ONGOING & FUTURE PROJECTS

February 2024 - The Christmas 2023 Food Bag Fundraiser was a huge success with over $16,000(CAN$) raised and as a result over 400 hundred families connected with the schools in Retiro & Macuelizo were gifted with a food hamper!  With that project completed we are now looking forward to the start of the new school year in a couple of weeks and here are some of the projects that we are working on with that in mind:

-Providing new school supplies for both the students and the teachers including notebooks, pencils, pens, crayons, colored pencils, pencil sharpeners, erasers, paper, curriculum materials, teaching supplies & textbooks plus small backpacks for the students to carry their school materials ($1500/$2000 per classroom, total of 6 classes).
-Providing school uniforms, including shoes, for the students (cost dependent on what is needed, approximately $50 per uniform)
-Maintaining & upgrading the classrooms and school grounds (cost dependent on what is needed).
-Providing new desks for the students and teachers as needed (cost dependent on what is needed)
-Providing a daily snack/meal ("merienda") for the students while they are in class each day ($500 provides a snack each school day for a month to 200 students....approximately 12 cents per student per day).

September 2023 - A Christmas Food Bag Fundraiser is now underway for the two schools that FOH supports in Retiro & Macuelizo!  The goal once again this year is to provide a food bag to each the families of the students at the two schools.  At a cost of $41 (CAN$) per bag (which is only $3 more than last year) our FOH partners in Honduras are able to purchase enough basic food supplies (sugar, beans, rice, salt, lard/oil, flour, oatmeal, powdered milk, etc) to feed a family of four for about a week.  With a total of 400 students at the two schools, that means $16,400 (CAN$) is needed.  This fundraiser will run until Dec 1st and FOH will purchase as many food bags as possible at that time with the amount of money that has come in.  If the goal of $16,400 is met and surpassed, any additional funds will go toward providing new teaching and curriculum supplies (pencils, pens, paper, workbooks, lesson books, crayons, glue, erasers, etc), food for a snack each day for each of the classes and maintenance/upkeep of the schools.  If you are interested in contributing to any of this project then please click on the "Donate Now" button at the bottom right corner of the main page on this website for information on how to do that.  Any donations received that are designated for a particular project will go directly to that project.  Any non-designated donations received will go to the general fund and will be put toward the project with the greatest need.  And as usual, there are no paid positions at FOH and almost no overhead costs so virtually all of the funds donated will go directly to funding these projects in Honduras (tax receipts are available for monetary donations from Canadian sources).  Thanks for your interest and support....check back often for updates on how the fundraising is progressing!

July 2023 - Any/all new projects at the school are on hold just for the moment.  A new school board for the district around the school in Retiro is coming in and we want to see what that will mean as far as the potential for local/district funding.  Stay tuned! 

January 2023 - the Christmas Fundraiser went very well and sufficient funds were raised to provide food bags to all the families at the two schools.  As part of the fundraiser other monies were also donated specifically for curriculum materials and classroom supplies.  The textbooks, workbooks and other items will be purchased nearer to the start of the new school year in February so that everything will be available when the students and teachers start classes.  Thanks to everyone who contributed to this project!

October 2022 - A Christmas Fundraiser!  The end of the year is fast approaching and once again FOH is working toward raising enough funds to provide a food bag at Christmastime to the family of each of the students at the two schools that FOH supports (Retiro & Macuelizo).  For a cost of approximately $38 (CAN$) per bag, our FOH partners in Honduras are able to purchase bags containing enough basic food supplies (beans, rice, sugar, flour, corn, oil, etc,) to feed a family of four for about a week.  There are 180 families represented at Retiro ($6300 needed) and a further 200 families at Macuelizo ($7000 needed).  The other fundraising goal that FOH is focused on is for the purchase of new curriculum & teaching materials for the teachers for the start of the new school year in February 2023.  The classes each need new/updated/current textbooks/notebooks/workbooks/lesson books plus teaching supplies (craft/crepe/construction paper, glue, crayons, colored pencils, scissors, etc.)  There are six classes and the cost will be approximately $1000 per class so a total of $6000 is needed.  If you are interested in contributing to any of these projects then please see the "fundraising" page on this website for information on how to do that.  Any donations received that are designated for a particular project will go directly to that project.  Any non-designated donations received will go to the general fund and will be put toward the project with the greatest need.  And as usual, there are no paid positions at FOH and almost no overhead costs so virtually all of the funds donated will go directly to funding these projects in Honduras.  Thanks for your interest and support.


