A volunteer must be at least 21 years old for long-term service, and at least 18 years old to serve for a summer term. A volunteer must have lived away from his/her parents for a minimum of one year (college included). Covid-19 vaccination required. A volunteer should have a heart to serve, be flexible, and humble.

Each applicant will first submit a resume and send an email to our Volunteer Manager (volunteermanager@amigosdejesus.org) with your interest in volunteering. Second, the applicant will meet with the Volunteer Manager to learn more about the organization and gain insight into who you are. Third, the applicant will be sent an application to complete. Upon receipt of the application, the applicant will be invited to meet with our Director of Operations in Honduras (or the Principal for teaching positions). In culmination, references and background checks will be completed.

For the application, each applicant must provide a resume, 3 references, and complete a background check. Upon acceptance, each applicant will need a passport valid for the next year or more.

Amigos provides each volunteer with modest housing (a shared room in a communal house), 3 meals a day (some in the house, others at school and with the children in their homes), transportation to and from the Honduras airport, support systems, and lots of love from the kids.

Amigos volunteers live together in an intentional community on site. On our property, the children live in homes with madrinas and padrinos [caregivers]. We have administrative offices, a clinic, kitchen, church, farm, and a school on site. All volunteers work with the same population of children, serving both the children of Amigos de Jesús and the neighborhood children.

Amigos de Jesús is located just outside the town of Macuelizo in western Honduras, just 9 miles east of the Guatemala border. Macuelizo is situated halfway between the second largest city in Honduras, San Pedro Sula, and the popular tourist destination of Copan Ruínas. Flights to San Pedro Sula leave from multiple US destinations daily.

Fluency in Spanish is not required to volunteer with Amigos de Jesús. Volunteers and teachers have the option to attend language school in Copan Ruínas at their own expense. Classes can be attended in person prior to your arrival at Amigos, or online as your schedule permits. Amigos will help volunteers coordinate classes with the Spanish school.

Our volunteer program has three time periods: November – January, March – May, and July – September, for a total of 3 months each period. Volunteers have the option to return for an additional period. The teaching position at ADJBS requires a full year of service from July – June.

Volunteers at Amigos de Jesús will live in a shared community house with other volunteers. Living in community means not only sharing physical living spaces but also investing in each other. Volunteers live together, work together, and become each other’s primary support system during their time at Amigos. The friendships formed often last long after the volunteers’ time at Amigos has ended. In order to intentionally foster these relationships, volunteers will participate in various community building and spiritual activities throughout your time at Amigos.

Volunteers will eat the same food prepared for the children and staff. Other meals will be eaten with the children or in the school. Breakfast is typically eggs, beans, corn tortillas and occasionally arroz con leche or pancakes. Lunch is the largest meal of the day including meat such as chicken or beef, salad, rice, corn tortillas, and juice. Eggs, beans, cheese, and corn tortillas are a typical Honduran dinner.

Volunteers are not required to fundraise for their expenses during their time at Amigos. If a volunteer chooses to fundraise, the money raised can be used with their own discretion for costs such as flights, Spanish school, and any other personal expenses.

We recognize that volunteers come from a wide variety of backgrounds, with varying levels of financial security and abilities to fundraise. All interested candidates should apply, even if they may need financial assistance or if fundraising may be a challenge. The Amigos staff will assist the volunteer in discerning strategies to make their year of service financially feasible.

Like any travel experience, volunteers take on a certain amount of risk when they commit to months of service in Honduras. In the long history of Amigos de Jesús, there have been no incidents of violence, trauma, or serious accidents involving long- or short-term American volunteers. The Hogar [Home] is located in a peaceful, rural area and Amigos de Jesús is well respected in the local community. However, Honduras is known for its high rates of crime and it is up to each individual to decide if the level of risk is acceptable before choosing to come to Honduras.

Volunteers most frequently turn to each other for support along with extra guidance from their Volunteer Manager, who provides both professional and personal support. Volunteers assisting at the school will have professional support from the school staff, and volunteers in roles outside of the school will receive more support from the U.S.-based staff. The Honduras Director and staff are available as needed.

Volunteers’ families and close friends are highly encouraged to visit. Visitors are permitted to stay for up to one week at a time. Visitors are also encouraged to see other parts of Central America with their volunteer after spending time at Amigos de Jesús.

Each volunteer will develop his/her own system of how to best communicate with loved ones at home. The volunteer house and areas where volunteers work are all equipped with WiFi, allowing for easy communication.

The roles the volunteers fill are constantly evolving to meet the needs of the Amigos family. Roles typically include extracurricular and recreational activity manager, tutor, administrative assistant, clinic support, pastoral support, and psychology and social work assistant. Volunteers can also work in maintenance, carpentry and metal, and agriculture areas. There are also opportunities to support the school, as a resource or supplementary class (music, art, library) teacher.

Amigos de Jesús was co-founded by a Catholic priest, and our children are raised in the Catholic faith. Volunteers of all faiths are accepted into the program. However, they are asked to make a commitment to actively participate in the children’s Catholic faith formation and in the Catholic spirituality of the community. Among other things, this commitment is manifested in regular prayer, attendance at weekly mass, attendance at weekly celebrations of the Word and celebration of religious holidays.