Editor's Note: This is the third of a six part series by Marty Pease on how she ended up in Rotary.
International Project Alliance/Honduras
After retiring, Peter Martin sought a way to put his energies into humanitarian service somewhere in Central America. He and his wife were doing a Mayan ruins tour through Central America and stopped in Copán Ruinas, Honduras. He was in a poor Mayan village when a young girl reached up to Peter’s hand and asked, “May I walk with you?” That sparked Peter’s interest, and he started investigating possibilities in that region. He discovered people in need, few active NGOs in the area, and the dollar stretched far. And Copán Ruinas provided comfortable hotels and restaurants for visiting Americans.
His next step was to find an organization that could support his dream. He stumbled onto Rotary, an organization that does service projects and has a grant system to fund them. He joined the Fidalgo Island Rotary Club in Anacortes, Washington. He realized very quickly that what he aspired to accomplish was beyond the capacity of one club. In 2014, five Rotary clubs in Skagit County, including the Rotary Club of La Conner, came together and created the International Project Alliance (IPA).
The program has since grown to fourteen clubs and has been providing assistance to Mayan villages in western Honduras for eleven years. I am very passionate about this group and the help it provides. In Rotary, it is fairly unusual for clubs to collaborate on a project. When it does happen, the focus is often on a one-time project such as a park, a water system, or a new school. The IPA is unique in the number of clubs working together and the longevity of the program. The IPA’s primary focus has been on education and economic development, including training, infrastructural improvements, and providing school supplies. However, the IPA has the flexibility to meet most requests from the villagers, such as a footbridge, a water system, a new road, silos, ecostoves, student health care, and libraries. As one need is met, another is addressed.
So what does this mean to me? Before joining Rotary, I would never have guessed I would travel to Honduras and be involved in service. My first trip to Honduras was in the fall of 2016. I found the area interesting and enjoyed my time there. I came back saying, “Been there, done that,” with no intention of returning. Well, as it turns out, this June will be my fifteenth or sixteenth trip; I have lost track.
Why do I love to go? I find the countryside beautiful and peaceful. The pace of life, even in Copán, is slower, though modern amenities are available. Well, sort of. The streets are the original cobblestone. They are so narrow that two cars can’t pass. Only last year did the town adopt a system of one-way streets. The sidewalks are uneven. The power regularly goes out. There may not be running water, depending on the status of the municipal water system.
The villages the IPA visits are tucked away on the hillsides; it’s truly rural countryside. Though many of the villagers live in poverty, they are happy and grounded. They are very present in the moment. As I observe village life, it causes me to wonder if our hectic modern electronic environment is really any better. Admittedly, every time I come home, I am grateful for potable water and the fact that I can flip a switch to have power. Food and shelter are not my worries. The trips make me even more grateful for what I have here. It does make me more aware that my happiness is not totally dependent on my material wealth.
Another reason is the reward of seeing the changes in the villages year to year. How the school infrastructure has improved: lights, working latrines, desks, white boards, and so on. Now, children are attending school at least through sixth grade, whereas their parents may have only made it to second or third grade. More and more youth are choosing to attend middle school, high school, and even university. They say education is the best path out of poverty, and the IPA is making that possible for the village children.
Marlon
One example is Marlon. I met Marlon as a translator and knew he was really bright. But he also lived in a very poor home, and without help, college wasn’t possible. I offered him $1000 per year, which he put to use pursuing a degree in tourism business. He would call me for advice and reassurance during his freshman year. He was in a huge city and struggling with priorities, as many freshmen do. He also started a job in the customer service industry for Comcast. His bilingual skills were a huge help. After about another year and a half, he found a wonderful full-time opportunity and decided not to finish his degree. He was embarrassed to tell me and very apologetic. I told him not to worry. The whole process was all about getting him launched into a career, and that is exactly what has happened.
Relationships are another reason I love participating in the IPA. Because I have gone to Honduras so often, I’ve established meaningful relationships with local community members. It’s wonderful to be recognized and greeted with a big hug. But truthfully, it is the relationships with Rotarians that I cherish. Rotarians are busy people, and life stateside makes it hard to find time to just hang out. In Honduras, after our working day, hanging out with a glass of wine, playing games, and just chatting in the beautiful courtyard is the best. We have nothing else we need to do in that moment.
There is a Rotary club in Copán Ruinas, and without their involvement, the IPA would be struggling. I knew Rotary International was worldwide, but actively engaging with another club in a different country made that come alive. It has been a privilege to get to know them and give big hugs when I see them. I believe they appreciate what we are doing for the surrounding villages. Two Honduran Rotarians have told me we have taught them how to be of service. Often in underdeveloped countries, Rotary clubs are more of a status symbol than a means for active service.
Another aspect of Rotary relationships I enjoy is the interaction with stateside members. The IPA club representatives meet monthly, so we regularly make connections via Zoom. But another self-chosen responsibility I have is visiting each participating club annually to give an update to the members. I love seeing how other clubs operate, and I feel at home with them as I visit them more and more. I have the pleasure of meeting so many other Rotarians and getting to know them, which makes events like the District Conference even more fun! I get high sharing with passion about something I care deeply about. And the positive feedback I get back is that my passion shows and others are then motivated to engage.
Dania
Dania is another example of someone benefiting from the IPA. Before my first trip, Peter sent out an email about Dania’s situation, asking if someone would be willing to pay her tuition for bilingual school. Enthusiastically, I said yes!! Dania’s father had been the family bread-winner and passed away from alcoholism. Her mother also was a drinker, so her aunt said, “You are not staying with your mother, you are living with me.” The aunt is a teacher in one of the villages and earns about $300-$400 per month. She could not afford Dania’s tuition. I met Dania on my first trip. Both of us were really nervous, and she was in fifth grade. Her English was little, and my Spanish was none. But we managed. Since then, her English has gotten much better, and I am learning Spanish on Duolingo. She would tell me I needed to learn Spanish, and I would tell her I was paying for her schooling so she could translate for me. The beauty of modern technology is that she and I communicate regularly via WhatsApp and Facebook.
Every trip, I see Dania, her aunt, and her mother. Her mother is now sober, has remarried, and holds a steady job. Halleluiah! Dania is presently starting her second year of medical school in Guatemala. None of this would have been possible for her without my help. Dania is really bright and focused. She says she has no time for boys. We’ll see what happens when the right one comes along. She is so positive about life and appreciative of all her experiences.
Her bilingual school is small, and the director was very aware that I had paid Dania’s tuition and bought a water tank for the school. I had met him a couple of times, and he was really pleased when I spent a whole day at the school. I was so touched that they scheduled Dania’s graduation ceremony while I would be in Honduras in June 2023. It meant the world to Dania to have me there—an unforgettable evening for both of us. I am looking forward to her medical school graduation!!
Dania has gone with us to the villages and translated during the teenager YES trips. Unaware of the village life surrounding her town and the conditions in which they live, traveling with the YES kids helped her have a new perspective. Dania considers herself middle-class, and she lives in a cinderblock U-shaped home with an open courtyard. The rooms are simple, and the beds are on the floor. At least she has water and electricity. I think, and she agrees, that it is essential for her to understand how others around her live and what it is like to be of service to them. My secret dream is that once she graduates from medical school, she will return and provide rural medical care for the villages. Of course, she will lead her own life.