April 2022 - please see the April 2022 entry under the "Updates" tab on this website for a Wish List of items that FOH would like to fund over the next few months.


February 2022 - The new school year has not started yet so while the classrooms are empty there is some maintenance going on at the school (classroom floor being resurfaced).  With concerns about COVID still causing some uncertainty as to exactly when the school year will start, FOH is waiting for a confirmed start date before purchasing new school books and supplies for the students.   The Medical clinic is being used for COVID screening/vaccinations & general health clinics in the community with volunteer doctors and nurses from Tegucigalpa and the local neighborhood providing able assistance to the people of Retiro.



December 2021 - the Christmas Fundraiser was a huge success with over $27,000(CAN$) donated, with some funds donated specifically for the food bags and other monies donated to the FOH general needs fund.  This allowed FOH to provide 360 familes with food bags just prior to Christmas and has left us with approximately $15,000(CAN$) in the budget to start the school year in February 2022.



October 2021 - Christmas Fundraiser for the schools.....Our FOH partners in Honduras are able to purchase food bags containing enough beans, rice, sugar, flour, corn, oil, etc to feed a family of 4 for about a week.  Each food bag costs approximately 600 lempira ($32CAN/$25US). FOH is trying to raise enough money so that we can provide a bag of food to the families of every student at the two schools in Retiro and Macuelizo at Christmastime. There are approximately 360 families with students at the two schools so approximately $11,500(CAN) is needed.  If you would like to make a donation please click on the "Donate Now" button at the bottom right of this page for instructions on how to do that.  Check back here often for updates on how the fundraising is going....thanks everyone for your continued support. 

 

April 2021 - new books & learning materials have been purchased and delivered to the school.  Many thanks to the donors & volunteers who have made this possible.....the students & teachers are very happy!


November 2020 - It has been a devastating hurricane season so far in Honduras and with the destruction that has been caused by the storms there is an immediate need for all types of basic day to day supplies.  FOH is now collecting funds to send to our contacts in Honduras so that some basic necessities can be purchased and distributed to many needy folks in and around Tegucigalpa and Retiro.  If you would like to donate please see the "Donate Now" tab/page on this website.  Any donation over $20 from a Canadian source will be provided with a charitable donation tax receipt.  Many thanks to all the kind folks who have already donated.  


April 2020 - bags of rice and beans have been distributed to some of the needier families of students at the school.  With the school being closed because of the COVID pandemic students have not been getting their usual daily meal....hopefully these food staples will assist them with some much needed nutrition.


January 7, 2020 - Notice of the Annual General Meeting of the Friends of Honduras Society: Friends of Honduras Society - Annual General Meeting at Rickys All Day Grill, 2900 Douglas Street, Victoria, B.C. on Monday, January 27, 2020 at 7 PM. All Welcome!


December 2019 - Mission Accomplished! Sufficient funds have now come in for FOH to be able to provide a food bag to the family of each of the 250 students at the two schools at Christmastime. The various items for the food bags are being purchased in Honduras and the bags will be distributed to the families in the next few days! Thanks to everyone who contributed to this fundraising effort! Donations are continuing to come in and the additional funds will be used when school starts again in February to provide daily meals and school supplies for the students.


