HHK: The Jungle School

My adventures, and learning curves, just keep continuing with friends from Helping Honduras Kids (HHK) and I’m so thankful for the opportunity to see the philosophy of love, hope, education and opportunity being practised so effectively by all involved!

On April 6th, I was taken out the Rio Cangrejal to visit the Jungle School – and before you come to any bizarre conclusions about its name; it really is tucked up high in the jungle, tenaciously clinging to the hillside, and with well over 100 concrete slab steps and filled tires providing the only access, it was yet another trek for me.

We arrived just as classes had ended for the day with the kids clustered along the hillside stairway, milling around in the kitchen and cafeteria or tidying classrooms and sweeping floors. This is an unbelievably beautiful setting – paradise for the eyes, literally – but I couldn’t help thinking of the sheer magnitude of the mechanics and engineering involved in accessing, building and maintaining this school and site.

Classes start at 7 am and go to around noon (I’m not sure of the exact end time) with a mid morning rice and milk break and a hot midday meal consisting of rice and/or beans, and occasionally fruit, vegetables or a bit of chicken, depending on donations. There are 77 children presently enrolled in the school program, but the meal program is extended to all siblings that accompany students, thus this program is feeding 100 children every day as no one is turned away. Sadly, this is generally the only meal of the day for these children and frequently fortified rice and beans are sent home with students to assist the family’s survival.

During my conversation with Angel Pacheco, I discovered that there are 17 children in the kinder program, with about 30 in the Grades 1 and 2 classes and the rest are spread throughout Grades 3 to 6. There are no registration or monthly fees and because the Jungle School is run as a private school, children actually attend every day unlike the public schools that are notorious for losing two to four months of class time every year. This may be the only truly free school in Honduras as HHK provides all books, supplies, uniforms, backpacks, medical care including vitamins and other needs; literally everything that these children need in order to achieve an education.

This also includes the firm guidance of the two teachers and the director of the school in establishing clear rules of behaviour and instilling a sense of pride in the student’s accomplishments. The teachers are greatly assisted by volunteers that come from all over the world for three month terms – whether they are licensed teachers or not, they just need to be committed to helping kids learn. Additionally, the teachers themselves benefit professionally from this support and assistance from the volunteers, so it’s truly a win-win situation for everyone involved!

The Jungle School is terribly overcrowded now that the 20+ children from the Hogar have joined the classes, so the Grades 5 and 6 students are using the central hall area as their classroom. Thankfully, construction of the third classroom has begun thanks to the San Diego volunteers who donated $3000 from fundraising and numerous hours hauling bags of sand and concrete blocks from the roadside all the way up those 100+ stairs to the building site. Thank goodness for all those strong, young bodies and happy souls! The estimated costs for completion of the third classroom are about $22,000 and as always, donations are always needed and welcomed.

The Jungle School is now in its third year and has had students graduate from Grade 6 and continue on to attend El Pital High School or the private Instituto del Rey and HHK continues to support these children as much as possible in order for them to complete their educations.

At the beginning, many of the children had never been to school or had no experience with routines, discipline or generalized cooperative behaviour which made teaching very difficult. Now, three years later, with the “no nonsense” rules imposed by Angel and Iris these children have truly turned the corner into becoming well behaved, responsible and respectful persons; traits that will further improve their chances of success in the future.

There is now a small community forming around the Jungle School as caregivers come to cook meals, learn to sew and bring their children with them to socialize, which in turn attracts others interested in educating their children. The new construction is providing paid employment for local men, the sense of community is easing the isolation of women and children and the volunteers who come to teach or work provide a window into the bigger world of experience and hope for the future of the local people.

I feel like the Jungle School is like a pebble tossed into a pond of water, the ripples keep continuing outward and thus more and more local people will benefit from this enterprise. I am very grateful to have been introduced to the great people, both teachers and students, of the Jungle School and know that my own life has been enriched. Thanks!