Honduras can be a challenging environment, and at times, it is not for the faint of heart. However, amidst the challenges, we witness more good in the world than bad and experience it firsthand every time we visit. We firmly believe that merely sending money to Honduras and hoping for the best is insufficient. We are actively engaged, visiting the orphanage and the several schools where our children attend. We shop with our teachers for school supplies and uniforms, take our kids on educational and recreational trips, and participate in various activities. Typically, we visit the orphanage 3-4 times a year.
In 2011 my family realized that to break the cycle of poverty, the children at COPPROME Orphanage needed a good education. Our non-profit was founded by Charlie to provide this. Over the past 13 years, our on-site teachers have provided education for over 100 children, all of who have graduated from their respective classes and schools. Many have gone on to study at university or a trade school. Prior to our program, our children were passed from class to class without necessarily meeting the requirements. Now they are the best in their classes, and the culture has changed to one where it is “cool to be smart.”
Deborah D. Proctor, HCP Founder
Comité Progreseño para la Proteccion al Menor or the Committee for the Protection of Minors (COPPROME), orphanage in El Progreso, Honduras. It was founded on June 24, 1989, by a group led by Sra. Maria Teresa González. COPPROME obtained legal status on June 11, 1993, and was registered under No. 60 in the Dirección de Niñez, Adolescencia y Familia or the Directorate of Childhood, Adolescence and Family (DINAF) in Honduras.
Sra. Teresa, a Sister Educator of Notre Dame, ministered to the poor in El Progreso, Honduras. Her dream was to build a children’s shelter that could offer hope to the poorest of the poor. Together with members of the community, she began COPPROME.
Fundraising was slow and difficult. Then in 1986, an American couple, Henry and Patricia King, arrived to adopt a child. In 1988 they adopted their second child and learned of Sister Tere’s dream. Determined to give back to a country that had given them so much, they took up the cause of fundraising to build a home. In December 1989, the first home opened its doors.
Hogar Amistad (House of Friendship) in Palermo, El Progreso, had 12 little boys. When Henry asked Sister how she would care for these children, she answered, “God will provide.” Understanding that they had been brought to this place to help, the Kings formed the House of Friendship Foundation.
For 34 years, the foundation has been working with COPPROME to ensure that every child who comes can be protected, loved, and given an education and a chance to succeed.
Over the years, COPPROME grew to include a second home in Laureles, El Progreso, and then a third home in La Flecha, Santa Barbara. After the destruction of Hurricane Mitch, a new home was built on the outskirts of El Progreso.
Our children receive an education through high school, and many of our graduates have gone on to university – truly a miracle in a country such as Honduras. The work continues to ensure that the children in our care can look forward to a future filled with hope.
