Escape to Ajuterique, Honduras, this winter for an incredible build. The weather is amazing and it is such a beautiful country with people in great need of decent housing. Come help build and you can enjoy working with a family to improve their living situation. We will stay in the colonial city of Comayagua and have a day off to go to Tela Bay or the Copan ruins. It promises to be inspiring, some hard work, and a fun trip!

About Honduras
Honduras is the second-largest Central American nation after Nicaragua. It borders the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Nicaragua on the north, and borders the Gulf of Fonseca (North Pacific Ocean), between El Salvador and Nicaragua on its south side.

The climate is subtropical in lowlands, temperate in mountains. Honduras’ main language is Spanish but there are also many Amerindian dialects. The Roman Catholic Church is the officially recognized church in Honduras, with 97 percent of the population identifying themselves as Catholic.

About Habitat for Humanity Honduras
Since its founding in 1988, Habitat for Humanity Honduras has built more than 10,000 houses, providing simple, decent and affordable shelter for more than 35,000 Hondurans in need of stable housing construct earthquake-resistant houses made with concrete floors, block walls and corrugated zinc roofs.

Habitat for Humanity’s work in Honduras began in Santa Cruz de Yojoa, Cortés in the Yure River Valley in 1988. As evidence of its growth, there are now regional offices reaching more than 50 communities.

A typical Habitat Honduras house has a polished, cement floor, block walls reinforced with steel, corrugated iron roof and doors and shutter windows made of wood. Houses include a kitchen, one to three bedrooms and a bath. Families are offered two house models, one measuring 48 square meters and the other 36 square meters. The first model has been used for almost 14 years, and the second was recently introduced with great success, as it allows Habitat to reach families with even lower incomes.

Types of construction for volunteers
Volunteers will help with house improvements, finish/conclusions, repairs, and additions/expansions.

Once on the work site, a technical advisor and a supervisor will guide the volunteers through the construction process. On the first day, they will explain the construction system used in Honduras and provide written construction goals each day. There will be designated resting zones with drinkable water, as well as portable bathrooms with water and soap for the volunteers to use.

Standard itinerary
(9-day itinerary)

Day 1 (Arrival day, typically Saturday): Greeted at airport by Habitat Honduras staff; transported to host program; orientation.
Day 2 (Sunday): Optional church service; additional transportation depending on project location; free day in the community.
Days 3-7 (Work days, Monday-Friday): Breakfast served before traveling to work site; work from 8 a.m.–4 p.m. with lunch on-site; free time after work to clean up; dinner of typical Honduran food; time for team activities.
Day 8 (Saturday): Travel to departure city depending on affiliate location; cultural activity day and closing activities; final team dinner.
Day 9, Final day (Sunday): Departure day.

Note: Trip includes special events throughout the week, such as cultural experiences with affiliate staff, traditional dances, agricultural and architectural tours, typical food preparation, etc. There is also a walking tour of host city and a farewell ceremony.

Accommodations
Hotels are simple and basic and typically located near the project site. Rooms sleep two to four people and include a private bathroom, although bathrooms are occasionally shared. All facilities are screened by HFH staff to ensure they are safe, clean and well-maintained.

Special housing needs (private rooms, air conditioning, first-floor rooms, etc.) can usually be arranged, though may result in additional fees.

Program cost
US$1,910
(For more details about what is included in this cost, visit Global Village program cost.)

Increase your impact: Take the GV Challenge
Habitat for Humanity is accelerating its work to end poverty housing, and we need Global Village teams to help. Set a goal and fundraise to make your impact last longer than the days you’re in the field. Your support builds more homes, creates resource centers, educates families, and advances our projects to build sustainable communities. We’ll even provide tools to make fundraising easy. Take the GV Challenge – join us in sharing our story and building a better world.

Team leaders
Sully has been a volunteer leader with Habitat for many years mostly going to Central America and Europe. She loves the experience that a working vacation offers and what Habitat provides for a participant to get the most from this kind of trip. She lives and works on an island in the Seattle area as a landscape gardener. She is an avid traveler and outdoor person with two wonderful daughters who live close by. The enrichment of being part of a Habitat experience has such value in her life and she hopes to share this with you.

Richard, a Northwest native, has enjoyed filling his passport with stamps from six continents and has retired from a career in bridge engineering. When not building houses, he enjoys making saw dust in his shop, testing new cooking recipes, making snowshoe tracks and hiking the Cascade mountain lakes. He has volunteered on Habitat trips to Dominican Republic, Romania and Vietnam. His most rewarding Habitat experience has been seeing the sense of dignity felt by the families after builds. Habitat work not only builds a shelter, but makes the local community stronger. He is excited to co-lead this build in Honduras.

Contact us about this trip: sullyhonduras@hotmail.com