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Central American Children's-Aid Recipients Already Complaining About School

Santa Valencia, Honduras—A report out of Central America indicates that children receiving charitable donations from international sponsors, the funds of which go to help pay for an underprivileged child’s education, already hate school.

According to many children, who are deprived of life’s basic necessities, including clean water, food, and decent shelter, their daily trips to subsidised schools are "a waste of time". Miguel Alvarez, 13, says of his math class, "when am I ever going to use this in the real world? This won’t help me carry large jugs of water to my house everyday any better."

The tiny village of Santa Valencia, which is inhabited by less than 1,500 people, who are, for the most part, perpetually unemployed and grossly undernourished, has received an estimated 2.4 million dollars over the past three years, most of which is donated by charitable members of North American society. The money, which is said to be spent on "giving an unfortunate child a second chance," has, according to many benefactors, been wasted.

Says Chicago resident Wanda Shallman, longtime sponsor of needy children, "I was hoping that my money would be making a real difference in these kids’ lives. How is learning to read going to help them if they can’t afford books? It’s not like math can help them find food. When was the last time these kids ate, anyway?"

The truth of the matter is, many of these children go weeks on end without the benefit of a decent, nutritious meal. Maria Velasquez, who is the mother of six children, says that she wants all her children to "get a good education."

"I make them do all their homework every night. You can’t underestimate the value of education. I’m glad that they’re finally learning something other how to complete menial labour tasks."

Other mothers are not so happy with the institution of schools. Says Angel di Felice, "the water isn’t going to boil itself. The goats aren’t going to fall over and die on their own. There is no one left to help me work the fields. An education system is nice, but maybe our country should get an economy first."

Many children throughout Central America share the same opinion as those in Santa Valencia, and some are calling the new education system a great injustice. It is reported that one Tegucigalpa teacher did not accept a boy’s late homework assignment, even with the alleged excuse of "I couldn’t do it because I was too busy working tirelessly to help my family stay alive during this perpetual famine that has plagued our country for more than fifty years."

It was not reported whether the boy was lying, but in a country that can afford such a prestigious education system, in all likelihood, he was.