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Immersion Programs

honduras-landscape.HEIC

Why take an immersion visit?

A voluntourism trip to Honduras or Uganda is not a vacation, it’s better. It’s a visit to be with a real community in a developing country. Your insight and interpretation is formed not by the media but by your own eyes, ears and heart. A trip like this has the potential to reconfigure your perspective of the world and to refocus your life values.

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First, it allows you to unplug from your current responsibilities, duties and daily regimen. Interactions with local people in these rural settings reveal a pace of life that moves much slower and is oriented more toward relationships than productivity. You may even re-evaluate your own commitment to productivity in light of the cost to your relationships. 

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Second, a trip like this allows long uninterrupted conversations with family, friends or traveling companions. Our society and our fast paced schedules afford very little of this. This deprivation is straining our relationships, our mental health and our communities. Time spent this way is an investment that could deepen bonds with family and friends, 

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Finally, rural communities in developing world countries have a lot to teach us. We lack what they have, rich community life, leisure time, conversational skills and the ability to live content and peaceful lives that are not entirely dependent on material things. This experience could potentially linger in your memory for the rest of your life.

Uganda 2025

Program Overview

The 2025 trip is designed for adults and students. The trip is scheduled for November 15-26, with an option to extend to November 29th. The objective is to provide an immersion experience in rural Uganda while assisting Three Crosses Primary School in Kagadi with a construction project. The trip is open to participants 16 years and older, with CEZ hoping to have a group of 24 participants.

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The trip will include 4 days on the school site working with local community members, mixing cement, pushing wheelbarrows, and carrying bricks. Three Crosses Primary School is located near Kagadi in western Uganda. Participants will also spend a day and night in Murchison Falls National Park and visit a coffee farm. The trip will conclude in Jinja, with options to extend through Thanksgiving to white water raft the Nile River, visit a school from a previous project in Iganga District, or tour Iowa State's Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods facility in Kamuli.

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Trip Details
Dates: November 15-26, 2025 (May extend to November 29)
Participant Capacity: 24 people
Estimated Total Cost: $3,000-$3,400

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Contact

Timothy Mooney – Café el Zapote President

Email: 107mukiibi@gmail.com

Phone: (515) 715-3584

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Itinerary

Nov 16: Arrive in Entebbe

Nov 17: Bus from Entebbe to Kagadi (4-5 hour journey)
Nov 18-19: Stay in Kagadi, work on school project
Nov 20-21: Murchison Falls National Park visit
Nov 22: Return to Kagadi, continue school project
Nov 23: Visit local coffee farm
Nov 24: Bus to Jinja (4-5 hour journey)
Nov 25: 1-2 hour drive from Jinja to Entebbe; Relax by the pool in Entebbe; Prepare for midnight flight

Nov 26: Arrive in the U.S. early afternoon

 

Optional Extension:

Nov 26: White water rafting on the Nile River. Mooney said, “It’s safer than walking around in Des Moines at night.”**


Return flight according to individual schedule

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Volunteer Service
School Construction: 4 days working with local community members
Location: Three Crosses Primary School near Kagadi, Western Uganda
Activities: Mixing cement, carrying bricks, collaborative construction work

 

Recreational Activities

White water rafting on the Nile River
Visit to schools in Iganga District
Tour of Iowa State's Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods in Kamuli

 

Cost Breakdown
$1,000: Meals, water, lodging, transportation, national park visit
$1,000: Building materials for primary school
$1,000-1,400: Airfare from Chicago/Minneapolis

Option to purchase your own ticket.

 

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Registration Requirements

  1. Passport valid through June 2026

  2. $1,000 deposit to Café el Zapote

  3. Purchase personal visa ($50)

  4. Recommended vaccinations from travel clinic

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** Note: As a 501(c)3 non-profit, Café el Zapote, all donations are tax-deductible. Please ask if your employer will match your donation to Café el Zapote. It could cut the cost of your trip in half.

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SIGN UP TODAY!

  1. Contact Mooney

    1. Email Mooney​ with a picture of your passport photo page

      1. Passport must be valid through June 2026

  2. Submit Deposit

    1. Write a $1,000 check to Café el Zapote

      1. Mail to: Café el Zapote P.O. Box 2294, Ames, Iowa 50010

  3. Book Travel

    1. Purchase your own ticket or have Mooney book it by November 15th

    2. Current fare is about $974 from O'Hare

    3. TIP: Book early for the best prices

  4. Visa Requirements

    1. Purchase Uganda entry visa ($50)

    2. Apply online HERE

    3. Visa process typically takes 2-3 working days

  5. Health Preparations

    1. Check CDC travel recommendations HERE​​

    2. Schedule vaccinations at McFarland Clinic's Travel Clinic

    3. Recommended: Yellow Fever vaccination certificate

 

** Program is limited to 24 participants, so act quickly! **

HONDURAS 2025

This immersion program has already taken place! Check out Uganda 2025!

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Program Overview

The 2025 CEZ Honduras Coffee Immersion Trip is designed for adults and students aged 16 and over. Scheduled for March 13-22, 2025, the trip aims to provide an immersive experience in the coffee farming community of Zapote and the Dulce Nombre de Maria Parish in Dulce Nombre de Copan, Honduras. Participants will learn about coffee production, engage in parish activities, and explore local culture.​

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Trip Details
Dates: March 13-22, 2025

Estimated Total Cost: $1,250

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Contact

Timothy Mooney – Café el Zapote President

Email: 107mukiibi@gmail.com

Phone: (515) 715-3584

​

Itinerary

March 13: Arrive in San Pedro Sula, transfer to Dulce Nombre de Copan
March 14-16: Parish activities and community engagement
March 17-19: Coffee farm stay and tours in El Zapote
March 20: Copan Ruins excursion
March 21: Return to San Pedro Sula
March 22: Departure for Kansas City via Houston​

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Volunteer Service

Parish activities

  • Visiting parishioners

  • Assisting the sick and homebound

  • Playground cleanup

3-mile Stations of the Cross walk
Coffee farm tours and learning experiences
 

Cost Breakdown

$760: Airfare (Kansas City to San Pedro Sula)
$420: Meals, lodging, and transportation
$35: Coffee tours
$35: Copan Ruins entrance fee and guide

 

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Registration Requirements

  1. Passport valid through June 2026

  2. $1,000 deposit to Café el Zapote

  3. Purchase personal visa ($50)

  4. Recommended vaccinations from travel clinic

​​

​

** Note: As a 501(c)3 non-profit, Café el Zapote, all donations are tax-deductible. Please ask if your employer will match your donation to Café el Zapote. It could cut the cost of your trip in half.

​

​

SIGN UP TODAY!

  1. Contact Mooney

    1. Email Mooney​ with a picture of your passport photo page

      1. Passport must be valid through June 2026

  2. Submit Deposit

    1. Write a $1,000 check to Café el Zapote

      1. Mail to: Café el Zapote P.O. Box 2294, Ames, Iowa 50010

  3. Book Travel

    1. Purchase your own ticket or have Mooney book it by November 15th

    2. Current fare is about $974 from O'Hare

    3. TIP: Book early for the best prices

  4. Visa Requirements

    1. Purchase Uganda entry visa ($50)

    2. Apply online HERE

    3. Visa process typically takes 2-3 working days

  5. Health Preparations

    1. Check CDC travel recommendations HERE​​

    2. Schedule vaccinations at McFarland Clinic's Travel Clinic

    3. Recommended: Yellow Fever vaccination certificate

 

** Program is limited to 24 participants, so act quickly! **

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