AHMEN SIFAT INitiative: Time to Expand our Relationship

AHMEN SIFAT Initiative: time to EXPAND our relationship?  

What is SIFAT?

What is the Practicum they hold?

Why should AHMEN send a Honduran to the Practicum?

AHMEN (Alabama Honduran Medical Educational Network) has been working with SIFAT (Servants in Faith and Technology) for three years.  Google each of  these organizations for what we are all a bout.

  I want to talk about expanding our relationship.

The SIFAT Practicum is a 10 and 1/2 week experience held at SIFAT campus that exposes the “students” to 30 different teachers/experiences/learning situations.  The professors come from all over the USA, bringing their expertise  to teach the students not only how to do the things that they will need when they return home to improve their village, but giving them a entire network of professional people and their universities to pull on when they return to Honduras.  

In addition, they teach the students teem work, leadership, community organization - all in an nurturing Christian environment.

Now to the third question: Why should AHMEN send a Honduran to the Practicum?

This is most interesting and the one I had to “struggle with’ most.  Originally, I thought it would be best to put our funding into having Byron in Honduras, and I still think that is paramount importance.  If we have a choice between Byron in Honduras or a student at the Practicum, I will take Byron in Honduras overtime.  

We have had Byron in Honduras for almost a year and what do we have? He, and his support system, have created a firm groundwork for the vision of expanding community leadership adn  trained health care workers going into local communities.  The first graduates are expected this August and already there are people and village lining up to begin the second workshop.  We don’t want this to stop - so let’s keep this going.

Back to why send a Honduran to the Practicum in Alabama.  Try as we might, as of right now we don’t have the resources or funding to “crate a little SIFAT in Honduras”, although that is still a wonderful long term goal.  What if we could create people who had the same skills and networking ability as Byron to become a part of the AHMEN SIFAT Initiative.  This is what I am  proposing.

This was not my original idea, but the idea of Byron and Kathy Corson.  Let’s train four people from Honduras who have completed the first year of AHMEN SIFAT Initiative, who are hand picked by Byron, and who are committed to return to Honduras and become a part of our work there.  Just imagine how that could expand the AHMEN SIFAT Initiative

Byron has suggested four poeple: Pastor Nehum, Marianna from the Deaf School, and Suyapi from Shalom, and Mario from La Ceiba and Cruzadas.

How can we do this?

1. SIFAT will pick up, thru scholarships, 1/2 of the $3,750 for the cost of the Practicum.  This includes “airport to airport” all expenses once we get them to Atlanta.
2. Other money needed is:
1. the other of he 1/2 of the $3,750 ($1,875)
2. passport and visas (approx $500)
3. transportation money to and from Honduras.(approx $800)
4. total less than $4,000.

Here is my proposal

1. We search for a group of persons who will be the sponsors for each of the “students” of the practicum.
2. Their responsibilities/
1. raise the money for the student
2. visit the student while at SIFAT
3. occasionally invite the student to talk in their church, etc to help her feel loved and to raise money.

1. the responsibilities of the student?

1. They commit to retuning to Honduras to work with AHMEN SIFAT Initiate at no charge for three years.  
2. They would be expected to work at each workshop with Byro.
3. They would work between workshop with local students coordinating with Byron and helping them set up work networks for the local villages.

1. Pastor Nahum will be working on his organization in Tennessee for his expends and support..  That leaves us with just three persons.

Here is what I am asking you to do.

Think in terms of your own personal relationship either with  the person, their project, or your vision for AHMEN SIFAT Initiative.

Marianna - Deaf School

Plan de Flores

Woodworking school

AHMEN SIFT Initiative 

We have seen Marianna take a little mud home on the side of a dirt road and turn it into a thriving student and educational center in the Limon area.  Her leadership an organizational skills are unbelievable.  Imagine the future of the Deaf School with her added talents and contacts and networking ability after a Practicum at SIFAT.  Also, imagine her working with the AHMEN SIFAT Initiative and what she will had to the strength of that in the Colon area.

Suyapi -

 Shalom

AHMEN SIFAT Initiative

Her ability to love and help young girls turn from a shy, withdrawn, unloved, beaten down person into a “take charge”, assertive Christian, and goal oriented college student is obvious from visiting Shalom over the years.  I can imagine her adding new skills and relationships to her “repertoire” and passing these on the “her girls” as well.

Mario - from La Ceiba.

Mario is a people person and get things done kind of guy.  Many of you have worked with Mario over the years - now let’s give him a chance to expand his skills and knowledge.  I think Mario is “made” for this experience.  Can you just imagine what his 

Please consider being a part of either one of these “Sponsorship Teams”.  We are not asking anyone to take on the total responsibility, unless you just want to, but we are asking you to become a part of one of these teams.  Please pray about this and contact one of us below.  Tell us at the time which team you want to be a changing agent for:

Marianna from Deaf School Team

Suyapi from Shalom Team

Mario from La Ceiba and Cruzadas

 We will be pooling our sponsorship monies to go first to the particular person you choose to be a part of, then if one person has more than enough, we will simply shift any extra money to that person.

We already have $2,000  committed to this fund.

contacts: 

Tom Camp: llamacamp@gmail.com or call 205-384-8023 or

Byron Morales: byromen@yahoo.com

or 

Michael Franklin: frankmj42@gmail.com

or 

Mary / Hugh Guffey:  hjguffey@earthlink.net

or 

Lela Aaron-Vincent: paperlady35501@yahoo.com        205-221-4655

or 

Linda Norris: Jerry_Norris@bellsouth.net

or 

Bruce McFadden: BCMCF@bham.rr.com

or 

Dr. Jerry and Jean Boshell: orthobos@aol.com

or 

Kathy Corson:  256-396-5095 or kathy.bryson@gmail.com

or 

Bud McKinney: bud137@sbcglobal.net

or

Benny Rowe:  bennyrowe@bellsouth.net

or

 Ivan “Bullie” Romani:  romani@sifat.org

or

Lou Altman: laaltman@netscape.net

please contact Michael Franklin, Mary and/or Hugh Guffey  or Tom Camp with your commitment and plans to help.

Tom Camp 

Joshua and Marianna

Byron and Brother John

Marianna and Benny Rowe

Mario and Michael

Dr. Delmar and Bruce