LOCAL EMPOWERMENT

100% of our on-the-ground staff members are Honduran

The Honduran natives have a deeper understanding of the local culture and context than any foreigner or international aid worker. By empowering the Hondurans to guide our organization, we’re able to provide invaluable leadership opportunities, offer professional training not available anywhere else, and ensure that we’re operating responsibly. Our Honduran staff members run our field programs, Honduran office, volunteer program, volunteer lodge, construction projects, help produce our videos, and are receiving training to answer phone calls and emails for the organization.

JOBS, NOT HANDOUTS

Creating jobs = self-reliance & dignity

We do not give handouts to the poor because it can create a culture of dependency. We provide jobs to approximately 15 full-time and 50 part-time Honduran employees. During the 15-20 weeks of the year that we have volunteer service trips, we hire mothers and fathers from the communities we work with to help us as cooking & cleaning staff, drivers, construction workers, and tour guides. By providing jobs to dozens of previously unemployed Hondurans, families can buy food, clothes, and medicine. We also support local businesses such as family-owned hotels, restaurants, souvenir shops, and food stands, thus providing a significant boost to a local economy with very little tourism.

SWEAT EQUITY

Ensuring community buy-in & ownership

All of the communities that we work with provide sweat equity – their time & labor towards the project. Families from every village we work with volunteer in shifts and contribute a portion of the needed construction supplies. This helps us reduce costs of our projects by up to 40% and increases the likelihood of the project succeeding in the long-run. Through the act of sweat equity and volunteer work, the community begins to value the project more and develop a sense of ownership. Creating jobs instead of hand-outs, ensures self-reliance & dignity for individuals in the community.

SUSTAINABILITY

Income generating ventures fund 100% of our operating costs

Many traditional non profit organizations rely heavily on big grants and large donors, making them vulnerable to sudden losses in funding. A nonprofit may unexpectedly vanish overnight if a grant is not renewed, leaving behind unfinished projects and empty promises. Our organization has a diverse donor base and income generating ventures that cover our entire operating cost.