Students Helping Honduras. A few weeks ago I had no idea just how much this organization would mean to me. I signed up to go on the trip to Honduras knowing only my friend who sat next to me in Spanish class going with limited knowledge on the country or circumstances I’d be exposed to.
On January 3rd, I traveled to El Progreso Yoro, Honduras for an eight days. I spent my days passing cement buckets, pickaxing (yes I used a pick ax, la piocha as my friend Dagoberto called it in Spanish), digging up large rocks, and tying wires for the structure and foundation. All of this hard work went into building a bilingual middle school for the local village of Los Castaños.
Here's a little background. Honduras is broken up into multiple villages and cities. Most of these villages are close knit communities where the villagers rarely leave their small shelters and back dirt roads. They grow all of their own food, dispose of all of their own waste (by burning it or throwing it on the street), and make the majority of their income in the village. These villages typically have a soccer field, a church, a few home run shops with snacks and drinks, and if they are lucky— a school.
Education, or lack thereof, is the cause of the majority of the problems in Honduras. It is extremely uncommon to receive an education and reserved for the wealthy. Anything past elementary school is almost unheard of. Because of the lack of education, the country is overrun and corrupted by gangs. These gang members don’t understand or value the concept of working for your money, therefore they join and harass the other citizens (the ones actually working for their money) all while committing horrific murders, rapes, and crime. The moment I realized why I was there and why SHH is so important was when a little girl explained to me that she should be in the sixth grade, but could no longer attend school because it was too dangerous for her to walk to the nearest middle school. It wasn’t that these people needed my physical labor. They had plenty of strong and willing workers to build the school. What they needed was my fundraising efforts to fund these schools and change the longstanding ultimatum of joining a gang or living in fear, as opposed to receiving an education and finding work.
Here's a little background. Honduras is broken up into multiple villages and cities. Most of these villages are close knit communities where the villagers rarely leave their small shelters and back dirt roads. They grow all of their own food, dispose of all of their own waste (by burning it or throwing it on the street), and make the majority of their income in the village. These villages typically have a soccer field, a church, a few home run shops with snacks and drinks, and if they are lucky— a school.
Education, or lack thereof, is the cause of the majority of the problems in Honduras. It is extremely uncommon to receive an education and reserved for the wealthy. Anything past elementary school is almost unheard of. Because of the lack of education, the country is overrun and corrupted by gangs. These gang members don’t understand or value the concept of working for your money, therefore they join and harass the other citizens (the ones actually working for their money) all while committing horrific murders, rapes, and crime. The moment I realized why I was there and why SHH is so important was when a little girl explained to me that she should be in the sixth grade, but could no longer attend school because it was too dangerous for her to walk to the nearest middle school. It wasn’t that these people needed my physical labor. They had plenty of strong and willing workers to build the school. What they needed was my fundraising efforts to fund these schools and change the longstanding ultimatum of joining a gang or living in fear, as opposed to receiving an education and finding work.
While I quickly picked up on the fact that my presence was not vital to this mission, I am so glad I had the opportunity to go and gain these experiences. The physical work was difficult, but I was challenged in so many more ways than just that. I will no longer take for granted toilet paper or a hot shower. I will not complain about having to go to class or to work. I learned to enjoy the little things like going for a car ride or watching a movie— things that are a privilege but seemed insignificant to me before. I learned to put down my phone and actually talk to people and listen to their stories.
This trip gave me a huge wake up call as to what truly matters. It’s unfair to say, “these people have so little, but they are so happy”. We don’t know what goes on behind closed doors. But they are some of the most appreciative and genuine people I’ve ever met. They express their faith and gratitude so openly and honestly. They love their communities and families and they truly uplift one another. They find hope where hope is hard to find. I am going to strive to be more like that.
I learned so much from this short week. I certainly brushed up on my Spanish. I learned what it means to volunteer responsibly. I learned what it means to put myself second. I learned what it means to step out of my comfort zone, and I learned what it means to appreciate the mundane, everyday things. When people ask me, “How was Honduras?” I simply say, “It was great!” and that Students Helping Honduras is an amazing organization doing amazing things. But it was and is so much more than that.
