History

In an effort to relieve the suffering caused by Hurricane Mitch in Honduras, several Brigham Young University faculty and students founded HELP International in 1999, as H.E.L.P. Honduras. The initial group of 46 volunteers raised over $115,000 and spent four months in Honduras conducting humanitarian aid work and administering microcredit loans to those in need. These initial projects affected the lives of an estimated 4,000 people, providing relief to many people left homeless by Hurricane Mitch. Since then, HELP has served in various projects including earthquake relief, microfinance impact assessment, family gardening, adobe stoves, libraries, business training and teaching English as a Second Language. HELP currently servies in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Uganda and is looking to expand to new countries. HELP has grown and changed through the years but continues to focus on training volunteers to become lifetime social entrepreneurs who are dedicated to helping eliminate poverty worldwide.

HELP International is a Utah-based, nonprofit organization. HELP International is committed to providing sustainable development projects to people in need. We partner with locally-based non-governmental organizations (NGO) to create projects that promote self-reliance. We train volunteers to become lifetime social entrepreneurs who are dedicated to helping eliminate poverty around the world. Volunteers are given over 20 hours of training before serving in-country to enable them to take the initiative to organize and carry out the projects.

HELP International is committed to training volunteers to meaningfully contribute to community mobilization in developing countries, while having a life-changing experience themselves. The most effective development projects are initiated and embraced by the local community and thus lead to changes which benefit the local population for years after the HELP International volunteers return home. Likewise, the best experience a volunteer can have is to learn how to be actively involved in social change and poverty alleviation for the rest of their lives.

Volunteers engage in an array of different types of service based on their individual skills and interests. Some activities past volunteers have participated in include: building and repairing water systems, working with HIV positive community groups, teaching family garden and stove construction, and teaching basic business classes. Regardless of which activity volunteers participate in, each teaches the nuance of the native culture, the essential principles involved in collaborating with local leaders, and how to implement solutions to fight poverty.

600 people with access to new square foot gardens
500 graduates from teacher training courses
420 stoves built with cement and chimneys supplied

330 graduates from business training courses
170 graduates from English training courses
100 school kits donated
100 hygiene kits donated
81 recruited and trained
65 homes visited with personal health instruction

33 businesses consulted
7 volunteer managers hired and trained
6 showers constructed for HIV/AIDS positive individuals
6 mattresses and covers donated to needy families
3 school rooms constructed
3 libraries constructed with over 1000 books donated
3 wheelchairs, 2 standing frames, and 1 sitting frame donated to children with disabilities
1 playground constructed
1 chicken coop constructed
1 pig pen constructed
1 computer lab constructed with 4 computers donated