September 2019 - Christmas Fundraiser for the school.....FOH can purchase food bags containing beans, rice, sugar, flour, corn, etc that contain enough food to feed a family of 4 for about a week.  Each bag costs about 350 lempira ($20CAN). FOH would like to raise enough money so that we can provide a bag of food to the families of every student at the two schools at Christmastime. There are approximately 250 students at the two schools so approximately $5000(CAN) is needed.  If you would like to make a donation please click on the "Donate Now" button on the main page of this website for instructions on how to do that.  Check back here often for updates on how the fundraising is going....thanks everyone for your continued support. 

April 2019 - some of the furniture has arrived for the medical clinic (see the "Photo Albums" page) and the rest of it should be delivered very soon!  So thankful for the generous financial support that has make this possible.  Hoping to have the clinic open for business in the next month or two.  Funding is still required to operate the clinic and to continue to assist the school with food, textbooks, school supplies and other equipment.

January 2018 - construction is continuing on the Medical Clinic adjacent to the school.  All four phases of the project are now fully funded (many thanks to all the generous folks who have made donations over the past year!) and we are hoping that the Clinic will be completed and operational in the next few months.  We are now looking for funding to outfit the Clinic with tables, chairs, desks, medical equipment, etc.  Ongoing funding is required as FOH continues to supply the school with textbooks, school supplies, uniforms and a daily meal for the students.

May 2017 - the renovation & construction of the medical clinic is ongoing and is progressing nicely....floors are being poured, walls are being built, metal doors installed.....check the Photo Albums page on this website to see lots of new photos of what is being done!  While the clinic reno is taking shape, the two schools in Retiro & in Macueliso are continuing to do well with lots of happy children being given the opportunity to get an education!

December 2016 - the funds have been sent to Honduras and work has now started on renovating the house into a medical clinic!  Check the Photo Albums page for pictures of the work being done.

November 2016 - final plans and cost estimates for the medical clinic have now been approved and the work will be getting underway shortly....very exciting!  Stay tuned to this page for further updates as the work progresses... 

September 2016 -  The final total at the September 15th deadline was $10,050, which, when the $5000 "matching donation" was added in, added up to a grand total of $15,050!  Well done everyone....thanks for your generous support of this project!

August 2016 - The "matching funds" donation total is now over $4000 and there are still three weeks left to go until the September 15th deadline....it looks like we have a real chance of making the goal of $5000 (which then turns into $10K)! A huge thank you to all the folks who have so generously donated so far to this worthwhile cause. Hopefully we can meet, and even exceed the goal....the dream of having a functioning medical clinic at the school for use by the children and the folks from the surrounding community is getting closer to becoming a reality....any monetary assistance that you can provide would be much appreciated. Check out the Donations page on this website for details on how to donate....

 August 2016 - Donations are continuing to come in for the "matching donations" fundraiser and the total is now over $3000...well on the way to the goal of $5000 by Sept 15th. Thanks to everyone who has participated so far and let's keep the momentum going!

 August 2016 -  We are now just over two weeks into the "matching donations" fundraiser and the total in so far is up to $2650! Well done everyone and let's keep it going! The goal is to get to (or exceed) $5000 by September 15th and whatever funds are raised by that date will be matched (up to $5000) by a very generous supporter of the Society. Check the "Donations" page on this website to get information on how easy it is to donate.

 August 2016 - We are now 10 days into the "matching donations" fundraiser (runs until Sept 15th) and donations are up to $1800 and climbing! A big thank you to all the folks who so generously continue to support the work that FOH is doing in Honduras.

July 2016 - NEWS FLASH!!!!!  Here is a great way to make your money go further!  A very generous donor has come forward with an offer to match any donations made to Friends of Honduras by Sept 15, 2016, up to a total of $5000!  So, if you were considering making a donation to help support the children at the school and build the medical clinic, this opportunity will double your donation!  Let’s see if we can make this $5000 offer turn into a $10,000 reality.  All monetary donations from Canadian sources will be provided with a charitable donation tax receipt.

