Category: Blog

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Alexis 5 years post-FIRST Global

Dear Donor,

Our Robotics team just returned to Honduras from Geneva, Switzerland This was our 6th year participating in the FIRSTGlobal international challenge. Meet Alexis – a member of our 2017 team, who is now a mentor, and even accompanied our students to Geneva.

Alexis is currently completing his undergraduate degree in computer science  engineering. He began volunteering full-time with our students in 2020. Alexis challenged himself to grow and learn so that he could help the team. He learned coding; he began planning and leading team meetings; and he even taught himself English with YouTube and books. Alexis recounts, “I very much had in mind that learning English was a necessity since the 2017 challenge… and to increase my probabilities of professional success I tasked myself to learn.” Alexis is now reading, talking and writing in English – he has even written a CREE blog on www.robot.hn all on his own.
We congratulate and celebrate young minds like Alexis – and like so many other bright folks we encounter in Intibucá. That’s why we ask that for Giving Tuesday (November 29th) you remember to support STEM education in Intibucá.

Alexis recounts how STEM education has impacted him, “[it] and my participation in 2017 was transcendental in my deciding what to study,” and also, “in all the positive ways and especially that it was during my early youth because from that point on I acquired so many experiences that will serve me in my professional life, soon to begin.”

We cannot wait for our alumni mentor to graduate in 2023 and we await all that he will contribute to the STEM field and to his community.
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Hearing From Our Mother Hens

By Mariela Rodriguez – Communications Coordinator

Mothers and their children

Mothers and their children

With every egg that is given, we see a child grow. Yet, the program is successful because the mothers come to a monthly appointment where their children are weighed and measured, and then they receive eggs to cook at home. Our “Mother Hens” are an essential part of our project. We recently interviewed a group of mothers to hear how they felt things were going.  Here are some quotes from the mothers:There is reliability in the program:

  • “Because we receive the eggs on time from farms within our community.”
  • “Good! Well, I liked it! Look, I was one of the mothers who was not going to weigh, because I have 2 small children, but I am already going with this program, and that day we set it aside to go to the weighing.”

They are seeing the effects of the program in the child:

  • “The strength is that it helps them with their growth and their weight. They grow better, they are more active, they play more and they no longer get sick.”
  • “They eat the eggs with love, because they like eggs”. 

Receiving eggs is helping their family economy:

  • “I think it is to help a little the economy of the community, of the family, and that little help helps us to buy some medicine for the children or buy them some clothes.”
  • “…that little money you do not spend on the egg is used to buy other things to be able to eat…”

We are truly happy to know that our biggest allies, our “Mother Hens,” are onboard, and alongside them we can continue to make this project a success. All our mothers send thank you to all of those who have given to this project, to their children, to their communities and its future leaders.

We hope this report brought a smile to your face as it did to ours, we are only able to do this thanks to your continued support and generosity.

With gratitude,

Mariela Rodriguez

Communication Coordinator

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Our Team is Back From Geneva

After two days of travelling back to Honduras and recovering from jetlag, our FIRST Global team is basking in the great competition that they underwent in Geneva. As many of our students have never even travelled outside of our department, the new environment, the stress, and the excitement put our students’ focus to the test – and even our mentors’. Even so, their motivation to excel ignited their minds. 

When our robot experienced some hiccups, the team quickly used their skills to modify “Richard” and continue fighting on the playing field. Our mentors Alan, Alexis, Henglyns, Nora and Minsis all were there remind our students that while winning is our objective, there is so much learning and growing that happens along the way.

Our team received, once more, the FIRST Global award in safety, given to teams that exemplify safety standards on the field and in their pits. And secured spot #6 in America and #2 in Central America! 

A donation to our program means you continue to believe in our students, STEM education, their potential and how far it can make them fly! 

We are grateful to all the support from our Shoulder to Shoulder team, from donors – both US and Honduran, and from local Honduran government.

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