By Damon Guinn
Not far from the Guatemala border, in a sleepy village nestled high in the Honduran mountains, a young boy named Selvin pedals his new bike in a dizzying series of circles.
The knotty soil beneath his tires has worn thin, leaving behind a wake of dusty trail, while the polished chrome on his bike catches the sun and reflects a bright contrast to the fallow fields that spot the surrounding slopes. The only thing shining brighter is the beam of delight on Selvin’s face, an expression he’s worn ever since he received the new bike from his sponsors.
The gleaming bicycle is just one of many gifts Selvin and his family received after the 5-year-old was sponsored a few months ago. But to Selvin, the new bike is a thing of exceptional beauty in such a remote, rugged environment – it’s a symbol of freedom and boundless opportunities.
In a land far, far away
“Sometimes we walk to Copán,” Selvin’s father, Victor, says about the family’s primary method of travel to the nearest town. “It’s two hours of walking. We usually pay a taxi to come back home.”
Traveling by car can take nearly as long, and the only route to and from the village is a pockmarked,
single-lane dirt road also used by smugglers to rush contraband across the Guatemala border.
The greatest risk faced by Selvin’s family doesn’t come from smugglers, though. Rather, it stems from
the hardships that arise from not having convenient access
to modern necessities and social services.
“We are a very poor family...” Victor confides, “so we don’t have the means to fix things up nicely. We generally earn 70 lempiras a day (about $4) when we work. It’s just enough for basic food.”
The family earns their livelihood by farming the rugged landscape alongside their neighbors, using the same simple tools people have used for centuries. Their home resides on communal property and everyone in the community works together to cultivate corn and beans.
“When we have a good harvest, we’ll sell a couple bags,” explains Victor about his family’s share of the work. “We store what’s going to be used...and then we’ll sell the rest. When the harvest isn’t good, whatever you earn, you just eat it back up again. |
Father and son relax in the shade of their patio. Victor, Selvin’s dad, laid concrete over the dirt
patio so the entire family can sit outside and
watch Selvin make trails. |
“There are days we don’t work – and days people don’t eat – and the children are the ones who suffer the most. There have been cases where we’ve spent days without eating. If you have at least 5 lempiras...if you can get corn...at least you can buy a little bread to halfway feed the kids – make a little porridge or something.”
A steady hand to guide the way
Living off the land is unpredictable, especially in remote areas where families frequently find themselves cut off from any outside help. When times are tough, families like Selvin’s would normally have no place to turn.
Selvin concentrates on steering the new bike
his sponsors gave him. It’s a gift that’s given
him endless hours of delight.
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Remarkably, though, sponsorship can reach even the most isolated areas around the world and extend a helping hand to children and families in need.
Besides providing a shiny new bike for Selvin, his sponsors furnished the family with food, clothes, beds and construction supplies to reinforce the walls of the family home and add a concrete patio – a place where Victor says they’ll sit and watch Selvin ride to his heart’s content.
From that point of view, Selvin’s opportunities in life already seem to be gaining momentum. He likes school and is learning to read, interests his father is proud to witness firsthand.
“The sponsors are helping Selvin get an education,” he says with pride. “We’re only able to put him in a small school here, but beyond that, we can’t help him.” |
When that time comes, Selvin will no doubt have plenty of experience steering himself in the right direction, thanks to a special push start from his sponsors.
Photos by Miriam Lemus, our communications coordinator in Guatemala City.
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