St. Charles Prep Continues Work on School Expansion in Ocotillo, Honduras

Thanks to our many volunteers, a great deal of progress has been made on the expansion of International Samaritan’s school in the desperately poor garbage dump community of Ocotillo, Honduras. Volunteers from St. Charles Prep of Columbus, Ohio will continue the building project this week as part of their I.S. service learning trip.

Since the school addition’s groundbreaking ceremony in April, many of the walls are now complete. Volunteers from Gannon University, Kappa Alpha of Miami University and the University of Detroit Jesuit High School have all worked to help further this project. The additional classrooms for seventh to ninth grade students are located next to the International Samaritan K-Sixth Grade School. After the expansion is complete, more than 300 additional young people will be served each year.

According to the United Nations, the average adult in Honduras has a sixth grade education. A ninth grade education, along with job training, will give the children of Ocotillo the opportunity to find work outside of the garbage dump. For many, these children will be the first in their families to obtain a ninth grade education.

The entire school expansion will be built over a three-year period, so if you or your institution would like to come and help, please contact us at 734-222-0701. Look for more updates and photographs from the St. Charles Prep service trip at our Facebook Group.

Saint John’s Jesuit Students Blog from the Garbage Dump Community of Guatemala City

Student Inspired by Ocotillo Teachers

Today, my classmates and I witnessed an almost surreal poverty. I went to the nursery today, and almost all facets of it were extremely surprising. The biggest surprise came from the teachers. The teachers immediately instilled admiration in my heart as they exerted tremendous, and more importantly, genuine effort into their students.

This true passion for teaching radiated from them, and with each song and dance came an unbelievable wave of joy. The work of these modern day heroes is the relentless dedication for the advancement of the forgotten children, the children of the dumps. Success will only come in the hands of the teachers, and although these children live in dire conditions, if they have at least one blessing, it´s that they´re in good hands.

Before coming to this trip, I was told about how amazing the students were and their willingness to love and accept us. After six months of waiting, I was finally able to witness that first-hand. However, what I was not told about was the sheer altruism of the teachers. The patience they exhibited and their ability to inspire were truly amazing. I cannot express the emotions I felt from watching them work, but if I were to choose one phrase it would be...life-changing.
by Ahmed Daboul

Thursday, June 23

As we arrived at the school, the students greeted us as if we are celebrities. All of the teachers have been cordial and have treated us with enormous respect. After a couple of hours with the children in the classroom, we departed along with the entire school to the soccer fields to see the school championships and play the SJJ vs. Coll School game.

Watching the kids play in their school championships was awesome because all of the students took advantage of the moment and looked as if they were having the time of their lives. In the soccer game between SJJ and the Coll School, the Coll School students came out strong and were focused to beat us Titans. After a 0-2 deficit, SJJ managed to bring the game back and tie it at 3-3. In suspense filled penalty kicks, the Titans became victorious, winning 2-0 in penalty kicks.

It was awesome to participate in the game and play against the students. All of the students were respectful and shook hands with us after the game. Today was an amazing day in which we managed to enjoy the moment, as well as complete the work for the school.
by Bobby Adusumilli

Friday, June 24

Today was our final day at the Coll School. Because the nursery was closed, all twenty SJJ students and the three teachers spent the morning at the Coll School, divided among the six grade levels [K-Sixth Grade] and continuing to assist with the construction of walls and rebuilding of benches within the school.

At 10:30, a large fiesta began for the 306 students at the Coll School. Students from the Coll School performed two dances, sharing with us both their talents and the culture of Guatemala. Afterwards, we shared a few words (see below) in Spanish to the kids and then sang and danced to a unique version of "Barbra Ann," the classic Beach Boys’ song that we had practiced in previous days.

While the joyous fiesta brought an end to an amazing, inspiring week with the kids, we had difficulty saying goodbye to our classes and our beloved, bilingual security guard, Juan Carlos. We learned so much from the kids and teachers at the Coll School this week, and while saying goodbye is never easy, these people have taught us so much about love and hope for the future.

Similarly, we learned in the afternoon from a class of teens in the Paso a Paso program, an International Samaritan program dedicated to providing additional educational opportunities to students in the dump community who have graduated from the sixth grade, that these brave kids just like us in many ways are not afraid to dream big. Each of these Paso a Paso students look to overcome the odds and ultimately secure a job outside of the dump. Today was an incredibly emotional and inspirational day.

