FishHawk-Riverview Rotarians save lives and transform communities. They’ve been doing so in Honduras for more than seven years.
In 2016, members of the Rotary Club of FishHawk-Riverview sought partners to support clean water initiatives. They raised money and worked with El Ayudante Mission in Comayagua, Honduras to provide over 100 biosand water filters to some of the most impoverished families in Central America. Each filter requires minimal maintenance and provides a family of 10 or more with clean drinking water for up to 10 years.
With the success of this program, FishHawk-Riverview Rotarians returned two years later with a $38,000 Global Grant to provide 115 engineered latrines (bathrooms) for families in the same communities. Latrines remove waste from groundwater, improve overall health and hygiene and provide dignity to those in need.
In recent years, the FishHawk-Riverview Rotary Club has worked closely with Honduras Compassion Partners, a not-for-profit in La Paz, Honduras that provides a variety of services to needy families. Projects include water filters, latrines, education, housing and more. The club has built two small homes in La Paz and has recently raised money for two more, which are scheduled to be constructed by Rotarians in early 2024.
“I was there to witness the transformation,” Rotarian Ed Odom explained, “when, in three days, we built a home for a family of five that had been living under a tarp held up by sticks and branches. When we handed keys to the mother, with tears in her eyes, she stated, ‘Now when it rains, my clothes won’t get wet. And when the wind blows, I won’t lose my things.’ By the time she was through, we all had tears in our eyes.”
With the help of organizations like Rotary, Honduras Compassion Partners assists families work toward self-sufficiency.
“One of the most rewarding moments,” Odom continued, “was last year, when the owner of the first home we built [a year earlier] met us in front of the home we were about to build. She was well dressed and on her way home from work. She thanked us for helping her family and expressed her happiness that her friend was about to receive the same safety and security that comes with homeownership.”
Mission trips are being planned for the spring of 2024. For more information, visit www.fishhawkriverviewrotary.org or www.hondurascompassion.org, or contact Odom at fishhawkriverviewrotary@gmail.com. You can follow the Rotary Club of FishHawk-Riverview on Facebook at www.facebook.com/fishhawkriverviewrotary/ or on Instagram @fishhawkriverviewrotary. You can also view videos in its YouTube playlist, ‘Our work with Honduras Compassion Partners.’
