Inspiring Change Through Education

Educate2Envision
Jul 24, 2017 · 3 min read

Earlier this month, I traveled with fellow members of the E2E Board of Directors to meet students enrolled in E2E’s education programs and to see firsthand the tremendous change they have orchestrated in their communities.

E2E’s mission is not only to bring access to secondary education to rural communities in Honduras, but to guide students in developing their own solutions to systemic challenges within their communities. This includes exploring livelihoods opportunities to generate increased incomes; identifying and supporting the most vulnerable in their communities; and learning how to become leaders, entrepreneurs and change makers.

We visited two communities where E2E has a presence, including a community where E2E has had the longest presence — Pajarillos, located approximately two hours from the capital, Tegucigalpa. During this visit, we were able to take part in the final stages of a community development program orchestrated by the students.

They conducted a needs assessment to identify the most vulnerable members of their community and chose a family that did not have access to running water. The students developed a project to install a water system for the family and also replaced the family’s thatched roof.

This video tells the tremendous story of how the E2E students changed the lives of this family and we were privileged to help complete the project, meet the family and congratulate the students during our visit.

We then visited Zurzular, a rural community an additional two hours away from Pajarillos, tucked on a hillside only reachable through steep, windy unpaved roads. This community is blessed with coffee fields, but has not been able to adequately reap the benefits of this beautiful terrain.
We first met the secondary school students and their teachers who expressed their deep thanks to E2E for starting a school in their community so that they could continue their studies beyond elementary school. In addition, E2E is working with the families and students to generate a new market for their coffee in the United States, an opportunity they could not have thought possible. You can learn more about the coffee venture here.

The joy, appreciation, hope, and camaraderie we witnessed during this trip was infectious and deepened our resolve to do our part in E2E’s efforts to inspire change in the lives of students, families and communities who are looking for champions, not charity.

By E2E’s Board President: Giulia McPherson

Educate2Envision

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We’re a Bay Area-based charity working in rural Honduras, making secondary school affordable and accessible.

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