Spring means a sustainable garden is growing and take a look at what we have started at the Barnabas House. We are now selling Cilantro and providing both kitchens, for the children and their parents as well as teams when they are in country with fresh produce from  our own garden…tomatoes, carrots, beets, pineapples, papaya, yucca, plantains, patastes (squash), red beans and green beans, cilantro, radishes, broccoli, lettuce and cabbage.  Well done Master Gardener Melvin Martinez and helper Carlos.   Plans are underway for additional fruit trees, at least mango, guava and orange trees. God’s sweet peace pervades the Foundation as we grow in grace and remain a healing presence to children and their families; HOPE made real.

Happy Easter.

- Lori Cordova, FOBF Medical Director

Sadly, violence and crime in Honduras are real.  Poverty and unemployment along with street gangs in urban areas have plagued Honduras for many years.  Unfortunately, recent increases in drug cartel activity along with a fragile governing administration, weakened after the 2009 political crisis, have led to high crime rates.

The US government has pulled out all Peace Corps volunteers working in Honduras and is evaluating security concerns ; the Honduran army is now supplementing the National Police, at least for the next 18 months ; some agencies have reported San Pedro Sula as the most deadly city in the Western Hemisphere ; the appropriateness of using the army to supplement the national police is under scrutiny by human rights groups .  Security issues in Honduras are gaining more widespread media attention worldwide and are having a significant impact on all those who live and work in the area.

 How does the current situation in Honduras affect The Friends of Barnabas Foundation?

Security is of utmost important and of the highest concern for The Friends of Barnabas Foundation team members and staff.  We take it very seriously.

We are taking more precautions now than we have in the past.  I would like to elaborate on the security aspects for our teams (and staff) for which you may not have been aware.

Here are the most important aspects of our security strategy:

*               In Country Updates – Not only do FOBF-Honduras staff members have significant insight into current security issues but we also stay up to date with the US State Department briefings.  At this time, the US State Department has NOT issued a travel alert or travel warning for Honduras.

*               Embassy Registration – The Friends of Barnabas Foundation requires all team members to register with the US Embassy through an online registration process.  This insures that the US Embassy knows of each person’s whereabouts and presence within the country.

*               Security Protocol for Teams – We have a security protocol regarding team travel that is being re-emphasized with all participants.  We will be emphatically enforcing the procedure for all team travel which involves a calling and alert system as well as a policy against travel after dark.

*               Delegados – We are embracing the security arrangements available in every community we visit.  There are no National Police representatives in any of our communities but every community has a delegado, an individual who keeps in touch with the police and serves in the function of law enforcement.  Delegados will provide an additional layer of protection for our teams.

*               Police Escorts – If and when our staff and Honduran Director, Nury Janania, conclude that a police escort or additional security is needed for travel by teams or staff members, it will be requested and provided.

*               Local Participation – A local business familiar with the areas we serve will assist in providing escorts for our teams.

*               Ongoing Security – The Barnabas House complex in Peña Blanca has armed security guard on the premises every night.

*               Location and Mission – The majority of crimes in Honduras are concentrated in urban areas and along drug cartel routes.  Peña Blanca, the site of The Friends of Barnabas Foundation’s complex, while not free from crime, is a small town in central Honduras, not at the heart of drug cartel territory.  It should also be noted that The Friends of Barnabas Foundation does not participate in drug dealing or drug transportation, the primary engine for violence in Honduras.  We use common sense and cooperation.

*               Respect and Loyalty – The communities for which we are responsible have adopted us as much as we have adopted them.  We are participating in a relationship with overwhelmingly Christian communities who want nothing but the best for us as well as themselves.

Do these security measures eliminate the possibility of Honduran crime and violence for every team member?  No, of course not.  Just as no one can guarantee one’s safety in the US, we cannot guarantee one’s safety in Honduras.  We can guarantee that the safety of our team members and staff members is our first priority.  We have safely sent nearly 2,000 team members to and from Honduras over the last eleven years.  We routinely monitor the safety conditions in Honduras and will make needed changes, including the cancellation of teams, should the need arise (as was the case for two teams in 2009 during the political crisis).

At this time, The Friends of Barnabas Foundation is not cancelling any teams.  We encourage potential team members to read all they can about Honduras and make their own educated decision about participating on a team.  It is a personal choice (all ministry is the same).

We are taking (and have taken) security very seriously and always will.  We fully appreciate the faith that many have put in our ministry with Honduras and the Honduran people.  We will continue to honor that faith with constant vigilance and appropriate security measures.

Kip Robinson

President

The Friends of Barnabas Foundation

Nury Janania

Honduran Director

The Friends of Barnabas Foundation

January 19, 2012

FOBF Volunteer Pediatric Cardiac Surgeon, Dr. Hisashi Nikaidoh, has been helping to heal little hearts in Honduras since 2006.  He was recently awarded the 2011 Miracle Achievement Award.  We are proud to count Dr. Nikaidoh as a Friend of Barnabas!

This excerpt truly captures “Papa” Joe Covolo’s wonderful personality (from a recent article on the Brandermill Community Association Website)

“Covolo has a tried-and-true approach when it comes to drying tiny tears. To help calm the babies, Covolo uses his voice—his own “medical tool.” He hums hymns to fussy, frightened children, cradling them in his arms when they are brought to the post-anesthesia area.”

The Friends of Barnabas Foundation is always thrilled with the news of its leaders and our work in the field. Thank you for the wonderful article!

“God has blessed us so richly for the week’s experience,” said team leader Janet Arnold.

During their nine days in Honduras from Mar. 19-27, they visited five villages. The 14-member team saw and treated an amazing total of 2,112 adults and children in the medical, eye, deworming and dental clinics, and referred 14 children to the Foundation’s Extended Care Program.

“Every day somehow rises above the last, many stories to share with our loved ones and many more to come.”

Mackenzie Ross, Team #3 member

The Friends of Barnabas Foundation Cardiac Screening Team has been in Honduras since March 10. Read team member, Patti Wagner’s blog about the work being done here.

Who needs Black Friday or Cyber Monday when you can get special gifts with donations to FOBF anytime?!

The 2011 Friends of Barnabas Foundation calendars are ready as well as FOBF decals and our famous Barnabas House Blend Coffee!  Check out “Special Gifts”.

Hurry quantities are limited!!

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