Need Gift Ideas for Kids in Honduras

Toothbrushes and hygiene items?

I like the bubbles idea for fun and spending time with the children.

Don't focus too much on material gifts.

What do you know about the kids and their circumstances? Are you talking about orphans, or kids with other trauma? Are you talking about economic deprivation? Are you the only one going, or are you part of a group that should coordinate with each other? Who is your sponsoring or liaison organization? Can't they give you some guidance? How many kids, and what's your budget? How much space do you have to transport things? Are you limited, say, to one suitcase for 30 kids? That's going to make a difference in any suggestions/answers.

If they have practically nothing, I'd go for things like underwear and shirts, maybe shoes (sizes can be tough). Can you partner with a donor here, such as a group that recycles used but outgrown footwear? What about basic toiletries such as toothbrushes and toothpaste? Sometimes you can work with a toothpaste company or even a group of 5-10 dentists for small donations from each one. But you have to be sure of the need first.

I would not do something like candy - yes, it's nice, but it's a one-shot deal and nothing lasting. If you are doing true humanitarian mission work, you'll want your gifts to last a while.

You might also do well to collect some financial donations, and then buy things when you arrive. For example, buying culturally appropriate books once you get there would support local book stores and publishers, not to mention save you from transporting a lot of heavy stuff.

My dad goes to Honduras, Costa Rica, and Ecuador on mission trips several times a year, and he brings kids gifts continually. He does bring long use items like clothing, but the kids love to get special gifts that they can't get in their home country or that is out of their price range. Some of the favored ones are mini-kid friendly flashlights and batteries, chalk (crayons can melt easily), watercolor paints, gum, American hats (Minecraft and Super-Heroes for boys, Frozen/Disney etc for girls), hair accessories for girls (the more sparkle the better), kid friendly backpacks or bags, yoyo's, small Barbies and Lego sets, etc. He also brought a CD player for the kids, with some Disney CD's, which THEY LOVED!
Have fun with it, this is an amazing opportunity to make a difference. If you want more specific ideas on the things he has brought, feel free to send me a message.

Love the suggestion about buying something locally after you figure out their needs.

Try to get more information on the conditions where you will be visiting and the number of children that you will be working with. Coordinate with other church members so that you do not duplicate items and take up valuable space. If you are going to be working in the schools, bring school supplies. You could ask for members of your church to help you purchase some of the things you want to bring. Sometimes you can ask local stores for donations or discounts or at least use the tax exempt form that your church should have. Good luck. Many blessings on your mission trip.

Frisbees, deflated soccer balls, pencils, notebooks, hair barrettes, puzzle books, etc. For practical purposes, toothbrushes, toothpaste, combs, clothes, soap, reusable shopping bags, etc. There is so much you can bring. I buy stuff for kids in India that is right around this age range as well. I always go to the store right after the holidays and buy the half priced themed items. I've gotten a ton of stuff that is cheap that they enjoy.

ETA: Most of the stuff that I get is bought throughout the year as I find good deals. For school supplies, I buy when school starts and notebooks are 10 cents, crayons are 20 cents, a box of pencils for 50 cents. If there are any stores going out of business, that is a great place to stock up on stuff. We don't buy in bulk, so if I happen to see soccer balls on sale in a store, I might get two or three. You can also try the dollar store and see what items are available there. For toiletries, anytime I stay in a hotel, I put all of the soaps and stuff in the ice bucket liner bag and stick it in my suitcase. Housekeeping restocks when they clean the room. Those travel sizes are great for sticking in nooks and crannies of suitcases.

If you take cash, be sure to check what the limit is that you must declare for customs. This can raise red flags if you are over their limit. Also, you could look at doing a wire transfer to avoid carrying cash while traveling, but be aware of large fees that may get imposed when you try to collect the money. And by all means, be careful when doing a currency exchange. Don't let on to any taxi drivers or baggage handlers that you need to exchange money and only do exchanges at a reputable place.

I volunteered 3 weeks at an orphanage in Zimbabwe once. I brought the kids clothes and little things the adults/teachers could hand out (like from Oriental Trading Company). I saw later this was useless...bc I think many of their volunteers bring this. Spending time there I saw that they ate sadza (corn meal mush) daily. I saw that every single kid was starved for adult attention. So, just spending time with kids, helping with homework, giving hugs, playing games was valuable. I spent every hour holding a baby since most of the times the babies just sat in their cribs until an adult came in at feeding time. Looking back at my experience I wish I had gone to the local store and bought out their entire supply of peanut butter for the orphanage. The same thing with powdered milk. The kids there rarely got any protein. I wish I had bought out a farm stand each day and brought fresh fruits and veggies daily. I wish I had gotten them some sports equipment...maybe even helped to get something big set up like a basketball net. Most of all, I wish I could have given each of those kids and babies a home with loving adults. :(

When I went to Honduras for a missions trip we took small bottles of bubbles. The kids loved them. School supplies were also a big hit. Check the dollar section at Target or a dollar store for packages of pencils and small notebooks. We were helping with construction at a school so we brought deflated soccer balls for the school. I think some of our team got donations from a local sporting goods store and maybe from the university that several of us were connected to. Cross necklaces would be another idea. You can get those through Oriental Trading. We had a member of our team who made some from wood. Another idea might be to look at the Samaritan's Purse website for the kinds of things that they recommend for their Christmas shoeboxes. They have things like flashlights and batteries, notepads, etc. Do not take balloons.

I like the suggestion of buying things when you get there, but depending on where you are that could be difficult. If you are in Tegucigalpa and have transportation around the city you will be able to find things easier. But if you are in a small community like we were (el Triunfo near the Nicaraguan border) there may not be shops like that. We even had to buy some basic construction supplies in Tegucigalpa and transport them to el Truinfo because they weren't available there.

This will be a life changing experience for you!! Have a blessed time.

Do you know if you'll be going to a poor area? Not everyone there is poor. I worked with someone from Honduras whose parents sent her to the U.S. for college.

If you're not sure, I'd just concentrate on toys vs. practical items. People have already given some great ideas.

My son has gone on similar trips, and we lived on a third world island for a couple of years. During that time we arranged with a school we knew back in the US to help send basic supplies for some children we met.

My son's group was told to plan to purchase good used clothing at places like Goodwill for the trip (plain t shirts, shorts, nothing with any offensive or ridiculous pictures, boxer shorts, etc). They were told to only bring those clothes, plus one outfit of their own. When they left the orphanage, they left all the clothing they purchased at Goodwill behind, and wore their one personal outfit home.

Also, what we found the kids wanted most was stickers, small pencil cases, pencils, small notebooks, etc. They wanted something for themselves that was small and personal. We also purchased personal sewing kits (like what you get at a hotel), and those were extremely desirable.

Try Oriental Trading.