Latest Entries
Jasmine at SOS
28 February '11 by admin, under News.
Volunteer Jasmine J. from New York, USA is working at our education-enrichment project at the SOS Children’s Village in El Pino. Her co-workers include Heide from Belgium, Tom from the UK and Natalie from the U.S. and all are doing a fabulous job! – - – Here’s her blog if you’d like a glimpse into Jasmine’s adventures so far. Thanks Jasmine!!
http://mariposasobreelmar.blogspot.com/
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¡Muchas gracias 2010!
22 December '10 by admin, under News.
Many thanks to each and every volunteer!! Thank you Andrea, Sarah, Dan, Ofer, Michelle, Ugne, Sanna, Bonnie, Shauna, Sandra, Caroline, Callie, Laura, Adison, Lindsay, Megan, Kevin, RyLee, Sandra, Susie, Malorie, Kieth, Amelie, Ashley, Nan, Brittany, Amalie, Myles, Nikki, Emily, Michelle, Alana, Liz, Elba, Caroline, Helen, Tom A, Nerea, Irati, Alaia, Josh, Alexis, Aaron, Rikke, Mary, Alex, Janna, Cristina, Katlyn, Ashley,Zach, Melanie, Fran, Poppy, Dave, , Tom Z, Joe, Tia, Jenn, Anna, Autumn, Sarah, Samantha, Erin, Elizabeth, Julia, VA Tech, Duke, Drew U and so many more . . .
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Kinder Graduation 2010!!
21 December '10 by admin, under News.
Congratulations to all of the Kinder children who will be moving up to first grade in February!
Many thanks to our wonderful teacher Rosa who works with the children every day and a special appreciation to Amalia and Charlie who do so much to keep the entire project operating.
And to each and every volunteer who worked at the Kinder this past year, whether you were with us for a week or a year, your support touched the lives of these children and provided educational, cultural and friendship opportunities that mean so much! 2010 Volunteers came from: UK, Sweden, Poland, Lithuania, Israel, Canada, USA, Australia, Spain, Denmark, Hungary and more! We understand the effort that it takes to travel to El Porvenir and we thank you for the amazing work that you do!
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140 awesome kids!!
21 December '10 by admin, under News.
HondurasChildren supports several ‘Volunteer In Honduras’ external projects in the El Porvenir area by sending volunteers and helping to provide material support. We call these ‘external’ because they are not operated by HC but our volunteers go and work at them every day and so the children there are very dear to our hearts.
About 15 minutes down the road from the village of El Porvenir is a children’s home that houses about 140 children. Most children who live there are not technically ‘orphans’ but live there due to reasons of neglect, abandonment and abuse.
While we support 
this children’s home with volunteers through-out the year, many thanks to volunteers Poppy (UK), Eliza (USA), Dave (Australia), Zach (USA), Kristina (Canada), Billy (Australia), M
ary (USA) and Joe (UK) who have been running a Vacation Activities program at the children’s home since mid-November. Some of these volunteers have moved on but new ones will replace them in early January to continue the program until school resumes in February.
Special thanks also to Rikke S (Denmark) who has been with us since August. Rikke is a masters student from Denmark who has been developing and coordinating the Vacation Activities pr
ogram at the children’s homes in El Pino and Tela as well as with the children in the village of El Porvenir. Muchas gracias to Rikke for being dedicated, organized and really fun to work with!!
One more special thank you goes to re
cent visitor, Max M, age 13 from the USA who hosted a pizza party for all of the children at the children’s home, their caregivers and even the volunteers!!! Yum!! Lots of pizza, singing, fun and dancing. What a great evening!!
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The latest from Katlyn . . .
21 December '10 by admin, under News.
Katlyn McC is a volunteer at our Kinder and has been with us since September. She’s planning to stay for a full year and has generously allowed us to post a link to her blog. If you’d like to know what’s new in El Porvenir, please read!!
http://katlyninhonduras.blogspot.com/
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Melanie’s Notes from Honduras
01 October '10 by admin, under News.
Hi Everyone!
Please read below.
Current volunteer Melanie F. from the U.S. recently shared some thoughts on her experiences so far. For those who have already been to Honduras, I know that you will read these and smile a knowing smile. For those on the way, Melanie’s words are a great preview!
Thanks Melanie!!!!
Notes from Honduras:
Some notes I’ve been keeping about Honduras that you might like to know!!
The Country is beautiful. Green and luscious trees surround the towns with various types of fruit such as coconut, avocados, leechee, plantains, and bananas. El Porvenir (where I’m staying) is surrounded by Pico Bonito which is such a gorgeous sight to see every day. The Caribbean Sea is out my front door along with beautiful lakes and rivers. I wish I could capture the beauty through a picture, but they never turn out quite as amazing as seeing it first hand.
We live in the pineapple fields where we watch workers everyday labor away. The land is owned by the company DOLE. Many of the families that live here and around this area rely on this work as there only source of income. I wish I knew the inside scoop on how much these workers are being paid and for how many hours they work, since most living conditions are close to devastating. I don’t wish to deter anyone from buying Dole products.. just think of the workers who pick the pineapple next time to buy one and send them a grateful vibe. 
