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...]
Olancho Aid Spotlight: Megan Conley
This week's Olancho Aid Spotlight features former high school teacher and volunteer coordinator Megan Conley. During her two years of service with the Foundation, Miss Conley was known for her organization, her sense of humor, her dedication to her students, and her leadership of the volunteer program. Read on to learn more about what Miss Conley's experiences at Olancho Aid meant to her. Age: 26Hometown: Coahoma, TexasUniversity: Texas Tech … [Read more...]
Welcome 2017-2018 Volunteers!
Welcome Sinéad, Katie, Stephanie! Olancho Aid welcomes 4 volunteers who will serve with our team during the next 11 months. We are all excited to work with these ladies who are passionate about education and service. Meet the volunteers: Stephanie Fore, Volunteer Coordinator Stephanie Fore graduated from Knox College, Galesburg, IL, in 2013 earning a degree in Anthropology-Sociology with concentrations in Spanish and Social Services. During her time there, she … [Read more...]
First Quarter Completion – Jacob
First Quarter CompletionJacob - November, 2016As the last student left the halls of the Instituto on Friday, the conclusion of the first Quarter of the school year drew to a close. It was a quarter filled with laughter, challenges, and a lot of new experiences. Upon its conclusion, I can favorably look back on the experience and look forward to the next three quarters still to come.Coming into the school year as a first time teacher, I didn’t really know what to expect. I knew there … [Read more...]
12 Things I’ve Learned
12 Things I’ve Learned for the 12 Weeks I’ve Been Here ______________________________________________________________________________________________________Linden - October 2016So as of today (October 24th) I have officially been in this country for 12 weeks. To mark the 12 weeks of being here I thought I’d share 12 different things I have learned so far. Some more serious than others.Homesickness is a real thing. I thought I would last a lot longer, but I have come to realize … [Read more...]
Volunteer with the Olancho Aid Foundation!
The Olancho Aid Foundation is a Catholic non-profit organization operating in Juticalpa, Olancho, Honduras. We strive to open up doors of opportunity and break the ever-pervasive cycle of poverty by providing quality, faith-based education to youth in the area.To assist in our mission, we host international volunteers each year to provide invaluable service to our projects. Below is detailed information about each of our volunteering opportunities. If you or someone you know would be … [Read more...]
Experience In Photos Marissa
Experience in Photos Marissa - Oct 2016Kelly Ann, Linden, and I with some of the elementary Oscar, Walter, and I waiting for the Bible Parade to start. teachers at La Casita. Kelly Ann, Linden, and I at the beach in Utila. The school at the Independence Day parade. All the volunteers at the Juticalpa futbol game. Some … [Read more...]
Homesickness – Kelly Ann
HOMESICKNESS There's No Place Like HomeKelly Ann - September, 2016I’d just like to start out by saying that I lasted a lot longer in the homesickness department than I thought I would. I tend to be a very emotional person. To say I’m close with my family would be an understatement; my cousins are some of my best friends and my parents are my rocks. So, when I hit that one-month mark here in Honduras, and realized that I hadn’t gotten upset or homesick at all, I was pretty proud of … [Read more...]
Afternoon Tutoring
Olancho Aid has a relationship with the orphanage located just down the street from the main office. Some of the children at the orphanage attend the foundation’s schools through scholarships facilitated by the foundation. The orphanage is run by nuns who care for the children and organize everything from their schooling to their meals. The nuns do an amazing job caring for the children, but they sometimes struggle with getting the children help with their homework, especially for the kids at … [Read more...]
A Day in the Life
Since being here in Honduras, I have adapted to the early to bed, early to rise mantra that seems prevalent in many parts of the world where the daylight hours dictate sleeping schedules. This definitely seems to be the case for most Hondurans. Every morning I wake up at 5:50am to get ready for school and we are out the door on our way to the bus stop by 6:15am. The bus stop is about two blocks away from our house located by the gas station. It passes here every morning to pick up students, … [Read more...]