Costa a Costa Honduras 2017

INTRODUCTION TO COSTA A COSTA

Costa a Costa (Coast to Coast) Honduras began seven years ago as a way to raise awareness to the coalition group Transformemos Honduras (Let’s Transform Honduras) and the quality education reform work that they do. Founded in conjunction with several NGOs in the country, including the Association for a More Just Society (AJS), Transformemos Honduras (TH) is remarkably effective at rooting out corruption in the Honduran educational system, increasing educational standards of public schools, and rallying hundreds of people to ride bikes in support. For more information on these organizations and the ride, please visit their websites by clicking their names above.

This year, 131 cyclists from seven countries gathered to ride about 300 miles from one coast of Honduras to the other. Over the course of this last week, we presented snapshots from the ride, facts about the good work being done in Honduras, and some photos to show you what this valuable project is all about.

CLOSING THOUGHTS ON COSTA A COSTA 2017 AND ISL’S PARTICIPATION

As a capstone for the week, I wanted to wrap everything up with some reflections on the ride, one of the best weeks of my life. To start, I want to thank ISL and my friends and family for their generous contributions to sponsor my participation on this ride. At ISL, through our own programming, and through partnering with other organizations in the region we seek to support cultural awareness, service-based learning, and sustainable development projects through experiential and responsible volunteer travel programs that inspire local and global service. Sponsoring me in this event is one way ISL demonstrates its commitment to this mission.

As I reflect on the Coast to Coast ride, I am left with a feeling of gratitude. First, I am thankful for the privilege to meet those involved in quality, effective education reform in Honduras. The staff at Transformemos Honduras and the Association for a More Just Society (a founding member of TH) are top-notch. Because of their work, Honduras is measurably safer and better educated. The context in which they work is demanding, but they excel in most impressive ways.

Secondly, I want to reiterate how thankful I am that ISL helped provide me the opportunity to do the ride. The week was not only fun but also inspiring to meet such wonderful people. Without the support of ISL, I would not have been able to participate. ISL’s support made it possible for me to do the ride, but even more importantly, it contributed to quality development work and awareness. I hope that in the future the work happening in Honduras will continue to grow and that we will be able to partner together again next year!

-Sagen Eatwell