AHMEN General Meeting 2012: How can we do better?

As a theme for this year's AHMEN General Meeting we asked our missionaries to consider how we can all do a better job of partnering with Honduran communities.  In-lieu of team reports, team leaders and representatives recalled experiences over the past year to share "teachable" moments with the rest of us.  Here is a snapshot from two weekends ago.

From Front Left Clockwise: Rev. Genia Garrett, Michael Franklin, Tom Corson, Hugh and Mary Guffey, Ken Corson, Tony Ponceti, and Johnathan

Ken Corson and I enjoyed sharing stories.

I would love to be a fly on the wall when these two talk turkey!

Sometimes it's just fun meeting folks who share in your passion to love.

We held a Team Leader Refresher Training..."Catch the talking stick!"

Tina Corley, of the "Feed My Sheep" team, compared her team's water purification techniques.

Tony Ponceti from G.O.A.L.S. Mentoring discussed his own experiences with water purification.

We agreed that every team should participate in water projects.  Sawyer offers a missionary discount through December. 

We also agreed that every team should learn to use and utilize the AHMEN Electronic Database for team record keeping.  Contact "Data" Bruce McFadden for more information.

We held round table discussions on clean water technology, container shipping, evangelism, grant writing, and communication/networking. 

And of course the AHMEN "Chiefs" enjoyed a round table discussion of their own!

Johnathan of Dominican Republic-Haiti and Joshua of USA-Honduras were there.

And we all looked above...

toward Guffey!

Mike Escara of "Mano a Mano" proved the value of networking...contact us for the rest of the story!

Tom Arnold talked about working with AHMEN-SIFAT Agents in La Moskitia.

And Tom Corson discussed the future of SIFAT in Honduras.

We focused our attention on water, communication, and appropriate relief and development.  Methods of evangelism also took center stage.  Each of us demonstrated our love for Honduras in different ways, but different does not mean deficient.  At the this year's General Meeting AHMEN leadership joined together to compare notes and learn from each other.  And if this "meeting of the minds" was any indication, we may just get something done in 2013!

Have you thought about including the AHMEN-SIFAT Initiative as a part of your regular holiday donation cycle?  Contact me today to learn more about how just a small monthly donation will enable almost 200 Honduran leaders battle HIV/AIDS, malaria, and waterborne illnesses in their home communities.

ASI-Yorito: A Honduran Introduction

Friends and Neighbors, the blog below is more important than anything I could ever write about Honduras.  I like to think I have many valid observations and life experiences relating to humanitarian relief and development in Honduras, but what I think matters less because I am, in fact, not Honduran.  The letter below comes from Fanny Amarilis Aviles Velasquez of the SIFAT-AHMEN Workshops in Yorito, Yoro Honduras.  I wanted to wait until election coverage died down, but I’m simply too excited to wait any longer…!

Taller SIFAT AHMEN

Yorito es un municipio que se encuentra al sur del departamento de Yoro. Su población vive de la agricultura y ganadería y en menor escala el café.

Yorito is a town located in the southern part of the department of Yoro.  Its population sustains itself through agriculture, raising livestock, and small-scale coffee production.

Instructor Byron Morales with lead agent Melvin Lopez

El Programa de Empoderamiento Comunitario de AHMEN y SIFAT, es un sueño realizado!!!!!!!!!! Fueron 2 años de planificación, organización, reuniones y visitas de nuestro enlace Byron Morales. Esto lo socializamos con Instituciones presentes, personas voluntarias, patronatos y autoridades locales. Este año 2012 quedara escrito en la historia de nuestro municipio con el programa de formación de Agentes Comunitarios en Salud Integral.

The AHMEN-SIFAT Community Empowerment Program is a dream come true!!!!!!  It took two years of planning, organizing, meetings, and visits from our link Byron Morales.  In conjunction with the many institutions, volunteers, boards, and authorities represented through the workshops, the year 2012 will go down in Yorito history as the time that our community formed the Integrated Community Health Agent Program.

