Olancho Aid Foundation

Education. Hope. Transformation

Rob’s Adios

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Rob Privette completed his term of service as a board member in December 2020. In many ways, he has been supporting Olancho Aid for over 13 years. Below are thoughts from Rob about his time with the Foundation.  It seems like only yesterday that in 2007 Kristi and I were making preparations to go to Honduras to volunteer for a year and many of our friends were asking “You’re doing what?” Or saying “You are crazy!”  And talk about a change of pace-we didn’t have a car, we didn’t have a … [Read more...]

Thank you, Rob Privette

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Thank you to outgoing board treasurer, Rob Privette, DVM, for his many years of service to Olancho Aid Foundation.   Kind. Calm. Steady. If you’ve met Rob Privette, you know these adjectives fit. His term of volunteer service with the Olancho Aid Foundation Board of Directors ended in December and he will certainly be missed. The Foundation has been blessed by his many years of support and sincere care for the people of Olancho.  In 2007, Rob took a sabbatical from his veterinary … [Read more...]

Faith Serving Abroad

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Faith Serving Abroad   Looking from the time I started volunteering in late August in Julticalpa, Honduras until now, it has truly been such an experience. I was originally supposed to come to Honduras a year ago but I decided to defer for a year. I felt that I was not mentally and emotionally ready to serve just yet. I do believe there is a time and place for everything. When I was finally ready to serve for at least four months, the Foundation offered to defer my service again, since … [Read more...]

Volunteers Return Home

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Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, most Olancho Aid volunteers returned home. Here is a post from Jim Walker, one of the volunteers who was forced to end his term of service early. Olancho Aid Volunteers – Safe and well taken care of in uncertain times! I made my fourth volunteer trip to Juticalpa in very early March, the United States had few cases of the virus and my state of Maine had zero. As a specialist volunteer in the accounting office there was projects to be done and I had my … [Read more...]

Spring 2020 Volunteers

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Spring 2020 Volunteers In January 2020, three new volunteers joined Dani Da Costa, Karen Wiley, Anne Foley, and Mai Tran who returned from the previous semester. All of these volunteers have been living and working in Juticalpa to support Honduran staff in various capacities. Keep reading to learn more about the newcomers! Mark Wessel, Strategic Advisor  Hello friends of Olancho Aid Foundation. My name is Mark Wessel. I have been working as a volunteer in Olancho since early … [Read more...]

Gifts Honduras Gave Me

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Gifts Honduras Gave Me This is my third trip volunteering in the bilingual schools with Olancho Aid.  I come to the schools after a lifetime in US schools as a teacher, administrator, college professor, and literacy coach.  While I arrive in Honduras with the intention of teaching school teachers and administrators, I actually learn as much from being here as I give.  Volunteering in another country has helped me to think about everything that is comfortable and familiar to me in the US.  And … [Read more...]

Welcome, Fall 2019 Volunteers!

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Welcome, Fall 2019 Volunteers     This fall at Olancho Aid, we are joined by two new long-term volunteers, in addition to returning volunteers Daniel Da Costa, Stephanie Fore, and Karen Wiley. Please join us in welcoming Fernando Gonzalez and Mai Tran; keep reading to learn more about them!     Fernando Gonzalez, Educational Consultant Hi, my name is Fernando. I've been working at a school in Spain for a long time, and I've come to … [Read more...]

Welcome, Kerry Lindstrom!

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Welcome, Kerry Lindstrom! Please join us in welcoming Kerry to the Olancho Aid Foundation Board of Directors. With her background in education and experience living in Honduras, she will be an asset to the Education Committee. Kerry is a 5th grade English Language Arts and Social Studies teacher at Fairview Elementary in Dayton, OH. Previously she taught Kindergarten and English Language Learners K-4th grades at Warner Arts Magnet School in Nashville, TN. At Warner, she led the school … [Read more...]

Thoughts and Reflections of a First Time Volunteer

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Thoughts and reflections of a first time volunteer. My journey, like many others before me, started with a calling; in my case it was an urge to go out and experience the world. I wanted to help others, learn about different cultures, and in turn learn more about myself. My hope was to make a difference in the world, however small or insignificant, I just wanted to make an impact. I came across Olancho Aid through an internet search. It was actually kind of amazing how everything clicked … [Read more...]

Welcome, Summer Camp Volunteers!

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Welcome, Summer Camp Volunteers!     In addition to returning volunteers Dani, Caroline, and Stephanie, five more volunteers join us this month to run a two-week English day camp for Santa Clara students and other bilingual students in the area. Read on to learn more about them!   Lynn Cina Hi, my name is Lynn Cina and I am very happy to have this opportunity to work at the Santa Clara summer camp. I have visited Honduras about eight times with a mission team … [Read more...]