The Jaramillo Family Makes a Difference

Sponsoring a Deaf Child: How the Jaramillo Family is Changing a Life in Honduras

The Jaramillo family, living in Eagle, CO, understands the power of community support and giving back. Hannah, a dedicated nurse, and Evan, a committed police officer, are raising their three children with the values of compassion and generosity. One of the ways they live out these values is by sponsoring a deaf child in need—six-year-old Christian from rural Honduras.

For Hannah, the decision to sponsor a deaf child through Deaf Child Hope was simple. “The idea of helping a child somewhere else in the world, who doesn’t have the same opportunities as we do here in the U.S., is hard to pass up,” she explains. More than anything, she wants her kids to understand that the world is much bigger than their own backyard—and that we all need each other.

A Life-Changing Diagnosis

Christian is one of four children, but he is the only one in his family who is deaf. When his parents first realized he wasn’t responding to sounds like his siblings, they began a long and difficult journey to get answers.

His parents shared with Deaf Child Hope staff about the struggles they faced even getting a hearing loss diagnosis. In Honduras, medical care is often difficult to access, especially in low-income communities. It took multiple trips to doctors—each one further away than the last—to finally confirm Christian’s condition.

Since the family does not own a car, they relied on the bus system, walking miles just to reach the nearest stop. Then, after getting off the bus, they had to walk even further to reach the clinic. And even after receiving a diagnosis, they were left with no resources. There were no special education programs, no sign language classes, and no support networks—just a heartbreaking sense of isolation.

Finding Hope Through Sign Language

Everything changed when a local teacher named Ellie heard about Christian and showed up at their doorstep.

“She was like an angel had come to us,” Christian’s mother told Deaf Child Hope staff. “When she arrived and told us she was teaching sign language and providing an education for deaf children nearby, it was a very real answer to prayer.”

Before meeting Ellie, Christian and his family didn’t know any sign language. In Honduras, the national sign language is called Lesho. But unlike American Sign Language (ASL), which can be accessed through online courses, books, and government-funded programs, there were no options for Christian’s family to learn Lesho.

For children in developing countries, access to deaf education is extremely limited—especially for those living in poverty. Without resources, many deaf children grow up without language, completely cut off from communication.

But thanks to Ellie’s work and the growing deaf community in Honduras, Christian is now learning Lesho alongside his family. Through sign language, Christian has found a way to connect with others, express himself, and experience hope for the future.

How Sponsorship is Transforming Christian’s Life

The Jaramillo family may be 2,000 miles away in Colorado, but their sponsorship is making a direct impact on Christian’s life every day.

Through their financial support, prayers, and friendship, they are helping Christian gain access to education, sign language resources, and a supportive deaf community. While his language and literacy skills are still developing, he already knows one important truth—someone far away cares about him and believes in his future.

For Christian and his family, that kind of love and support truly is a miracle.