Eddy Moran

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Edwina (Eddy) Moran (Australia) is HCA’s Director of Volunteer Engagement. Eddy first volunteered in El Porvenir in 2016 and then returned for a year as the 2017-18 Program Manager. With a wealth of multi-talented volunteers who wish to remain connected from afar, Eddy’s role is to develop and oversee committees and individual projects to support Curriculum, Fundraising, Volunteer Recruiting, PR, Finance, Technology, and more.

What is your favorite travel memory?

Piling into the back of a pick up with a bunch of volunteers from all over the world and heading to a day at the beach. We had music playing and we were watching the Atlantic coast of Honduras zoom past us. We were really squished and most of us had pins and needles in our legs, but that was drowned out by the top of our lungs group rendition of Ke$ha that we were belting out into the world.

How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?

Working for a not-for-profit has really given me the confidence to get things done. HCA is a great, little organization that, if you have an idea and you are willing to commit time to make the idea happen, then there is nothing in your way to making that idea happen.

I have continued to apply the skills I learned with HCA to my professional life where taking initiative and working hard have served me very well.

What is the best story you've heard from a return student?

The most important part of what HCA does for the community of El Porvenir is to provide a safe and fun place for the kids. No matter what kind of day the kids have had, or what is happening at home, HCA's classes are a complete change of pace from the rest of their lives.

Our activities are engaging, fun and the kids are valued by volunteers and their peers. This is evident when you walk around El P and all the kids run up to you to ask when the next class is, even if they've had class that day.

If you could go on any program that your company offers, which one would you choose and why?

I'm a big fan of university workgroups and all the organized chaos that they bring. A whole lot of preparation goes into the week-long period that we host a group of university students to do construction projects in the Honduran sun. It always involves a lot of hard work which brings together the workgroup and HCA volunteers and managers.

What makes your company unique? When were you especially proud of your team?

I love that we are small and the donations that we receive go exactly where donors want them to go. One example of this is a local family that HCA was able to fundraise to get a new wheelchair for their disabled daughter. The managers on the ground saw that there was a problem that HCA donors could help with, so we set up a fundraiser and got it done pretty quickly.

What do you believe to be the biggest factor in being a successful company?

The heart and brains possessed by HCA Co-Directors, Eve and Liz. The commitment of this duo has kept HCA growing and continually achieving new heights. They are both so talented and as a 'junior' director, I am continually learning from how they operate. They are constantly guiding every aspect of the program and often at the expense of their sleep schedule and time with loved ones.