“All of the work that restores, transforms, and prepares the girls of Our Little Roses to
be future leaders, teachers, professionals, mothers, and even small business owners is only possible through the dedicated and loving supporters of this unique ministry focusing on the girlchild at risk.”
The RT. Rev. Leo Frade
Chair, Our Little Roses Foreign Mission Society
Dear Friends,
What a year! At the end of 2019 I thought that 2020 was going to be a year of peace and calm. Well, it wasn’t. In Honduras, besides dealing with the Covid-19 epidemic we had to deal with TWO hurricanes, one after another. They destroyed most of the infrastructure of the North Coast of Honduras where Our Little Roses Home is located.
It was a great tragedy for millions of Hondurans that were left with nothing. Several of our staff, as well as several of the girls that have graduated, lost their homes with everything inside. But thanks be to God, and to you, we were able to help our girls and staff by replenishing the material goods that were destroyed. I want to thank everyone that was able and willing to respond to alleviate the anguish of these disasters.
We still are dealing with the Covid-19 epidemic in Honduras. Unfortunately, being a poor country, the resources to buy the vaccines are limited. However, through implementing strict protocols and with your support our girls are safe. For that I want to thank-you and I pray that God will give you a double portion of his Grace to make you happy, healthy and prosperous.
Blessings,
Reverend
Chair, Our Little Roses Foreign Mission Society
Wendy Bourgault
Executive Director,
Our Little Roses Foreign Mission Society
Dear Friends,
2020 began with so much joy for Our Little Roses! Our Board of Directors held a very productive meeting in Honduras in February which was preceded by the celebration of one of our graduates getting married!
Dr. Jensy Maldonado, who grew up with her sister Mayra at Our Little Roses and went on to become a doctor of cosmetic dentistry, was the lovely bride. Jensy walked down the aisle with our founder, Dr. Diana Frade on one side, and one of her beloved sponsors on the other. In her bouquet she carried a picture of her mother and father, both long passed. In the chapel were members of mission teams from the U.S. who had watched Jensy grow up. It truly was a beautiful example of Diana’s lifelong mission coming to fruition.
We returned home to the US excited to get to work to continue moving our ministry forward, when it happened - Covid-19. Honduras shut down quickly and went under Martial Law. While life was difficult here at home, imagine what it was like in Honduras where pivoting to such things as “virtual” learning includes challenges that we in the U.S. can scarcely fathom.
Facing these challenges was not the end of the story for Honduras; on top of a pandemic, the Sula Valley was devastated by two, back-to-back, hurricanes that hit within 12 days of each other.
I remember being overwhelmed and thinking that this time we might have met our match. The non-profit bloggers and experts warned that donor fatigue was imminent, the need was just too wide-spread. God had different plans for Our Little Roses. Through God’s grace and the love and commitment of so many of our supporters we were able to navigate every obstacle thrown in our path. As you’ll read in these pages, we not only managed to send additional support to our staff and alum who lost everything in the storm, but we were able to implement some exciting new initiatives!
Someone once told me, if you focus on the hurt, you will continue to suffer, if you focus on the lesson, you will continue to grow. I am proud to share that at Our Little Roses we are laser focused on the lesson. I invite you to join us in our work as we look forward to what 2021 might have in store.
Executive Director, Our Little Roses Foreign Mission Society
Enrichment Programs
Managing COVID-19:
In my role as President of Our Little Roses Ministries, I can not imagine how we would have been able to handle the situation with COVID-19 in 2020 without Dr. Antonio Perez. He has been invaluable in getting all of the employees and girls through the pandemic.
From the onset, Dr. Tony, as he is fondly referred to, kept in constant contact with the staff and girls, stopping by frequently to ensure that nobody had the virus. He developed our safety protocols and ensured our staff had the list of necessary protective equipment and an isolation room set up, in case we had an active case of COVID.
Dr. Tony runs our neighborhood medical clinic, Sagrada Familia (Holy Family Medical Clinic) which provides for the needs of the community as well. He especially cares for those who have limited resources to pay for doctor’s visits and medications. Because the clinic is small and social distancing has been essential, he has made use of his garage and has added chairs outside to accommodate the steady stream of patients from the community.
The situation in San Pedro Sula is still dire. Honduras is the only Central American country where there is no reduction of cases of COVID since the onset of the pandemic. At the present time there is still no set date when the vaccinations will begin.
For Dr. Antonio’s Perez’s description of the impact of COVID-19, please click the link to read the translated copy of “Impact and Handling of Covid in the Community and OLR”.
2020 Financial Snapshot
OLRFMS Income
OLRFMS Expenses
"On behalf of all of the girls and staff of Our Little Roses, thank you for your faithfulness and dedication that is making a profound difference
for the future of Honduras. May God pour out an abundance of blessings on your lives and those of your family."
Get a copy of the full
2020 Annual Report