Program Reviews

I first volunteered with HCA in 2016 and came back two years later to develop a program. I directly felt welcomed there, by the volunteers and the community. Teaching English to kids and adults is really inspiring because you can see the impacts on them. So there are different types of classes: kindergarten in the early morning, then during the day, there is the kids’ class (from 6 to 12 years old), and at the end of the day, adult class. All of them are really different and it can suit to everyone with different levels of Spanish. Moreover, it is a good opportunity to learn Spanish with the community, and English with volunteers. HCA allows volunteers to develop projects such as mine: develop the “baños program” and helps you to connect with the community. I would definitely go back to build baños and teach English if I can.

I first volunteered with HCA in 2016 and came back two years later to develop a program. I directly felt welcomed there, by the volunteers and the community. Teaching English to kids and adults is really inspiring because you can see the impacts on them. So there are different types of classes: kindergarten in the early morning, then during the day, there is the kids’ class (from 6 to 12 years old), and at the end of the day, adult class. All of them are really different and it can suit to everyone with different levels of Spanish. Moreover, it is a good opportunity to learn Spanish with the community, and English with volunteers. HCA allows volunteers to develop projects such as mine: develop the “baños program” and helps you to connect with the community. I would definitely go back to build baños and teach English if I can.

Vacation Activities Program, or VAP, was one of the best parts of my time at HCA. Every week, we taught a different subject, such as geography, science, and animals! During Geography week, we explored different parts of the world through food, music, art, and language. Not only were the kids able to make/label their own maps, but they could even count to ten in Mandarin! All of the kids and volunteers learned a ton and had an amazing time!

El Porvenir is an amazing town! It's fairly quiet, but very friendly and welcoming. I don't think I ever walked to class without seeing people that I knew and I always felt incredibly safe, even at night. I loved that we got the opportunity to see more and more of El Porvenir every day on our walks to class because it is such an amazing place!

I volunteered with HCA for four months after graduating high school and I am so grateful that I did. When I arrived in El Porvenir, I was warmly welcomed by a wonderful and enthusiastic group of volunteers from all around the world (Germany, Scotland, Israel, Australia, Spain etc.) The classes were definitely my favorite part of the HCA experience. I loved getting to know the kids and both learning from them and teaching them in class every day. Our classes were filled with art, games, music, healthy snacks and laughter, and were just a ton of fun! After leaving HCA I couldn't really stay away and ended up coming back a year later to work on a Baño Project. I miss El Porvenir, the students, and the volunteers all the time and I can't wait to go back!

I spent four months living in El Porvenir on a gap semester between high school and college. The town itself is beautiful, quiet, and safe, the people are very friendly, and the children are absolutely amazing. Teaching PEP classes to the kids each day was a blast and I formed strong relationships with many of the students. In fact, I even ended up planning a trip a year later with a group from my college. The goal of the trip was to help a family of two of my students build a bathroom in their backyard that was wheelchair accessible so that their handicapped family member could use it easily. Both times I went to El Porvenir, the volunteers were all fabulous. They welcomed me with open arms and by the end of my time there many of them felt like family. I was also surprised by how much the residents of El Porvenir respect HCA's program. HCA does real good in the community and I'm so thankful that I discovered this program and that it played such a pivotal role in my life.

HCA has a great relationship with El Porvenir. Everyone is so welcoming and friendly in the community. The area is extremely safe. The kids love meeting new volunteers and will jump all over you and ask you questions. Three classroom locations are all easily accessible. You teach English, computers, science, and art. You can also get involved teaching English for adults in the evenings. It is a great place to work on your Spanish. I found everyone really patient with me and ready to help fill in the words I was missing. You can also do study buddies where once a week you spend an hour being tutored but a Honduran intern.
It is right on the beach and you can see the beautiful mountains on the other side. There are lots of fun things to do on the weekends visiting the jungle, rivers, beautiful beaches, the city la Cieba.

Translation: My experience in Honduras is one of the most beautiful things that ever happened to me. Honduras is an incredible country and surprising in many ways. El Porvenir is a small village in the Atlantis region. Our daily lives are filled with laughter and smiles of all kinds. It is a real pleasure to spend our days alongside children. I also had a lot of fun teaching adults in the community, sharing and sharing our visions of the world.

To fully live this experience I recommend to future volunteers to stay at least 1 month and a half to have full time to get acquainted with culture and children. Once you have learned to know them you will definitely want, as I could do, to extend your stay here.

Original: Mon experience au Honduras est une des plus belles choses qui me soit jamais arrive. L Honduras est un pays incroyable et surprenant par bien des aspects. El Porvenir est un petit village de la region d Atlántida. Notre quotidien est rempli de rires, mimiques concentrees, sourires et autres betises en tout genre. C est un reel bonheur que de passer nos journees aux cotes des enfants. J ai egalement pris beaucoup de plaisir a enseigner aux adultes de la communaute, echanger et partager nos visions du monde.

Pour vivre pleinement cette experience je recommande aux futurs volontairesde rester au minimum 1 mois et demi pour avoir pleinement le temps de se familiariser avec la culture et les enfants. Une fois que vous aurez appris a les connaitre vous serez definitivement seduit et aurez envie, comme j ai put le faire, de prolonger votre sejour ici

I began working with Honduras Child Alliance in February 2019 as the Healthy Snacks Coordinator. In the past five months, I have felt so safe and supported during my time in El Porvenir, and have had the opportunity to get to know people from all over the world and make a difference working with kids. Honduras is a beautiful country with so much to offer, and our community of El Porvenir is extremely safe and supportive of travelers. The town is situated right on the Caribbean and has a great reputation. The locals are friendly and always interested in what we are doing, and the kids are amazing. Our students are so bright and kind, and once you make the choice to make a difference with them, you're changed forever. I have two more months left in lovely El Porvenir, and I intend to spend the rest of my time continuing to immerse myself in this beautiful and safe culture.

My time with Honduras Child Alliance was the best experience of my college career. I went the summer before my senior year of college as part of an internship and it was incredible. My favorite part about the work we did itself was the fact that every day was different. Some days you would be teaching kindergarten, youth, and adult English classes and other days you would be out in the community handing out flyers about our classes. Or working on constructing a baño for a family in the community. But no matter what you were doing you were always surrounded by the incredible friends you made with other volunteers and community members! Nights were filled with family dinners with volunteers or long conversations with friends in the community, and sometimes even a quick lesson on how to dance bachata or how to make a good tortilla. You really feel like a part of the community with HCA and that makes the whole experience that much more incredible. I loved it so much I’ve decided to return for a year!

I first volunteered with HCA in 2016 and absolutely fell in love with El Porvenir and Honduras. The town is so friendly and it is perfectly located next to a larger city and also by the beach so it has the best of both worlds. The community in El Porvenir is what makes HCA so special, everyone is so welcoming. HCA works with the community, including employing a number of local interns. Volunteers are from all over the world which means that some of my closest friends are from Spain, Scotland, and America thanks to my time volunteering with HCA. The program works alongside the Honduran school system and classes have a strong emphasis on learning through play. HCA accepts many different types of volunteers, including medical, dental and university workgroups to construction projects. If you're looking for something different from your regular life and off the beaten track in Central America, I can't recommend HCA enough.