Here is the speech we gave to the kids (in Spanish, of course):
Thank you for welcoming us so graciously to your school and continuing to share your love with us throughout the week. This week, we came here to the Francisco Coll School as strangers. We leave today as friends and we consider you family. While you learn in a classroom, we learn about something just as important. You teach us how special love can be and what it can do to bring unity among cultures under God. Take the lessons you learn in the classroom and the world is yours. If there's only one lesson you learn from us, we want it to be that you know we love you and believe you can do anything. We prepared this performance with the hope that it would bring a smile to your faces, which will be forever in our hearts.
by Mark Brahier

Saturday, June 25

If one was ever curious about an interesting travel destination to visit while in Guatemala, Lake Atitlan is the place to go. Today we drove a grueling 3 hours to the lake; nevertheless, it was completely worth every second. Once we were arrived, we took a boat across the lake, traveling to Santiago Atitlan where we spent the day shopping. Every "store" was filled with items that seemed to be indigenous or native, pushing me to buy many of them. I was able to stand my ground and purchase only a few simple treasures. The boat ride back was just as amazing as the first, but the only bad part about the day was the 3 hour bus ride back because there was no lake to look forward to at the end of that trip. Overall, Lake Atitlan was a nice relaxing rest from the work that we had been doing.
by Zachary Cook

Sunday, June 26

After boating across the beautiful Lake Atitlan on Saturday, we awoke prepared to celebrate Mass in San Antonio about an hour and a half away on Sunday. We enjoyed the countryside on the bus ride despite the dreary weather. Upon arriving in San Antonio, we heard the crackle of fireworks, which were set off to celebrate Corpus Christi. When we arrived, we found out Mass started earlier than we thought in San Antonio, so we decided to attend Mass back in Antigua.

The Church was decorated with brilliant colors and we admired both the differences and similarities between Mass in the U.S. and Mass in Latin America. After Mass, we enjoyed some of the most authentic Guatemalan food of the trip at a nice restaurant where a band played. When we finished lunch, we spent a couple hours bartering with the vendors in Antigua for soccer jerseys, artwork, and much more.

It was fun to see the most brutal barterers of the group, especially Ahmed who said, "I'm going to tell my mom there were mean vendors in Guatemala!" Ahmed was joking, of course. In the end, we were all satisfied with our purchases, most of which were much better prices than for similar items in the U.S. When the day in Antigua was finished, we returned to our retreat house in Guatemala City for food, fun, and sleep.
by Cameron Conrad

Monday, June 27

Today is Monday, the eighth day of our trip. This morning we awoke early to pile into the tour bus in order to make a five hour trip southwest to the country of San Salvador. The ride itself was quite trying, but our arrival made it more than worth it. We arrived at the Loyola Retreat House around four o'clock.

After unpacking our things and being assigned our rooms, we all stepped out to the courtyard to find one of the most beautiful views of, if not only the trip, our lifetimes. The city was a beautiful sight, accompanied by the awesome tropical trees and sounds of the beautiful venue. I am quite excited to see what is in store for tomorrow and our remaining time here at the Loyola Retreat House.
by Austin Wasielewski

Tuesday, June 28

Today marks the bittersweet end to our indescribable experience. I think we are all ready to go home - we are all ready to see our family and our friends, but we will miss the friends we made at the Coll School and the nursery.

Today, we went to visit the San Salvadorian cathedral and the Romero Center in an El Salvadorian University. Having learned about Oscar Romero in class and having watched a movie about his life, we went into the center knowing at least something about him. However, going into the chapel he was assassinated in and hearing the words he implored right before he was shot impacted me (and the rest of us) way more than a book or a Hollywood interpretation ever could.

Romero truly was a worker, as we all are, and he planted the seed that the master-builder, God, wanted to be planted; the fact that he took his worker role on so justly and courageously is a lesson for all. Visiting the center truly cemented that idea in all of us.

As we leave Guatemala and El Salvador, we will remember the kids we met, interacted with, and loved for the rest of our lives. These past ten days have created a seed of service imbedded in all of us - one that will continue to grow for the rest of our lives.
by Spencer Crawford

St. John's Jesuit Students Repair School in Garbage Dump Community

Twenty students from St. John’s Jesuit (SJJ) High School and Academy are volunteering with International Samaritan in the garbage dump community of Guatemala City. During the 10-day service learning trip, SJJ volunteers will by rehabilitating the Francisco Coll School.

”The foundation of the school is settling, causing the walls to have these massive fissures and cracks,” said Andrew Pawuk, I.S. Program Director. Located near the Guatemala City garbage dump, the Francisco Coll School provides quality education and nutritious food to more than 300 children in first through sixth grade.

Later in the week, the students will embark on an excursion to the Romero Center at the University of Central America to pay homage to Jesuit martyrs. While in El Salvador, they will visit Archbishop Romero's residence and the chapel where he was martyred.

This is SJJ’s sixteenth year working with International Samaritan on poverty relief programs.

U of D - Building Walls and Relationships

Timothy Moore and Matt Grabowski get a hand from the construction manager Don Wilfredo's 11-year-old son, Jose Luis.


Carson McGuire


Front (l-r) Timothy Moore, Robert Ress, Michael Ponkowski, Joe Myers; back (l-r) Ian McEachern and Pat Vecellio


John Philo


Robert Ress

Blog by Josh Roth (class of 2012, U of D Jesuit), currently serving in Ocotillo, Honduras.

San Pedro Sula, Honduras is a city in the world where faith, family, and work are the three critical things that make up an average life. Coming to San Pedro Sula was a totally new experience for me, as well as for the rest of my classmates, and we were not sure what to expect of the experience to unfold for us. As a group, we were unsure of how the food would taste. We were wrong. Here at the retreat house in the suburbs of San Pedro we are treated with great care and are fed repetitive yet delicious food each and every day. The meat at every meal is spectacular and the fruit that we are given is fresh. Corn tortillas are served at every meal and are the most common side dish in Central America. As food goes, the meals are simple yet delicious.

