YOU can directly impact these two orphaned young men.   

Melchor and Brian Alastero, cousins and both orphans, have dreams to attend medical school.   It is a very rare thing for a Miskito child to even imagine themselves capable of ever attending medical school.   Only a small percentage of children ever go further than 6th grade in this very remote, very poor area.    The doctors here are all from the interior of Honduras or from Cuba.   These Christian young men dream of great things, but need your help.

Both Brian and Melchor have dreams of being Doctors of Microbiology.   The program is 5 years beginning in February of 2012.  These 2 have a vision to return to La Moskitia and help their family and their community.  These 2 are world-changers!   One life changing many lives!    Be a part of it!!

Melchor & Brian at Melchor’s High School Graduation

Reach Out Honduras hopes to offer Melchor and Brian a scholarship for one year at a time.   The scholarships will include one year of living expenses, textbooks, enrollment fees and travel expenses – a total of  $350 per month.   Medical school tuition itself is almost free.

Every year, grades and conduct will be evaluated before the scholarship is granted for another year.

Brian & Melchor at the Honduran Independence Day parade

To contribute to this fund, Visit Our Razoo Fundraising Page

For more information on helping with scholarships for these 2 young men, contact Alex & Laura Waits by clicking on this link.

Here is additional information on the Alastero family:

Marina Alastero was an amazing woman of God.   After receiving a scholarship to study in the US, Marina returned to her home to help others.   Marina had a vision and heart for children in need.    She worked many jobs:  a statistician at the hospital,  taught business classes at night, taught English at her own school and was a mother to her own children.    Within a very short period of time, 3 of her 11 siblings and one cousin passed away.  Marina took in all of the orphaned children of her siblings and cousin.  Her vision… that her entire extended family and their children have educational opportunities. She prayed openly about this dream and knew that God would provide a way.

To give you a picture of how Marina lived … as she walked to and from town, she would stop and talk to people about her faith.  Often, she would be walking along and spontaneously break out in praise songs and others would join in.   She taught all of the children in her home how to sing songs to the Lord, memorize Scripture and pray.    All of Puerto Lempira remembers Marina Alastero.  One life changing many lives.

Shortly thereafter, Marina found out she had uterine cancer.   As she was dying, Marina encouraged her remaining sisters (5) to take all the children in, continue to encourage them in Christ and plant in all of them the seeds of education.   Marina’s children then became orphans themselves.

Maritza and Leonora are two of Marina’s remaining sisters.   They have made Marina’s vision a reality.   They are raising 23+ children along with some help from the other 2 sisters and 2 brothers still living. Their living situation is very humble, even by Honduras standards. They have a small wooden house and a small concrete house for almost all of the family.

The Alastero family is a talented group of children and aunts.  They have a pine needle basket business to support their family.    The pine needles are collected in La Moskitia, the baskets are assembled in their humble home and marketed in Honduras and the US.

Additionally, each of the Alastero children has a special dream for their life.   There are those who wish to be teachers, those who dream of being missionaries, 1 who wants to be a trained auto mechanic and 2 who want to go to medical school.   Through partnerships with generous donors, Reach Out Honduras has helped 13 of these children move forward toward their dreams.

Tinki pali (Miskito for ‘thank you’) for reading about this incredible family.