Kat Zavagno: Community Service in Honduras
For Kat Zavagno, current Junior at Elon, this summer will be her third mission trip in Nuevo Paraiso, Honduras. She has gone on this expedition twice with her high school, Gilmour Academy, and this time, she will be going with the Church of Gesu.
Nuevo Paraíso is a community of homes, schools, and activity centers for over 100 children. These children are abandoned or orphaned, and currently live in group homes with housemothers. This community offers the children schooling, healthcare, counseling, love and attention. The aim is to give these children a safe environment to grow up in, so they are able to become successful, and live a healthy, normal life.
Kat recently answered a few questions regarding her upcoming trip:
Q: Who do you work with in Honduras?
A: We work with orphaned children who are victims of poverty, abuse and extreme neglect
Q: What type of work is involved?
A: Part of the work is construction projects like house building and repairs, and the other half involves caring for and playing with the children
Q: Why do you decide to do this trip every summer?
A: Honduras is the second poorest country in the world, and it lacks basic supplies like clothing, shoes, feminine supplies and baby formula. It is important to me to give back, so when we do these mission trips, we bring over extra suitcases with supplies, and also shop while we are there
Q: What are the children like?
A: Despite the children’s circumstances and how little they have, they are truly the happiest kids I’ve ever encountered. They have so little and appreciate everything so much
Q: Do you contribute in the same way every year?
A: For this year, I wanted to find a way to become more involved, so I started a GoFundMe page, to raise money and be able to purchase supplies for the children
The link for the page: https://www.gofundme.com/exnqn-honduras-mission-trip
Q: How do these trips affect you as a person?
A: I really think that my trips to Honduras have been the greatest learning experiences for me in my life. It allows me to really take a step back and realize how lucky I am.”
For more information on the Honduran Children’s Rescue fund, please visit their website at
http://www.honduranchildrensrescuefund.org/nuevo-paraiso.html