I am learning about the details of the Honduras trip as we get closer. We are having a meeting with the whole group tomorrow. Here are some things I know so far.

Our campus is uniting across academic departments to partner with a small agricultural village in Honduras. This is the first trip of a three or four year project to this particular village, Emvacadero, Honduras. Jewell has taken groups to Honduras for a few years now and this partnership is the result of meetings they had with community leaders where they listened to their needs to determine how, as a college, we can best partner with them to raise the standard of living in their village. One of our goals for this project is to be sure that our partnership is one of true reciprocity. We will be very intentional about learning from the people we work with in the village, specifically in the area of how they have come to build such strong sense of unity within their group. We also hope to learn about how they work together as a small, independent group to sustain their village.

During the three to four year commitment, some ways this project will engage various departments on campus include: The nursing department will assess and improve the health conditions. The business department may administer micro-loans to improve the local economy. The science departments are teaming up to offer water purification and possibly wind or solar energy. The art department and the education departments are looking at ways to learn and share improved teaching methods in their one school room setting. The student ministries team will work with the local church to offer activities for the children and families. All groups provide labor for hands-on projects such as laying concrete floors or building composting latrines.

This first trip will be focused on building latrines and researching for future trips. I should find out more tomorrow.