By Lindsey Quinn
Hard times don’t stop a Honduran family from bringing family savings home to roost
Ask any mother what is the most worrisome sound a child makes and she will tell you it isn’t a sound at all.
It’s silence.
So, when Miriam realized her youngest son, Fredy, 9, had stopped making noise, she went to investigate. What she found was terrifying. Fredy wanted fresh coconut juice but the machete he wielded – without permission – missed the mark. It left his index finger critically injured.
“For me it was frightening, because he did not scream nor cry, more like he was afraid of what was happening and approached me in silence. When I began to see blood, I was scared. And when I saw the finger, I felt my world stop.”
The family sprang to action, taking Fredy to a nearby hospital. To the family’s shock, Fredy’s injuries were deemed too significant for treatment there, and he was sent to a larger, better-equipped facility in San Pedro Sula, Honduras’ second largest city.
While Fredy’s medical expenses were covered, the family didn’t have any ready cash to pay Miriam’s travel expenses to the hospital. So, Miriam and her husband, Constantino, borrowed money from neighbors, friends and family. Their generosity allowed Miriam to travel to the city to be with her son while he was treated – and his finger saved!
An injury like this – and its associated costs – would be catastrophic for most sponsored families. But poor as they are, the family paid off the debt immediately. They had been building a nest egg. Literally.
For three years, Miriam carefully raised chickens and roosters, not only for food, but as a source of income. An egg is typically worth 3 lempiras (approximately US$0.15); a single chicken can be sold for between 80 to 110 lempiras (approximately $4-$5.60). At their zenith, the family owned about 90 chickens – meaning they had between 7,200-9,900 lempiras (about $378-$520) saved. When you consider that Constantino, who works full-time as a security guard, makes about 2,000 lempiras a month, you can see just how sizeable a savings this was: nearly four months’ salary.
Although the family’s nest egg is impressive, this type of personal finance is not without risks. The chickens have to be sold and, like any commodity, their value varies. Plus, a hen house isn’t nearly as safe as a bank account. In fact, in the last few months, over half of their chickens have disappeared; perhaps stolen, Miriam surmises. Still, raising chickens is one of the few ways Miriam can save money.
While their nest egg was a godsend when Fredy was injured, the biggest blessing for the family is sponsorship. It is providing the children with the support for a better future. And Miriam’s gratitude is deep.
“Thanks to Children International, my children receive health benefits. They can go to school because they have their uniforms, shoes and notebooks they need. Children International has been a real hope for me and my family.”
Reporting assistance by Jesús Almendárez in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. Photo by Jesús Almendárez.
