International Service - Honduras
Honduras – Orphan Helpers
A team of three Chesapeake Rotarians and one Great Bridge Rotarian spent a week traveling in Honduras to lay the groundwork for a Vocational Training School. The club invested $10,000 at Genesis Center.
Club President David Hanson, International Service Chairman Tom Dana, Foundation Chair Anthony Draper, and Great Bridge Rotarian Mike Torrech, spent one week in Honduras touring the Genesis Center, meeting with potential business partners, existing facility operators, advocates, and juvenile judges in order to lay the groundwork for the new education initiatives at Genesis Center.
While 65% of Hondurans complete 12 years of school, less than 20% of orphans do, and they have next to zero employable skills when they “age out” of the governments care. Our project’s goal is to create educational and vocational systems with our partner Orphan Helpers at the Genesis Center for the orphans of San Pedro Sula and the surrounding area so they can earn a living wage.
We are partnering with three San Pedro Sula Rotary Clubs and Orphan Helpers: San Pedro Sula, Valle de Sula, and Usula Rotary Club’s have all agreed to partner with our club on this project via Rotary Foundation Grants. Our multi-year program includes immediate infrastructure improvements, educational materials and supplies, and finally, the vocational training center itself. Partnering with Orphan Helpers, a Virginia Beach based international orphan assistance organization already approved in Honduras and partnering with the government, will enable our club to immediately make an impact and sustain good contact on a weekly basis with our initiatives.
Our club invested $10,000 in building and infrastructure in 2011 and plans to utilize Rotary Foundation Grants for our second & third phases.
Project Goals
- Year One: Make the Genesis Center Operational $10,000 donated for facilities renewal.
- Year Two: Establish Educational tools Expand the skill set and knowledge of the orphans
- Year Three: Build a Vocational Training Center Partner with NGO and other Rotarians.
- Ongoing: Expand and Improve Annual visits plus new partnership to expand the project’s reach.