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On October 30th, 2013 I stepped into an orphanage filled with adults and children that were strangers to me. I remember the day vividly. I walked into the orphanage carrying my two suitcases filled with the things I would survive on for the next nine months. I remember the staring, the whispering, and the feeling that I was surrounded by people who did not speak a word of my language and who were uncertain of who I was or why I was there. It was the scariest moment of my life and it was the most uncomfortable I had ever been. They say that life begins at the end of your comfort zone, and for me, that was the day my life began.
Two years have passed and yet I feel as though it was yesterday that I was standing in Bencaleth Orphanage wondering if I would have the strength to stay. Bencaleth has become my world. My connection with Bencaleth has brought me some of the hardest, most tragic, most fulfilling, happiest, loneliest, and most wonderful moments in my life and two years later it continues to do so. Most of you know I am currently attending Illinois State University where I am getting a degree in Special Education. Over the last couple years I have been blessed to gain knowledge and a small understanding of what goes into teaching and caring for children who have disabilities. I find myself constantly sitting in class getting more and more excited of the new information I am learning and how I can bring it back to the children I left behind for a short while over at Bencaleth. Some days are harder than others. Choosing to go back to school instead of staying in Honduras was a choice filled with prayer, tears, heartache, and sacrifice. Since I have been away, two of our kids have passed away due to their conditions and it continually breaks my heart that I was unable to have been there for the short time they had left. It breaks my heart, but it is also what drives me to wake up every morning and go to class. I am not in school for myself. I am in school for the kids that need an advocate and someone to show them the potential they have inside of them. Over the last few weeks, I have been researching, speaking with professors, and brainstorming ways to improve the learning environment at Bencaleth Orphanage. I found myself getting frustrated at the overwhelming needs I witnessed in my year of living at the orphanage and the limited resources the children have access to. It felt as if there were too many needs and I wasn't quite sure where to start. It wasn't until one night when I was writing an essay that I figured out what it was I wanted to provide to the children at Bencaleth.
Iwas staring at a blank page of Microsoft Word trying to write an essay that was due by midnight. Procrastination at its finest. Every sentence I would write didn't come out the way I wanted it to. I remember slamming my hand on the table and venting to my friend saying “This is so frustrating! I don't know why I can't get the thoughts in my head onto paper; everything I try and say doesn't come out the way I want it to!” It was that exact moment I looked at my friend and said “oh my goodness, of course!” That's the moment I remembered the constant guessing, hand gestures, and confusion that came into play every time a nonverbal child at Bencaleth tried to communicate. Their education is limited, their resources are scarce, and their communication tools are non-existent. After looking into options, I have decided the best choice and easiest tool for the children at Bencaleth to learn and use is an Ipad 2 with an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) speech app downloaded onto it. The Ipad will be in front of their chair and will have a variety of pictures to represent different words. They will be able to use their hands to press one of the pictures and a voice will come from the Ipad saying that word. For example, if they are hungry, they will use the Ipad to find the picture of food, click it, and the word “comida” (food in spanish) will be said. This technology would be life-altering for these kids. They have never had a voice. They have never had a moment where the thoughts in their head were brought to life without the frustration of guessing, pointing, and gesturing until hopefully someone understood. I personally cannot imagine the discouragement and helplessness that comes along with that and that is why I will do everything in my power to change it.
So, here it comes. Odds are at this point of the letter you have an idea of what comes next. My goal is to be able to get three Ipads, three mounts to put the Ipads on the wheelchairs and purchase the app on each of the three Ipads. The total for all of these things is $1,500 and this is where your help comes into play. I will be going to Honduras in six weeks. The dream is to have raised the $1,500 before then so I can bring the supplies down with me and make it a Christmas gift from all of the people that donated and helped it come true. Please consider donating to give these kids a voice and allow them to believe that their thoughts matter in this world. Thank you so much in advance! If you have any questions, want to hear more about my time in Bencaleth, or want to get to know the kids that will benefit from this more, please please please talk to me! One of my favorite things in the world is talking about my second home in Honduras so never hesitate to ask!
With love,
Stacey Booth
Two years have passed and yet I feel as though it was yesterday that I was standing in Bencaleth Orphanage wondering if I would have the strength to stay. Bencaleth has become my world. My connection with Bencaleth has brought me some of the hardest, most tragic, most fulfilling, happiest, loneliest, and most wonderful moments in my life and two years later it continues to do so. Most of you know I am currently attending Illinois State University where I am getting a degree in Special Education. Over the last couple years I have been blessed to gain knowledge and a small understanding of what goes into teaching and caring for children who have disabilities. I find myself constantly sitting in class getting more and more excited of the new information I am learning and how I can bring it back to the children I left behind for a short while over at Bencaleth. Some days are harder than others. Choosing to go back to school instead of staying in Honduras was a choice filled with prayer, tears, heartache, and sacrifice. Since I have been away, two of our kids have passed away due to their conditions and it continually breaks my heart that I was unable to have been there for the short time they had left. It breaks my heart, but it is also what drives me to wake up every morning and go to class. I am not in school for myself. I am in school for the kids that need an advocate and someone to show them the potential they have inside of them. Over the last few weeks, I have been researching, speaking with professors, and brainstorming ways to improve the learning environment at Bencaleth Orphanage. I found myself getting frustrated at the overwhelming needs I witnessed in my year of living at the orphanage and the limited resources the children have access to. It felt as if there were too many needs and I wasn't quite sure where to start. It wasn't until one night when I was writing an essay that I figured out what it was I wanted to provide to the children at Bencaleth.
Iwas staring at a blank page of Microsoft Word trying to write an essay that was due by midnight. Procrastination at its finest. Every sentence I would write didn't come out the way I wanted it to. I remember slamming my hand on the table and venting to my friend saying “This is so frustrating! I don't know why I can't get the thoughts in my head onto paper; everything I try and say doesn't come out the way I want it to!” It was that exact moment I looked at my friend and said “oh my goodness, of course!” That's the moment I remembered the constant guessing, hand gestures, and confusion that came into play every time a nonverbal child at Bencaleth tried to communicate. Their education is limited, their resources are scarce, and their communication tools are non-existent. After looking into options, I have decided the best choice and easiest tool for the children at Bencaleth to learn and use is an Ipad 2 with an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) speech app downloaded onto it. The Ipad will be in front of their chair and will have a variety of pictures to represent different words. They will be able to use their hands to press one of the pictures and a voice will come from the Ipad saying that word. For example, if they are hungry, they will use the Ipad to find the picture of food, click it, and the word “comida” (food in spanish) will be said. This technology would be life-altering for these kids. They have never had a voice. They have never had a moment where the thoughts in their head were brought to life without the frustration of guessing, pointing, and gesturing until hopefully someone understood. I personally cannot imagine the discouragement and helplessness that comes along with that and that is why I will do everything in my power to change it.
So, here it comes. Odds are at this point of the letter you have an idea of what comes next. My goal is to be able to get three Ipads, three mounts to put the Ipads on the wheelchairs and purchase the app on each of the three Ipads. The total for all of these things is $1,500 and this is where your help comes into play. I will be going to Honduras in six weeks. The dream is to have raised the $1,500 before then so I can bring the supplies down with me and make it a Christmas gift from all of the people that donated and helped it come true. Please consider donating to give these kids a voice and allow them to believe that their thoughts matter in this world. Thank you so much in advance! If you have any questions, want to hear more about my time in Bencaleth, or want to get to know the kids that will benefit from this more, please please please talk to me! One of my favorite things in the world is talking about my second home in Honduras so never hesitate to ask!
With love,
Stacey Booth