Linda (Director)

My very good friend Marion and I created the Helping Hands Project in 2004 to offer disadvantaged youth the opportunity of an education. The two things I most like about Helping Hands are the students and our dedicated staff! Seeing the positive changes in self-confidence, maturity, and solidarity in our students inspires me. My job is to direct the project and find the necessary funding. My dream for Helping Hands would be to find a way to make it sustainable as at present we depend too much on finding funding.

Janneth (Director´s Assistant)

I was first hired as secretary of the project but since then my role has evolved. I most enjoy getting to know the young people in the project and sharing their challenges and triumphs. I have so much admiration and pride for them. The project's mission inspires me to do my job (supervising the running of the office and making sure the students have the support they need) to the best of my ability. My hope is that our students learn to help others in the future and my dream for the project is that we find the financial support to continue to grow.

Maria Eulogia (Volunteer Counsellor)

I joined the Helping Hands Project as I admire its educational mission. Each student envisions his/her career as a personal project and this way they can discuss their problems with us. Day by day we see the students becoming more open with us. My job is to interview applicants and then do yearly follow-up meetings as they achieve academic success. I would like to see the academic grades of the students improve so that they will have better opportunities for further study and for good jobs.

Fabiola (Office Assistant and Accountant)

I was fortunate enough to be supported by the Helping Hands project as an Accounting student and now I work for them! I love the family feel we have here and the way the students work so hard. I love working alongside our volunteers; the chance to experience other cultures inspires me. I aim to give my very best back so that Helping Hands can continue to grow and support education.

Maria (Social Worker)

In 2008 I was a Helping Hands student and I began working here in 2013. Helping Hands is different from other organizations; my fellow workers and I are not just colleagues - in fact for us our office is like a second home. Seeing the difficulties faced by all of our students inspires me to continue working to help find solutions to their many problems. My job is to do home visits, medical care followups, track the educational performance of the students and so much more. I want to see all of our students realize their dreams.

Elba (Volunteer Counsellor)

When I retired in 2011, Linda Zarate, my friend and former teaching colleague spoke to me about joining the project. I love the fact that I am contributing to the future of young people who want an education. Students' faces light up when they first realize that they will have support to work toward their dreams and this inspires me to continue. I do a lot of listening as students tell us about their plans, their successes and the obstacles that they encounter. As a retired teacher, I enjoy working with students to hone their reading comprehension and study skills and bridge the gaps that often exist when impoverished students embark on a program of study. I want the number of students who reach their dreams to grow and the difficulties that challenge them to decrease.

Ángel (Office Assistant & Messenger)

All of this started at Mendez Arcos (a state home) where I lived for many years. Helping Hands gave me the chance to finish high school and to study English. Now I work here, where together with Linda we manage the website, Facebook, reports, etc. One of the things I like the most is being able to see how this support from HHP has been changing lots of lives throughout these years. I’d love to see Helping Hands with more financial support very soon since it’s the driving force to continue helping others.