Many animals roam free here. Dogs, cats, horses, cows, chickens, crabs, roosters. …It sometimes breaks my heart to see some of the stranded dogs on the streets but in the same instant, I become amazed to see a wild horse and dog walk down the same street freely together.
Washing machines are a privilege and dryers are non-existent. Many rivers are used for women and children to wash their dirty clothes and every home has a line outside for drying.
I’m really starting to notice no real social status separation within the towns. A well built “nicer” home will be right next to a home that’s barely standing.
Kids run barefoot everywhere! There are no sidewalks, they just run and play barefoot on rocky roads even in the pouring rain. Futbol ( US soccer) is extremely popular among the youth. There a few fields in our area and the kids are always playing… barefoot!
Even with all the disadvantages I see with the homes and families out here compared to our life in the US, most families seem very content and happy. Kids don’t have a sense of playing with video games or ipods, they’re happy playing around with other kids in the streets. Its actually so great to see kids that genuinely appreciate what is given to them. Families sit together every night outside their homes and everyone knows everyone. They entertain themselves by socializing in person and enjoying each others company. So impacting to see coming from a world of social networking.
I’ve taken nothing but cold showers everyday since I’ve been here, yet even if I had a choice for a warm shower, I wouldn’t want one for the desperate need of cooling off. I’ve been so warm I only keep a sheet to sleep with and a fan at night is an absolute necessity.
The power goes off almost everyday!! It seems to phase no one who lives here since it’s such a common occurrence. We’re becoming quite accustomed as well.
Eggs are not in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. They sit out in room temperature all day… I’m still not convinced they’re okay to eat.
Around 5 a.m every morning roosters crow and continue to do so until around 5 at night. I don’t think I’ve ever felt such hatred towards an animal before.
Most people speak very little to no English yet you best believe when Ke$ha or Lady Gaga comes on the radio.. they know every word.
Our kitchen is infested with ants. Everything has to be sealed yet nothing can keep them completely out! Who knows how many times I’ve had a little extra protein in my dinner.. 
Although I knew how privileged I am before coming out here, nothing is quite like being immersed in such a different way of living and witnessing first hand how other parts of the world live to actually make you appreciate things you never have before. Take today to be grateful for all the material things you own …clothes, beds, electronics, etc. and for the privilege of accessible drinkable water, electricity, a safe place to live, and endless amounts of food. Visit with an old friend and/or family member in person instead of messaging them online. Lend a helping hand to someone who isn’t quite as privileged as you and you could make all the difference in the world to them and within yourself.
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¡Bomberos visitó el Kinder!
17 September '10 by admin, under News.
Earlier this summer the Rosario Kinder children were fortunate to receive a visit from the new El Porvenir Bomberos. “Bomberos” means “firefighters” – - but no worries, nothing was ablaze!
The visit was to teach the children what firefighters do and how to stay safe in the event of a fire. Thanks to Emily Z for these great pix!
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PEP TALK
17 September '10 by admin, under News.
There is a new project at the El Porvenir public elementary school. We call it “PEP” – - the Porvenir English Program. Since April, volunteers from the UK, Canada, US, Spain and Australia have been teaching voluntary and compulsory classes for children in grades 1-6.
Children in a public elementary school would not often have a chance to learn an second language but learning English is an important job skill that can mean the difference from picking pineapples six days a week or working in a hotel.
The PEP project and our volunteers have received a warm welcome as they began this project in April. We reach about 700 children in the compulsory classes and about 200 in the voluntary ones. Donations of children’s books in both English and Spanish would be very helpful to help support this effort. Financial donations for needed supplies are very appreciated as well! 
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What you might find in Honduras . . .
17 September '10 by admin, under News.
Incoming volunteers and workgroups often ask what they should expect when they come to Honduras. Most don’t ask about finding TOADS in their flip flops . . . but it happens . . .
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The Reading Room
17 September '10 by admin, under News.
Not far from where we work in El Porvenir, there is an orphanage that houses children who have been removed from their prior living situations due to reasons of neglect, abandonment, abuse and poverty. Recently we began sending some of our volunteers to work with these children to help with their schoolwork, give them some extra attention and offer opportunities for creative arts.
Two of our first volunteers arrived in early June, they were Caroline and Elba from the United States. Caroline and Elba did tremendous preparation for their work and organized a schedule that incorporated, reading, math, health, art and many other activities.
Liz and then Helen arrived shortly afterward and this entire group worked very hard to initiate the project.
A few weeks before returning to the states in August, Caroline contacted us to find out if she could create a “Reading Room” – - a quiet space where the children can read, do homework or just dream . . .
The director of the orphanage thought it was a great idea and Caroline and Elba and the children went to work!! A picture is worth a thousand words so take a look and see how this amazing room turned out!
On behalf of all of the children at the orphanage and future volunteers who will work with them in this room – - – we thank you for your hard work and vision to make this room a reality. Come back and visit soon!!!
