Volunteer
Volunteer in El Porvenir, Honduras!
The in-Honduras volunteers are the cornerstone of our work. We seek volunteers who have a red-hot motivation, relevant talents and some background to help make a beneficial difference in the lives of impoverished Honduran children. Some ability to speak Spanish is a plus but not a requirement. Flexibility, collaboration and problem solving skills are a must!
We welcome volunteers of any race, religion or country of origin. We prefer volunteers of 20 years and older and are especially interested in long-term volunteers. Although the minimum volunteer period is typically 8 weeks, we can sometimes welcome volunteers for shorter periods so do not hesitate to apply.
Click here to fill out a volunteer application!
The HondurasChildren volunteer programs are in the beach community of El Porvenir near the lively La Ceiba area of the Honduras north coast. The jungle rivers of the Pico Bonito National Forest and the sun and sand of the Caribbean Sea are just minutes from where our volunteers live and work. Although the villages that house our projects are rural and poor, the small city of La Ceiba is only 20 minutes away. La Ceiba has internet cafes, ATM machines, a mall and excellent medical care. It also has a modern airport, a bus station and more taxis than anyone can count!
We are all volunteers! Our volunteers pay their own traveling or incidental expenses and typically live in our volunteer houses in El Porvenir or at home-stays and inexpensive hostels in La Ceiba. Volunteers enter Honduras on a tourist visa that should be renewed every 90 days. Approval to work in the country is not required since this is a non-salaried position. We can typically be flexible in accommodating your preferred starting date.
Volunteer at the El Porvenir Kinder:
Just a few blocks from the Caribbean Sea, you can help run our kinder/ daycare to support the children of the town of El Porvenir.
The HondurasChildren kinder is a small concrete building that is used for the kinder program and a common area for meals. It has a full bathroom and there is a play area outside. Each morning, while older children attend the local public school our volunteer crew works with the younger ones at the kinder.
The children need
to learn basics like the alphabet and numbers. They need to learn appropriate school behavior, raising one’s hand, sitting in a circle, etc. We also work on hygiene, tooth brushing and hand washing. This is an ongoing project and a tremendous opportunity to help.
Children attending the kinder receive a daily breakfast or snack. We sometimes are able to also serve a hot lunch. This is often the only complete meal these kids will have that day. Volunteers generally assist in prep and serving and are very welcome to join the children to enjoy the meal.
Our volunteers also work with older children on remedial reading, writing and math. Volunteers generally provide enrichment opportunities such as English classes, environmental awareness, art & music, computer classes, sports and games.
Grandma’s Children at the Kinder:
Our Grandma’s Children project in El Porvenir identifies family groups at risk and provides material and emotional support to the caregivers and their children. Our kinder volunteers help to identify and support the physical, educational, emotional and health needs of these fragile families.
HondurasChildren volunteers and sponsors are helping the Grandma’s Children and the children of several single moms to stay in 
school. They’re also improving living quarters, providing clothing, school supplies and uniforms and helping to supplement the children’s diet. This support helps family units stay intact, thus avoiding the heartbreak of sending children to institutions.
The name of the town these children live in is El Porvenir. It translates as, “the future”. We welcome you to ‘Volunteer in Porvenir’ . . . and with your help, these children will certainly have a brighter future!
El Porvenir Kinder volunteers are encouraged to use their afternoons to work with older children in the community. We often run classes at the beach house and some volunteers help with projects and programs run by groups that we collaborate with in El Porvenir. Our volunteers are currently supporting an English (TEYL) program, teaching at an IHNFA project to help children graduate from 6th grade, helping a Peace Corp volunteer and working at 2 local orphanages. (See below.)
Vacation Care – Heads Up for November 2010 – January 2011!
Groups are forming for VACATION CARE / Arrive late-October and work November, December, January, 10-11 : We are creating a team for our fourth annual “Vacation-Care” program starting in November, 2010.
The Honduran school year starts in February and ends in early November. We are seeking volunteers who can make a commitment for this specific three month time period (November, December & January) to work together to run something along the lines of a “summer camp” enrichment program for children in El Porvenir and two other nearby locations. We do reading and math, English and a variety of other subjects based on the expertise of our volunteers. There’s time for art, music and sports and also plenty of time to play!
Additional volunteer placements that are supported by (but not operated by) HondurasChildren include:
- PEP: Teach English for Elementary School age children in El Porvenir. The Porvenir English Project (PEP) is located within the public elementary school and collegio (high school). Children attend one compulsory class each week taught by a certified TESL teacher. Volunteers then offer voluntary classes for the children on the other four days. It is an honor that our volunteers have been welcomed into the public schools and it is not typical that the children in this program would otherwise have the opportunity to learn English. Why teach English to Honduran children? It’s because a child who is bilingual will have better opportunities for education and eventually also for employment. This is a new project that started in April 2010 and has been very well received by the community so far.
- Orphanages: Provide personal attention, life skills and remedial and enrichment classes to children at two nearby children’s homes (orphanages.) There are many children in Honduras who live in children’s homes (orphanages) due to situations of abuse, neglect or abandonment. These children are not available to be adopted and will generally live in these homes until they reach the age of 18. We support two local children’s homes that provide the best possible environment for the children in their care. However, the children still need educational support, enrichment opportunities and most importantly, some one on one attention. Working with these children is immensely moving and rewarding. We especially are hoping to reach the teens at these homes to help develop life skills for when they go out on their own.
Housing:
Inexpensive, clean and safe housing is available for our volunteers in El Porvenir at a beach-house belonging to some of our supporters. An additional volunteer house plus home-stays are also available to volunteers for our collaborating projects. Volunteers will typically share a room with 1-2 other volunteers of the same gender. A few private rooms are also available. Our volunteer houses have comfortable twin beds, full bathrooms with showers and full kitchens. In all but one case the volunteers live within walking distance to the projects. More details will be provided when you are interviewed for a placement.
How to apply to Volunteer:
• Click here to to fill out an application. (There is no application fee.)
• Once we receive your application, we will contact you and provide more information about the projects, potential housing and the El Porvenir / La Ceiba area where we work.
• If it seems like a ‘good fit’ to you and to us, we will then arrange an interview by either telephone or Skype. We want to learn more about you but this is also a great time for you to ask questions and to get to know us too! We can talk about the projects, housing, expenses to consider, travel arrangements, etc.
• After that, you can start making travel arrangements on your end while one of our volunteers will work on checking your references.
• We will stay in contact as you plan for your trip and we will introduce you to current and former volunteers via email and facebook to help give you an idea of what to expect!
• For more information, please contact us at volunteer@honduraschildren.org.
• We look forward to welcoming you to El Porvenir Honduras!
“Everyone can be great because anyone can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t even have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve… You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love…”
~ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
La Ceiba, HONDURAS