Feedback from Honduras Volunteers

Here are some of the emails we have received from volunteers about their experiences in Honduras

"The part of the experience that had the greatest impact on me was seeing a different place; a whole new world really. And being able to help out a community that really needed it. It was great to experience a place that is a little more simple than what I'm used to in New York City. As you can probably imagine it is quite a hustle living out here. In Honduras, people live within a much simpler means, and to me it seemed as though many of them were much more happier that way.

Jason

"I found the living conditions an adjustment, but overall very pleasant. My family was friendly and warm to me, the food was always served to us at a good time and there was great variety in our dinners (which i hear is a treat). Having no hot water was a disappointment, but if this is how they live, than i was happy to adjust to their way of life. My family gave me gifts and a small fiesta on my day of leaving and it touched me greatly. I was sad to leave them all. They gave me a huge room, and was really great with doing my laundry (which some volunteers didn't get the luxury of) and they always came and tidied my room for me daily!"

Terri

"I built houses for the indigenous people of Honduras using trees, mud and adobe bricks. I feel the living conditions of the people are greatly improved by this effort as less people are crammed into tiny houses and they have less drafty houses with better seals against animals and bugs and some even got concrete floors put it, which greatly reduces health problems. The work was rewarding and seemed to make a big difference.

The living conditions were excellent. My host family was incredibly kind and loving. I felt very safe and at home. I had hot water, good cooking, and a nice bed every day."

Tabitha

"When I got to Honduras the family's house was not in good shape and when I left they were well on the way to having a house that was livable again. Seeing the children happy and knowing that I was giving them a home that they could grow up in was really cool."

Sheldon

"The kids were absolutely amazing. Just what I hoped for. They were loving, always smiling, just absolute darlings. The teachers at Santa Carolina were also wonderful - you could see how much the first and second grade teachers cared about the kinds. It was really touching to see."

Shreya

"The teaching has been going well. We have basically started at square one with what we should teach the children because they don't seem to remember that much of what they have been previously taught. We are doing different items, trying to incorporate in sentences. At recess and lunch I feel like we do the most good because the children who really want to learn approach us and we talk to them, bring out book and flashcards and things like that. For the most part, the teachers have been pretty helpful. We get a ride to school sometimes from the 4th grade teacher, and some of them even write down our lessons so I am hoping that they are either learning too or are going to try to reinforce the lessons, which would be great! The Spanish course definitely helped to communicate with the kids since all of the directions are given in Spanish! Jenna and I are going to be recording our lessons plan, complete with the vocabulary, ways to teach it, games accompanying it, so that the next volunteers know what has been going on and maybe give ideas."

Jenna and Brittany

"I had a fantastic time in Honduras and it was great to have the support of an organisation like Global Volunteer Network behind me. [....] Helping out a poor, rural family had the biggest impact on me. I have never had a cultural experience quite like that; their life seemed so different from mine. And of course, it was great to improve their living conditions both for the parents and their kids who would grow up in the house. […] In my 6 weeks in the program we carried out work on one house. The week I started the program we began its construction by levelling the ground where it should be built. Over the next 5 weeks, most of my time was spent gathering logs from the forest and shaving the bark off them. Fortunately, I got to spend helping with the actual construction, by nailing the gathered logs in place."

John Allen

"Everything is going great in Honduras. We just moved a family into the house we've been working on for the last couple of months. That was really great! We've also just started building an extension for another family's house."

Glen

"Keep and open mind, an open heart and a journal. The hope you bring to these people will be tremendous and the memories you make will be lasting."

Katherine

"La Esperanza is a great town to place volunteers. It is small enough for safety reasons, easy to get to know other volunteers and create a support system, and big enough for there to be enough to do everyday. The homestays are a great part of the program and really help volunteers to increase their Spanish ability."

"The help I received prior to leaving was useful and I always felt like the personnel were being straightforward and honest with me. The website is very easy to navigate and well laid out."

"I love it here. The culture is open, relaxed, the people are respectful, it is sunny, colorful and if you have energy you can help with as many projects as you want."

Gaelyn

"I really enjoyed the building project and I think it was a great experience."

Kate

"It is fairly obvious to see what the impact of volunteers has been on this community. It certainly is a positive one that will add to the improvement of lives both directly and indirectly. The hope that Honduras clings to are certainly its children - with the correct environment and just the slimmest of opportunity they have a chance to better not only their lives but those around them."

Kensi

"Well my first impressions include:

• Slogging it out on site with manual tools like spades, saws, pickaxes, hoes, and thinking I wish my Dad could see me;
• A family to get to know and understand in. I'm glad smiling and laughing are part of the universal language we all share;
• Sitting in the outdoor kitchen, surrounded by the smells of fresh tortillas, the smoke and the black ash drifting towards me;
• Meeting madcap volunteers from all over the world and sharing experiences together;
• Looking forward to seeing the building through to completion, putting the roof on, plastering and painting and handing it over to the women who will work in it."

Sophie

"Things I will miss from La Esperanza. - Mama. She always sang in the kitchen while she cooked. And her cooking was great. The people. Everyone was so nice, they said "Adios" when passing in the streets. The streets, the mountains, the scenary, the music, the soccer...

The other volunteers. I met some fantastic people from all over the world. An instant bond forms when you meet a new volunteer here.

And of course the kids, the whole reason I came here. I'll always remember their smiles."

I feel like I can't truly convey my entire Honduran experience to you, and that my pictures won't do it justice either. It's really the people that make the experience. The poverty here is striking: 50% live in poverty and 30% can not read or write. To read facts is one thing, to see life here and to talk to people here is completely different.

I really wish I had more time here, there's so much more of Honduras I want to see. I am very glad I decided to volunteer here and would do it again in a second. I would encourage anyone thinking about volunteering in another country to do it; put yourself outside your comfort zone and learn about the world."

Meredith

"The children at the orphanage are beautiful. They are happy, and they love to chat to you, even if there is a language barrier. They want nothing more than hugs, and to sit on your knee."

Bronach

"La Esperanza is a wonderful town with incredibly friendly people. Respect their culture and you will be in for the best experience of your life."

Adeel

We are building a flower shop these days. We have been doing a lot of digging, sawing and moving of wood, and construction using adobe bricks. My family is very, very nice and so are the people at work, both local and volunteers. On weekends we travel; to the waterfall in Pulhapanzak (or something like that), the hot springs in Gracias, and the Mayan ruins in Copan. I am having a blast and I'm glad I will be staying here for three months.

Ynnon (Building program)

"Similar to the initial shock of arriving in Honduras, it was tough to transition back to the busy lifestyle of the United States. Hands down, my time in Honduras was the single best experience in my life. I was born, raised and went to college in the same city so spending time in a culture thousands of miles away was amazing. I am not the same person now as I was before I went to Honduras and I am happy with these personal changes. It is so refreshing to see the difference that we are making, mainly in the children of the community, by giving them a better chance to hopefully improve their lives, their families and create a more solid middle class to improve the social and economic condition in Honduras. I admire your passion to help others and I hope you continue to serve others in need. I have and will continue to tell others about your wonderful program."

Michael (Building Program)

"It's really dirty hands-on work. You work side by side with the people who live in the finished product."

Benjamin (Building Program)

"Our first days at the daycare have been amazing. I don't know if words would ever do it justice, but the kids are fantastic and I love being there, I'm beginning to think 3 weeks just wasn't long enough."

Liana (Childcare Program)