Second chances
19-year-old Rony says he's a different person after participating in World Vision's Channels of Hope youth programme. “I think if it were not for this training, I’d probably be in prison,” Rony admits. Channels of Hope has encouraged Rony to think about his future and thanks to the programme he now acts as a role model for young people in his village and surrounding communities.
Rony’s father was gone by time he was born and his mother left soon thereafter to find work. His grandparents did their best to raise him, but neglect and emotional hardship left Rony angry and heading down the wrong path.
“My attitude was very, very bad,” Rony remembers. “I was very disrespectful. I was aggressive. I was rebellious and quite different to the way I act now.”
A Turning Point
Today, Rony is a different boy - a change that he attributes to World Vision’s Channels of Hope programme for troubled youth.
Channels of Hope originally began in Africa in 2003, working with local faith leaders to address the growing AIDs crisis.
In Honduras, World Vision trains teenagers to talk to other teenagers and the community about HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. They also focus on common issues in the local community, such as alcohol and drug abuse and broken families.
At community festivals, called exposidas, the teens perform plays they have written, present traditional Honduran dances, and play hands-on games as part of their outreach. Rony believes this unique method works effectively to get their message across.
He points to the kids and adults laughing as they crowd around each of the game stations: “While you're here, as you can see, people are very interested and they participate,” Rony explains.
Before his encounter with World Vision’s Channels of Hope, Rony didn’t spend a lot of time thinking about his future. When he started the training, however, this changed.
“I started dreaming and having goals, and thinking that leading others was possible,” he says. “As time goes by, I have more and more dreams and my optimism grows.”
Rony's expectations of himself have also grown. He wants to continue working and training others. First and foremost, he likes to nurture other people's spiritual life, b He also wants to continue sharing his knowledge about HIV with other people so they can understand the impact the pandemic is having on their community.
Being a Role Model
Eventually, Rony hopes to become a father. He plans to avoid the pattern set by his own father, and break free from the cycle of family abandonment common in Honduras. Rony feels that the training about strengthening families that he’s received through Channels of Hope will help him to be there for his own children one day. He’s also been inspired by the example of parenthood set by World Vision staff with their own families.
Rony now enjoys acting as a role model to other youths who find themselves in the same angry place in which he used to dwell. “It really challenges me,” he says with pleasure. “I can influence them and now they can look at me. They can see me and they can see that they can change their lives. That’s incredible for me.”
The boy once bound for prison has found his dreams and a new way to channel his energy. Now he offers a message of hope to other teens and his entire community.
“I want to thank World Vision for all the support they have given us and for all the training,” Rony says. “I want to tell you that now we call this community the 'community of the blessing' due to all the blessings we have had and the transformation that has taken place in this community.”
