Honduras Water Project

The Honduras Water Project is a service-learning field course in development for three weeks each May. The course involves pre-trip classes, reading journals, a group project, and an overnight retreat. The Honduras Water Project provides an opportunity for students to apply their knowledge by bringing running water to impoverished people in Honduras. Students receive credit in King's Social Science program for their involvement. The project is also a great opportunity to get exposure to another culture and gain field experience.

King’s has been partnered with World Renew (formerly CRWRC) the Northern Alberta Diaconal Conference and Diaconia Nacional (Honduras) for more than 20 years to make what we call The Honduras Water Project possible.

For most of us in Canada, taking a drink of clean, safe water is just a matter of walking to the tap. For many people in developing countries, it's only a dream. Their water source may be contaminated or be a long distance from their village and needs to be carried home.

“The Honduras Water Project was an opportunity to develop cross-cultural ties of trust and respect to restore the broken relationships between Hondurans and the Western world. We came to serve, to learn, and to connect. We realized the importance of healing and restoration in all forms, for truly it is this which enables people to endure, hope, and rediscover purpose in a world that fails them."– Jordyn Brandsma

Since we began, teams of approximately 10 to 15 King's students have traveled to remote villages in Honduras to assist people in obtaining safe, clean drinking water and to learn the principles and practices of sustainable community development. They do this by building a simple, effective, and low-maintenance gravity water system. Most of the team members are young adults who give up a month’s wages to contribute to an important development project that also builds a relationship between communities in Canada and Honduras.

Many organizations and churches contribute financially to provide the materials for the projects like pipes, mortar, a pump, tools, standpipes, etc.; however, team members need to raise the funds to get to Honduras and cover the cost of board-and-room and transportation. The teams arrange several fundraisers including car washes, silent auctions, bake sales, local yard clean ups to raise their trip fees of about $3,500 each.