It was a different trip this time around for Fred Makowecki as he reflects on travelling to Roatan and seeing the work the Morgan Jayne Project has done.
Four years ago Makowecki went to Roatan for the first time to witness Familias Saludables first hand. This is the charity that administers the Morgan Jayne Project on the ground. For six years the Morgan Jayne Project has been providing infant formula for HIV infected mothers to curb the spread of the disease from mother to child.
The first time Makowecki made the trek he was shaken to the core seeing the toll that poverty, drugs and disease take on a population about 1,500 kilometres from the most affluent country in the world.
The overall situation in Roatan has not changed much since then, in fact after the economic crisis which saw the collapse of the tourism industry, followed by political instability, there were cases where the outlook may even be more hopeless.
For Makowecki after his first trip he felt depressed, this time he is hopeful.
“I was encouraged to see clients in the program who were still alive, I was encouraged to see the kids going to school, and it is exciting to see where we are going,” said Makowecki.
While four years is not a lot of time, it is literally a lifetime for many of the children in the program. The first time he went he saw them fighting for their lives, today they are going to school, learning and bettering their lives.
“It is proving that what we do is making a difference. They are going to school and hopefully they break the chain of poverty,” he said, adding that many things we take for granted such as basic literacy make a huge difference in the lives of the people of Roatan, leading to better jobs and more opportunities.
While he comes home with a somewhat satisfied feeling, seeing what a difference the program is making, rather than making him complacent he is even more energized, convinced the Morgan Jayne Project is on the right path.
