2012 Annual Report
Finishing the Center of Integral Formation (CFI) in Comayagua was the highlight of the year. Our goal, the completion of this building, once seemed unreachable. But as you can see by the pictures, it is now finished. As of October, 2012, we needed $35,000 to finish the work. PTTW contributed $5900 toward this goal, but that still left $29,100, and we didn’t know where we would we find the money.
Then in October, the projects class of 20 students at CURC, the Central Regional University in Comayagua, laid out a plan to raise the funds, along with a schedule for its completion at the end of November. The students followed their schedule, raised the funds and finished the building.
How did they do it? They prepared and sold food, held auctions, bingo and raffles, and solicited and received donations from the community. A lot of materials were donated for the construction, such as paint for both the inside and outside of the building, tiles for the floor and other materials. In the end, they only needed to raise $14,000 in order to finish everything.
This is a good lesson for all of us. How much can be accomplished with the desire and commitment to make it happen. We should never underestimate the ability of students to accomplish the impossible.
Classes begin again in February, 2013, when the building will be used for what it was designed to become. The university director, professors, and Arnulo Matute, our PTTW representative in Honduras, are putting together a management and program plan in order to be ready for classes.
The CFI will be used for the teaching of values and principles, and conferences on topics of concern to the students. Because it is our goal to develop character in students, there needs to be an outlet for this teaching. The students are eager and ready to do social projects in the community, projects like working with street kids, visiting children in the hospital or other projects. We are anxious for the CFI to also be a center for these projects. The faculty and staff would like the CFI to become the model for other universities in the country, hopefully bringing great change to Honduras.
For the first time since 2004, we had not planned any trips to Honduras in 2012. However, I did travel there to inaugurate the finished building. As you can see, it was not quite finished when I was there, so they had a second ribbon cutting the next week, after it was painted. There were many students at the first ribbon cutting and many professors at the second one.
I also had the opportunity to hear personal testimonies from students and professors on the impact the teaching on values and principles has made in their lives. The professors were enthusiastic about the changes in their students through this teaching and they and the director want to make the teaching a part of the curriculum for all of their students.
Consistent with the purpose of PTTW to develop students academically, emotionally and spiritually, Arnulfo Matute has taught classes of importance to students at the national university in Tegucigalpa, UNAH. Through the year he has taught classes to many students on dating, vocation, memorization, teamwork, making right decisions, self esteem, temperament and the purpose of life.
He has also trained many professors in the teaching of values and principles at universities in Olancho, Comayagua and the military.
Joel Garcia in Comayagua has been consistent in working with us on conferences and has helped open doors for us in the university and the community.
We have regretted not being able to take a group of professionals to share their experience with these young Honduran university students, as we have for the past seven years. However, what was accomplished was that a group of students took ownership of the construction and made it happen. That is significant.
This coming year we hope to take a small group of professionals with us to Honduras in late March. We need professionals in business, civil engineering and the medical field, especially nursing, as well as in other areas.
Come with us and help change their world!
John Potts
Executive Director
Professionals to the World
Professionals to the World is a 501.c.3 educational organization. Send your tax exempt donations to:
Professionals to the World
32 Nighthawk Way
Westcliffe, Colorado 81252
