Las Sonrisas De Los Ninos
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 Braided hair Patricia The older girls showing off their hair style. Nail painting and hair braiding is popular among the girls, including styling the hair of the volunteers |  Tooth Brushing Linda Brushing teeth is a twice daily activity at the project |  Doing Crafts With Volunteer Carena Patricia Organizing craft activities is usually done by the volunteers |  Our Oldest Volunteer Patricia Jean was 1 month shy of 80 and had more energy than many of our 20 year old volunteers. She volunteered along with her daughter Linda and granddaughter Kim, our first 3 generation volunteers |  Dress Up Patricia What kid doesn't like to do this |  English class perhaps Steve O Learning English is considered a major predictor of success in Honduras but is usually limited to the wealthier city kids. English classes are a regular activity at the project and often involve volunteers |  Gift scarves probably Steve O Volunteer Gail was on her 4th trip in the summer of 2010 and brought with her friends Tonya, Steve, Steve O, and daughter Paris. They carried bundles of donated gifts so that every kid received a wrapped Christmas gift in July, and later they organized a hunt for scarves they hid in the trees |  Handprints Patricia Handprints are a craft activity and are often given to longer term volunteers on their last day, in this case Kim |  Little kids cooling off probably Steve O It is typically very hot in our part of Honduras and our little wading pools are quite popular |  Jeffry on a horse Patricia We've known this little boy since he was around 2. He's a small boy on a relatively big horse but he knows what he's doing |  Julia Patricia Julia is extremely affectionate and climbs into the laps of volunteers during story time without them even realizing it |  Linda teaching sewing maybe Reid Linda is a former Peace Corps volunteer in Africa. She heard of our plan to start a woman's sewing co-op and carried down with her a perfect 100 year old sewing machine and started giving instruction. She later obtained a second machine and sent it down with Ben, returning to the village in Dec. 2010, having been a 5 month volunteer in 2008 |  Lunchtime not sure Lunch is one of the most basic of our services. There isn't a lot of gross malnutrition in our area, but the kids often go without meals at home and enjoy our modified all u can eat policy |  Making crowns with volunteer Margo p |  Making crowns with volunteer Margo Patricia Making crowns is one of our recurrent and popular craft activites, in this case supervised by Margo, who was with us for a month. It's fun watching them wear them after the fact, sometimes for a few days |  Melvin not sure Melvin lives near the project and bounces in and out, along with his older brother Eduardo David, throughout the day |  Napping not sure Self-explanatory! |  Tooth care talk not sure The dentist from the local clinic came and care a talk about oral hygiene to the kids (and employees and volunteers) |  Solar lights Patricia Many of the families have no electricity so we either purchased or had donated a variety of solar or hand crank LED lights and distributed them to families of some of the project kids. Our experience strongly suggests that simply giving things (especially money!) without forethought can have negative and unintended consequences, but lights such as these meet the criteria for being clearly beneficial and completely unavailable locally. |  Patricia and the Hotwheel tracks Reid A repeat visitor/volunteer donated these Hotwheel tracks, which proved to be an enduring hit |  Playground Patricia This playground set was home designed and built in 2008, partly with the volunteer donated money and labor and has continued as a center of activities. The see saw was strong but eventually cracked in half and will be replaced shortly. |  Volunteer Louis and Megan playing marbles Patricia Marbles is a popular game in the village from small kids to teens, which is fine except we've seen kids skip school and play marbles instead. We don't go out of our way to encourage marbles but the kids are welcome to bring their own and play during freeplay time. Louis and Megan were great volunteers and a pleasant surprise because we thought they would be with us for only a week or 2 but remained for 6 weeks, allowing us to have volunteers as we closed out session 5 (May to October 2010) |  Sewing Practice Patricia We hope we can successfully develop our small sewing co-op and that sewing can provide a livelihood for at least some of the chicas and mujeres. |  Tire swing Patricia pretty much our first such outdoor activity item from soon after we first opened |  Veronica Patricia Veronica is 6 or 7 and very special to us. She's been coming to the project for 3 years on and off- it's not uncommon for families to simply move away without warning, then show back up months later- and since we have known her she has been a major caretaker for little brother Mauricio, then Alexi, and then another new brother born in the summer of 2010. We have said, with some sarcasm, that she's only 6 and already has 3 kids, which is somewhat a negative comment on her parents. She is much more mature than she should have to be but very sweet and pleasant. |  Vitamins Patricia Almost without fail we give each kid a vitamin during after lunch story time, and the volunteers generally pass them out. |  Waiting at the bus stop Probably one of the kids using a volunteer's camera In this photo is Gail, on her 4th trip in 2010, her daughter, and some friends who came with her. Gail always stays in the city of La Ceiba as compared to the volunteer hostel and commutes the 25km each way via bus, and often the kids like to wait with them |