see that there are opportunities everywhere, and that our loonie is powerful.

Jon