How it began …

While living in Honduras, I (Jenny) invited a few family members to volunteer at a government run children’s home in San Pedro. They accepted and the week we spent there in May of 2010 planted the seeds that would soon grow into The Children’s Home Project (TCHP). We witnessed much that broke our hearts as we watched the children suffer. 

One boy in particular, Richar, was consistently bullied by the others and I watched him get into a fight, then get carried to the boys dorm by other kids where they continued to hit and sit on him while claiming they were trying to calm him down.  My husband and I were alone with him in the room after the others left and listened as he sobbed and repeated “I don’t want to be here.  I want my mommy.  God please help me.”  That’s when everything changed for me. 

Seeing what these kids endured daily left me feeling a deep commitment to do something to improve the lives of the children. As I continued to visit the center and began to bring groups of Hondurans and North Americans with me I realized that I cannot do this on my own and that there are many caring, passionate and capable adults and young people who could come alongside me.  That is how TCHP was born. 

Richar was moved to a privately run children’s home called Proniño, which at that time worked only with street connected youth.  As our organization grew, Proniño became our primary focus and in 2019, we took over the leadership and financial responsibility for the home. (Click here for more information on Proniño)

As our relationship with Proniño grew between 2010-2015, our connection with kids living or working on the streets of San Pedro also grew.  Recognizing that many of the kids we worked with were in a loving home, but were receiving no education, Crecer became the answer to fill that gap and became the other half of TCHP when our Crecer day center opened its doors in August of 2015. (Click here for more information on Crecer.)

– Jenny Kast

Founder of The Children’s Home Project