Bilingual Education for Central America

General Program: BECA recruits, trains and supports English-speaking volunteer teachers to staff a network of community-run bilingual schools in Honduras serving low-income individuals. In 2020, BECA provided a high-quality bilingual education to over 650 students and supported 33 volunteer teachers. BECA was incorporated in 2002, is recognized as a 501(c)3 and serves disadvantaged students at our partner schools San Jeronimo Bilingual School in Cofradia, Honduras and Santa Monica Bilingual School in nearby Vida Nueva, Honduras. Additionally, BECA operates a school in Macuelizo in conjunction with Amigos de Jesus, which is a Catholic charity based in Malvern, PA. The BECA model is built on a partnership among Hondurans committed to high-quality, progressive education and dedicated volunteer teachers from Honduras, North America, and around the globe. The partnership results in a high-quality bilingual education that is accessible to all members of the community and a transformative experience for our volunteers. Note that while BECA does not include in-kind labor donated by our volunteers in this filing, the estimated value of such labor is approximately $1 million (40,000+ hours).

BECA Bachillerato Program (BBP): Provides selected graduating 9th grade students from San Jeronimo Bilingual School and Santa Monica Bilingual School with a scholarship to continue their education at a bilingual high school. In 2020, BECA supported four student scholarships to attend bilingual high schools.

Community Care: COVID-19 and the associated strict lockdowns have had a significant impact on Honduras. This crisis was exacerbated by two hurricanes, Eta and Iota, which hit Honduras in the fall of 2020. In response to both COVID-19 and the hurricanes, BECA launched a Community Care Fund to support community members most affected by these crises. Through this fund, BECA primarily provided food staples and related essentials, tuition relief for families, and financial support for community members whose property was damaged by the hurricanes.