FloodSafe Honduras

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Vision, Mission and Principles

Projects

Vision – We envision the project as

A collaboration between MIT and local Honduran non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to develop sustainable solutions to problems that have been identified by the NGOs and that require the knowledge and resources available at MIT.
An opportunity for MIT students to use their advanced knowledge and skills in a service setting, where they can explore the connections between technology and society.
An inspiration for the MIT community to think beyond the standard norms of science and engineering projects and consider their use for the greater good.

Mission – Our mission is

To assist the Centro Tecnico (or other local NGOs) in its mission to bring about development in Honduras and to provide them with the appropriate technology to hasten that development.
To provide MIT students the opportunity to put their unique science, engineering, and analytical skills to work in the service of a developing region of Honduras.
To learn new knowledge and skills by collaborating with other students, faculty, and local Hondurans to develop solutions.
To educate the MIT community about the importance of technology and quantitative thinking to international aid work, and about the importance of technologically and culturally appropriate solutions.

Guiding Principles –

At MIT:

We initiate projects at the request of our partner organization in Honduras, although we may also suggest ideas.
We follow the principles of and draw from the resources of the MIT International Development Initiative (Edgerton Center/D-Lab/Public Service Center).
We believe it is important to provide opportunities for students at MIT to incorporate their science, engineering, and analytical skills into outreach and community service work. We will reach out to different student groups to make such opportunities known.
We expect all project participants to contribute their own ideas and suggestions and to adhere to commonly agreed-upon deadlines.
We value input from students from all experience levels and disciplines, but we seek out the proper guidance from professors and other scholars to ensure that our work is as excellent and professional as possible.
We seek out opportunities for interested students to share their experiences of the project with local community organizations, especially those that include young people.
We have no religious faith requirement for participation, and no part of our mission involves proselytizing about any faith to either participating students or to partners in Honduras.
However, we invite project participants to engage in conversations about the motivation for and effectiveness of service learning and international development work.

In Honduras:

We are guests of the NGO and represent MIT at all times. Our behavior reflects this at all times we are associated with this project. We are also positive ambassadors and representatives of the interests of our funders (Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, MIT Entrepreneurship Center, MIT IDEAS Competition, MIT Public Service Center, MIT Edgerton Center, and any others we have in the future),
We seek guidance from the NGO on local coordination and scheduling, as they know the community best. We respect the expertise and insights of the NGO, and we offer our opinions and questions respectfully.
We educate ourselves about the economic, political, and cultural climate of the Honduran communities in which we work, and we avoid stereotypes and preconceptions of our local partners. We remember that we have been invited to Honduras by our local partners, that our work is not possible without them, and that they have much to teach us about both technical and cultural matters.
Although we want to help, we are conscious of the limited means of our organization, and volunteer our services and resources accordingly.
When questions or problems arise, we defer to the wisdom and experience of the engineers and technicians of our partner organization in Honduras.