From the ROHI staff:
As we closed 2024, we lifted our hearts in gratitude to God and to each of you who have donated, prayed, and supported ROHI throughout 2024. Your contributions have brought hope, met basic needs, and reminded countless children and families that they are not forgotten. ROHI stands as a beacon of hope because of your unwavering generosity.
Our prayer is that God blesses you abundantly—may He keep you in good health, prosper the work of your hands, and fill your lives with peace and joy.
We look forward to continuing this journey together in 2025, believing that with your support, we will change lives, transform hearts, and uplift more families from the garbage dump, offering them dignity and hope through education, God’s word, and family assistance.
From all of us at ROHI, we hope you had a Merry Christmas and have a Blessed New Year. May God’s grace shine upon you and your loved ones in the year ahead.
December is one of the most anticipated and cherished times for our entire ROHI family. It’s a season of celebration, reflection, and gratitude as we come together to witness the fruits of hard work and the joy of giving. This year has been no exception, and we thank God for the incredible blessings He has poured out on us. In addition to the graduations and Christmas celebrations, the generosity of local groups always encourages us by how many join in supporting and giving to ROHI during this time.
DECEMBER HIGHLIGHTS:
GRADUATIONS
One of the most joyous times of the year is our when we celebrate our graduates. Sixteen students graduated from kindergarten, six from nineth grade, five from high school, and three young adults graduated with their trade certifications.
Each of these milestones represents perseverance, hope, and the promise of a brighter future. We thank God for guiding each step of their journey.
BLESSINGS AND DONATIONS
December was also filled with acts of generosity and kindness. This year eight local partner institutions, churches, family groups, and friends blessed the children, youth, and families of ROHI with donations of food provisions, tamales for the Christmas season, cakes, games, gifts, and moments of laughter and love.
We are deeply grateful to each person and organization that gave their time, resources, and hearts to ROHI. Your support brings joy and hope to the families of the municipal garbage dump in Tegucigalpa. Thank you for standing with us and making this season unforgettable.
CHRISTMAS PARTY
The long-awaited CHRISTMAS PARTY for our children was a beautiful celebration of love and generosity. Each child received a Christmas gift—a new outfit and new shoes—that they unwrapped with joy and gratitude. This is the only time each year that most of these students receive new clothing. Each year there are some that hold the brand-new shoes to their noses and inhale deeply, and their eyes twinkle as they relish the fact that no one else has worn those shoes. After Christmas performances by each grade and the opening of gifts, we shared a delicious lunch, creating memories that will last a lifetime. Thank you to every donor who made this possible. Your contributions brought smiles and hope to each heart.
New for 2025—we will be featuring impact stories on the ROHI Project website and will include a tease of it in our emailed monthly updates. Here is where you will find the longer versions.
Meet Paola – A Story of Dreams Revived
At ROHI, we have the joy of watching children grow and discover their unique passions. Paola, the youngest in her family, has been part of our lives since she was little. Her family, like many others in the dump community, has faced generational struggles of surviving off the dump, but Paola has always stood out—especially when a camera was nearby.
From the moment she could hold one, Paola was fascinated by photography. She’d beg anyone with a camera, flashing her irresistible, pleading eyes, for a chance to snap photos. No matter the type of camera, she had a gift—an eye for compelling shots and the curiosity to figure out how everything worked. Even as a tiny pre-K student, Paola confidently declared she’d grow up to be a photographer.
But as time went on, she was convinced by others that photography wasn’t a practical career. When it came time to choose a vocational path last year, Paola decided to pursue barbering instead. In 2024, she dedicated her weekends to barber classes and spent her days volunteering with the 1st grade class at ROHI. She even cut hair for the boys in our program, generously offering her new skills to help others.
Paola accepted that her photography dream might have to remain just that—a dream. But that wasn’t the end of her story. One of our incredible supporters couldn’t bear to see her passion fade away. Last month, Paola received a life-changing gift: her very own camera to begin building a photography business.
Already, Paola has started capturing moments at ROHI events, including the graduations and the Christmas party. In 2025, she’ll begin photography classes, taking steps closer to turning her lifelong dream into reality.
Paola’s story is a beautiful reminder of the power of belief—and how the generosity of donors can reignite dreams. Thank you for helping young people like Paola pursue their passions and change the narrative of their futures.
GIVING TREE CAMPAIGN UPDATE: Thanks to your generosity, we have had the basic annual budget pledged (through monthly pledges and one-time gifts)! THANK YOU! This allows us to start dreaming of purchasing the land and building classrooms! We’re envisioning a time when we will have the budget for a classroom for each grade level (instead of 8 grade levels sharing one room). Currently, we have 14 levels from Nursery to 11th grade but only 6 classrooms and one general space in the middle for the rest.
If you would like to help toward this dream, go to rohiproject.org/donate and put Construction Funds-ROHI in the designation/note popup box (or send a message to [email protected] to designate the funds). We are currently working on quotes for the construction budget and will share the full details as soon as they are available.
Thank you for being part of this journey and for helping make dreams come true!
With love and blessings,
The ROHI Family