Honduras is a unique and diverse country, which is home to friendly and welcoming people. Honduras is a developing country that does face challenges an there are various ways foreigners can help like volunteering your time or by donating to NGO’s and charities who work to improve Honduras. Places you can help include Tegucigalpa, La Ceiba, Roatan and San Pedro Sula. By volunteering you can help create a better Honduras for the future.
Why Volunteer in Honduras?
Honduras is located in the center of Central America. Its territorial extension covers 112,482 square Km. and is about the size of Tennessee or Virginia. It has 3 borders, the western linking with Guatemala, the southwest with El Salvador and the east with Nicaragua. To the North lies the Caribbean Sea and to the South the Pacific Ocean.
Honduras is barely known to the international world, however the country has a considerable amount to offer both travelers and ecologists. Honduras is one of the least developed countries in Central America, and its outstanding beauty makes it a haven for many enthusiasts and international volunteers, who are seeking the opportunity to get away from the confines of established tourist destinations.
Honduras contains many unique natural habitats which need protecting. There is an extensive Caribbean coast line, and a slightly smaller pacific coast. Three-quarters of Honduras consists of rugged hills and mountains that range from 300 to nearly 2850 meters. The country contains cloud forests, lagoons, tropical rivers and is the home of the famous Mosquitia region. This area is of huge interest to ecotourism, people are attracted to its well-preserved wilderness and plentiful flora and fauna.
There is also extreme poverty throughout Honduras.
People and Ethnic Groups
Seven main Ethnic groups are found in Honduras. The Maya Chorti live throughout the Copan Valley. The Lenca occupy western Honduras. The Tol or Tolupanes or Jicaque live in central Honduras in the department of Yoro. In eastern Honduras the Pech live in the department of Olancho and parts of the Rio Platano in the Mosquitia. In the heart of the Mosquitia live the Tawanka people and throughout the eastern coastal and nearby inland areas live the Moskito people. The Garifuna people are found along the North coast of Honduras and in the Bay Islands.
Where You Can Help
Roatan, Copan, Tegucigalpa, Tela, La Ceiba and San Pedro Sula.
Non-Profits & Volunteer Opportunities in Honduras
Medicines for Roatan
Medicines for Roatan (Fundacion Medicinas para Roatan) is a pharmaceutical charity which donates medicines across the Bay Islands of Honduras. In theory, indigent patients are entitled to free medicines at the public hospital or the 6 community clinics. In reality, the free medical facilities suffer chronic shortages, and an estimated 40,000 patients go home without treatment each year. Medicines for Roatan keeps track of the needs at each facility, procures medicines from non-profit suppliers and donates them to clinics which provide free healthcare in the Bay Islands. On average, $1 provides medicines for 1 patient for 1 year. Every dollar helps!
Helping Honduras Kids, La Ceiba
Helping Honduras Kids is a diverse group of volunteers striving to provide a loving and healthy environment to orphaned children in the La Ceiba area of the north coast. Projects include our newly completed Jungle School in the Cangrejal Valley Watershed, Hogar de Amor Children’s Home, dental clinic and Lisa-Lopes School in Agua Caliente, a Nutrition Center in El Porvenir and assistance for “Grandmas” and caregivers of children orphaned by AIDS.We welcome volunteers and sponsors!
Little Friends Foundation, Roatan
Little Friends Foundation was established to improve the standards of healthcare throughout Roatan and the Bay Islands of Honduras. Little Friends Foundation (LFF) is a legally registered Honduran not-for-profit organization. Our goal is to obtain a new healthcare center capable of providing appropriate inpatient and outpatient services with an emphasis on emergency medicine, centrally located on the island for equal access to all residents and visitors. We are recruiting the assistance of private non-profit charities dedicated to securing a new public hospital for Roatan.
SOL International Foundation, Roatan
SOL (School of Life) International Foundation is working to initiate and support community-based programs designed to promote education and increase the quality of life in Roatan. We believe that by encouraging initiatives in collaboration among the nonprofit, government and business sectors we can help to build a healthier community and enable people to improve their lives. SOL International Foundation is an independent, nonprofit, 501(c)(3) Public Charity. All donations are tax deductible.
BICA, Utila
BICA a non-profit organization was formed in 1990 by local islanders and residents who where concerned about the future of the areas natural resources. BICA-Utila has a wide range of goals from promoting sustainable development through the management of the natural resources to stimulating awareness of the importance and richness of Utila through community involvement and education. To learn more and to find out how to get involved visit our website or contact us.