March 2016 - Here is an updated "wish list" of projects at the school that we working toward funding and an approximate cost for each project:

  • Renovate and equip the medical clinic building.  Possibly send a container of supplies to Honduras from Compassionate Ministries Warehouse here in Victoria: /- $35,000

  • Build a stone retaining wall, upper fence, handrails and stairs between the new Clinic and the kindergarten building: /- $6,000

  • Build 3 additional classrooms on top of the existing kitchen and outfit them with desks, chairs and other needed furnishings: /- $36,000

  • Provide ongoing maintenance to the school buildings and grounds: /- $10,000

  • Upgrade/repair the existing septic tank system: /- $15,000

  • Purchase new curriculum materials for the school: /- $3,000

  • Build a security fence around the school grounds to keep out feral dogs and lessen theft and vandalism after hours: /- $15,000

If any of these projects sound interesting to you please let us know and we would be happy to talk to you about how your donation can best be utilized in Honduras. 

September 2015 - The vision of having a medical clinic at the school is getting closer to being a reality! Donations are continuing to come in, including a very generous $1500 donation submitted recently by a good friend of FOH....total monies collected so far are nearing $8000 or almost halfway to the goal of $20K! Thanks everyone for your continued generous support of this project. 

March 2015 - check the "Photo Albums" page of of this website to see pictures of the building that will be renovated into a medical clinic for the school and surrounding community plus pictures of the newly finished, and vastly improved, new bathroom! 

February 2015 - Great news.....another $2250 in unsolicited donations has come in for the work in Honduras over the past few days!!  The Society continues to be blessed by the support of a wide and diverse group of donors and supporters.  The Society Treasurer recently checked back over the books to look at donation totals and in the past 15 years over $92,000 has been raised and has gone directly to Honduras to help with the projects there.  The team leaves on Monday for Honduras and they are eagerly looking forward to spending almost two weeks at the school.

January 2015 - The Society held their 2015 Annual General Meeting last evening and gratefully looked back on another successful year of helping the children and the school in Honduras. Almost $14,000 was raised in donations in 2014 with only $275 in overhead costs....which means that virtually all of those donations went directly to helping the children by way of food, school supplies, textbooks, uniforms/shoes, infrastructure improvements, etc. Four FOH directors from Canada will be travelling to the school in late February and they look forward to interacting with the children, seeing the improvements made at the school, discussing with the local authorities the logistics of building & supplying a medical clinic at or near the school and facilitating ongoing and future projects. If you would like to make a tax deductible donation in support of this work please visit www.friendsofhonduras.org for further information.

November 2014 - Plans have been finalized and flights have been booked!  A team from Victoria will be at the school in Honduras from February 23 thru March 7, 2015.  Fundraising is ongoing and there are a number of projects that the team will be working on, including an upgrade to the bathrooms & septic tank/field, and ongoing planning/groundwork for a medical clinic at or near the school.

September 2014 - FOH continues to be blessed by the generosity of a wide range of amazing donors....a $1500 cheque arrived iin the mail today and another donation of $500 was received at the end of last month. Thanks so much to everyone who continues to faithfully support the work in Honduras!  Preparations are moving forward for a trip to the school in February/March 2015 with the intention of having a medical clinic built at or near the school.

 

Summer 2014 – Donations toward the medical clinic building fund are continuing to come in…fund total is now upwards of $5000!  Thanks so much to all you faithful supporters who believe in this project.  Another fundraiser is taking place later in August at the DFH Real Estate office parking lot…Ally & Dennis Guevin are holding their annual office bbq and part of those festivities will include a 50/50 draw and a donation jar with proceeds being split between Friends of Honduras & Santa’s Anonymous.  Plans are well under way for a group from FOH to visit the school and local community in Honduras in the Spring of 2015…..very exciting and more updates to come!

May 2014 - The FOH Medical Clinic building fund just received another kind and generous monetary donation from a lady who raised the funds by getting people to sponsor her on a per kilometer basis in the 2014 TC 10K….over $600 was donated!!  A huge thank-you to L.D. and all her many sponsors….much appreciated!

