Honduras
Water System Design
Volunteers work with local engineers to assess a community’s water challenges, design a feasible water system and present their recommendations to the community. Volunteers learn about access to water, water source evaluation, and systems design.
Engineering Brigade –
7 Day Sample Schedule
To develop an understanding of community needs and water access, volunteers first meet with community leaders and complete a technical evaluation of water sources. For the majority of the Brigade, volunteers work with GEB engineers and technicians to map, plan and design a clean water system to meet the community’s needs. Volunteers then present their findings and design recommendation to the community for their feedback and approval. At the end of the brigade, volunteers also visit a completed water system to do a follow-up check.
| Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7:00am | Airport Pick up and Transport to Lodging Facility | Breakfast | Breakfast | Breakfast | Breakfast | Breakfast | |
| 8:00am | Transport to Community | Transport to Community | Transport to Community | Transport to Community | Transport to Community | ||
| 9:00am | Community Leader Meeting | Project Mapping, Measurements & Planning | Project Mapping, Measurements & Planning | Project Mapping, Measurements & Planning | Project Follow-up Visit | Breakfast | |
| 10:00am | Transport to Airport & Airline Check in | ||||||
| 11:00am | |||||||
| 12:00pm | Lunch | Lunch | Lunch | Lunch | Lunch | ||
| 1:00pm | Technical Evaluation & Site Visit | Project Mapping, Measurements & Planning | Project Mapping, Measurements & Planning | Project Mapping, Measurements & Planning | Final Meeting: Recommendations | ||
| 2:00pm | |||||||
| 3:00pm | Settle In | ||||||
| 4:00pm | Introduction to Global Brigades | Transport to Lodging Facility | Transport to Lodging Facility | Transport to Lodging Facility | Transport to Lodging Facility | Transport to Lodging Facility | |
| 5:00pm | Free Time | Free Time | Free Time | Free Time | Free Time | ||
| 6:00pm | Free Time | ||||||
| 7:00pm | Dinner | Dinner | Dinner | Dinner | Dinner | Dinner | |
| 8:00pm | Water Introduction | Feasibility & Water Profile | Data Compilation & Design | Data Compilation & Design | Discussion & Design | Reflection |
| Day 1 | |
|---|---|
| 7:00am | Airport Pick up and Transport to Lodging Facility |
| 8:00am | |
| 9:00am | |
| 10:00am | |
| 11:00am | |
| 12:00pm | |
| 1:00pm | |
| 2:00pm | |
| 3:00pm | Settle In |
| 4:00pm | Introduction to Global Brigades |
| 5:00pm | |
| 6:00pm | Free Time |
| 7:00pm | Dinner |
| 8:00pm | Water Introduction |
| Day 2 | |
|---|---|
| 7:00am | Breakfast |
| 8:00am | Transport to Community |
| 9:00am | Community Leader Meeting |
| 10:00am | |
| 11:00am | |
| 12:00pm | Lunch |
| 1:00pm | Technical Evaluation & Site Visit |
| 2:00pm | |
| 3:00pm | |
| 4:00pm | Transport to Lodging Facility |
| 5:00pm | Free Time |
| 6:00pm | |
| 7:00pm | Dinner |
| 8:00pm | Feasibility & Water Profile |
| Day 3 | |
|---|---|
| 7:00am | Breakfast |
| 8:00am | Transport to Community |
| 9:00am | Project Mapping, Measurements & Planning |
| 10:00am | |
| 11:00am | |
| 12:00pm | Lunch |
| 1:00pm | Project Mapping, Measurements & Planning |
| 2:00pm | |
| 3:00pm | |
| 4:00pm | Transport to Lodging Facility |
| 5:00pm | Free Time |
| 6:00pm | |
| 7:00pm | Dinner |
| 8:00pm | Data Compilation & Design |
| Day 4 | |
|---|---|
| 7:00am | Breakfast |
| 8:00am | Transport to Community |
| 9:00am | Project Mapping, Measurements & Planning |
| 10:00am | |
| 11:00am | |
| 12:00pm | Lunch |
| 1:00pm | Project Mapping, Measurements & Planning |
| 2:00pm | |
| 3:00pm | |
| 4:00pm | Transport to Lodging Facility |
| 5:00pm | Free Time |
| 6:00pm | |
| 7:00pm | Dinner |
| 8:00pm | Data Compilation & Design |
| Day 5 | |
|---|---|
| 7:00am | Breakfast |
| 8:00am | Transport to Community |
| 9:00am | Project Mapping, Measurements & Planning |
| 10:00am | |
| 11:00am | |
| 12:00pm | Lunch |
| 1:00pm | Project Mapping, Measurements & Planning |
| 2:00pm | |
| 3:00pm | |
| 4:00pm | Transport to Lodging Facility |
| 5:00pm | Free Time |
| 6:00pm | |
| 7:00pm | Dinner |
| 8:00pm | Discussion & Design |
| Day 6 | |
|---|---|
| 7:00am | Breakfast |
| 8:00am | Transport to Community |
| 9:00am | Project Follow-up Visit |
| 10:00am | |
| 11:00am | |
| 12:00pm | Lunch |
| 1:00pm | Final Meeting: Recommendation |
| 2:00pm | |
| 3:00pm | |
| 4:00pm | Transport to Lodging Facility |
| 5:00pm | Free Time |
| 6:00pm | |
| 7:00pm | Dinner |
| 8:00pm | Reflection |
| Day 7 | |
|---|---|
| 7:00am | |
| 8:00am | |
| 9:00am | Breakfast |
| 10:00am | Transport to Airport & Airline Check In |
| 11:00am | |
| 12:00pm | |
| 1:00pm | |
| 2:00pm | |
| 3:00pm | |
| 4:00pm | |
| 5:00pm | |
| 6:00pm | |
| 7:00pm | |
| 8:00pm | |
Costs and Fundraising
In order to participate in an Engineering Brigade, all volunteers must meet a Donation Goal by fundraising as part of their commitment to a Brigades Chapter. This is not considered a payment for a specific trip, but support towards Global Brigades’ Holistic Model.
