Jamaica
An old friend of Hand in Hand Ministries, Arokiadass Arumainathan, whose English name is Rev. Francis, is operating St. Agnes School in Port Antonio, and HHM has been providing financial support to help with teacher’s salaries. The school, which began as a chicken coop, is a typical Jamaican school: it is a mix of a church providing facilities and the government, the teachers.

HHM hopes to help Rev. Francis – whose relationship with us pre-dates our official incorporation – build classrooms at what was once named as an exemplary school by the local parish (provincial) government.

Port Antonio has lost some of its luster since Erroll Flynn owned a nearby island. However, it still draws some tourists and cruise ships although it is far cry from Montego Bay or Negril. With Belize having few open dates, HHM is looking into looking into the Port Antonio area as a fourth destination for future groups. Port Antonio is on the northeast end of the island and was struck by two hurricanes that struck Jamaica in the last few years. In the past, HHM has helped support an orphanage, home building and feeding programs near Mandeveille.


Costa Rica
In Puerto Jimenez, Hand in Hand Ministries supports a program that provides educational and housing assistance for between 10 and 15 Guaymi Indian students, depending on the particular school year. Guaymi Indians are people indigenous to the Peninsula de Osa area, a remote area eight hours south of the capital of San Jose. The Guaymi normally do not participate in the Costa Rican public schools. However, in this program, they come down from their village in nearby mountains and live with residents in Puerto Jimenez – a town like something out of a Hemingway novel or Jimmy Buffet song – while they attend school. HHM has provided funding for uniforms, textbooks and reimbursement for the host families for the last six years.

This program produced the second Guaymi student to graduate from the Costa Rican public schools in the country’s history. Costs for the program are low, and it benefits students who otherwise would not have the educational opportunities currently available to them.

“Sometimes the best way to says thanks is to just say it,” says Rev. Rudy Breunig, who oversees the program. “Beyond dates and dollars and ages and grades in school, there is the intangible component we call character development, personal growth, disciplined preparation for the future, whatever you want to call it. You will never know the difference you have made in the lives of individuals and in the history of the Guaymi people.”