“I feel helpless! What can I do to help?” There once was a town that was situated next to a river. Day after day, month after month, year after year, they dutifully rescued an ever-increasing number of people whom they found drowning in its currents. Over time they became exhausted and some argued that they could no longer continue. A child spoke up and suggested that they cross to the other side of the mountain to find out why people were falling into the water. When they arrived, they found a … [Read more...]
Ms. Breve’s Lesson
Ms. Breve's Lesson If asked to think of a particularly challenging student, all of you teachers out there would have (at least) one come to mind immediately. Maybe it's a child who needed A LOT of attention, or specialized resources, or more support at home. Maybe it was the first time you encountered a student like him or her and you didn't quite know how to effectively adapt your techniques to be effective for that child. Maybe you realized that every teacher who worked with this student … [Read more...]
Dr. Susan Nedza Shares the Good News About Olancho Aid at Villanova Conference Celebrating Pope Francis’ Anniversary
Dr. Susan Nedza Shares the Good News About Olancho Aid at Villanova Conference Celebrating Pope Francis' Anniversary Anyone who has taken part in a mission team will remember the moment when they thought, “I am not sure how I ended up here, but I know that the Holy Spirit was involved….” I had a similar moment last week when I found myself at Villanova University, surrounded by Cardinals (Including Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga of Honduras), Vatican watchers, economists, theologians, … [Read more...]
Advice from a Team Leader of 25 Years
Advice from a Team Leader of 25 Years In 1993, Mary Roy reluctantly traveled to Olancho, Honduras after being asked by a friend who needed a female chaperone for his mission team. She describes those 10 days as “life-changing” and says she knew right away she would return, but could not have imagined she would lead 26 teams over the next 25 years.What keeps her coming back? On average, Mary’s teams consist of 15-18 people, some return year after year and others are “newbies.” Both the … [Read more...]
ESL Academy at Olancho Aid
ESL Academy at Olancho Aid Anne Foley, Ph.D. Instructional Designer In November 2016, I came to Juticalpa, Honduras to work with Miss Alma Sagastume, the principal at Santa Clara Bilingual School, to develop an ESL program to improve English language skills for the teachers and staff at the schools. As a bilingual school, it is necessary that all staff have competency in spoken English and that classroom teachers also have fluency in reading and writing English. Ms. Sagastume’s goal was for … [Read more...]
Prepare for Christmas Like A Honduran
How do you prepare for Christmas?Did you just roll your eyes? Are you stressed just thinking about it? Let's change the subject.How would you know Christmas is coming if you lived in Olancho? Christmas traditions around the world are as different as the Christians who celebrate the holiday. The beauty of the celebration though, wherever you are, comes back to rejoicing in the gift that is Jesus Christ.In Honduras, traditions vary from family to family. Below is a list of common … [Read more...]
An Update on the Political Situation in Honduras
An Update on the Political Situation in Honduras As news of post-election civil unrest in Honduras gains more attention, the Olancho Aid Foundation would like to provide you with a report from Juticalpa. Most of the demonstrations have occured in Tegucigalpa which is three hours away. Please be reassured that our our employees, volunteers, and students, are safe and that we are monitoring the situation closely. We have been in touch with the U.S. embassy and are following their … [Read more...]
2017 Success
Learn more about our work in 2017:Your gift will allow us to bring education and clean water to more children and families. A contribution of $34 covers the monthly gap for one student (the gap is the difference between tuition received and operating costs). Please consider a gift of $15, $34, $50 or more. Every single dollar makes a difference. … [Read more...]
Maria’s Fear
Traveling 3,000 Miles for Clean Water
This past August, Will Zolpe of Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin traveled over 3,000 miles to Olancho for a service learning project to assess Olancho Aid Foundation's water purification program. Enjoy reading Will's reflection below. Visiting Honduras, although only for two weeks, really surprised me in the sense of how different of a life it was from what I am used to. I was invited to fly down to help create an in-depth analysis of the current water projects that the Olancho Aid … [Read more...]