62% of the poorest children in Honduras will drop out of school by age 16. Join us in changing that.
Our mission is to alleviate violence and extreme poverty in Honduras through education and youth empowerment
Honduras has a 66% poverty rate and is currently the most unequal country in Latin America. Crime and violence remain rampant, as Honduras continues to have one of the highest homicide rates in the world. 37% of Honduran children of secondary school age (12-16) are out of school. Of the poorest quintile, 62% are out of school. (FHI360)
We believe those statistics can be changed.
HERE’S WHAT WE DO
Villa Soleada
In 2004, our young team began working with the families of the largest informal settlement in El Progreso, Honduras. They lived along a riverbed in cardboard houses without electricity, potable water, or a school. Gang violence, chronic unemployment, and generational poverty were rampant. Not one person had graduated from high school.
In 2007, we bought a 13 acre plot of land and began building a village with the families. The project—named Villa Soleada—allowed us to address not just one but all the challenges comprehensively. Learn more about the Villa Soleada Bilingual School, the Villa Soleada Children’s Home, and the Villa Soleada Scholarship Program.
Nearly 100% of the children from the community are on track to graduate high school. With your support, we can help them attend college to break the cycle of generational poverty for good.
Aerial shot of Villa Soleada
OUR IMPACT
Students at Our School
275
Houses Built
44
Jobs Created
60
1,000 SCHOOLS
We are building 1,000 schools across rural Honduras and training teachers.
OUR IMPACT
Schools Built
67
Students Impacted
17,558
Teachers Trained
120
WHAT GUIDES US
Job Creation
We’re battling Honduras’s high unemployment rate by creating jobs and training opportunities for local nationals. All of our program directors, contractors, and suppliers are Honduran. 60 Hondurans work for the organization.
Community Ownership
Village councils and parents’ committees are involved with our school builds from beginning to end. They help with planning and are in charge of maintenance and upkeep. They provide the labor and as many construction materials as they can. The local government plays an important role as well. They connect us to locate communities in need and provide heavy machinery and supplies.
Sustainability
We invest in local leadership, partnerships with the local government, and income-generating projects to make sure our programs last for generations. In the US, we’re creating a diverse donor base and educating our supporters through workshops, summits, and trips to Honduras.
Local Leadership
We play a supporting role to community leaders who are already working heroically to address the education crisis in Honduras. Our international staff & volunteers work alongside them in solidarity.
Be a Sidekick
We adhere to Dr. Shawn Humphrey’s Sidekick Manifesto. In the story of poverty’s end, we cannot be heroes. But, we can be sidekicks. Here’s how:
