FOUNDERS MESSAGE - Max International Virtual Office

humanitarian efforts
Amigos of Honduras: Changing Lives
Year ‘Round
Christmas is a time for giving, but for Amigos of Honduras giving
is a year-round proposition. Humanitarian efforts to fund water
projects to villages, whose residents have often never had
running water, are ongoing. Children in such villages are often
forced to spend the better part of their day carrying water over
rugged terrain back to their village. After funneling running water
to the village, Amigos of Honduras funds and participates in the
building of a school, so not only do the children have extra time
in their day that used to be spent getting water, but they are able
to receive an education and prepare for a better future. Amigos is an organization whose projects Max
International is proud to have a hand in funding and intends to have a long-term partnership with.
Dave Riley, founder of Amigos of Honduras, said he and his partners like to make a trip to Honduras in
December but won’t be able to this year because they will be going down in February to see the completion
of the current water project in El Ocotillo. They will then begin the building of a school in the same area.
This will mark the third water and school project for the people in rural areas of Honduras in an effort
to help them become self-sufficient. Local residents are very instrumental in bringing the projects to
fruition and help with every phase. Dave said that after a presentation given at the Max Convention in
September he received donations equaling more than $8,000 from Max Associates, which paid for about
half of the total costs for the water project. He was extremely grateful for the help he has received from
the company.
In addition to such water and school projects, Amigos helps with an
AIDS project in Roatan, medical funding for a doctor in La Ceiba,
and the funding and building of a pig farm in Comayagua. A friend of
Amigos named Carlos lost his farm after Hurricane Mitch in 1998 and
couldn’t secure funding to replant beans to begin harvesting again,
so the fertile land of his farm lay dormant for many years. Amigos
stepped in and funded a pig farm that would allow the farm to become
self-sustaining. It now employs three people who help maintain it
year-round, and contribute to its spotlessly clean environment. Corn
is raised on the land to feed the pigs along with a daily food supplement that keeps them healthy and
valuable. Since the project began in March 2006, they have raised six litters of pigs.
Amigos is always on the lookout for smaller micro-projects throughout rural areas of Honduras in addition
to the bigger water and school projects. For instance they bought a freezer for a store owner so he could
sell ice cream and other frozen items to go along with his usual inventory.
Christmas in Honduras, while a humble affair compared to what many are used to here, is a joyous time.
Most of the celebrating takes place on Christmas Eve. Traditions such as decorating Christmas trees
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