In 2005, three former Peace Corps Volunteers conceived the idea for the Central Honduras Education Fund after spending two-plus years living and working in Central Honduras (July 2002 to September 2004). Dave, Mike, and Aaron all worked in rural communities and built wonderful relationships while there, many of which are still going strong today. Their time there reinforced an understanding of the fortunate lives that they had been blessed with, and the gift of education they had to that point been able to pursue.
Dave hiking in the Corralitos Mountains, near San Francisco de Soroguara
At the same time, they also realized that most rural students in Honduras were unable to pursue their educational aspirations, largely due to the financial challenges of higher education. They deeply desired to change this trend. With the Chinese proverb, “If you are planning for a year, sow rice; if you are planning for a decade, plant trees; if you are planning for a lifetime, educate people,” strongly in mind, the three created the Central Honduras Education Fund in August 2005.
The primary activity of the Central Honduras Education Fund is to provide scholarships to deserving students graduating from high school in rural Honduran communities within a 25-mile radius of the capital city of Tegucigalpa. The goal is that these students become self-sufficient and productive citizens who contribute to the development and capacity of their communities. The Central Honduras Education Fund individually selects scholars that demonstrate not only a desire to continue their education at the university level, but also a commitment to sharing their education with the community around them. The Central Honduras Education Fund family, with the help of the Central Honduras Education Fund Advisory Board, maintains an extraordinarily close relationship with scholars, their families, and the communities in which scholars live and work.
The Peace Corps soccer team sits down for a delicious lunch at la Casa de Dona Marta
The Central Honduras Education Fund provides hope in the form of access to education for a rural population struggling for economic and social equality. Despite a trend that indicates very limited and often inexistent educational opportunities for this population, The Central Honduras Education Fund looks to break the barriers and build leaders from within these very communities.
The Central Honduras Education Fund hopes to continue to be a catalyst for sustainable development of rural Honduras through education, providing the gateway to education one student at a time.
- Aaron Banas