About Us
What is Casa de Esperanza?
Casa de Esperanza Ministries is a faith-based Christian organization that seeks to bring HOPE to those in need by promoting self-sufficiency and spiritual growth through supportive housing, training, and skill development. We also assist with medical care and provide basic construction services.
Casa de Esperanza means House of Hope in Spanish. We seek to answer Jesus’ call to look after orphans in their distress, to feed the hungry, to give shelter to the stranger, and to care for the sick.
Why Honduras?
In the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch in 1999 , volunteers from Western Michigan went to Honduras to provide medical services and complete repairs on an orphanage. For the next several years those volunteers returned on a number of occasions. They staffed dental clinics, constructed and renovated several buildings, worked at several orphanages and formed relationships with children living there. Some of these volunteers make up the Casa de Esperanza board of directors today!
Honduras is a country that contains great beauty, contrasted with great poverty. More than half of the country lives below the poverty line, making Honduras one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere.
Thousands of Honduran children are sent to orphanages every year. However, when they turn 18, they leave the orphanages often unprepared to enter the workforce. Most of these children have not graduated from high school; they lack skills, vocational training, and a supportive network necessary to live a productive adult life. The unemployment rate in Honduras is greater than 8%.
Just Go. Just Help.
About once a year, Casa de Esperanza Ministries coordinates teams of volunteers to travel to Honduras and work on a variety of projects. Volunteer skill levels range from professionals and experts to beginners and novices. In partnership with Honduran churches and hospitals, volunteers might work on construction projects, assist with medical brigades or spend time with the students in our educational programs. Past building projects have included housing repair, new home starts and the construction of a new primary school.