By an interesting coincidence, she entered with an American, Diane Drufenbrock, who became a member of the Socialist Party USA in 1976 and ran as their candidate for Vice President of the United States in the 1980 presidential campaign.
Only when the developer called the convent, seeking the down payment for the houses, did the Superior learn about the plan, at which point she made it clear to Leggol that she would have to find the funding entirely on her own.
[3] Through the tip of a grateful patient, she learned of grants being made available by President John F. Kennedy's Alliance for Progress, established to help the people of Latin America.
[6] In 1966, she founded Sociedad Amigos de los Niños (SAN) to progressively increase shelters for Honduras' children, a population which is neglected, abandoned, abused, and orphaned at one of the highest rates in the Western Hemisphere.
Kinderdorff asked Sister Maria Rosa to collaborate in building hundreds more children's homes in Honduras, as well as throughout Central and South America.
[8] While she used their financial support of roughly $500,000 per year to improve housing, she eventually deemed their regulations too restrictive for effective care, cutting ties in 1989 and fundraising on her own.
When she heard a distant child's cries, she swam until she found the baby sleeping on a mattress floating in the flood waters, bringing it back to safety.
In the documentary, produced by Miraflores Films, audiences see the effects of her work through the lives of Maria and Rosa, two teens in her programs who dare to dream of a better future.
[16] The film was accompanied by a robust impact campaign, which included screenings at the Vatican, the UN, RFK Human Rights Foundation, Dolores Huerta Life of Service Celebration, among others.