As the second poorest country in the Americas, Honduras has an unemployment rate of 56%. With a population of approximately 7.8 million, more than half lay below the poverty line. The people of Honduras earn an average pay of $10 per day and typically, a family makes around $4,500 in one year.
Roatán is an island off of the northern coast of Honduras. The population is approximately 70,000. While the major language in Roatán is English, many of the people speak Spanish.
Our mission team will divide into three smaller teams to address the needs of the communities that we will be serving.
The first team will be working alongside a missionary couple at Casa de Luz. This couple is retired, and through the support of a U.S. agency, they are committed to living on the island of Roatán and serving the people there. Casa de Luz is located in La Colonia, which is a slum. This group will be teaching English to children and adults. By learning English, the people of Roatán gain a skill that will help them to get a job.
The second team will be working in the community of Corozal. They will work alongside members of the community to construct a playground for the children. The third team will be working in the community of Hottings Sparrow. They will be working alongside community members, helping them with their water system. By teaming up with the people of Roatán, both of these teams are helping to complete projects that would take a significantly long time without our assistance.
In addition to these service projects, a few members from each of the three teams will be putting together a VBS program. All three teams will be using the same VBS program in the three different locations.
Richard Crespo, the leader of our mission team, has been going to Roatán for over twelve years, working with a Christian clinic ran by a non-profit organization. According to Richard, his time in there has given him an appreciation for the people of Roatán. Many of the people there work in the tourist industry. Their strength to persevere despite the fact that they are poor and surrounded by wealth is very admirable. They also have a high regard for education, as they want their children to one day have a better life.
Richard’s hopes for this trip are that the members of our team will expand their worldview and cultivate an appreciation for the differences between our culture and theirs. The greatest value of our trip will be the establishment of relationships with the people of Roatán. While our tasks will end and we will return home, our relationships will continue on and provide the people of Roatán with the encouragement to persevere.