Donation Goals for Honduras Brigades start at $2,350 USD*.
Once you meet a set Donation Goal, you’re eligible to join us on the ground to see your fundraising efforts put into action by participating in an Engineering Brigade.
When you participate in an Engineering Brigade, your airfare, ground transportation, food, lodging, and emergency insurance are all covered. The funding you raised also supports all the necessary costs for program implementation, such as brigade equipment, local professionals, coordinators, masons, translators, and support staff.
Global Brigades’ travel team will work with your Brigade to book airfare**.
Once a volunteer meets their Donation Goal, they have up to 1 year to participate in an Engineering Brigade.
*coming from outside the US? Talk to our team about donation goals.
** for UK and Canadian Chapters, airfare is not included in your Donation Goal
Donation Goals for 2023-2024 Honduras 7-Day Engineering Brigades
| Volunteers | Donation Goal (USD) | Donation Goal (CAD) | Donation Goal (GBP) |
| 8+ | $2,350 USD | Talk to our team about CAD donation goals. | Talk to our team about GBP donation goals. |
*Chapters with less than 8 volunteers must be paired with another chapter.
Clean Water Fund
A portion of each Donation Goal supports our Clean Water Fund which enables year-round clean water solutions in partner communities carried out by our local teams. Specifically, the Fund supports water system planning and design, water council training on system operation, maintenance and administration, water system project management and follow-up visits, and on-going project monitoring and impact evaluation.
Safety
Volunteer safety is always the absolute top priority. Global Brigades recently engaged Askari International Security, an industry leader in international risk assessment, to complete a comprehensive risk/safety assessment of all brigade operations. A full explanation of safety precautions and procedures can be found on our “Safety & Insurance” page.
A Quote from Askari International Security
“I was asked to review Global Brigades safety and security procedures for their operations in Central America. I always use a “litmus test” by assessing whether I’d be happy to send my own daughters (late teens early 20’s) on one of their events. The answer was a resounding yes. I hope I was able to help them improve their processes and procedures, but what was already in place was good, but better still was the culture of safety and security. All the staff were concerned with safety and security and keen to improve. Nothing can ever be 100% secure or safe, but with Global Brigades I can genuinely say they care and take things very seriously.”
– Bryan Hemmings, Managing Director, Askari International Security
Safety Highlights in Honduras
- Global Brigades is an active member of OSAC (the Overseas Security Advisory Committee) and receives up-to-date security and safety briefings from the U.S. State Department;
- Established relationships with local military and police to provide dedicated security personnel to accompany each group at all times;
- Full-time local Global Brigades medical personnel on-call at all times;
- Adherence to the IVPA standards of international volunteering.
Lodging Facilities
Global Brigades does an annual safety review of all lodging facility partners each year. Lodging facilities provide pillows, bedsheets and towels. Facilities have showers, toilets and sinks with running water (no hot water) as well as filtered clean drinking water dispensers onsite. 24-hour security is provided at all facilities. Conditions are most similar to a comfortable summer camp, with dormitory-style sleeping and shared bathrooms.
Engineering Brigades are assigned to lodging facilities based on proximity to the partner community they will be working with.
El Censo
The El Censo lodging facility is located in a valley approximately 1 hour and 30 mintues east of Tegucigalpa. Here, brigaders enjoy a beautiful view of a landscape full of green pastures, sugar cane fields and distant mountains. Global Brigades Honduras has used the El Censo facility since 2013, and it has housed hundreds of brigaders.
Posada Azul
The Posada Azul facility is located in a valley approximately 1 hour and 30 mintues east of Tegucigalpa. Here, brigaders enjoy a beautiful view of a landscape full of green pastures, sugar cane fields and distant mountains. Global Brigades Honduras has used the Posada Azul facility since 2011, and it has housed hundreds of brigaders.
Villas de Valle
The Villas del Valle lodging facility is located in the mountains approximately 1 hour northwest of Tegucigalpa. Here, brigaders enjoy a cool climate high up in the mountains near the town of Valle de los Angeles.
Casa del Sol
The Casa del Sol facility is located approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes south of Tegucigalpa. Here, brigaders enjoy use of the hotel’s spacious seating areas and views of distant mountains.
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This DONATION is non-refundable
This DONATION is non-refundable Global Brigades, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Your donation will be used to further Global Brigades' mission and will be allocated toward the program you selected. This donation will not be utilized to fulfill a chapter or a volunteer's fundraising goal. Read Global Brigades, Inc's full Donation Refund Policy here.
Looking to donate to support a volunteer's fundraising goal? Find their Global Brigades Chapter by searching our Chapters map and then selecting their upcoming brigade. If you need help finding their chapter, you can ask the volunteer to send you their brigade's specific website link or you can contact us.
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