The seven schools of the Episcopal Diocese of Honduras are all meeting in-person again after a long shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But this good news for the Diocese of Central Florida’s Communion Partner brings with it a problem that has prompted The Rt. Rev. Lloyd Allen to ask for help: a teacher shortage.

“If there’s anyone who would like to come to us and volunteer as an English teacher, we would be most interested in having them,” Allen, bishop of the Diocese of Honduras, said. “The school itself would provide housing, a small stipend and transportation back and forth if the person stays the entire academic year.”

And the need is not just for English teachers, Allen said. A special need also exists for teachers with technology skills who could help set up computer labs, along with a need for potential teachers for other areas.

“Again, if there is anyone who is interested in coming to Honduras, say, a retired teacher, who would like to come and give us 10 months of his or her time, there is a flagship school here in San Pedro Sula,” Allen said. “It’s our larger school, and we usually have 400-450 students.”

For those who are interested in helping but can’t travel to Central America, another option may be available.

“We’re also trying to put together an online program, so if we have someone who would like to teach, there’s a possibility that that person could do it from wherever he or she is,” Allen said. Of the seven schools in the diocese, six of them run from September through June, while one runs on the Honduran year, February through November. But he urges anyone interested to contact the diocese and begin the conversation.

Bishop Lloyd Allen delivering refurbished computers to Holy Trinity Episcopal School, La Ceiba, Honduras.

The Diocese of Central Florida has supported education in Honduras in other ways through the years. In 2020, the annual Thanksgiving Offering helped provide laptops and other tech devices for students in Honduras to use while the schools were still on lockdown. For more than a year, at least 60% of the country’s students missed out on their education because of a lack of ability to access their classes online, Allen said. Generous gifts from Central Florida helped bridge that gap, and Allen is still distributing Kindle Fires and other tech devices.

“We have a lot of kids in Honduras, not in our Episcopal schools, but out in the country, where kids are members of our churches, but they don’t have computers to do their schoolwork,” he explained. “So there is always a need. Once we get the used devices, we refurbish them and share them with the kids.”

Allen urged anyone who may sense God’s leading to volunteer as a teacher in Honduras, either in-person or online, or who has used electronic devices to share, to contact Jackie de Ruiz, education coordinator for the Diocese of Honduras, at jruiz.ebp@episcopalhn.org. Wesny Dubic, chairman of the diocesan Honduras Commission, is also available for those who may need more information, wdubic02@hotmail.com.