Melissa Soriano
Lori Connell
“My job has given me the means necessary to make our home a safe place for me and my parents. Two of our biggest projects were changing the roof and installing running water. I´m so proud of having made these improvements possible!”
Melissa at work in the Mi Esperanza Jewelry Studio
Melissa is a 39-year-old single woman who came to Mi Esperanza six years ago. She lives close to Santa Ana, a small community south of Tegucigalpa. She heard about Mi Esperanza through an American Mission group that came to her place to help. They told the ladies in the community that a Non-Profit organization would be teaching a Jewelry course to teach and later employ women to fulfill a large order. She was excited about the news. When the course opened a few months later, she enrolled. This was the opportunity Melissa was waiting for and dreamed about.
Everything was new to her, the jeweler tools and materials. Being around many women was a challenge too. She´s shy and keeps to herself most of the time. Mi Esperanza has allowed her to interact with others and now has made great friends. Her confidence has grown. She´s still quiet, but she now knows she has an untapped power to help her Mi Esperanza team succeed.
Melissa at a Glance
Single
Children: 0
Community: Dora de Asfura
Mi Esperanza Course: Jewelry program
“Mi Esperanza has given me so much. I received training for free and was later offered a job. It would have been hard for me to find another opportunity like this”, said Melissa. “The experience has been great. I´ve learned new skills and discovered new talents in me. I belong in Mi Esperanza; these are my people, my team.”
Having a job has taken away the feeling she had of being a burden to her family. In her environment, a single woman with no children is considered incomplete. Melissa once felt that way, but no longer. Melissa has witnessed many women prosper and become independent through education and a career. She has learned to be proud of herself. She does not feel overlooked anymore.
She would like to ask all Mi Esperanza friends to keep on helping, “You are empowering Honduran women. With your help and support, our lives are so much better. Thank you!”