Joint Task Force-Bravo service members have supported more than 500 children at different orphanages in the Comayagua Valley since 1997. Volunteers spend time interacting with the children, donating supplies and doing construction work to improve facilities the children use, study or live in.
Orphanage support has included the following:
Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe
The 612th Air Base Squadron volunteers to visit the orphanage approximately twice a month to provide support to more than 100 children and single mothers. Children range in age from newborns to 13 years old. Airmen with the 612th have been supporting this orphanage for more than 15 years, providing them with donated school supplies, personal hygiene items and clothes. The 612th has also conducted basic repairs and constructions to the orphanage facility. In 2006, 612th ABS personnel participated in the "Christmas in Honduras" toy delivery with a Special Forces unit from Hurlbert Field, Florida.
Horizontes al Futuro
Soldiers with Army Forces Battalion visit the orphanage twice a month to support approximately 150 children, ranging in ages from 1 to 18 years old. ARFOR has been supporting this orphanage since 1997 and has provided donations including food, clothing, toys, and medical supplies. ARFOR personnel have also provided the orphanage with 32,000 gallons of fresh water on several occasions, as well as conducted minor renovations, construction and repairs in the buildings.
Fundación Casa Ayuda
The ARFOR Military Police Detachment assists more than 120 children, most of which have special needs, through Casa Ayuda since 2001. The Puerto Rico National Guard soldiers have assisted in the construction of a basketball court, installing rain gutters and supplying ceiling fans to improve the orphanage’s facilities. The unit also provided a stove, kitchen table, three washers, dryers, and a refrigerator to improve their living conditions. Typical donations from the unit include food, clothing, shoes, personal hygiene items and school supplies. The MPs also celebrate the holidays with the children every year.
Hogar Nazareth
The Jesus of Nazareth Children's Home houses approximately 170 boys and girls, including some with special needs. Soldiers with ARFOR’s Medical Element visit the orphanage to host gatherings during special holidays. MEDEL has been supporting this orphanage for more than 15 years and has provided donations of school supplies, clothing, shoes, personal hygiene items and toys. The unit has also donated refrigerators, washers, and stoves to improve their living conditions. In 2007, MEDEL volunteers began working on a project to equip the orphanage with their own water supply system.
San Antonio de Padua
The 1-228th Aviation Regiment supports approximately 80 boys ranging from kindergarten age through the 6th grade since 1998. The aviation unit has donated clothes, personal hygiene items and recreational supplies to improve the lives of the children. In 2007, the 1-228 conducted renovations and improvements to their facilities including two roofs in the orphanage building. They also provided an entertainment system for its common recreational area.