Why I’m going back to Honduras

In about 48 hours I will be leaving the U.S. for an internship in Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras. I’m thrilled for my experience abroad but also a bit frustrated by my motives.

About two weeks ago, the Department of State continued to warn U.S. citizens that the level of crime and violence in Honduras remains critically high. Despite the travel warning and its chilling reports, I was not taken by surprise. The reports and my previous experience with international development got me thinking, but are not contributing factors of my frustration.

Our Impact Abroad

Honduras is facing a substantial amount of social and political issues. Crime and gang violence has pushed many Hondurans to flee the country, leaving others behind desperate for change. According to NPR’s latest coverage on Honduras by contributor David Martin Davies, “societal pressures, like poverty and gang violence, are fueling the exodus.”

Courtney Matthews, a 24-year-old Muncie, Ind. native, shares her experience living in Honduras for three years while organizing a faith-based charity called Breaking Chains Honduras. Their mission: to feed the homeless. Like Matthews, thousands of volunteers each year organize and raise funds to travel abroad and help those in need. Most people, I assume, have good intentions for their efforts abroad. But good intentions don’t always cut it and believe it or not, we’re looking out for our own personal interest. We like to think that our impact will matter in the long run, that something or someone will devoutly continue our work as soon as we leave, but that’s simply not how people work.

Now don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of organizations abroad who make amazing international development projects a success, but often times don’t realize that our help is unnecessary or unwanted. Some issues are meant to work themselves out on their own without the help of those who have absolutely no idea what it’s like to live in their world. You might be thinking, “so what should I do?” There’s no simple answer, but a good start is to educate yourself on the issues (e.g., read the designated country’s newspaper(s) and don’t solely rely on American media), and only after, travel to help if you have practical ideas and skills to offer.

Call to action

The Public Health Brigade from the University of Tampa work with a Honduran translator (far right) to present their educational projects to a community in El Canton.

Three years ago, I began my journey with Global Brigades, a student-led global health and sustainable development organization. Then, a freshman and public health major, I decided to join the Global Brigades chapter at the University of Tampa with the Public Health Brigade. We had about five months to fundraise approximately $800 for the trip (that’s a lot for a college student!) So what did we do? We mailed donation letters, hosted car washes, sold Pulsera Bracelets, and worked as beer vendors at the Tampa Bay Buccaneer games. Pretty much anything we could do to make money, fast. We were passionate volunteers and had faith in the organization’s mission: to mobilize toward positive social change.

When I transferred to Ball State University to study journalism my sophomore year, I learned that a Global Brigades chapter did not exist on campus. I was shocked and a slightly disappointed. GB has become a big part of my life and I couldn’t go without it–or at least not for a while. It’s an organization I have always believed in, especially after a not-so-good experience with another volunteer based nonprofit abroad who failed to organize and follow an affective business model. GB gave me hope, that our vision and mission would encourage practical, effective and sustainable development in vulnerable or economically insecure countries in Central America. A few months into my fall semester, I started a Global Brigades chapter on campus and within a year recruited enough students to volunteer in Panama for one week as an Environmental Brigade.

The problem with global crossroads

Thousands of privileged volunteers (yes, I say “privileged” for anyone who can afford to travel) travel abroad to help and are often times passive about their globalization footprint. I’ll admit that I have been, too. I have absolutely no idea what it’s like to live life in a developing country, and for a while, assumed that my help is good help. Essentially, that is what frustrated me and made me rethink my motives for volunteering abroad. I’m an American white female that’s financially dependent on my parents’ support despite my minimum wage part-time job. I have no idea what it’s like to be poor in a third world or developing country, heck, I don’t even have an idea of what real poverty feels like here in America! I’m inherently privileged and will never understand the effects of poverty until I settle and live in it. Neither will I ever understand Honduran culture as well as the natives do. Although, I will do my best to learn from them and try to understand what it’s like to live in their shoes. Why? Because social change is most affective by collaboration and immersion into the community for at least two years. You must face and feel the issue to solve it.

Many of us assume that a one week or month long volunteer trip will tell us everything we need to know about a community’s socioeconomic and political system, but it probably won’t. We are all human and take time to gain people’s trust. It is unjust of foreigners to intrude into someone else’s home whenever and however they please, and that their ideas are better or more practical than the community’s. Just because an idea seems right to you, does not mean it will to them. The privilege issue in society is as evident today like it has been for hundreds of years. Many people may or may not acknowledge their privilege over others while abroad i.e., the wealthy vs. the poor, white vs. hispanic or black, and in my opinion, this inevitably contributes to the negative effects of globalization today. I realized that interning for three weeks toward sustainable development may not solve every issue that Honduran communities face, but still hold strong to the idea that some help is better than no help as long as there are good intentions. I hope to play my part and do all that I can to improve the Global Brigades programs and address community needs.

Moving Forward

You might be thinking well, why in the world are you going back?

In-country Global Brigades staff and technicians explain the projects and how water systems work in Honduras.

About six months ago, I knew I wanted to work toward social change and international development. I had limited experience with sustainable engineering, but from my involvement with the Public Health Brigade in Honduras and the Environmental Brigade in Panama I piqued my interest in sustainable development, permaculture, sanitation infrastructure and the different stages of community development using the holistic model approach. I just couldn’t hold back and so I applied for an internship with Global Brigades.

Three months ago, I received my acceptance e-letter from Global Brigades as their sustainable engineering intern. This position will require me to spend three weeks visiting communities at different levels of program development to gain a better understanding of Global Brigades’ Holistic Model. I will use different research and analysis tools to engage with their projects on the community and household level. I will also have the opportunity to visit previous water project sites to evaluate their effectiveness, design repairs as necessary and provide follow-up education to local water councils. This internship will give me an opportunity to better understand the challenges and successes of Global Brigades’ projects and contribute to their continuation.

So stay tuned! I will be documenting my experience with Global Brigades for the next three weeks (assuming the WiFi will connect on our compound). My goal: to move forward by listening, learning and collaborating with Honduran communities; to continue to learn from the holistic model; and most importantly, to maintain self-awareness of my “gringa effect” on the developing world.