The Daily Herald

UTAH VALLEY -- John Benson is going to Honduras to teach horticulture to the natives. The BYU student wants to help them grow "anything other than rice or beans."

He also hopes to build a library of books on gardening, sewing, architecture, math, science and English.

"We want to inspire them to better themselves," John said.

Other BYU students are involved in HELP Honduras, founded by Warner Woodworth after Hurricane Mitch to help rebuild the country's economy.

Woodworth, a BYU business professor, wants to help the people become self-reliant.

Brandon Wood, 24, who assisted with microcredit in 1999, started an ACP Bank and invites others to go this summer.

ACP stands for Accion Contra la Pobreza and means Action Against Poverty.

"We use ACP to reach the poorer, higher risk population," Brandon said. "We try to increase the impact through education like business training, literacy and social areas."

Another BYU graduate, Jennifer Boehme, 25, is executive director of HELP International.

"We send college-age volunteers to work with a partner in long-term development of microcredit," she said. "The key in development is the holistic approach with building houses, clinics and bridges."

Originally from Israel, Adi Hicar, 20, moved with his family to Honduras and lived there more than three years. In the course of his education, he met two volunteers with ACP and a couple LDS missionaries. Both sets of people impressed him.

After taking a trip to visit friends in the United States, he returned to Honduras and tried to locate the missionaries.

He found them, joined the church on June 8, 2000, and started working with ACP and HELP. Now he's at BYU and wants to help with ACP again.

Working in ACP and HELP for nine months is "an experience I wouldn't change," Adi said.

"You see if you are really doing something, the progress as you are working with people."

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page D1.