Cielito Lindo, originally named “El Trapo” meaning “The Rag” is a massive squatter community with approximately 300,000 inhabitants. It’s located on the outskirts of the capital city of Tegucigalpa. People started settling in these relatively uninhabitable hills after Hurricane Fifi wiped out thousands of homes in the city. People made homes out of cloth and tarp scavenged from the streets and dumps.

Gang activity started to become rampant. And it's been perpetuated as young people were faced with the choice of hopelessness at home, or joining a criminal surrogate family that offers “identity”, even if it means risking a dramatically shortened life by either being killed in the streets or going to prison. 

The environment became so dark that they changed the name of this area to "El Infiernito”, which translates to “Little Hell.” In this community, you didn't have to convince people that hell exists, because they lived in it. Mothers worried about their children's lives, and every day produced the expectation that disaster could strike at any moment. 

When the CarePoint was established in this community, the first thing we did was change the name to Cielito Lindo which means “Pretty Heaven”.  No longer would this place be declared a living hell, but a place claimed for the glory of God! 

Merlin Alvarado, our facilitator, has over a decade of experience fighting for the lives of the children, and she is uniquely aware of the area's challenges. 

Hundreds of children are now finding hope and a pathway to a successful life in Christ Jesus. They can see another choice: the path to life, freedom, and opportunity. We’re seeing many already taking that path, and they are setting wonderful examples for others that follow.