The Children’s Initiative
Honduras Trip Report
August 1-22, 2026
Charles Miller | Co-Founder
Santiago Tijerina | Secretary
Water
Over the years we’ve not witnessed so much worry over rain. They know El Niño is coming, on top of what has been near drought conditions anyhow. Honduras is smack center of what they’re calling “The Dry Corridor.” After two weeks of all sorts of investigations — gutters on roofs, resurrecting old wells, solar pumps, etc., we realized the answer was in front of our nose. On the coffee plantation above the town a small stream that has never run dry. We just got it tested and realized that that stream could produce over 8,000 gallons of water a day. The village men will build a filter (at 2,500 ft.), then 500 yards of piping, and then a holding tank in the village (at 2,400 ft.). Gravity will pull the water toward at least some of the fields. We plan to pay for this project in installments, totalling ~$10,000 USD. The distribution system is tricky, but at the very least town water for drinking, and troughs for cattle and horses. Fingers crossed, but a good first step.Water
School
School
Enrollment has stayed steady at 102. The lead teacher told us 30 new students expected next year, and given late sign ups probably more like 60. Our teachers are fixed at 6…Why the surge? After school programs, principally soccer and a creative arts programs run by Ana. Programs we take for granted are rare in rural Honduras. Kids just want to have fun.
We have so many aspirational thoughts! The truck has opened up areas thought too poor, backward or remote to sustain a school. We’re proving that false. The authorities have allowed us to bring our “new” programs to the “colegio.” We’ll see. The director of the rural school program as well as the education director of the whole province have visited out of curiosity… remarkable because we’re a very rough 2 hours from the capitol.
Direct Giving
Direct Giving
Although it’s not expressly stated in our mission statement much of our effort is “off the books.” A woman asks for bus fare to be with her daughter who’s having kidney surgery. The "patronados” ask for money to build a small house to prepare the dead for burial. The church asks for fence money to keep livestock away…we drive a girl to the city who’s having epileptic seizures. We’re not sure “moral responsibility” is the correct language. But over the years we have gladly supported the Catholic Lady’s Group that does such things in our absence. It feels like a civic duty. We post hole.
Agriculture & Land
Agriculture & Land
We have also prepared land for a fruit garden. I should say we planted long ago: oranges, bananas, plantains, limes, lemons and mango trees. After a good decade we lost most of those trees, except for mangos which have really flourished. Nelson will oversee the planting of the various melons and root vegetables. We’ve seen them growing not far from us, but near the river and irrigation. The water tank mentioned above actually will be on TCI land next to the garden, so we’re hopeful. I forgot peanuts.
As you can imagine the corn and bean crops are thinning, and we’re not sure what will happen. Farmers must borrow money for seeds, fertilizer, and insecticides putting them at great financial risk. Years ago we set up a “lending bank,” but that didn’t work. We’ll see. Some good news is that many of the acres of mahogany and teak trees have made it, and those fields that failed have now become potentially “valuable” as home sites. Probably because of issues here, more money, and maybe people, are repatriating. Houses getting painted, new construction…,seems odd but people seem to want to move here. But we’re talking small numbers, El Rosario has fewer than 500 people, and again water could become a brake against any growth.
Santi’s Research
Santi’s Research
I will be graduating from The Fletcher School at Tufts University with a Master of Arts in Law & Diplomacy (MALD) in May. For my thesis, I have decided to conduct IRB-approved, fully funded field research on school, sport, and spirituality as protective factors for resilience among rural and indigenous Honduran girls, an understudied, high-risk population. In Honduras, a female is murdered every 20 hours, the highest rate per capita of any country. The danger to girls is real. And indigenous girls are especially marginalized. During our interview, one girl named Inna, recalled my first visit, three years ago, when we ran a soccer camp at the school. It was her first time kicking a soccer ball. She also mentioned her friends, who came from the same village and who were no longer at the school — one due to child marriage (at 17) and the other early pregnancy (at 15). This girl will be the first from all indigenous villages we serve to graduate from our school come November.
I visited all households of students to which we are providing 100% scholarships for, asking permission for interviews and more importantly making a gesture of care. The houses were bare bones: made from clay, scraps of wood and anything else they could find. We were warmly greeted each time, and offered plastic chairs to sit down and talk. We spoke with the mothers about how they thought their kids were adapting to school, as little girls peeked out from behind doorways wondering who we were or what we were talking about. We learned that kids from these villages were extremely motivated to get ahead, despite the distances they had to travel each day to get to school and the responsibilities they had waiting for them at home. As we moved from one village to another, more and more kids piled on the back of our pickup truck, tagging along for the adventure....There we went from house to house....One mother was blind, another unable to walk. Given the lack of indoor plumbing, I can’t imagine how these girls come to school every day with spic and span uniforms. I was shocked by the poverty, paucity of their lives....But each household was proud and grateful. I believe each visit made a difference, signaling our dedication to their needs. I was even gifted a chicken by one of the families at the end of the day! A day to never forget, and a reminder of what I will do with my education.
Exploring La Esperanza
Exploring La Esperanza
A few weeks ago, the program that provides accreditation for us (SAT Honduras), asked if we would visit an even more remote village in the same department — La Esperanza — 2.5 hours away and much higher than even where we are (~4,500 ft. compared to ~2,500 ft.). With no expectation except to visit, I fell in love.
In Esperanza, 33 of 35 students are girls. Most walk an average of 30 minutes to get to school, often beating teachers, all of whom travel 1 hour from the nearest municipality (Yorito) everyday – rain or shine. The first girl to graduate from the school came everyday on horseback! The lack of male students is mostly driven by coffee labor, as well as a lack of economic and transportation resources.
The school was physically deteriorated: broken latrines, desks, nothing like what we’re used to back in El Rosario....But the kitchen, made of wooden scraps, was well-kept and used by parents everyday. We were even told that our school in El Rosario was something one would find in Yoro or Morazan.
Here, parents cook, organize, mobilize, and build in harmony with students and teachers: water tanks, greenhouses, gardens, chicken coops. All voluntary on behalf of the parents. The "harmony" we describe is something that has been impossible to cultivate in El Rosario for the longest time. Which reminds me of a lesson I learned in child protection this past year at Fletcher: never separate children from their caregivers.
The teachers are also very hard-working and young (late twenties). One teacher, Alan, organized a student dance showcase for us! The entire village behind this school has accomplished so much in such a short time with scarce resources. We sense deep commitment.
This year, six girls decided to drop out due to child marriage and early pregnancy. But with TCI’s support, there's potential for after-school programming to prevent this from happening and draw in more students from a promising catchment area of 5+ communities. I’ll have to talk to Charlie when I get home!
Final Days in El Rosario
Final Days in El Rosario
On one of my final days in El Rosario, Roni invited me to his home to take part in a Bible Study and celebrate the “month of the family” alongside his family and neighbors. They have been meeting every Wednesday for over 20 years....A real sign of trust. Afterwards, he gave me a tour of his house and gifted me a bag of his own coffee. I am blessed to have formed this friendship with Roni. Three weeks truly does make a difference.
We concluded the trip with an entire day of soccer games at the school. I can’t tell you how many times they asked when I was going to return. Saying goodbye to the kids, the teachers I could not help bring tears to my eyes. I learned a great many things on this trip. From learning kids’ nicknames, to what makes children resilient, to riding a motorcycle....Our roots here grow stronger each time we visit. Our hearts, fuller.