Vision. Sharefish's vision is to transform rural communities in Honduras by breaking the historic cycle of poverty that has trapped so many families.
Mission. Sharefish’s mission is to provide educational opportunities for families that result in meaningful work to improve economic circumstances for current and future generations.
Method. Sharefish’s community learning center, Aprende Conmigo (Come Learn with Me), provides educational resources and opportunities, including:
- A private preschool to prepare young students for learning;
- A private middle school (grades 7-9);
- A women’s sewing cooperative; and
- Special programs, such as entrepreneurial seminars and community health presentations.
Sponsorship Program. Sharefish’s sponsorship program provides scholarships for all children in the community of El Carrizo who attend elementary and middle school and advance each year. We also provide scholarships to high school students pursuing certified technical degrees that lead to meaningful work.
Values.
- We believe that education is the cornerstone for transforming communities. According to studies by the World Bank, resources spent on education in third-world countries have among the best returns on investment.
- We respect the community. We work in partnership with the community, respecting its cultural norms and values. Local Honduran full- and part-time employees and volunteers who know the community and culture manage Sharefish's program on a day to day basis.
Motivation. Our motivation is the bleak educational and financial circumstances in rural southern Honduras and our fervent belief that everyone should be given the opportunity to have a good education and find meaningful work.
- Larger Impacts. When the lives of people in Honduras have improved, they do not need to leave their communities and enter the United States undocumented in order to provide the basic resources that their families need to survive.
- Aspirations. While current efforts are focused on El Carrizo, we believe that with sufficient resources many of the educational initiatives developed in El Carrizo could be expanded to include partnerships in other rural communities.
