Hospices in Central America - a Life-Changing Visit
Crosby Soroptimist Pat Murphy has visited the Hospicio San Jose in Guatemala City, Central America.
As Director of Fundraising for St Joseph’s Hospice Association (Jospice) Pat was on a fact-finding trip to Guatemala and Honduras. The association runs the main hospice in Thornton, near Liverpool, but also supports hospices in Guatemala, Honduras, Ecuador and Peru.
Attached to the Guatemala hospice is a children’s home. The children are orphans or abandoned, and all are HIV positive. The Crosby Soroptimists sponsor one young girl, Maria Luisa; and Pat took the opportunity to meet her. This sponsorship, and all other money sent out, helps support the children’s education plus the drugs to keep them healthy - and thus improve their long-term outlook.
Pat said: “The trip was an experience of a lifetime, and quite life changing. It has made me appreciate how much we have and take for granted.
“I want to try and send a container of goods out to Honduras - goods that we throw away. At Jospice in Thornton, for example, we have equipment that is renewed every year. I cannot begin to describe the primitive beds that are being used in our hospices in Central America.
“We could also send basic essentials that could be donated - towels, bedding, kitchen goods, clothes, shoes - the list is endless. Yes, there would be a cost involved, but the value to the staff and patients over there would be so much greater.
As Soroptimists, we work together to ensure that women and girls live in safe and healthy environments, and have access to education. I am confident that, once again, my fellow Crosby Soroptimists will set to and give Jospice their support.”