Un Mundo Honduras
Un Mundo is a non-profit working mostly in the valley of the Cangrejal River near La Ceiba. Our mission is to promote dignity, community, and self-sufficiency while facilitating access to health care, education and livable wages. Our work is done by Hondurans and international volunteers and our projects tackle a wide variety of issues. Current activities include murals, a film institute, educational scholarships and water filters. We need more volunteers so please visit our website.
Mud Angels, Roatan
Mud Angels is a 501 (c) (3) non profit organization in Roatan, Honduras, that provides desperately needed supplies and support services for Roatan’s children, their families, and local schools. There are children here who cannot attend school because their parents cannot afford school uniform or supplies. We need your support to help Roatan’s children achieve their maximum potential and escape the cycle of poverty. For more information about what we need and how to donate, please contact us.
Homeless Child
Our planet suffers a tremendous lack of balance. Balance between rich and poor, between religions, peoples, between man and nature. Every day 30.000 children under five years old die of starvation and easily curable diseases; every day. Give one such child a chance, offer the world some balance.
Roatan Children’s Fund, Roatan
The Roatan Children’s Fund was founded by a group of dedicated Scuba Divers who call CoCo View Dive Resort, Dockside Dive Center and Playa Miguel their second homes. It has since been joined by businesses on the island as well as visitors. Roatan Children’s Fund is a public benefit non-profit corporation organized and operated exclusively for charitable purposes. Specifically, this charitable organization will seek to advance education and provide relief to poor, distressed, and underpriviledged children living in Roatan.
Ixbalanque Spanish School, Copan
Ixbalanque offers its students a remarkable opportunity to get involved in the Copán community. Our school encourages the development of Honduras. That’s why we offer the opportunity for our students to get involved in various activities that promote our development. Our program can involve you in a wide range of community projects, including: Health, Religión, Education, Environment, Agriculture, Ecology.
Lisa Lopes Foundation, Jutiapa
The Lisa “Left-Eye” Lopes Foundation is a 501c3 organization that works with orphans and abandoned youth in Jutiapa, Honduras. We have built a 10,000 sq. ft. facility that will be used as an orphanage. For more information please visit our website.
From the Heart Foundation, Roatan
The mission of From the Heart Foundation is to bring a sense of hope to people of small Central American communities through health education and providing high quality medical care. Our goal is to develop local community medical facilities that will be staffed by local practitioners. Why not help us out? You can donate some money or if you are skilled talented physician/teacher volunteer full time or take a volunteer vacation where you volunteer only part time.
Little Roses Ministries, San Pedro Sula
Other than the special ministry for girls at risk, Our Little Roses encompasses several interrelated ministries within the community. They include a health clinic, community for poor single mothers, bilingual school, Jubilee Center for justice issues, retreat center and a bed and breakfast and hospitality house. Right now Our Little Roses Ministries is recruiting people to be a part of these special girls lives. We are in need of volunteer teachers and staff helpers for both Our Little Roses and St. Mark Schools. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer at Our Little Roses please visit our website for more information.
Volunteer Pediatric Clinic, Roatan
Global Healing, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, together with faculty and alumni of Children’s Hospital Oakland, UCSF, and Stanford medical centers, has opened a volunteer-staffed pediatric clinic in the Roatan Public Hospital to provide year-round outpatient care. Over the course of several years we hope to improve the level of pediatric training on the island, leading to self-sufficiency. We are in need of volunteer pediatricians for one-month rotations, a wide variety of medications, clinic equipment, laboratory supplies, and more.
Blanca Jeannette Kawas Bilingual School
Blanca Jeannette Kawas Bilingual School is located in a small, attractive Honduran town. Bring your enthusiasm and creativity to help us provide an exceptional education for young children.We are looking for volunteers and/or sponsors. We will provide room and board plus a small payment for your work. For more info please send us an email.
Heart in Education Teacher Outreach
Heart in Education Teacher Outreach (HETO) is a teacher outreach which connects American educators with Honduran educators. American based teachers travel to Honduras for one week, visiting various schools. We bring teacher materials and supplies as well as offer professional development, connecting cultures and teachers, providing support and guidance.
