Water & sanitation
Bringing clean water and sanitation to communities where it means running kilometers of pipe along steep hillsides. This is our most far-reaching work front.
Projects
What we do, and where
Our work reaches 38 communities of Copán in western Honduras.
The terrain
A region where distance is measured in hours
Copán Ruinas is known for its ancient Maya ruins. A few kilometers past the town center, the communities begin — places where getting there can take hours, and where water, a school, and a health post aren't guaranteed. That's where the club works.
Reach
Water and sanitation, in numbers
The club has taken part in clean water and sanitation projects alongside Rotary International and World Vision in rural communities across western Honduras. These are the numbers from the broader joint effort we're part of:
- ≈ 16,000 people reached
- 13+ communities
- 15 schools
- 10 health facilities
These numbers are from our joint work with Rotary International and World Vision. The club is one of the partners making this happen on the ground.
Six work fronts
What we work on
Together with the International Project Alliance, a coalition of Rotary clubs from the Pacific Northwest with a long-term commitment to the region, our work is organized around six fronts that support each other.
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Education
Working with schools in our communities, where staying in school depends on things as basic as water, a safe path, and a meal.
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Health
Supporting rural health facilities and the conditions that keep people from getting sick in the first place.
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Food & agriculture
Growing food and building better farming practices in hillside communities.
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Construction
Community infrastructure — what it takes for everything else to work and last.
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Economic development
Creating local livelihoods so that progress doesn't depend on someone coming back every year.
Project by project
The projects, one by one
The work fronts above describe what we do. These articles tell the stories of individual projects — who helped fund them, what was built, and what changed.
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Education Rural schools in Copán: what changes when the investment arrives
A rural school repainted, with a concrete path, playground and a new classroom. What sits behind it: the IPA education programme and the Rotary Club of Copán Ruinas.
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Education Announcing Ruta de Vida: a free guide to plan your education and career
IPA-Copan and the Rotary Club of Copán Ruinas publish the second edition of Ruta de Vida, a life-planning guide for students from rural communities.
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Community A Complete Guide to Volunteering in Copán Ruinas with Rotary
Everything you need to know about volunteering in Copán Ruinas: medical brigades, water projects, education, and construction. Who can volunteer, how to start, and what to expect.
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Community How to Donate to Communities in Honduras Through Rotary Copán Ruinas
How to donate to rural communities in Honduras: tax-deductible gifts, IPA Foundation, Rotary Global Grants, and how funds create impact in water, health, and education.
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Education School survey in Río Amarillo, Honduras: what the students told us
The IPA program surveyed students at the Río Amarillo IHER in May 2026. They rate their education 4.73 out of 5, and not one of them knew there was a library.
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Health Medical brigades in Copán Ruinas, Honduras: 17 years with Rotary Asheville
Every February, a free dental and eye brigade serves Copán Ruinas. The story, the numbers, and how the operation works with the Rotary Club of Asheville.
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Water & Sanitation Clean water in communities of Copán: the Rotary Fort Mill partnership since 2008
From a thousand-dollar donation to a water and sanitation partnership across communities in Copán Ruinas: projects, global grants, and the communities they serve.
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Community The IPA partnership: eleven Rotary clubs and a counterpart in Copán Ruinas
How the International Project Alliance was born from a visit to Copán in 2011 and what it does today in 38 communities of Copán alongside the Rotary Club of Copán Ruinas.
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Health Medical equipment worth over $350,000 for the Santa Rita Polyclinic, Honduras
Delivery beds, neonatal incubators, and hospital equipment donated to the Santa Rita Polyclinic, with Rotary World Help and Canadian volunteers.
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Education School libraries in Copán, Honduras: the Chispa Project
A school library with over 800 books in Cabañas, Copán, and the Chispa Project model: 127 libraries in ten years, with Rotary coordination.
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Community Clean cookstoves in Honduras: cooking without smoke inside the house
The eco-stove project with the Space Center Rotary Club of Texas: less smoke, less firewood, and less respiratory illness in community kitchens.
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Water & Sanitation Water and housing in 18 communities of Copán, Honduras, with Rotary Gastonia
Clean water for 18 communities of Copán, over 350 homes built with Habitat for Humanity, and school furniture for 44 schools: a years-long partnership with Gastonia.
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Health New laboratory and brigades: a year of health in Copán Ruinas
A new laboratory at the Health Center, free dental and eye brigades, and the brigade with CAMO Foundation: the club's health work.
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Community Rotary partners in Honduras: who makes each Copán Ruinas project possible
Fort Mill, Asheville, Gastonia, the IPA, Rotary World Help, Chispa, World Vision, and CAMO: who the Rotary Club of Copán Ruinas partners with and what each brings.
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Education Rural education in Copán, Honduras: a kindergarten in La Pintada
Building a kindergarten in the community of La Pintada, partnership with Schools for Children of the World, and support for community schools in Copán Ruinas.
Interact
Interact Mayatan: the club's young people
The club sponsors Interact Mayatan, the Interact club of Mayatan Bilingual School: young people ages 12 to 18 with projects of their own. The main one is Days for Girls, so that no girl in Copán Ruinas misses school because of her period.
How it's possible
A small club with a big partnership
The Rotary Club of Copán Ruinas is the Honduran counterpart of the International Project Alliance (IPA). That's what turns a project idea into something real: the IPA clubs provide long-term funding and support, and the club brings what you can't send on a plane — knowledge of the ground, relationships with the communities, and accountability for the work.
Layered on top is the network of the Rotary International District 4250, which includes clubs in Honduras, Guatemala, and Belize, and through that, Rotary International's global network.
Collaborate
How to get involved
There are three ways: become a club member, bring your business in as a project partner, or propose a collaboration from another Rotary club.
Short survey
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Questions?
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Would you like to support a project? See how to help
What types of projects does the club do?
We work in four priority areas: health (medical and dental brigades), education (scholarships and libraries), clean water (sanitation systems), and community development (eco-stoves and infrastructure).
How do you choose projects?
Each year we conduct a needs survey in the communities we serve. Projects come from direct community consultation, not internal club decisions.
How can I volunteer?
Message us on Messenger or fill out the contact form with your skills and availability. We will match you with the right project.
Where does funding come from?
We combine club funds, local donations, Rotary International grants (Global Grants), and partnerships with sister clubs from the US and other countries.