The mission work that my classmates and I are doing is strenuous yet rewarding in every way. The mason that we work with, Don Wilfredo, is skilled in his profession and is thankful that we are working with him. We work from nine o’clock in the morning until four o’clock in the afternoon. The time that we are there we are in the process of making a seventh grade classroom. Each and every hour each of us works hard to finish the classroom. Although we will not finish the classroom, we know that the work that we have done will help the children of El Ocotillo.

Today I experienced the nursery of El Ocotillo and the children that are there. The moment that I walked in the children were more than excited to see us. Every moment that we were there each and every kid wanted to play with us in any way we could. The children were happy we were there and the smiles that were on their face were unforgettable.

Blog by Timothy Moore (class of 2012, U of D Jesuit), currently serving in the garbage dump community of Ocotillo, Honduras.

Today was our second full day of service in Honduras. Coming to Honduras, I was not sure what the security situation would be like or even how the locals would react to us. We have had security at our sides this whole time, and I feel like the locals love having us here.

Waking up this morning to the wonderful pancakes and sausage that the ladies at the retreat center had prepared for us was terrific. This morning, it was pretty difficult waking up because yesterday was such a long day, due to the tough first day work. This morning’s food was by far the best breakfast and lunch, even though the food overall has been good. We have had beans and tortillas for almost every meal, but the ladies here always have a good piece of meat for us, and one morning we had eggs.

Working at the school with all the little kids just brightens my day. The kids make me feel like I have known them for more than just these past few days. It’s incredible how much progress the whole group has made with the work. We have cut down a whole field of about two foot grass with machetes, and have made tremendous progress on two soon to be new classrooms.

I truly couldn’t pick a favorite moment of the day because everything was so wonderful. Working hard in the school grounds and being with all the kids and how they appreciate us is just such a sight to see. Being around people who have so little, but you would never know it from their personalities, is such an eye-opener and great experience.

For more information about International Samaritan, visit www.intsamaritan.org.

More News from U of D Volunteers

Today, after two hours of hacking down weeds, I went with two other boys to the nursery in El Ocotillo. The kids in the nursery were happier than ever to see us walk through the door.

Through all the smiling faces I saw a small female baby, sitting on the floor. Not wanting her to get trampled, I rushed over and picked her up. The baby didn't smile but she wrapped her arms tiny arms around me as is if she was in danger. I spent about an hour walking around with the baby in my arms trying to entertain the other kids at the same time. The baby didn't smile once but she didn’t cry either. I sat down with the baby and I looked into her eyes. I tried to make a funny face but she still didn’t smile.

As I continued to look into her eyes I saw the future of El Ocotillo. She was born into a life that will struggle to offer her any opportunities to succeed. Through our labors, we can provide hope for the city and the people who live here.

Blog post by Colin Means, Junior at U of D Jesuit (class of 2013) currently serving in Honduras.

Today was our first day of actual service here in Honduras and even though it was difficult, I found it to be an ultimately rewarding experience. Specifically, my experience in the local nursery was truly profound.

As I played with the children, I became aware of my fortune and their lack thereof. They begged me to take pictures of them and lift them into the air and were happy with just that. They had very few toys, most of which were broken and ragged. Yet they were happier than I have ever been just because someone was there to play with them. It was at that moment that I understood how much I have in comparison.

I have been so blessed to live in a home with people who love me and have provided me with everything I have ever needed or wanted. I complain daily about things that now seem petty and stupid. I think that we can all learn something from these young boys and girls who have so little, yet their spirits are high and their happiness is uplifting.

This post was submitted by Hank Greening, a senior (class of 2012) at U of D Jesuit, also serving in Honduras.

U of D Student Blogs About His "Life-Changing" Service Trip in Honduras

Yesterday morning, during our second day in Honduras, the U of D mission trip ventured out for a new experience. We hopped into a bus at 8:30 to head to the main site of our Mission work; El Ocotillo.

Through countless presentations and speeches, we had a vague idea of what to expect. During the long hike to the city, we encountered many eye-opening sites such as an old women carrying metal frames on her back in the middle of a busy street to a spectacular view of the mountains in the distance. However, nothing was as breathtaking and emotional as the second we entered the garbage dump, the workplace of many El Ocotillo natives.

When our guard opened the bus door we were engulfed with the smell of decomposing trash. No one could believe the sights we were seeing; mountains and mountains of trash, cows living among the people going through garbage trying to strike a goldmine of food or any materials that can be salvaged.

The sites we witnessed were ones that will always be instilled in our head. It was truly a life-changing experience. With our mission trip just beginning, we are sure to encounter more experiences like the one we had at the El Ocotillo dumps.

International Samaritan volunteer Carson McGuire sends us this blog from the garbage dump community of Ocotillo, Honduras. He is a student in the Class of 2012 at the University of Detroit Jesuit. Look for more photos and live blogs from U of D Jesuit in the next few days.