"No matter how much I taught or how much I served, I could never give more than I received. The Ugandan people have given me more than I can express. They are beautiful in every way. Their strength astounds me and their spirit inspires me. When I came they called me their hero, when I left they were mine."
- Ashley Rogers, Uganda 2008 |
"From my experience, I gained an understanding of my responsibility to serve because I can, because I have been blessed to have the resources to turn away from my and my family's immediate needs and look outward. I never expected to gain such a pressing understanding of my need to serve. I never expected to meet people who were so much "better" than I am, who had so much to teach me of compassion, of self sacrifice and of hope. I feel that I was literally healed by the people of El Salvador as they changed my perspective and expectations." -Natalie Brown, El Salvador 2007 |
| Mission and Vision |
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HELP International provides participants with a life-changing experience through service. Every summer HELP International, a Utah-based nonprofit organization, trains college-age participants to design and implement sustainable development projects in Belize, El Salvador, Fiji, India, Thailand, and Uganda. Partnering with locally-based non-governmental organizations (NGO), HELP participants create projects that promote self-reliance. As a key part of their experience, we train participants to become lifetime social entrepreneurs, using innovation to solve social problems. Participants receive over 20 hours of training before serving in-country, enabling them to organize and carry out their own projects.
HELP International is committed to training participants to improve community mobilization in developing countries, while having a life-changing experience themselves. The most effective development projects are initiated and embraced by the local community, leading to changes which benefit the local population for years after the HELP International participants return home. Likewise, the best experience a participant can have is to learn how to be actively involved in positive social change for the rest of their lives.
Participants engage in a variety of different types of projects based on their skills and interests. Some activities past participants have initiated include: building and repairing water systems, working with HIV positive community groups, teaching family garden and stove construction, and teaching basic business classes. Regardless of which activity participants choose, each teaches the nuance of the native culture, the essential principles involved in collaborating with local leaders, and how to implement solutions to fight poverty. |