COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Nov. 5, 2018) – Life for the poor in Honduras is not easy, but it’s nearly impossible for young girls living in impoverished conditions in the country’s mountainous and rural regions to achieve more than a basic education.

The Sisters of Maria are working hard to change that by reaching out to the communities with the highest rates of poverty. They are searching for girls who qualify to be full-time residents at the Villa de las Niñas home in Tegucigalpa, which receives some of its support from Food For The Poor. The home has a number of girls who are orphans, but most have families who are too poor to send them to school to learn a trade.

Food For The Poor has donated 50 industrial sewing machines to the Villa de las Niñas home where seamstress training is now possible for hundreds of young girls whose desire is to learn to sew.

“Education is the best way to break the cycle of poverty,” said Food For The Poor Executive Director Angel Aloma. “Along with a viable skill set, these girls ultimately will have an opportunity to transform their lives for the better. It’s very gratifying to know that this donation of commercial-grade sewing machines will be used to equip hundreds, or even thousands of young women with a trade they can use to earn a living.”

Established in February 2011, the Villa de las Niñas home in Honduras is home to more than 800 girls between the ages of 13 and 20 who qualify for enrollment due to poverty. Headed by the Sisters of Maria, the school provides housing, meals, a high school education and a variety of specialized trade skills courses, such as sewing.

“For most of these girls they will become the first generation within their families to graduate from high school,” said Food For The Poor Angels Of Hope Director Tricia Lujambio. “This is a rare opportunity for these young women who will take what they’ve learned at Villa de las Niñas back to their own communities where they can make a positive impact.”

Unlike standard sewing machines, these industrial machines can run for an entire work day. These machines can endure high-speed usage and can remain maintenance-free for long periods of time.

The girls enrolled in the Villa de las Niñas sewing workshop helped in the installation of the workstations and also were trained on how to maintain the sewing machines. Once the workstations were up and running, the girls received sewing instructions. Their first assignments were to make their own school uniforms and bedding, including sheets and pillowcases. They also are learning how to make quinceañera and wedding dresses.                                                                                                                       In addition to the industrial sewing machines, Food For The Poor has provided the Villa de las Niñas home with two full marching band sets, work boots, exercise books, folding chairs, student desk and chair combinations, teacher desks and clothing.  

Food For The Poor, one of the largest international relief and development organizations in the nation, does much more than feed millions of the hungry poor primarily in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian ministry provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicine, educational materials, homes, support for orphans and the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance. For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.