My Little Red House Bilingual School, Ocotepeque
We are a bilingual school that offers scholarships and a bilingual education to under privileged children in Ocotepeque. We are accepting volunteer teachers and room and board is offered. Or why not help us by donating some money, or school supplies. Future plans include building a larger school so that we can house more children any help with anything is greatly appreciated. Help us make a difference in these children’s lives.
Cofradia’s Bilingual School, Cofradia
We strive to open borders and minds, to give the gift of language and to instill a love of learning. We are introducing our children to global possibilities through the presence of volunteer teachers from outside of Honduras as well as through the use of online resources. We are creating a bilingual curriculum that incorporates Honduran educational requirements with innovative approaches to educating children. Visit us to find out more and how you can help.
Peggy Stranges R.N., Roatan
An independent, non-denominational, missionary nurse providing free medical care and medications to the poor or anyone requesting care. I coordinate medications and supplies among the free clinics and the hospitals on Roatan. Everything is obtained through donations. Do you wish to donate medications, medical supplies or time? Housing available. La Colonia has donated land on which to construct a clinic. We need people interested in assisting with this project.
Canaturh Bay Islands, Roatan
The Bay Islands Chamber of Tourism (Camara Nacional de Turismo de Honduras- Capitulo de Islas de la Bahia), is a non-profit, non-governmental organization whose primary focus is the development and support of tourism in the Bay Islands. Participation is both from the private and public sectors whose common goal is the development of a sustainable tourism industry for the Bay Islands.
Familias Saludables, Roatan
Familias Saludables is a non profit, charity working in Roatan in AIDS education and reducing the mother to child transmission rate of HIV. Did you know the AIDS virus is carried in breast milk? We desperately need infant formula to give to HIV+ mothers to feed their children. If you are in Roatan you can drop off cans of formula in our office in Coxen Hole or in French Harbor in the collection box in Eldons supermarket. For more information Click Here
Family Life Missions, Honduras
Family Life Missions has been a longstanding work based in Catacamas Honduras. Family Life Missions was incorporated in September 1992 as a Christian, non-profit, tax-exempt, benevolent organization. Family Life Missions has been given formal recognition by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501 (C) (3) tax-exempt organization. This means donors can be assured all donations are tax deductible. To find out more visit our website.
Earth Seeds
Join The International Launch of EarthSeeds! Our Mission – Sharing Earth’s Image to Connect People. Simply put, we are a non-profit effort promoting the image of Earth from Space as a healthy harmonious whole planet. We promote worldviews that support citizen empowerment and action, youth education, and Global Family Harmony. We offer this site to inform, inspire, and empower our fellow Crewmembers of Spaceship Earth.
MEDICO, Honduras
For a heartwarming experience of humanitarian service, join a MEDICO mission team. This nonprofit organization has provided quality medical, dental, eye services to the underserved in remote areas of Honduras since 1990. Eighty-five teams of dedicated volunteers have served over 110,000 people. Working with various in-country organizations, MEDICO has also established sustainable programs including water projects, dental fluoride programs, shipments of school/medical supplies, funding for a medical clinic, bringing special surgery cases to the U.S., and providing shunts for babies with Hydrocephalus.
Copan Pinta, Copan Ruinas
We are a non-profit foundation that organizes cultural activities for children. Since 1999 we have organized art, drama and literature workshops for hundreds of children. Through the arts the children not only improve their artistic skills, but they also develop self-confidence and learn to express themselves. To be able to continue and expand our activities we could use your help. Contact us or visit us at La Casa de Todo in Copan for more information.
Oak Ridge Community Clinic, Oak Ridge
The Oak Ridge Community Clinic was originally a health clinic for the employees of the neighboring seafood processing plant. It later bacame available to all of Oakridge and surrounding communities. Many medical professionals have honored us with their skills – dentists, oral surgeons, interns, residents, nurses, medical doctors, psychitrists and eye doctors.
Spartanburg Angels
The mission of Spartanburg Angels is to reach the peoples of Roatan, Honduras CA, for the LORD, through prayer; and support of programs designed to meet their spiritual, health and educational needs. Providing this support through existing mission programs in Roatan, Honduras and direct contact with the peoples of Roatan, Honduras.
Church of God Mission, Roatan
A mission school in Politilly Bight, Roatan offers a Christian based curriculum, promoting character and the values of Christian living. The school is conducted in English, giving the students an opportunity to further their education while preserving their English-speaking heritage. This school has been very successful and well accepted in the community. The mission is working with the government to institute similar English programs in government schools.
