C.A.R.E.S.: an education project for Honduras

C.A.R.E.S. seeks to help children in rural Honduras by improving the basic educational opportunities available to them. We do this by providing books and offering a support program that encourages children to read and further explore the joys of learning.

The Presbyterian Church (USA) News Service has published a short article on the C.A.R.E.S. project.

Honduras is the second poorest nation in Central America. It is plagued by an unequal distribution of income, and unemployment/underemployment rates are high. According to UNICEF, a shocking two-thirds of the population lives below the poverty line. Natural disasters, such as Hurricane Mitch in 1998, have only contributed to the hardships experienced by the Honduran people — destroying roads, schools, health centers, and crops. Furthermore, many Hondurans are victims of sex tourism, child labor, and human trafficking.

Education is a solution.

It has the power to decrease poverty rates by improving job opportunities. It has the power to decrease the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (including HIV/AIDS), prevent disease outbreak and spread, decrease infant/mother mortality rates, and encourage healthy lifestyles. It has the power to decrease criminal activity. It has the power to decrease inequalities, especially those based on gender. It has the power to increase participation in social, economic, and political-decision making. (UNICEF)

Education can make a difference.

The mission of C.A.R.E.S. is to provide rural Honduran schools with children's books. We are starting in Chonco, a rural community near Copan. Additionally, C.A.R.E.S. pays students a small amount for every book they read. This is important because children are often pulled out of school at a young age; their parents need them to work in the fields and contribute to their family's finances instead of getting an education. Since C.A.R.E.S. is paying the children for each book they read, their parents will be encouraged to keep them in school longer and, in turn, to encourage them in their studies. A better education results in better opportunities. C.A.R.E.S. also provides the teacher with a small stipend in gratitude for her participation and hard work.

Future goals for C.A.R.E.S. include supplementing the school lunch program, expanding to other Honduran communities, and adding a scholarship component so that students can continue with their studies beyond what their communities offer.

A College of Wooster student, Catherine Gillette, heard about her school's annual Idea Competition, sponsored by the Center for Entrepreneurship. She remembered the many children she had met on two mission trips to Honduras and decided to design a proposal that would help them. After consulting with Tim and Gloria Wheeler, Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA) mission workers and Heifer Project International staff in Honduras, Catherine presented her idea to a panel of judges. She was awarded an initial grant of three hundred dollars. Ruth Farrell, Director of the Presbyterian Hunger Program and experienced international development authority, was helpful in establishing an account with PCUSA.

Catherine Gillette with the first C.A.R.E.S. books in Honduras (July 2011)

This past summer, Catherine Gillette traveled to Copan, Honduras to complete an internship with an organization called Urban Promise. She spent six weeks living in the city and working with children at a summer camp. While she was in Honduras, Catherine delivered a shipment of children's books that she purchased for C.A.R.E.S. to Gloria Wheeler. A second shipment will be delivered in January 2012. Thank you to all who donated to C.A.R.E.S. and made this project possible.

Support us financially! By making a donation, you help us brighten the futures of countless children and youth. Checks (not tax deductible at this time) should be made out to Catherine Gillette. Below, on the memo line, please note "C.A.R.E.S reading project." Then send your check to:

Catherine Gillette
C.A.R.E.S. Reading Project
2606 Salem Drive
Wilmington, DE 19808

Catherine will use some of the funds collected to buy Spanish children's books that will be taken to Honduras in January 2012 by Limestone Presbyterian Church's mission team. Additional funds not needed for books will be used for implementing the C.A.R.E.S. project in Honduras.

Catherine with Honduran children, January 2012

Carolyn Gillette and Catherine Gillette with books for Honduras, January 2012

C.A.R.E.S. is committed to improving the educational opportunities available to children and youth in Honduras.

The people who make this important work possible are Tim and Gloria Wheeler, who oversee the program in Honduras; Catherine Gillette, founder of C.A.R.E.S.; and you — your generosity truly enables us to change lives.

We encourage public school teachers and Church School teachers to hold read-a-thons in their classrooms. This involves children in the process of helping children. Read-a-thon forms and instructions are available upon request.

Likewise, we encourage church youth groups to hold fundraising events of their own. (Hint: Carwashes are lots of fun!!)

C.A.R.E.S. encourages individuals and groups to hold creative fundraisers! Have a great fundraising idea? Tell us about it!

We welcome contributions in memory or honor of loved ones.

Some of the early seed money for this project, beyond the college grant, was given in memory of Louise C. Gillette. Mrs. Gillette served as a children's librarian for many years and instilled a love of reading in many.

C.A.R.E.S. also welcomes contributions in celebration of birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, and baptisms.