By Laura Chung
Back in December 2015, I went to Útila, a tiny bay island off the shore of Honduras, on a diving trip. The plan was to catch a flight from San Pedro Sula to Guatemala. My friend Brooke, who I was traveling with, suggested we reach out to her friend Ramiro, who was in El Progreso for Christmas. Brooke told me Ramiro’s unbelievable story about how he was the New York City subway hero who pulled a man off the tracks. For his courageous deed, he received money from generous donors and, instead of spending it on himself, decided to rebuild schools in Honduras. We met and he showed me the first school, Santiago Morales. I’ve been working with FEIH ever since.
FEIH is currently rebuilding its sixth school and the FEIH team recently partnered with Banco Atlántida, a local bank, to host a soccer tournament for all of the schools. Soccer (or fútbol, as it’s known to the rest of the world) is a very popular sport in Honduras. When I was initially asked to go to Honduras to photograph the tournament, I thought it would be cool to watch cute kids kick around a ball. I didn’t realize just how big of a deal this was to a little kid from rural Honduras until I arrived.
I had a very short stint playing soccer when I was in middle school and I definitely didn’t take it seriously. I only played to hang out with my friends. These kids take soccer very seriously. They practice after school, sometimes even without shoes. When I arrived in Honduras, I found out that at one of the schools, Lempira, the kids didn’t have soccer cleats, athleisure, or a soccer field to practice on. Ramiro showed me a photo of one of the Lempira boys playing soccer in rain boots!
The day of the tournament was long and the air was thick with humidity. I was sweating my face off but having the time of my life capturing these moments. I had never seen kids so excited to play anything besides iPads and video games. Some kids were so excited they were crying during the Honduran national anthem. I loved seeing the parents beaming with pride.
With the momentum of the female empowerment movement, it was also appropriate that the soccer tournament included the girls. It was such a powerful statement to the boys and girls that FEIH recognizes and provides equal opportunities to boys and girls in education and sports. As if written in a movie, the Cinderella team, the Lempira boys who practiced in rain boots, won! The Adrian Mejia girls won as well.
I was standing on that soccer field getting drenched in the pouring rain, when I realized that I had it wrong all along. It’s not the fancy gear, coaches, facilities, schools, colleges, or even money that helps you win, it’s the heart. These kids won each game because their disadvantages were actually their strengths. Practicing in rain boots without a soccer field primed them to have an advantage when they finally had cleats and a field. They also had to travel the furthest to arrive at the tournament although they had never left their town before. The whole story was truly inspiring to me. The moral of the story is make the most of what you’ve got!
I realized another thing on this trip. I thought I was the one helping these communities in Honduras: donating money and time, photographing events, and running FEIH’s social media. But, in reality, they have helped me in more ways than they will ever know. I learned that it doesn’t matter what you have, it’s how you use it. Seeing principals and teachers cheering on the kids was encouraging. Seeing families drop everything to watch their children play soccer was heartwarming.
It really showed me that FEIH is much more than just building schools; it’s building communities. One soccer tournament showed the kids that there are opportunities out there. There are choices beyond gangs and violence. These kids taught me a number of life’s important lessons.
Laura Chung is a New York based travel blogger who serves as FEIH’s Social Media Manager. Laura is energized by her love of travel, photography, and her passion for helping children in developing countries. Her goal is to demystify Honduras and bring awareness of its people and culture.