ACTA de Honduras, Honduras
ACTA (Cooperation Agency of Ticino and Associates) are a non-profit group with many years of experience working with rural and indigenous artisans. ACTA support 14 indigenous Lencan communities and 2 rural communities. Its main beneficiaries are 540 women. Each one of them represents a family for a total of 2,700 beneficiaries. ACTA’s support is focused on improving the production and life conditions of artisans, on developing and promoting new products. Each time you buy a product, you support.
Carolyn’s Kids Inc, Honduras
SOS is a worldwide organization with orphanages in many parts of the country. Carolyn’s Kids Inc sponsor children from the orphanage in La Ceiba, Honduras. We have gotten many sponsors for the children living there, however there are many more that need your help. For as little as $8.00 a month you can sponsor a child in La Ceiba. Visit our website for more information on sponsoring a child or on our other projects in Honduras.
Conservation Project Utila Iguana, Utila
Utila is a unique place and is home to several animals and plants which are found nowhere else in the world. The Utila Iguana (Ctenosaura bakeri) is one such creature. Our organization works closely with local communities and authorities to preserve the Utila Iguana and its mangrove habitat. A lot of this important work has been done by volunteers and you can be one. The Bay Islands are the Galapagos of the Caribbean.
Rotaract Club, Tegucigalpa
The Rotaract Club of Tegucigalpa has a membership of around 30 people. It is part of the District 4250 and our meetings take place each Saturday at the offices of the Rotary Club of Tegucigalpa, in Tegucigalpa, capitol of Honduras. The club has five main avenues: Community Service Avenue, Professional development Avenue, Club Service Avenue, International Service Avenue, Finances Avenue.
Casa Alianza, Honduras
A leading advocate of children’s rights in the region, Casa Alianza is an independent, non profit organization dedicated to the rehabilitation and defense of street children in Honduras since 1986. We monitor and care for children who have been abused or rejected by dysfunctional and poverty-stricken families and further traumatized by the indifference of the societies in which they live. We are dedicated to helping these children off the streets and back on the road to meaningful and productive lives. And you can also help.
Roatan Ladies Luncheon, Roatan
Join us the last Friday of every month for the Roatan Ladies Luncheon! Part-timers, full-timers, old-timers & visiting guests – so many interesting women of the Island. The networking is phenomenal and we even help various local charity groups. And last, but not least – FUN AND FRIENDSHIP! What could be better? No club to join or commitment to make. Just come along and enjoy. You will be welcomed with open arms and meet many new friends. It is always worth the trip!
Island Friends Roatan, Roatan
A local Roatan-based networking group that organizes facilitates and connects those who want to give to the islanders most in need, be it with money, time and /or resources. Island Friends is a clearing house; an organizing and networking group that coordinates the needs and the resources for the poor on the island.
Paramedics For Children, Copan
We are an international humanitarian organization serving the world’s poor by providing programs that help save lives, bring hope, and restore dignity. This assistance is provided without regard to people’s religious beliefs, gender, or ethnic background. Currently we are working in Copan and the surrounding area. Please visit our website to find out more information on what we are doing and how you can help.
Baptist Medical and Dental Mission International
Baptist Medical & Dental Mission International is a non-profit, Christian organization that strives to meet the physical and spiritual needs of Hondurans living in remote, underserved communities. Since its foundation in 1974, BMDMI has attended to the needs of more than 1,000,000 patients and given away more than $20,000,000 worth of medications through the ministry of its short-term medical, dental, and evangelical volunteer mission teams. BMDMI also operates a Bible Institute, a children’s home, an elementary school, and vocational training programs for the people of Honduras.
Coral Cay Conservation (CCC)
Coral Cay Conservation (CCC) is a non-profit organization at the cutting edge of ecotourism that sends teams of volunteers to survey some of the world’s most endangered coral reefs and tropical forests. Their mission is to ‘provide resources to help sustain livelihoods and alleviate poverty through the protection, restoration and management of coral reefs and tropical forests’. They achieve these aims by; providing technical and financial support that countries need in order to produce conservation management plans for threatened reefs and forests; training international volunteers and host-country partners to gather, interpret and monitor the data that’s so crucial for effective conservation; working with host-country governments and other organizations to encourage education and sustainable livelihood opportunities in local communities.
