Honduras Child Alliance

The Honduran school year runs from February thru early November and so Vacation Activities Program (VAP) operates during November, December and January while the kids are on school break. This program began in 2007 and started operating in El Porvenir in 2010.

Recent years have left students in the public schools far behind grade level due to frequent strikes and limited resources and so, staffed by international volunteers, VAP operates along the lines of a “summer camp” experience but also provides daily academic enrichment through games and projects designed to reinforce math, reading, writing and English skills.

The volunteers also introduce computers and science activities and provide creative opportunities through art, drama, and music. Sports are popular too and although fútbol rules in Honduras, the children do enjoy the opportunity to try new games!

The Vacation Activities Program operates morning and afternoon sessions in 3 locations and reaches about 150-200 children.

A large percentage of the children who attend our free classes are arriving hungry. Food insecurity is a big problem in our community and the goal of the Healthy Snacks program is to provide a protein filled snack to each child who attends our free classes. We started by serving the kids near the pineapple fields but are now working overtime to try to meet the needs of the students in all six of our daily groups and in all three locations. A registered dietician/nutritionist provides appropriate recipes. Two local women prepare some of the snacks and our volunteers prepare the rest.The snacks are rich in protein, vitamins and minerals. For many of our kids, this may be the most nourishing meal of the day. A secondary goal of the Healthy Snack Program is to make a program that is sustainable. To do so, we have incorporated as many local ingredients as possible into our recipes. The Healthy Snacks Ambassador works directly with the project manager and the dietician/nutritionist to maintain and assess the impact of the program.

This is a program for the HCA volunteers to improve their Spanish while helping deserving Honduran students attend school. The Study Buddies program provides practice in conversational Spanish. Volunteers sign up for a 60-minute session with a partner from our PEP-Adultos or PEP-Teen programs. Based on the areas they specify they would like to practice, the Honduran partner will work with the volunteer on conversational Spanish.
Each class costs just 100 HNL (about $4.65 USD) of which 50 HNL goes directly to the Study Buddy partner, while the other 50 HNL goes into our scholarship fund!

PEP-Adultos is taught by HCA volunteers 3X each week in two locations and offers evening classes for beginner and advanced students. Emphasis is placed on conversational English that would be helpful in regard to advanced education along with business and tourism employment. Being bilingual opens many doors in Honduras and our students are very dedicated.