Special Instructions for Team 2A - Danli and
La Jagua
Credit Option:
If you want to get course credit, you must enroll
through the university.
Visit
NAU's website or email Kathleen Day.
Noncredit Option:
To participate without receiving college credit,
you must sign up through Sierra Service Project. The cost, which
does not include airfare, is $1,175 per person.
Download the
SSP registration form and call our offices at 916-488-6441 if you have any
questions.
Cost:
$1,800
Cost includes airfare to
and from Los Angeles, California, and includes all meals,
lodging and transportation within Honduras. A deposit of $500 is required to hold your spot and airline seat.
(For any wishing to travel from a city other than LA, we can make special
arrangements for this.)
Leadership
SSP
Honduras employs an experienced bilingual staff. This team is co-led by Laura
Rambikur and Luis Rios Valle. Laura has worked in Honduras for three summers
and has a degree in Spanish Language Instruction. Luis is a fully bilingual
Honduran and has extensive experience working as a translator for mission
teams. Two additional translators will join Laura and Luis.
Team Talanga will be led by Nancy Paulson.
Nancy is a high school teacher with a long history of leading youth teams at
SSP. Nancy and her husband live in Camarillo, California.Team Danli will be accompanied by Rev. Kathleen
Day, who is a United Methodist minister assigned to Northern Arizona University.
In the past, Kathleen has led student trips to Guatemala. This will be her
first visit to Honduras. Team Fuerzas Unidas will be accompanied by Rev.
Beth Rambikur. Beth is the Associate Pastor of the Green Valley Methodist
Church in Henderson, Nevada.
Honduras' Political
Situation Has Returned to Normal
On January 27, the newly
elected government of President Porfirio Lobo was inaugurated and ex-President
Zelaya was given safe passage out of the country. In a gesture of
reconciliation, President Lobo accompanied the former president to the airport.
With these events, the political situation in Honduras is
returning to normal. The opposition to the coup, which had been conducting
frequent street demonstrations, is forming itself into a political party and
plans to peacefully pursue their agenda. The country is still suffering the financial affects
of loss of tourism dollars and foreign aid, so our activities their are more
important than ever!
Orientation
Upon arrival in Honduras, the
groups will undergo a one-day orientation and teambuilding session at a retreat
center. This orientation will prepare you for your time in Honduras and enable
you to get to know all your teammates and fellow volunteers.
Schedule
Our schedule in Honduras
includes days of work, visits to cultural and educational visits, and social
activities. It is a jam-packed, busy two weeks!
Click here to see a detailed schedule.
Construction
Team members will work side by side with family members and
others from the community to build two simple, but safe, dry and secure
brick dwellings. Nearly all of the work is done by hand. This includes moving
bricks, sand and water. You may also be mixing mortar and digging and
pouring footings. It’s hard, sweaty work! SSP participants are guided by and
work alongside a few skilled Honduran workers. Pictured here is a typical
"SSP house" built in 2009.
Cultural
Immersion and Education Activities
In order to more fully
understand Honduras, teams will take part in a number of cultural and education
activities. These will include visits to organizations providing ministries of
service to the poor. In the past, we have visited a self-help ministry for
former street prostitutes, a center for street children, a human rights
organization and a group championing the rights of women. We also take a tour
of a factory, visit a Honduran elementary school and visit a Centro de Salud – a
local primary care health clinic. Much of our cultural interaction occurs on
the worksite and at church, however. The groups will attend church on Sundays
with our Honduran hosts and will spend time with Honduran youth before and after
church. This has proven to be one of the most significant and enjoyable parts
of the experience – simply sharing time with Honduran children and youth,
playing soccer and other games, or just talking.
The Benefits of
International Mission Experiences
An international service and
study experience offers an unparalleled opportunity for spiritual growth,
maturation and education for young people. With our Honduras Project, SSP
provides an intense, third-world immersion experience. Our goal is to provide
youth from the United States the opportunity to act out their Christian faith by
working in solidarity with poor and marginalized communities in Honduras.
Educational, cultural and worship activities provide an eye-opening window for
participants to understand the third-world reality of Honduras and see the
impact that Christian community and service can have. These trips bring
inspiration and consciousness for personal and social change upon our return to
the United States.
Our Values
and Principles
All of us live in a shrinking
world and are participants in a globalized economy. The following values guide
everything that Sierra Service Project does in Honduras:
·
Having a light
footprint in our host communities.
·
Whenever
possible, do things which build and strengthen local youth organizations and
Honduran NGOs.
·
Treating our
hosts as equals with respect and dignity.
·
Promoting the
exchange of values, faith, language, culture and ideas.
·
Encouraging US
youth and their churches to support Honduran churches, Hondurans and their
communities in sustainable ways.
·
Fostering local
economic development.
Who Can Attend
This project is open to high
school juniors and seniors and college-age young adults. Spanish is not
required, but it is very helpful. Each team has about 10 members, plus an experienced adult who serves as team leader. Because our Honduras programs
entail 14 days in a foreign country, team members need to be mature, in good
health and very good at working with others. All participants must have
prior service project experience, a recommendation from a youth leader and be capable of doing hard, physical labor.
Youth register for this project as individuals, not groups. Because of the
small team size and the presence of a team leader and SSP staffers, there are no
adult counselors.
Passport and Visa
Requirements
A valid passport is required
for entry into Honduras. There is no visa requirement for holders of a U.S.
passport. Minors must have an affidavit
signed by both of their parents giving
permission to enter and leave the country.
Immunizations
The Centers for Disease
Control provides a list of
immunizations needed for travel to Honduras. Malaria is present in
Honduras in rural areas below 3,200 in elevation.
Learn More
Click here to view a few photos from last year's project. Download an
information
sheet which contains a preliminary daily schedule and
registration
form. Please call
our office to discussion your participation!
There are a large number
of websites with information on Honduras and the issues and forces shaping the
country today. We have put together a
page of links for you to check out.
