New Hope and San Rafeael by Lorene

What a contrast between New Hope, a community built from the ground up with education as a foundation and sweat equity as a value to live by, and San Rafael, an indigenous community who is even more deeply, deeply impoverished and enmeshed in the web of tradition that hinders progress and generational uneducation. Both communities have dignity but just when we thought we had seen poor at New Hope, San Rafael took our breath away. The children in both communities were darling and welcoming and shy. It was a great privilege to be welcomed by all. To see homes billowing wood smoke that are literally made of dried corn husks with roofs of corrugated steel, stray dogs, dirt roads....wow. Americans do not understand this level of poverty. Quite an eye opening contrast, humbling to know the dignity of the people who maintain the church beautifully with fresh flowers daily. So much to think about.