A group of 10 volunteers from Central Florida are about to embark on an international journey to help keep remote villagers safe.

  • Mission group heading to Honduras to help remote villagers
  • Volunteers will help build a bridge over river
  • When river swells, hungry people try to cross it, risking their lives

They are leaving Orlando this weekend to help build a bridge in Lempira, Honduras, in the western part of the country. It will be a two-span suspension bridge connecting two rural villages, making it easier for locals to walk to places such as school and work.

"It's a very complex issue, because in order to take their crops to the market they've got to cross the river,” said Steve Beams, the founder of Foundation For Missions, which is working with KCG Engineering to make the bridge a reality.

“So these people are hungry and desperate, so they will carry them on their heads across the river. And after a storm, the rivers are ravaging, and a lot of people drown."

The actual bridge-building is staffed by locals in Honduras who are hired for their labor. Sponsors and donations will cover the bridge’s expenses.

Beams said the bridge will not only help keep people safe but also help stimulate the country’s economy. KCG Engineering and the Foundation for Missions also intend to provide ministry for children at feeding centers.

"But also to teach them some skills too,” said Steve Kreidt the owner of KCG. “There are an increasing number of folks who know how to build bridges, and it allows other solutions to be made throughout that country."

Analiese Majetich, a student at the University of Central Florida studying civil engineering and an intern at KCG, hopes to one day be able to do more of this type of work.

"I have in the past gone on mission trips, and I love working in communities that are underprivileged and meeting the people,” Majetich said. “I have always had the heart to do that, reach out and help others."

"When I heard about this trip I jumped on it, realizing that this is my goal in life," Majetich added.