Saint Francis University

Every spring break students and faculty travel to El Progreso, Honduras to participate in service projects at Pro Nino, an organization that helps keep children off the streets. This program was begun in 2004 and continues to attract students from all majors. While at Pro Nino, students participate in projects such as building bleachers for the soccer field, repairing buildings, and even providing medical care at clinics. PA and PT students are able to go with faculty members to clinics near El Progreso to help provide medical assistance to individuals who would otherwise have no access to medical care. Students are drawn to the Honduras program for opportunities to engage in service-learning, interact with the children at Pro Nino, and have a meaningful spring break.

 Pro Nino

El Progreso, Honduras 

SFU Students Complete Internship at Pro Nino

 Contact 

Photo Gallery 

--------------------  Pro Nino --------------------

ProNino is a non-profit, non-denominational Christian organization dedicated to working with the street children of Honduras.  It was established in 2000 to begin to meet the physical, emotional, educational, and spiritual needs of the street children in northern Honduras. 

There is a three phase program at Pro Nino which helps keep children off the streets. The first stage of the program begins at Las Flores.  Las Flores is where they learn to play, work and interact constructively and to adhere to discipline and structure. Virtually all the children coming to Las Flores are addicted to huffing glue, so immediate detox is accomplished with the support of a doctor, psychologist and other staff members. 

The second phase of the program at La Esperanza involves further development of life skills, community living, and eases their transition into the program at La Montana.

La Montana, the third stage of the program, is a long-term home and educational center for the boys, once they are no longer dependant upon drugs, and have acquired the social skills and emotional stability to move into community living.  This long-term facility provides opportunities for the boys to attend public and/or private schools and provided additional vocational training.  On site the boys learn skills such as carpentry, baking, and computer as well as receive English language and religious education.  The primary goal is for the boys to complete their education, and to be able to move into a job, vocation, and/or profession that will enable them to be financially independent. 

--------------------  El Progreso  --------------------

Population:    99,300
Location:        17.5 miles outside of San Pedro Sula in the department of Yoro
Language:      Spanish

--------------------  SFU Students Complete Internships at Pro Nino  --------------------

Seniors Elizabeth Carmichael and Faith Galonski first arrived in Honduras by way of a spring break trip.  They worked with Proniño, a nonprofit organization that provides shelter, an education, and guidance to street children.  The experience was rewarding enough that they returned, and spent six months from January to June living and volunteering in the town of El Progreso.  During their stay, Carmichael and Galonski interacted with the children, teaching classes and leading field trips.  “The boys at Proniño will grab you by the heart and will not let you go,” Carmichael said.  “My experiences in Progreso have undeniably shaped who I am and given me a new direction to pursue in my life.”  Galonski had similar reflections.  “Working with the children of Honduras taught me more about life than I could have ever learned through a classroom setting.  The strength, endurance, and hope that these children displayed through their actions were a true testimony of how one should find fulfillment in life.”  Spending time at Pro Nino had a lasting impact on both of the girls, and allowed them to make the most of their college experience. One year after their departure, Carmichael’s journal entries telling about her experiences in Honduras appeared in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. To read her article or travel blog, click the links below:

Notes From Honduras: A travel blog about Elizabeth Carmichael's experinces volunteering in Honduras

Taking it to the Streets: Pittsburgh Post Gazette article

--------------------  Contact  --------------------

Bill Hanlon, PT, DPT, MSPT, OCS
Office: Stokes Building, Suite 229
Phone: (814) 472-3909
E-mail: bhanlon@francis.edu