Franklin and his sisters lived in fear.

A mother would give anything to hear her son say, "I can breathe in the open air here." But the uncertainty of deportation and possible return to the murder capital of the world, Honduras, kept Franklin's mother second-guessing their future. 

Franklin's mom's had to she had to find a way to provide for her  two girls, so she traveled in and out of her neighborhood, in order to buy and sell cheap jewelry and lottery tickets. Their hometown of Chamalecon is the the murder capital of the Country of Honduras. Mara gang members constantly accosted Franklin's mom, threatening her with murder if she didn't relent and become property of the gang. The same would happen to any boyfriend, when and if she had one, if he were not a gang member.

The day came Franklin's mom realized she was pregnant by her boyfriend. Her neighborhood was too dangerous and his dad was under the threat of murder were he to accompany her to her mother's home. In order to keep her life she decided to stay inside her mother's home, away from the gang's eyes, for the entire duration of her pregnancy. Nine months in solitary confinement just to be able to bear her baby and later live to provide for her family. And when the day came that she could face the world with her baby in her arms, her mother had to declare, "This is my baby. A teenage girl left him on my doorstep and asked me to take him." Franklin's mother says that fear of murder forced her to be a traitor to her own child.

Eventually, the realization dawned on her that there would be no future for her kids if she stayed in Chamelecon. All around her young women were coerced into serving the needs of the gangs. There was no safety outside the walls of the house. Shots were heard outside frequently. Franklin's mom scrimped and saved, and her kids eventually made their way to North Carolina. Her kids were then able to have new shoes, clothes, and food. 

Ten years later the same threats this mom received as a teen were being passed on to her two beautiful teenage daughters. She had seen the girls' pictures and knew they are  pretty and that it was only a matter of time until the gangs got them. The children returned from school everyday and stayed locked up behind the doors of their grandmother's home, but they also have a life, and dreams. How can Mama bring the girls and abandon Franklin? Also, just as soon as Franklin starts maturing, the gangs would be after him.

Was their journey easy? No. Was there danger? Yes. Were they welcomed when they got here? That is still to be determined. Now that the Franklin and his sisters are here with mom, have all the problems from back home been resolved? No. You may have encountered this loving, hard-working mother if you are a patron of area fast food restaurant. I am sure it would surprise you to know how you can participate in her dream of making sure her kids are always able to "breathe freely in the open air."  

We are Katherine and Angie, two sisters from Honduras. Our dad abandoned us early on and our mom had to leave us because she was threatened by gangs.. Recently, gang members threatened to take us and force us to be their “girlfriends.” We were scared and constantly had to hide out at home everyday since then. But even in our home we were not safe since bullets often fly into our home. A girl friend from school was kidnapped, abused and all her hair was cut off. The police couldn’t do anything about it.

Thanks to your contribution, this is possible!