Tegucigalpa Market Children Program
The Market Children Program was started in 1992 with a 3H (Hunger, Health and Humanity) Grant from the Rotary Foundation, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Kelowna Sunrise in District 5060 and the Rotary Club of Tegucigalpa in District 4250. Since that time the program has evolved to provide services to the families that work in six Public Markets in Tegucigalpa.

There are approximately 2000 children taking part in the program for the 2009 school year which started in February. Funding for the program included donations from individual Rotarians and clubs in district's 5020, 5040, 5050, 5060, 5080, 7830, 5010 and a few others. It also included $53,570 Canadian from CRCID. There are donations still coming in.

Six Rotarians from District 5080 traveled to Tegucigalpa in February to meet with the Rotarians and take pictures of all the children in the program who already had sponsors of children who did not have sponsors and since returning, have made presentations to several clubs where individuals have decided to sponsor the unsponsored children. Since her return Elaine Ross has made up over 600 certificates that contain the information on the sponsored children as well as a picture. These certificates are being mailed to the sponsors. Sandra Wade in Spokane will also be making up certificates to send to sponsors located in the US. Some of these certificates cover more than one child. Danli Market Children Program
There are approximately 400 students participating in the Danli Program. This is an increase of about 100 over last year. This program is now in its third year of operation. It is run by The Rotary Club of Danli utilizing one young lady, on staff, Karen Zelaya who does everything. She is the administrator, bookkeeper, educator and the social worker. Several wives of Danli Rotarians assist Karen at various times. When the six Rotarians visited Danli in February they were very impressed with the progress of the program and particularly with the work of Karen Zelaya. Pictures were taken of all the children and they will be forwarded to their sponsor clubs. Tegucigalpa Dump Children Program
To provide services to the children whose parents scavenge in the Tegucigalpa Dump. They will operate in 3 schools that are close to the dump. There is another NGO that provides primary schooling, to the children of those families, but no secondary schooling.

This program is also run by AYO. For 2009 the program is funded by a Matching Grant from the Rotary Foundation. This year there are no CRCID funds utilized. The number of children has increased this year to 250. These children are from bitterly poor families. Tegucigalpa Mobile Libraries
To provide books and audiovisual aids to schools in Honduras, to improve literacy skills.No new mobile libraries were funded this year, nor were any additional books provided to the existing Mobile Libraries.
While we were in Tegucigalpa, three of the Rotarians met with the University of Francisco Morazan, in order to determine how the program was running and what might be done to expand or improve it. We had provided, with CRCID funds, two Mobile Libraries, in addition to the one Mobile Library that had been provided by the Rotary club of Castlegar Sunrise. Apparently only two of the three available mobile libraries were operating. We were advised that they only had two driver librarians as one had decided to go back to school and further his studies, but he had not been replaced.School Vegetable Garden
The Vegetable Garden Program is a part of the Healthy Schools Program of the Department of Education in Honduras. Other parts of “Healthy Schools” include a free lunch for children from low-income families and planting trees around schools.The gardens are planted on the grounds of rural schools, and the children plant them, water and weed them and finally pick them.

The project is almost complete. It was funded by a grant from The Rotary Foundation, plus $9000 Canadian from CRCID.
While in Tegucigalpa Ron Ross met with the sponsor club, the Rotary club of Kaputzihil. It has taken almost 3 years to fund and implement this project. Santa Barbara Project
There are three components to this program.
The Mobile Library has been supplied, outfitted and is operating successfully. The Santa Barbara Market Children Program has been started, and is operating successfully with 137 students receiving scholarships. There are 71 boys, 47 in elementary school and 24 in high school. There are 67 girls 55 in elementary school and 12 in high school.
The third component is an extension to the Santa Barbara technical Institute, which is a vocational school with 252 males and 278 female students. The students attend four hours a day, but the school operates eight hours a day so that is how it accommodates over 500 students. When the extension is complete it will accommodate 1000 students. The courses are short apprenticeship type programs in computers, business, welding, carpentry, electrical, sewing, millwright, drafting, and metal work.
This program was funded by a grant from The Rotary Foundation and $35,750 Canadian from CRCID. These funds were used for the extension of the vocational school, the salary for the scholarship program administrator and to buy a desk, promotional material, computer, a Dictaphone, some learning materials for the students, filing cabinet, office supplies and minor travel expense, book bags, paper and school supplies for the students, school supplies shoes and uniforms etc.
No CRCID funds were used for the Mobile Library. School Desk Program
This is a new component of Project Honduras. Only between 60% and 70% of children in the public school system in Honduras have desks. This program is being funded by a matching grant from The Rotary Foundation and $11,552 Canadian from CRCID. The desks are built in shops in Tegucigalpa, so not only do we provide desks for the students, but also employment for adults in Honduras.AYO Support
AYO (Alternativas Y Opportunidades) is the Rotary controlled NGO that operates the Tegucigalpa Market Children Program and the Tegucigalpa Dump Children Program. In the past the largest contributor to the operating costs of AYO was an NGO from Ireland called G0AL. They paid the salaries of the majority of the staff and paid the office/clinic rent and utilities. In 2008 CRCID contributed $32,670 Canadian to AYO for Educator salaries and clinic supplies. For 2009 CRCID was to contribute $11,900 Canadian.
GOAL had advised AYO, in 2008 that they were going to withdraw from Honduras over the next three years. On December 20, 2008 G0AL advised AYO that they were withdrawing all support effective December 31, 2008. Project Honduras immediately asked for emergency funds from CRCID to help pay salaries in the January to March time period, and obtained $22,216 Canadian. This funding allowed CRC ID to continue operation and prepare for the 2009 school year for the Tegucigalpa Market Children and Dump Children Programs.
While in Tegucigalpa in February, Ron Ross interviewed over one dozen staff members with a view to preparing a Biography complete with a picture, of the various staff members. Rotary clubs will be asked to sponsor a staff member. This has been done in the past by the Rotary club of Kelowna Sunrise, who last year sponsored 2 Educators.
The educators are an essential part of the Market Children Program, and the Dump Children Program. Each educator is responsible for a group of students. They visit the school, talk to the teachers, gather the marks and the attendance records, and determine if any of the kids need help. They arrange for tutoring, which is usually done by more senior students in the program, and if the child is not attending regularly, they will visit the home and talk to the parent. If the educator perceives a problem at home, they will refer this matter to the program psychologist. There have been situations where  AYO has intervened, by going to court where there is evidence of abuse of either the child or the mother.
The educators also put on different programs in the markets for both the children and their parents. These programs include; drug prevention, hygiene, nutrition and diet, HIV and STD prevention, arts and crafts and sports. They also put on parenting classes for the mothers and fathers of children in the program. It is the activities of the educators that binds the participants of the Market Children Program into what is like a large family.