"I thought that I would just be making a difference in other peoples' lives, but through serving them and working with these people I grew to love them and found that the biggest difference that took place was in my life. This is an experience I will never forget."
-Anna Smith, Guatemala 2008
"Once anyone allows themselves to let go of the walls they have created, and allow their true heart to be exposed, the joy and the growth both for the giver and the receiver is unequal to anything else. While in Guatemala, I was able to experience honest love between me and the people I was serving. Never have I been apart of something so pure and beautiful. I thank HELP International for the opportunity to change my life, and in the process, bless others. I shall never forget the lessons learned and the experiences had while in Guatemala."
Ryan Squires joined the network of hundreds of other HELP International volunteers by spending his summer managing eye clinics in Uganda. Squires had a life-changing experience while gaining experience for medial school and helping people in rural villages improve their sight.
HEARTFELT HELP GIVES SUSTAINABLE SERVICE LDS Church News, April 2009
Started as a strictly humanitarian organization, HELP International now aims for sustainable development projects with lasting impact.In the process, volunteers are trained to be lifetime social entrepreneurs.Founder Warner Woodworth explains that the need for HELP International is greater now than ever before.
"WEBB" OF LOVE SPUN FOR DISABLED CHILDREN AT HOGAR DEL NIÑO
The Daily Universe, April 2009
A love of helping the disable has led Laura Webb to spend every summer since she was 13 volunteering around the world. Webb has participated in HELP International programs in Uganda, and recently traveled to El Salvador with HELP to work in the Hogar de Niño Orphanage.
After sending a combined nearly 1,200 participants to impoverished countries, HELP International and Empowering Nations, two similarly modeled Utah-based non-profits, have merged. The move will combine the organizations’ resources and eliminate the competition for volunteers.
HELP International will add a program in Fiji starting summer 2009, with in-country projects including organic gardening and health classes. The Fiji program does not require language skills and allows program participants to fight poverty in an often-overlooked country.
TIMPVIEW GIRLS SOCCER GETS CHANCE OF LIFETIME TRIP TO UGANDA
The Deseret News, November 2008
Fifteen members of Provo’s Timpview High School girls soccer team will volunteer with HELP International programs and Goals for Girls in June 2009. The team will be just the second high-school aged girls soccer team from the United States to travel to Africa, where they will work to better lives through soccer.
As the Global Action Malaria Plan takes strong measures to fight malaria in Africa, HELP International program participants work with educations programs in Uganda, a nation devastated by the world’s deadliest disease.
HELP INTERNATIONAL: CHANGING THE WORLD THROUGH SERVICE
LDS Living, September 2008
From humble beginnings in the wake of Hurricane Mitch’s destruction to Honduras, HELP International has grown to operate in eight countries and has sent hundreds of volunteers. Successful projects include rural libraries, health classes and safe water for villages, changing the lives the volunteers and those living in poverty.
HELP International will join forces with local musicians to present a benefit concert for Uganda. The event, featuring everything from an a cappella group to a high school choir, will help raise money for children and families assisted by HELP programs in Uganda.
Founded in 1999, HELP International works towards sustainable development through meaningful trips for volunteers and locals. Many alumni point to their experience with HELP as the starting point for their continued work in development.
Helping single mothers in El Salvador is a regular occurrence for HELP International participants, but now every member of the BYU community has a chance to help the program. BYU students and clubs will host a week of service to benefit outside organizations, including HELP International.
After seeing the corruption and awful conditions of orphanages in Guatemala, 24-year-old Guillermo Rangel created Clara Fantasia, an orphanage focused on reuniting children with their families. HELP volunteers assist Rangel and have seen firsthand the incredible changes that come as families are brought back together.
After volunteering with HELP International in El Salvador in 2005, Rachel Perkins knew she had found something worthwhile. Her love for humanitarian work grew as she served as HELP International recruiting specialist, and she will soon be a country director in El Salvador. Perkins credits her life-changing experience with HELP to her new-found passion in life.
BYU CONFERENCE CENTERED AROUND MOVEMENT DEDICATED TO CREATING JOBS, FIGHTING POVERTY
The Daily Herald, March 2003
Business classes for the poor run by HELP volunteers in Peru have changed the lives of many people. HELP, along with other non-profit organizations, will be featured at BYU’s Microenterprise Conference to teach of the importance and raise awareness about microfinance and development.
HELP volunteers throughout the world are using their experience to better the lives of the impoverished and improve their own lives through meaningful service. The unique approach to development has led volunteers to create successful projects, including health clinics and rural libraries.
Wanting to raise awareness about what it means to live in poverty, two BYU students will travel to El Salvador and Peru this summer with HELP International to create a documentary. Both students served LDS missions in Latin America and want to share their love of the people with the world.