Este proyecto vendrá a transformar las condiciones de vida de personas, familias y las comunidades de nuestro municipio, que por años hemos estado aislados de derecho y oportunidades. Formamos un equipo de apoyo del proyecto conformado por todas las Instituciones de Yorito, cada uno de nosotros nos hemos comprometido a ser el soporte principal de este taller.

This project will transform the lives of individuals, families and communities of our town, which for years have been isolated from rights and opportunities. We formed a team comprised of project support institutions from Yorito, and each of us have committed to be the mainstay of this workshop.

Comprometidos con nuestra comunidad a servirle, contamos con un grupo de 55 personas con diferentes edades, niveles educativos y comunidades, con un gran potencial, un semillero listo para germinar en nuestra tierra Yorito.

Committed to serving our community is a group of 55 people of various ages, educational levels, communities, with great potential, and a seed ready to germinate in our land Yorito.

Hugs...What a teaching technique!

Me siento feliz porque fue un gran comienzo aprovecharemos al máximo este taller, nuestras comunidades nos necesitan, tenemos tantos problemas, principalmente de educación, salud, seguridad alimentaria, violencia intrafamiliar, medio ambiente y más.

I am so happy to be able to take full advantage of this workshop because our communities need us.  We have so many problems, especially education, health, food security, domestic violence, environment and more.

Lo más importante es que nuestras comunidades cuentan con lo mejor RECURSO HUMANO, personas voluntarias con un don de servir a los demás.

The most important thing is that our communities have the best human resources, volunteers with a gift of serving others.

Daré breve información de los participantes en general, El centro de Salud envió su personal voluntario, el cual cuentan con años de voluntariado en sus comunidades estas personas nos servirán de gran ejemplo e inspiración para todo el grupo aprenderemos de ellos de sus experiencias y desempeño, en sus comunidades.

I will give some brief information of our participants.  In general, the health center sent its volunteers, who have years of experience volunteering in their communities.  These individuals will serve as great examples and inspiration for the whole group as they learn from their experiences and performances in their home communities.

The faces of change in Yorito...

Diez Estudiantes del Instituto San Pedro único centro educativo en Yorito ellos comienzan una carrera profesional los cuales han elegido un bachillerato en medio ambiente, vendrán a enriquecer conocimientos en dicho taller. Así también jóvenes emprendedores que son apoyados por algunas instituciones como ser.

In addition, ten students have come from the San Pedro Institute, the only school in Yorito, with professional training in environmental sciences.  Their knowledge will enrich the workshop, and workshop training will serve as a practical application of academic studies.  

FIPAH y ALFASIC DE HONDURAS, estas instituciones cuentan con alternativas de Educación ellos pueden estudiar y aprender un oficio para su futuro , jóvenes que por circunstancias de la vida no continuaron en una escuela oficial, y es allí donde ambas instituciones damos la oportunidad, Porque???? Porque son Jóvenes con Derecho a un Futuro, personas Humildes con deseos de aprender y superarse para ser y formar parte fundamental en el desarrollo de sus mismas comunidades.

FIPAH and ALFASIC OF HONDURAS provide educational alternatives for students who, due to life circumstances, could not continue in a formal academic setting. Why????  Because there are young people with the right to a future, humble people wanting to learn and grow, and individuals ready to become central parts in the development of their own communities.

 Amigos en este primer taller contamos con la presencia del representante de la FAO en Yorito, sé que esto será de mucho apoyo y beneficio para los próximos talleres. El equipo de apoyo tiene programado el siguiente taller la segunda semana del mes de Enero del año 2013.

Friends, in this first workshop we have the presence of the representative of FAO in Yorito, I know this will be very supportive and beneficial for future workshops. The support team has scheduled the next workshop in the second week of January 2013.

Me estaré comprometiendo cada mes de enviarle informe de las actividades de próximo taller preparado por el equipo de apoyo.

I'll be committing each month to send report next workshop activities prepared by the support team.

Together, we are the difference.