La Mano Amiga
The mission of La Mano Amiga is to act as an anonymous helping hand for adult orphans in Honduras by removing specific obstacles that are preventing them from moving forward and living a better life.
The idea is not to pay for ongoing needs (like rent or groceries) but to empower them to have goals for the future and then help them remove specific obstacles that are in their way of achieving these goals (much like we’d imagine a parent would do). By doing so, we are also sending them the message that someone cares. They are worth $5 for a haircut for a job interview, or $500 for new beds, a refrigerator and cleaning supplies to rebuild after their home was destroyed in a recent flood, or $300 for the tools they need to work as a handyman. It matters whether or not their children can go to school and whether or not they can afford to put food on the table. That message is, perhaps, even more powerful than the aid itself…especially because it’s so different then the message they are used to getting from the world.
We remain anonymous to them because it helps us most effectively deliver that message: Someone cares. It doesn’t matter who. This is about them…and they matter.
50+
Lives Transformed
We have helped over 50 applicants so far. However, the true impact cannot be measured by this number because the lives of their children, grandchildren, and often greater communities have also been changed for the better.
100%
Satisfaction Rate
So far, we have been able to confirm that 100% of our recipients did indeed receive the goods and/or services they needed to overcome their obstacles. Despite the fact that we never ask for gratitude or feedback, each one of them spontaneously reported an incredible feeling of relief, hope, joy, boost in self-esteem, and/or renewed determination after receiving aid.
1
Paid Employee
We have one person on the ground in Honduras who helps coordinate the granting of requests. He is an adult orphan from NPH himself (and former aid recipient), who understands the obstacles that our recipients face and has been invaluable in helping us navigate the local economy. Aside from him, 100% of our “staff” are unpaid volunteers who work from home. Thus, we are able to devote almost 100% of our funds directly to our mission.
Areas of Aid
Our application process is specifically designed to help our recipients identify what they truly need to get to a better place and stay there. Because our mission is so open ended, you may wonder what kinds of things we tend to help with. While we aren’t limited to the items mentioned below, the top 6 areas we have helped with so far are listed below.
01
Small business startups
This is by far the most popular request. More than half of the applications we have accepted have been for help starting a small business. With such a limited job market and such a lack of resources available, this is one of the most sustainable ways to help people earn a living.
02
Business expansions or improvements
Many of the adult orphans we work with already have small businesses, but are still not able to earn enough money to feed their families. By providing them with extra space, inventory, or updated equipment, we are able to help them grow their business to the point where they can earn a livable wage.
03
Access to water and/or electricity
For many rural Hondurans water and electricity are not things that they have access to. Whether it involves building a pila, connecting a family to an existing water supply, or wiring a home, we have helped several people improve the quality of their lives in this way.
04
A good night’s sleep
Many of the people we work with are employed full time but still cannot afford the luxury of a good night’s sleep. It is common to hear of people dealing with chronic pain, illness or fatigue who are sleeping on the floor. When you have to choose between putting food on the table, paying your rent, or buying a bed, the bed will lose out every time. By providing this “luxury” to the people we work with, we are able to instantly improve the quality of their lives for years to come.
05
Building, finishing, or fixing their homes
Home ownership is just as much of a game changer in Honduras as it is here in the United States (if not more so). However, it is also an impossible dream for many. Although we don’t yet have the resources to purchase homes for people, we have helped provide people with the tools and materials they need to build their own homes. We have also helped people finish or repair homes that are incomplete or damaged.
06
Safety
Honduras is one of the most dangerous places in the world to live. However, some of the barriers to safety that the people we are working with face are completely removable. We have helped provide safe transportation to and from work (to avoid walking or taking buses through dangerous areas), windows and doors for houses (with locks and/or bars), and even built a retaining wall for a house that was at risk of collapsing.