What 2025 taught us

A year of real progress, honest gaps, and a clear vision for what comes next.

I want to tell you the truth about 2025.

Not the polished version. Not just the wins. The full picture — because you are the people who make this possible, and you deserve to know exactly where we are, what we accomplished, where we fell short, and what we are asking of you going into 2026.

That is what this post is. An honest accounting, offered with gratitude.

What We Did in 2025

In 2025, Hope Scholars Honduras funded six scholars with more than $23,000 in scholarships. Those funds covered tuition, books, transportation, and other essential educational expenses for six young people who would not have been able to continue their studies without support.

Our scholars come from across Honduras — from Tegucigalpa to remote coastal communities — reflecting our commitment that a student's zip code should not determine their future. Each scholar is supported not just financially, but relationally: a caseworker, a spiritual mentor, and a community that is invested in their success.

We also strengthened our board and leadership team this year, bringing in fresh perspectives that have sharpened our programs and deepened our reach. This work is better because more people are at the table.

The Part That Keeps Me Up at Night

In 2025, we had to turn away six applicants.

Six young people — men and women — who found us, reached out, filled out applications, and showed us exactly the kind of tenacity and determination that this program exists to support. We could not say yes. Not because they weren't worthy. Because we did not have the funds.

I think about them. I think about the courage it takes to apply for something like this — to put your dreams on paper and hand them to someone and say, I need help. And I think about what it felt like to receive a no from us when they had already received so many nos from the world.

That is not a statistic to me. That is six futures that are still waiting.

What Would Change Everything: Monthly Donors

The single greatest thing that would allow us to say yes to more students is a reliable base of monthly donors.

One-time gifts are beautiful and we are grateful for every single one. But scholarships are not one-time needs. A student who begins with our support in their first year of university needs that support through graduation. Monthly giving is what allows us to make that commitment with confidence — to say yes and mean it for the long haul.

If you have ever thought about becoming a monthly donor, I want to ask you directly: would you consider it now? Even $25 or $50 a month, sustained over a year, is a meaningful part of a student's scholarship. A group of monthly donors is what turns a good idea into a program that lasts.

Monthly giving helps us:

Cover tuition and educational expenses for current and incoming scholars.

Plan ahead with confidence rather than scrambling to fill gaps.

Expand our reach so that the next six applicants don't have to hear no.

Looking Toward 2026 and 2027

Our goal has always been to support twelve scholars by 2026. We are at six. That gap is not a failure — it is an invitation. It is the distance between where we are and what we know is possible.

For 2027, our vision is more ambitious still: a program that is not just sustained from the outside, but one that the Honduran community values and begins to invest in from within. A program with deep enough roots to outlast any single donor, any single year, any single setback.

We are praying for doors to open — new funding sources, new partnerships, new opportunities to serve students who are out there right now, waiting for someone to say yes. Will you pray with us for that?

We'll Report Back in July

In July, we will post a mid-year check-in right here on the blog. We will tell you how many new scholars we were able to welcome, how our current scholars are progressing, and whether we closed the funding gap — or how close we got. No spin. Just the truth, the same way we have always tried to tell it.

We are asking you to hold us to that. Follow along. Check in. Ask us hard questions. That kind of accountability is what keeps a program honest and worthy of your trust.

Four Ways to Be Part of 2026

Give. One-time or monthly — every gift goes directly to a scholar. Donate at www.hopescholarshonduras.org/donate or contact Allison to set up a recurring bank transfer.

Read. Our scholar stories are on the blog. Read them and let them move you. That is why we write them.

Share. Follow us at facebook.com/hopescholarshonduras and pass these stories along. Awareness is its own kind of generosity.

Pray. For our scholars, for the six we had to turn away, and for the doors that still need to open. We do not take your prayers lightly.

Thank you for being part of this. Not just for giving, but for caring — for reading these stories, for praying these prayers, for believing that a scholarship in Honduras matters. It does. We have six scholars who can tell you exactly how much.

See you in July.

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