Home sweet  home

Housing

During Pre-Service Training (the first 11 weeks) all Trainees must live with a host family. Once Volunteers are assigned sites they must live with a family for the first two months of service. After that point they may stay with the family (if they are welcome) or move into a home or apartment which meets Peace Corps criteria for safety and budget. If a house is approved, monthly rent is paid by Peace Corps.

Because areas and climates vary in Honduras, so does the standard of housing. Some Volunteers live in remote sites where a standard homes are simple wood and mud huts without electricity or running water - though this very rare. Other Volunteers live in developed sites where the standard is a well furnished home or apartment with cable TV and internet - though this is also extremely rare. Most Volunteer homes lie in-between: safe, comfortable and affordable. This is Peace Corps after all.

Money

Volunteers who join the Peace Corps for the money are probably in the wrong life of work. Volunteers live modest lives in Honduras but Peace Corps does take care of its' Volunteers and allow us to live as well as the average Honduran.

Volunteers receive different allotments of money during Staging, Training, Service and during miscellaneous activities. During Staging, Trainees will receive enough to cover meals and expenses for that time. During Pre-Service Training all Trainees receive the same amount of walk around money (about $3 a day). All housing and meals are paid for by the Peace Corps at this time.

During Service, Volunteers will receive a one-time "settling-in allowance" to cover the cost of furniture and miscellaneous expenses when moving to a new site (about $240). The amount Volunteers are given monthly to cover housing and expenses depends largely on the cost of living for that site ($250 to $400 or more per month). In all cases, Volunteers live comfortably if they stay within their budget. Volunteers may also need to travel on Peace Corps business to workshops/training, official meetings or to Tegucigalpa for medical purposes. These additional expenses are also covered by Peace Corps Honduras.

Volunteers also accrue a monthly Vacation Allowance of $24 (as of May, 2007) and they also gain a Readjustment Allowance of $225 (as of May, 2007) per month to be made available upon Close of Service.

Peace Corps does not allow Volunteers or Trainees to recieve payment for work done or engage in any other for profit activities during training or service.