Andrew Xavier: Helping the World Community
My name is Andrew Xavier. I am a level three red belt student at Johnson’s Tae Kwon Do Academy and am testing for the black belt level. I am a fifth grade student who moved to North Carolina five years ago with my family. We have visited several countries, including places where there are many poor people. Last Sunday, I volunteered at my church to help raise money for an ongoing program to help poor people in Honduras.
Every year, my church takes volunteers to help in Honduras, the second poorest country in the western hemisphere. We are helping a parish in Honduras that serves the 18 aldais (villages) over the mountainous miles in Nueva Palestina (a city in Honduras). We donate money to the parish and the money is used to help the health of the people, because there are many diseases in Honduras that they cannot afford to treat on their own. They also use this money to help the education in Honduras. There is a law in Honduras that says any child between 7 and 14 can go to school for free. However, although school is free, the supplies required to attend school cost about $75, but most people earn only about $2 per day. The money helps these kids in the aldais to go to school. At our church, for two masses, I helped set up posters in the church to display the importance of the mission. I then passed out envelopes that had space to put checks in for people to donate money. At the end of the second mass, I helped take down the posters and video display equipment.
I learned that I do not have a bad life. I learned that although I might not get what I want all the time, kids around the world do not even get enough FOOD for many days. I learned to be thankful for a house with air-conditioning and heat and safety, plenty of food, clean water, good education and being able to get health care. I am lucky and grateful to be in the position I am. Next year, I might go to Honduras with my parents, since my dad has been going for two consecutive years, along with other parents and their teenage children.?
