The Project
Teaching and Community Work in Honduras

The day-to-day running costs of the projects themselves make up a large proportion of the fee, including daily transport, food subsidies for the school meals and fruit for the children (which is sometimes their only meal of the day), educational materials for classes, monthly birthday celebrations, the GVI secondary school and painting and maintenance. All class-related materials for day-to-day teaching are also included.

Please note: it must be stressed that GVI has the full support of the local indigenous leaders.

Who Are We Helping and Why?

GVI has committed itself to helping and assisting the Maya Chortí villages around Copan Ruinas. These areas of Honduras are the poorest in the country, as it is often the case that rural communities are forgotten and ignored, and more emphasis is given to urban schools and communities. As little importance is given to rural areas and education, only one or two teachers have to teach six grades at the same time. Two grades of children are usually in the same classroom, and with the average number of children per classroom being close to 50, whole grades of children are being denied close attention. GVI’s educational programme aims to tackle this issue. Volunteers will teach their own assigned group of children, swapping with or working with the local teacher as and when is necessary. You will usually begin your work with a previous volunteer, who you will eventually take over from. You will also be assisted by the local teacher, the GVI project manager and have full access to teaching curriculums and materials. It is hoped that we have two volunteers working in each classroom with one local teacher.

GVI is also committed to setting up their own ‘aulas abiertas’ or ‘open classroom’ programmes, in which children who desperately need educational reinforcement are able to come after school for this attention. Within many rural areas the parents have no educational background, which means their children cannot receive this attention at home. By opening the ‘aulas abiertas’, free educational reinforcement is now available, which it is hoped that adults will begin to assist. During these sessions we will also teach English to the older students to increase their potential to gain better employment by having a basic knowledge of English, due to the increase of tourism in the region.

In 2008, GVI started their first secondary school in the community of San Rafael, funding the teachers to allow first-time secondary education to 30 children between the ages of 12-25.

We work in the Maya Chortí communities of San Rafael, which has a populations of approximately 300, and whose family income is an average of 25 Lempira (just over a dollar) a day. With this money up to ten children must be fed, clothed and educated in each family. Education is free in Honduras but the materials are not, which forces many children not to attend. GVI and volunteer contributions are helping to remove this financial constraint by supplying the children with the school materials they require. It is hoped with the extra income the family will receive with this burden removed, that those children who have dropped out will return.

Living conditions for those in the community are exceptionally basic. Their wooden and mud homes consist of one or two rooms, and the cooking, eating and sleeping all happen in the same room, which are also shared also by animals. Running water is scarce and sanitation is almost non-existent. 40% of children do not reach the age of two due to malnutrition and dysentery.