Big Dreamer's School

Our sister nonprofit is Big Dreamer’s School (BDS), a bilingual school located just a few kilometers from the SELF offices in Honduras. In addition to providing bilingual education to young students, BDS also provides an English academy for older students and adults. Supporting equal access to education for all, Big Dreamer’s School provides scholarships for low income students. Founded in 2014, SELF has partnered with BDS since 2016, providing internet access for all students, student scholarships, and an organizational leadership partnership, sharing resources and ideas.

Omar Rodas, is a Honduran citizen who founded BDS in 2014. Omar ​​graduated from the National Autonomous University of Honduras and has his Bachelors Degree in Foreign Languages. He dreamed of opening a school to provide quality education and give opportunity to those who, for many generations, had not dreamed of breaking the chain of poverty.

At 6 years old (1993), Omar’s family moved from Tegucigalpa with his 7 brothers and their mother to the project of single mothers known as Nuevo Paraíso and directed by Sister María Rosa Leggol. Nuevo Paraíso gave him and his family a home, a job for his mother, a safe and beautiful neighborhood and many people who cared for them. The most important thing was a kindergarten, an elementary school and a high school, as well as a scholarship to go to college.

In 2006 Omar arrived back at the school where he had attended elementary school in Nuevo Paraíso, requesting a job opportunity as the English instructor for the subject they were beginning to teach. It was a difficult year because his knowledge in English was basic, he also did not have the pedagogical knowledge to teach. However, it was that year of interaction with children and the classroom that sparked in him the passion for teaching. He decided to train as teacher to give and do more for those who needed to be educated. It was in this year that this project was originally born, big plans were made and big steps taken to achieve them. The dreams that had formed in the imagination of a big dreamer for many years were becoming a reality and this is how the school came to be called "Big Dreamers”.

You can support Big Dreamer’s School by donating or volunteering. 60% of BDS students are in need of scholarships. The scholarship program is the connection between a child who needs financial assistance and the people who, in a stated or anonymous way, help with the student's tuition and related expenses. BDS will provide sponsors with a student profile that describes the child and their interests. Sponsors can correspond with students and are welcome to visit the school in person. A donation of $100 per month or $1200 per year will cover the cost of 1 child's tuition, text books and uniforms.