La Cuidad Blanca, through the eyes of an American college student

I've don't remember everything my sister told me about the orphanage, but what I do still haunts me.  I think God has kept it on my heart, urging me to help in whatever small way I can.

The following is an excerpt from a letter written by one of the students who visited the orphanage with my sister:

"On Thursday afternoon, we went to La Cuidad Blanca, an orphanage operated by nuns. All 66 orphans [ranging from two years of age to late twenties] in this facility have either Down Syndrome, Spina Bifida, or Hydrocephalus. Despite the advice we received from fellow Honduran students prior to our arrival, nothing could have emotionally prepared my group for this orphanage. I will attempt to describe what I saw, although words cannot truly capture this experience.

As I entered through the screen door into the orphanage, I note the bare white walls and cool tile floor. Not a place I would want to live. The silence of my group was deafening. Like I said before, it is difficult to match words with this place. The smiles on our faces were quickly fading as we made our way deeper into the orphanage. I gravitated to the baby being fed by a bottle. Her name is Dulce Maria (translates to Sweet Mary). She has Hydrocephalus, meaning her head was swollen to the size of her body. As I held her heavy in my arms, I was amazed at the sight before me. Two twin beds pressed against the walls, each bed with three or four children lying on their backs lifeless. These children have Spina Bifida, meaning they have no use of their limbs. They all lay like vegetables. Some of the children were lying in their own waste or that of their neighbors. As I rounded the corner, this is where the heartache took over. The next room, which was about the size of a basketball court, was packed from wall-to-wall with cribs of all sizes. The thought of this room full of disabled children caused the pain in my heart to come out in full force. I continued to walk through the orphanage with an attempt to gain composure as to not upset other group members or the orphans. As I entered the third room, the pain ignited within me. This room had four full-size beds packed with kids. Each bed had at least five children lying on their backs. Unfortunately I never had an official count, but I estimated of the 66 occupants: 6 of them had motor skills and the ability to walk, another 15 were confined to wheel chairs (half of which had motor skills) and the rest were confined as vegetables to beds, strollers or car seats.

Our group worked at La Cuidad Blanca for almost four hours. During this time, we circled the facility in attempt to meet all the orphans. The moment you approached them, they were instantly overcome with joy. It was as though your presence alone made a difference in their lives. I colored with the few orphans who had use of their hands or feet. One guy actually colored with markers and read books with his toes! It was quite amazing to see how he had made use of his feet since his arms were of no use to him.

Upon our arrival, the nuns began changing all the bed sheets and preparing the meals. Mealtime was quite a sight to see. A large four-tiered cart of food came rolling out of the kitchen just as a handful of local volunteers came walking into the orphanage. It was comforting to see the Honduran community has realized there is a need. The entire time I was at La Cuidad Blanca I crossed paths with a total of six nuns. Six nuns for 66 occupants! They truly must be from God to have made such a commitment to these orphans. Each child was fed, given a clean t-shirt and diaper, and then placed into his/her crib/bed. It took well over an hour for all the volunteers to feed the 66 of them. The children who could feed themselves ate bananas in milk. Everyone else was spoon-fed orange mush. After they finished their excuse- for-a-meal, every orphan was then given the same dosage of medicine. I am not certain, but it seemed as though this was the only meal they would receive all day. Each orphan seemed to inhale their food and water, which answered our curiosity as to why they were so frail and fragile.

The best way to describe La Cuidad Blanca: a holding cell for death. These orphans are simply waiting for the Lord to bring them home. Although I commend those nuns for the work and commitment they have put into those children, something must be done, which is why I chose to share my experience with you in such detail. I pray that God gives you an idea to create change in this place."