“Asociación Colaboración y Esfuerzo – ACOES (Association Collaboration and Effort)” is a non-governmental and non-lucrative organization, founded by the Spanish father Patricio Larrosa, a priest that arrived in Honduras in 1993. After seeing the great need of the population, especially in the marginal neighborhoods of the capital and the rural areas, he proposed himself of helping the childhood and the population in general, promoting the solidarity and work for an integral development of the human being in the sectors of most disfavored population.

ACOES's vision is to form and qualify persons that are capable of acquiring a solidarity compromise with the poorest persons of Honduras, with the purpose of achieving a social change that eradicates, as much as possible, the poverty in this country, creating networks of solidarity and help through the intervention, principally, in the educational field.

ACOES's main aims are:
- Execute in a non-profit way projects of humanitarian help for the childhood, youths and elderly of all the country and the population in general, tending to create and develop life conditions that favor peace, justice, rights, solidarity and an integral development of the human being in the most disfavored sectors.
- Promote the overcoming of the educational level of the population assisted in the different projects that are executed.
- Contribute to the improvement of the assisted population's general health.

ACOES has many projects, but the main project where the volunteers work are:
“Casas Populorum Progressio” (Houses of The Progress of the Towns [Latin])
The houses are homes for young people (18-24 years old) of indigenous communities that have the restlessness and the desire to study and to work by the most needed. The young people have the opportunity to form themselves as an integral way serving as dynamism elements of the development of their villages of origin.
 

The primary target of the Houses is to help to improve the educative quality of life of these young people with necessities and preoccupations by means of its integral qualification. Also, it has been tried to qualify them for the overcoming of the formal study plan of the Honduran Government, delegate responsibility of the support of humanitarian projects and of development in their respective communities or others, and to develop in them the Christian human values of coexistence, justice, responsibility and common work in a familiar climate and of mutual support.
 

In the same way, the project from its origins had the idea to generate a dynamics multiplying, so that through each one of the youths it was possible to contribute to improve the level of life of their communities passing from just one project to becoming in a network that will benefit the villages of each one of them. With the Houses the youths are motivated to participate in the reality of their town, making conscience that the inequality of which they are victims is not a whim of the destiny, but that they belong to a country of countless resources, but where the wealth is unjustly distributed.
 

The project is based on four pillars:
- Formation of values.
- Life in community.
- Collaboration in development projects.
- Education regulated in the public centers.

The volunteers would work mainly at the “Casa Populorum Progressio” in Ostumán, Copán, or
in Marcala, La Paz.
In both Houses the activities consist of:
- Help organize and profit in the best way possible the study periods.
- Systematically develop comprehensive lectures and correct orthographic writings.
- Support academically the youths in their needs, teaching qualifications, which is by groups of students, or by a personalized manner.
- Give them methods of study techniques.
- Give them resources that help them in their human and academic formation.
- Teach workshops of different formative skills for the youths, but based in a playful pedagogy (music, theatre, etc.).
- The volunteers can also help in the projects that the youths participate (“Maestro en Casa”, “Centros Infantiles”, “Ancianos”).

IMPORTANT: It‟s important to take into consideration that within the Houses spirituality is developed, praying every day with fixed schedules. The volunteers that can accompany these prayers are not required to be believers of Catholicism, but it is highly asked to respect the faith that is lived within the Houses.

Age: Older than 18.
Gender: Indifferent.
Languages: Spanish.
Studies: None in particular.
Abilities and Attitudes: Willing to live in a community atmosphere and in Honduras’ countryside. Able to give educative support to the youths of the project, especially in Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry, English, computers, musical and artistic abilities.
Religion: Catholic; or any other, but the volunteer needs to be respectful with the spiritual and religious life of the youths who participate in the project.

Project's main office: Tegucigalpa, M.D.C., Francisco Morazán
“Casas Populorum Progressio” (where the volunteers work): Ostumán, Copán and Marcala, La Paz

Living within the social project.