Volunteer Groups

“This week is a jumping off point for me as a person who has never done any social justice work in the past. I intend to turn my life towards what is truly important, and to help others do the same.” “On a scale from 1 to 10, I would rate it a 12. Living and working with the community was amazing.” “This experience opened my eyes to the poverty that most of the world lives in and the duty and the ability I have to make a difference.” Quotes from AJWS volunteer team March 2004

WHAT DO VOLUNTEER GROUPS DO?

LATRINE CONSTRUCTION * SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION * MEDICAL BRIGADES
WATER SYSTEMS * HOUSING PROJECTS * YOUTH WORK * PRACTICAL SKILLS FOR WOMEN

DOWNLOAD INFORMATION:

• INTRODUCTION
• SUGGESTED PACKING LIST
• SURVIVAL SPANISH
• PAG POLICY ON HANDOUTS AND TIPS
• TIPS FOR INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP SECURITY
• TIPS ON INTEGRATING INTO THE COMMUNITY
• INFORMATION ON THE SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION EDUCATION PROGRAM

Letter from a former Team Volunteer in September 2004

Hello,

Honduras was wonderful! I got back last Saturday at midnight, and I'm writing to tell everyone about my trip, what we accomplished and what I learned. We arrived in Honduras after an overnight flight. Once there, we meet up with representatives from Proyecto Aldea Global. (PAG Project Global Village in English)

Our team goals for the trip included reaching the poorest of the poor and helping them to become self sustainable while preventing them from becoming dependant on relief efforts. We do this by coming along side of villages and helping them to help themselves instead of invading them and trying to do everything for them.

PAG does a good job working directly with Hondurans. They make sure the community is involved in the projects. This gives them a sense they have worked for the things they receive. They also work on educating people in order to improve their ways of life. For example PAG has many training programs and provides education on how to improve farms to produce more so they can provide more food for there families and sell a little at market as well as diversify what they grow to provide better nutrition for themselves. Their ways of life as farmers are not changed but their knowledge is expanded and this allows them to live a happier life.

After we arrived, a local Honduran named Hector joined us to interpret for and work with our group. He was a wonderful intelligent addition to our group.

While we were down in Honduras we worked on finishing a school building, teaching children how and why to brush their teeth, helping the mothers of two communities give fluoride treatments, providing reading glasses, working with farmers, and learning how PAG's ministry works.

The main project we worked on was the construction of a school near the town of Siguatepeque . We also had puppet shows and games for the children and programs for fluoride/education. Working side by side with community members we worked on grouting, painting and putting in the floor. In a nearby area kids were learning about brushing and oral care from another part of our group. The mothers from the community were taught how to give the fluoride treatment and rinses.

My favorite part was working with kids and seeing how happy they could be even in such poor conditions.

In all, it was a good trip and I enjoyed myself very much.

God Bless,

Jordan

Volunteer in September 2004

The Greatest Feeling in the World…..
By: Christina M. Caropreso

Some students win contests, while others invent new technology. Well I’m not quite that student. While those geniuses were inventing new calculator programs and the future CEO’s of America were starting their own businesses I was writing and making phone calls in order to complete a project that would later become the greatest accomplishment of my fifteen years. This past year between the months of January and June I was busy raising money to build a school in Las Delicias, Honduras for young children who are not given the opportunity to get an education. I used a phone and email campaign to accomplish my goal. This whole project started when I began speaking to my father about how to help Honduras. He then contacted Chet Thomas because our families had been friends when we lived in Honduras. My father knew about Project Global Village and thought that Chet could help me in achieving my goal of helping children in Honduras. Luckily I received a great response from my close friends and family accompanied with a large amount of support. My goal was to raise $4,500. This would pay for a prefabricated school with a roof, a floor, and cubbies. Chet Thomas was very supportive throughout the whole process. Project Global Village provides a great opportunity for individual people as well as large companies to help make Honduras a stronger nation. Although the children who I helped benefited from my project, I strongly believe that they helped me as well. They taught me to never take anything for granted. I was also able to learn that love is not created by wealth or material things; love grows with honesty and trust within a family. I realized how lucky I was to be born in this country; where no matter whom I was, I will receive a free education. These children were grateful and felt they were the luckiest children in the world to have this school. The love I felt from the children was incredible. The greatest feeling in the world is to have the love of a child who you were able to give a greater quality of life to. Many people feel that the countries and the people in places like Honduras do not affect our lives here in Potomac but I feel just the opposite. The impact that these children made on me will last forever. These children can change the lives of many though their kind and thankful words if people would open up their hearts and their ears. The people over in Honduras my never directly affect us however we can learn a great deal from them about how a life without money and material things can still be full of love.

Latrine Project

What? The latrine project is a major health need in many communities of rural Honduras as latrines greatly improve the sanitation and health of the community. Volunteer work groups work hand in hand with community members to build latrines for needy community families.

Why? The United Nations Development Program identifies the lack of proper sanitation as one of the causes of poverty as it negatively affects the health of the poor. By improving sanitation we are helping to reduce poverty.

Latrines help improve a villages health in numerous ways, here are some examples:

1. Help Fly control. Human wastes attract flies, spreading waste to food, causing the community population to suffer from frequent illness.
2. Improve hygiene practices. When using a proper bathroom the user is more conscious and likely to wash their hands.
3. Prevent infections. Latrines prevent people, (especially women) from wiping with leaves and other materials found outside, the dirty leaves used often cause infections.
4. Prevent Trichinosis. Latrines contain human wastes to one place, therefore makes it more difficult for animals to consume human wastes which leads to Trichinosis.
5. Prevent contamination through the bottom of the foot. Most inhabitants walk inside and outside barefoot, spreading waste wherever they go, even to bed.
6. Provides some privacy. Many people living crowded in one place allows little privacy (for using the restroom) this creates an ideal environment for sexual abuse.
7. Latrines and proper sanitation contributes to the overall health and hygiene of a community, eliminating many of the cases of diarrhea. For example, in a community where an average of 50% of the children suffer from frequent diarrhea, after the latrine project is installed, only 25% of the children will suffer from diarrh.

Who? The latrine project benefits the families of the community that do not have a bathroom. Beneficiaries are chosen based on need and willingness to help with their latrine project

Where? Rural communities in Honduras, right in the beneficiaries back yard. The group will stay in or near the community where they are working.

When? The latrine construction groups normally spend one week in Honduras, working for 5 of seven days. The ideal sized group is 8 people who along with the community can build 10-15 latrines in 5 days.

How? PAG has a construction mason supervisor to teach and work with the group. Community members start the project before the group arrives by digging the 3 square meter deep septic tank hole. When the group arrives they help by mixing cement and laying the bases for the latrine itself as well as for the septic tank. The team places the bases one day and lets them dry over night. The next two days the group begins putting up the walls and roofs of the latrine. The last day/s they put in the pipes, the toilet bowl, and the door of the latrine.