March 2014 - the gracious folks at DFH Real Estate held a bake sale fundraiser for FOH today (spearheaded by AG...you know who you are!)  Over $560 was raised and donated to the construction fund for the medical clinic in Honduras!  Well done and thanks so much to everyone who participated.  The fund has now topped $1000....a great start toward our goal of $50,000!

 

December 2013 - plans are now in the works for a trip to Honduras in either October/November 2014 or March/April 2015....lots of needs still to be filled....let the fundraising begin!  There are also plans to try to build a medical clinic in the community where the school is located.  If anyone has any ideas of how to make this happen please let us know.

 

March 2013 - The student's are back in school and thanks to some generous donations over the past few months FOH has the funds to supply them with school uniforms (including shoes!), food for a noon meal each school day and school supplies. Each of the students will also receive a small backpack so they can more easily carry their books and papers. There has also been a donation of some medical supplies which will be transported to Honduras later this Spring. Many thanks to all those who continue to so graciously support the work of FOH.

 

February 2012 - Four of us went to Honduras during the first two weeks of February and, due to your generous donations (over $16,000), we were able to get a lot accomplished:

  • food for a noon meal for the students for the school year is now funded
  • new textbooks & curriculum materials have been purchased
  • a backpack containing school supplies (3 notebooks, 2 pens, a pencil, ruler, etc) have been supplied to each student
  • some new metal framed desks & chairs have been purchased (the old wooden ones were termite infested and not repairable)
  • the last old, original (and potentially dangerous) classroom has been demolished and a new one is being built in it's place
  • plumbing in the bathroom is being repaired and upgraded
  • 100 needy families in the poor mountain community of Macueliso (had to have a 4-wheel drive truck to get there) were provided with food and some clothing
  • some medical supplies were provided to a small clinic in the inner city part of Tegucigalpa

January 2011 - As a result of the political unrest in Honduras in 2009, most of the capital expenditure projects planned for the school for the past 12 months were put on hold.  However, now that the presidential elections have taken place and stability is returning, FOH is moving forward with project planning and fund raising.  Here are some of the projects that we are working towards.....

2011 Projects:

  • Building another classroom
  • Continued provision of a daily nutritious meal to the students
  • Building a sheltered eating area for the students, complete with concrete benches for the children to sit on while they eat their lunch (they currently sit on the ground)
  • Creating an English/Spanish school library
  • Providing a safe, dedicated community water supply
  • Building a much needed office and administration area for the teachers
  • Providing yearly school supplies
  • Assisting with the purchase of shoes and school uniforms for students in need
  • Security fencing for the perimeter of the school grounds
  • On-going maintenance and upgrading of the existing school buildings

 

If you would like to contribute funds to assist with these and other ongoing projects in Honduras, please refer to our "Make a Donation" page on this website. 

 

 FUND RAISING OPPORTUNITY!

FOH has obtained this commemorative plaque (approx. 16"x13") that celebrates Canada winning the gold medal in Men's Hockey at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver and we are now going to auction it off to raise money to support children in Honduras.  Numbered and signed by the artist, Steve Robbins, this Limited Edition print (121/2010) w/accompanying photos will be a wonderful start (or addition!) to your sports memorabilia collection.

The auction is open until July 15, 2010 at 11:59 PM and bids can be placed by sending an email to FOH@friendsofhonduras.org (put "Auction" in the subject line).  To validate a bid, the bidder's name, address and phone number are required.  The amount of the current bid is posted below and the winning bid will be posted after July 16, 2010.  Bid increases must be a minimum of $10 (CAN$) over the current bid.

 

July 16, 2010...The auction is now closed.  Congratulations to CJ & JJ from Mission BC on their winning bid of $350(CAN).  Many thanks to all who participated...the children at the school in Honduras appreciate all your efforts!! 

CURRENT BID (July 15/10) - $350 (CJ & JJ from Mission, BC)