Students Helping Honduras

Students Helping Honduras (SHH) is an international non-governmental organization (NGO) with operational bases in both the United States and Honduras. Predominantly active in the outskirts of El Progreso, SHH extends its humanitarian and developmental projects across the entirety of Honduras. Characteristically managed by student volunteers, the organization aims to mobilize youth engagement in addressing socio-economic challenges within the region, promoting educational and community development initiatives.^[1]

History

Students Helping Honduras (SHH) started in 2004 when Cosmo and Shin Fujiyama went on a volunteer mission to Honduras. This mission, organized by the Campus Christian Community at the University of Mary Washington, aimed to assist victims of poverty and domestic violence. Witnessing the dire circumstances faced by the residents of Siete de Abril, particularly the children, inspired the Fujiyama siblings to establish SHH as a recognized student organization at their university the subsequent semester.^[1]

In the spring of 2006, SHH organized its inaugural walkathon, successfully raising over $148,000, a sum bolstered by a matching grant from Doris Buffett, the founder of The Sunshine Lady Foundation. These funds enabled the return to Honduras for the construction of a school in collaboration with the Siete de Abril community.^[2]

Following this initial success, Doris Buffett proposed a second challenge: a matching grant of $100,000, contingent upon the students raising an equivalent amount by semester's end. This challenge led to the expansion of SHH's network, with the establishment of chapters at Virginia Tech and the University of Virginia. The collective efforts of these students not only met but exceeded the target, raising $110,000 and securing the matching grant. These funds were instrumental in purchasing a land title for the Siete de Abril villagers, ensuring their legal residence, and constructing cinder block houses for each family.^[3]

The organization's commitment to its cause and its growing impact led to its registration as a

The Villa Soleada comprises forty-four 22' x 28' homes, each with three bedrooms, a central room, a bathroom, and a shower. The village also includes: a community center, land for farming, sustainable businesses, a well, a library, an eco-friendly waste management system, electricity, and a soccer field.^[2]

Villa Soleada Bilingual School

The Villa Soleada Bilingual School (VSBS) was built with the goal to change the graduation rate of Siete de Abril, now Villa Soleada, to "100% from 0%", in one generation. The VSBS High School was inaugurated in March 2020.

The students from Villa Soleada attend the school on a full scholarship, with students from wealthier neighborhoods paying $40 a month (in U.S. dollars). The teaching staff is made up of both Honduran and American teachers. The school provides a longer school day than the typical Honduran school, alongside summer enrichment classes.^[3]

Villa Soleada Children's Home

Villa Soleada Children’s Home is a temporary/permanent living arrangement offering childcare, family reunification, and kinship care. The Children's Home consists of multiple homes, each with Honduran houseparents who look after 10-15 children. Many children from the Children's Home attend the Villa Soleada Bilingual School mentioned above, with others attending schools in El Progreso.^[5]

School Builds

Students Helping Honduras builds schools following a three-way partnership model: SHH provides the construction supplies and professional labor, the families in the communities provide labor, and the local government provides heavy machinery, sand to mix cement, and the teachers. All supplies are locally sourced, and all projects are supported by the local government and businesses.^[4]

Train for Change

Train for Change is a program run by Students Helping Honduras that empowers local Honduran teacher leaders through professional development to improve the quality of education for 1 million children in the most impoverished areas in the country.^[6]

Impact Report 2019

In June 2019, a survey team from Students Helping Honduras published a self-report summarizing their projects' impact on communities in Honduras. The survey team visited 46 communities in Northern Honduras and surveyed and interviewed 30 directors, 91 teachers, 114 parents, and 171 students. The following is a list of findings from the survey, according to SHH:

• School enrollment increased by 39.1% on average after completing a project.
• The average number of classes cancelled due to rain or inadequate protection from weather dropped from 14 days per year to less than one day a year.
• The average number of teachers per school increased from 6.5 to 8.5.
• 99% of students reported they like the new classrooms.
• 99% of parents were satisfied with the project.
• 100% of directors were satisfied with the project.
• 98% of teachers were satisfied with the project.
• 97% of participants agreed that they were prouder of their school after the completion of the project.
• 94% of participants agreed that they believe more in women’s capacity to contribute to projects.
• 98% of teachers and directors agreed that the project helped them perform their jobs better.^[7]

Membership and chapters

The membership of SHH consists of more than seven thousand students and adults from different states. Chapters are typically located on college campuses (U.S.) and at high schools.

Chapters typically host fundraisers on their school’s campus to raise money for the school build projects. SHH also hosts annual Fall Retreats and Summits in the U.S. for chapter members to come together and learn more about the organization. Each year in Honduras, SHH hosts a Leadership Week for chapter leaders to learn, connect, and prepare for the next year.

Each year, SHH hires 1-3 Student Directors to serve as the liaison between the Honduran staff and chapter members in the United States.^[8]

U.S. college campus chapters include:

High school chapters include:

References