By Astrid Delleman | Coordinator
Learning from an Ark community in Honduras
Ruach’s work is deeply inspired by The Ark (L'Arche), an international organisation that world-wide supports many Ark communities in which people with and without intellectual disabilities live together as a family. Every year we offer the opportunity to two members of our Foundation to visit an Ark community. Last year we visited an Ark community in Honduras.
It is 1:30 am. Don Elmer arrives well in time to drive me to Managua. Eva, who works in the activities centre, is also ready. We will go to Managua to catch the 5 am coach to Tegucigalpa in Honduras. We’ve got tickets already. It is a special coach that connects Central American countries.
Gaining practical experience
We’d like to operate our home as an Ark community, but especially our new employees do not know enough about what that entails. Living and participating in an Ark community is of course very enlightening and clarifies what the meaning of the Ark’s mission and vision is. Honduras is the nearest country with an Ark community. This community was founded 40 years ago. Other Ark communities in the region, further afield from Juigalpa, are in Mexico and Haiti.
We chose to offer the opportunity of the Honduras trip to two members of staff, (one from the Home and one from the Activities Centre), rather than to members of the Board as we did in previous years. Besides Eva we choose Silvia who unfortunately had an operation at the end of June and was not sufficiently recovered for the long 12-hour coach journey. We then choose Carmen, who was enthusiastic, but could not go because her father was in hospital. Then my number came up!
For a week I was a guest in the Nazareth home while Eva stayed in the Isabel home. We were made to feel very welcome and were free to join in with whatever we were comfortable with. In daytime we joined their activities club. Many of the residents of the home are also participants in the club, but the club was also open to some people from the neighbourhood. We also joined in with a birthday party; the daily celebrations; and a farewell party for one of the employees (Yes, also in Honduras there is staff turnover in the homes). I used a big share of my time talking to those involved with the community, like the Board members, staff of the homes and club, an elder, and the overall coordinator. I came away with a nice list of ideas about what we can do in Nicaragua, or what we need to do additionally or differently.
Taking some distance
Beside that it was very nice to distance myself from my own work, the responsibilities and the daily ‘to do’ list. I needed that after an intensive month of July preparing for moving house and settling in José, our 4th resident. It was also a good test to see how well my son Jonathan would cope with my absence. After our move to Nicaragua in November 2015 he was to my surprise unsettled for quite a while. That was followed by more change after May 2016 with a new move, new house mates, changing staff, etc. That is very demanding for someone with autism who functions best if there is a clear structure and regularity. Add to that that he also has an intellectual disability and consequently understands less of what is going on around him, and you will understand that his task of adjusting feels like a Master’s exam!
Fortunately the week without me went well which says something positive about Jonathan, but also of the staff who have learned how to respond to him. This also means I will have more leeway to carry out other plans
By Astrid Delleman | Coordinator of the project
By Astrid Delleman | proyect leader
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