Sonia Hernandez Baures
(Click
on Sonia's picture for a larger view)
Sonia was raised in a children's home on the island for most of her life. She knows nothing about her mother, and her father, who lives on the island, is not interested in her or her siblings. She is now 19 years old and is still trying to complete school. For the past several months, after leaving the children's home, Sonia has lived with her brother, her sister, and sometimes on her own. These living situations have been difficult, and she has not stayed in the same place very long. Each time she moves out on her own she must quit school and work to pay for a room. She is pictured in front of her one-room apartment.
Despite her difficult childhood, Sonia, who speaks English and Spanish, has been a positive leader on the soccer team. She accepted Christ as her Savior when she was 11. She understands the difference between selfishness and "putting others before yourself", and she tries to help the other girls on the team to treat each other with respect.
As you might expect, Sonia continues to struggle with feelings of not belonging and not being loved. In January, 2003, she decided to move to Tegucigalpa, the capital city, to see if she might find a better life there. We do not know if we will see from her or hear from her again.