How it began
It started with a visit to the Copán ruins in 2011 and a conversation with a member of the club. The foundation was formed in 2014. The full story, with sources.
IPA-Copan
International Project Alliance: the partnership behind the work
A coalition of Rotary clubs from the Pacific Northwest, and the Rotary Club of Copán Ruinas as their counterpart in Honduras. Together they are IPA-Copan.
What it is
Eleven clubs that chose one place
The International Project Alliance (IPA) is a nonprofit foundation formed in 2014 by Rotary clubs of District 5050 (the Pacific Northwest of the United States and southwestern British Columbia) that decided to concentrate their international effort on a single region of the world: the communities of Copán Ruinas.
-
Since 2011 -
More than eleven clubs Who makes it up
Rotary clubs of District 5050, among them Fidalgo Island (Anacortes), La Conner, Semiahmoo, the Pacific Northwest Passport Rotary Club, and clubs in Stanwood, Mount Vernon, and Oak Harbor. Its volunteers cover administration out of pocket: donations go to direct project costs.
-
The counterpart The club's role
The Rotary Club of Copán Ruinas identifies the need, negotiates with the community, accompanies the work, and answers for it afterward. Without that, a wire transfer from Washington does not become a school.
How it works
38 communities, six fronts, one village at a time
The work reaches 38 communities of Copán and is organized around six fronts that support each other: education, health, food and agriculture, water and sanitation, construction, and economic development. Two programs go beyond the single project: Adopt a Village and the Accelerated Development Program, which works on all six fronts at once in the same community.
Education
What IPA-Copan does for students
It is the front with the clearest numbers and the one that most resembles a promise: whoever lives in a village supported by IPA-Copan can finish high school, take care of their health, and get ready to work.
-
Scholarships Adopt a School, Adopt a Dream
Around 30 primary schools supported, with more than 2,680 students; some 520 high-school students accompanied, with the fifteenth new high school opened in 2023; and university scholarships for more than 20 students.
How the scholarships work -
Health Student Health Fund
So that a health problem never forces anyone to drop out: medical care, tests, medication, glasses or hearing aids, and transport when the appointment is far away, for students in the program.
What it covers and how to ask -
Guidance Ruta de Vida
IPA-Copan's book and web guide for planning education and career: from high school to trade school or university, and from there to a first job or your own business. With WhatsApp and Facebook groups, personalized guidance, and the full book as a PDF.
Enter Ruta de Vida
Ruta de Vida
The guide, topic by topic
Nine topics in four stages, in the order of the path. Each takes a few minutes to read and comes from the book Ruta de Vida: how to plan your education and career in Copán, second edition, 2026.
Other partners
The IPA is not the only one
The club also works with Rotary clubs in North and South Carolina, with Rotary International and World Vision on water and sanitation, and with education and health organizations. Each partnership has its own article: clean water with Rotary Fort Mill, brigades with Rotary Asheville, Chortí villages with Rotary Gastonia.
Sources: International Project Alliance — About us · International Project Alliance expands educational opportunities · District 5050 · Ruta de Vida, second edition (IPA-Copan, 2026)
Would your club like to join IPA-Copan?
Reach out through Facebook Messenger or email. We'll get back to you soon.
Would you like to support a project? See how to help
What is IPA-Copan?
The name of the joint work between the International Project Alliance, a foundation of District 5050 Rotary clubs in the United States, and the Rotary Club of Copán Ruinas, its counterpart in Honduras. They work in 38 communities of Copán on six fronts.
Does Ruta de Vida belong to the club or to the IPA?
It is an IPA-Copan program: the book is published by IPA-Copan in partnership with Rotary, and the scholarships, the Student Health Fund, and the guidance are run by the program team. This web guide is the online version of that book.
How do I donate to the IPA?
Through the IPA Foundation, which issues tax-deductible receipts in the United States and puts donations toward direct project costs. See how to support us.
Can my Rotary club join?
Yes. The IPA is made up of clubs that joined one at a time. Write to us and we will put you in touch with the foundation and with the club's projects committee.