Since 1998, over 1,000 British CCC volunteers have worked in close partnership with ‘Programa Manejo Ambiental Islas de la Bahia’ (PMAIB), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras (UNAH), the Bay Islands Conservation Association (BICA) and local communities, to help protect the vitally important but threatened coral reefs of the Bay Islands of Honduras.
In March 2003, CCC signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Honduran Ministry of Tourism for collaboration with (PMAIB). This event coincided with the launch of the ‘CCC Scholarship Awards’ in partnership with (UNAH).
The ‘CCC Scholarship Awards’ provide extensive and comprehensive conservation education and training opportunities for Honduran citizens, in support of an international initiative to conserve the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef ecosystem, a vast and inter-connected ‘biodiversity corridor’ of coral reefs, stretching for over 700km northwards from Honduras into the heart of the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico.
Volunteers with local children
Up to 100 ‘CCC Scholarship Awards’ have been made available to any suitable Honduran citizen wishing to make an active contribution towards the protection and sustainable use of coral reefs in Honduras. Two types of Awards are available:
‘CCC Reef Awareness Awards’
These short scholarship courses will provide training in both SCUBA diving (to PADI ‘Advanced Open Water Diver’ certification) and in general reef awareness and appreciation. Training schedules are designed to be highly flexible and tailored to the needs and availability of persons concerned, allowing recipients who, for example, might be in full-time employment and can therefore only spare a few weekends to participate.
‘CCC Reef Conservation Awards’
These four-week intensive residential scholarship courses are aimed primarily at Hondurans wishing not only to obtain SCUBA training certification, but also certification under the ‘CCC Skills Development Training Programme’. These awards are ideal for Honduran citizens who can dedicate at least four weeks of their time to intensive training and who plan to use this training to make an active and effective contribution to the conservation of Honduran coral reefs. University undergraduates are particularly welcome to apply.
For more information on how you can get involved please visit the Coral Cay website
Volunteering in Honduras FAQ
What is the population of Honduras?
The population of the country is estimated at six million inhabitants; the great majority being racially mixed with ethnic minorities such as the Garífunas, Lencas, Miskitos, Pech, Tawahkas, Tolupanes and Chortís. The population of the Bay Islands is estimated at around 40,000, with about 30,000 of those on Roatan.
What vaccinations are needed?
No vaccinations are required to enter Honduras.
Is malaria a problem in Honduras?
Malaria is found intermittently along most of the North Coast of Honduras and sometimes in the Bay Islands, the worse area being the remote Mosquitia. Wearing insect repellant and clothing such as sleeved shirts and pants are a good idea during dawn and dusk hours and in mosquito prone areas even if you are taking preventive medication. Malaria in Honduras is generally of the milder variety, unlike the Asian strain.
Is the drinking water safe to drink?
Tap water is generally not recommended to drink in Honduras. All good restaurants and hotels will provide purified water or use purified water in food preparation. Purified water can be bought easily throughout the country.
What are health facilities like?
The country’s best hospitals can be found in the major cities of San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa which are recommended for serious matters. There is also the hospital D’Antoni in La Ceiba that has a good reputation. On Roatan there is the public hospital and the private Wood’s Clinic. Additional hospitals are also found throughout the country in most major towns.
What should I pack and bring to Honduras?
Light and casual clothing is best. The Honduran climate is warm all year round except for in mountain or high altitude areas. A rain jacket is a must just in case, as are sandals and a bathing suit for the beach and sturdy hiking boots for walks and hikes. Sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat are needed all times of the year, as the sun is hot and strong. Bug repellent is also needed mainly for nights and some beaches where sandflies are found.
Additional traveling items
- Backup of passport and airline tickets
- Prescription medications
- Toiletries
- Day travel bag
Always tag or label all of your luggage when flying to and from Honduras AND put your name and address on a paper inside each bag as well.
What is the food like?
Traditional Honduran food varies from the coastal to inland regions. Through the inland regions meals consist of beans, rice tortillas, vegetables and chicken, beef or pork. In the coastal region seafood, bananas, salad and a variety of tropical fruits are more common. Most restaurants will serve a variety of traditional and western style foods. A recent sight in major cities are many fast food chains such as McDonalds, Burger King and Pizza Hut. Roatan has recently seen some smaller chains move in.
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