SOTO CANO AIR BASE, Honduras –
Joint Task Force-Bravo's Medical Element (MEDEL) treated 40 boys and girls and five adult chaperones from Hogar de Niños Nazareth to a visit to Chiminike Interactive Learning Center in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, June 28.
The trip allowed the MEDEL members to interact with the kids, and enjoy as much as the services and activities offered by Chiminike. "We have only been here a few minutes and everyone is already having fun," said U.S. Army Maj. Dan Gardner, chief of ancillary services at MEDEL and orphanage coordinator. "It's very gratifying and everyone's having a good time."
The kids, chaperones and servicemembers enjoyed the interactive tour through the learning center, a snack served in a train wagon stationed inside the building, and an afternoon meal at a fast food restaurant where the kids also had fun before returning home.
"It was a great opportunity for the kids to come here and enjoy this fun but also educational experience," said U.S. Army Capt. Mercedes Gonzales, MEDEL company commander. "We like to share with them and teach them new things."
JTF-Bravo service members regularly participate in numerous community engagements within Honduras; providing support to orphanages and local villages. JTF-Bravo personnel has supported more than 2,000 children at seven different orphanages in Honduras since the early 1990's, spending time interacting with the children, donating much-needed supplies, and doing construction work on the buildings in which the children live.