Who is "Gerson"

People often ask why our organization is called Project Gerson.

On my third day in Honduras in May 2024, I met a young boy named Gerson while teaching at a bilingual school. He was incredibly bright and it didn't take long for me to realize he and a handful of others were bored because they weren't being challenged. During my first week, I found myself making notes about how there should be opportunities for children like them to learn, grow, and reach their potential outside of the traditional classroom. I had just arrived in Honduras so I knew I needed more time and a larger sample size before I started generalizing and creating a solution to a problem I wasn’t certain existed.

A few months later, I met another young man named Gerson Ismael. He was older, soft-spoken, and kind. Unlike the first Gerson, his challenge wasn't education. He could read and write, but he had no stable job and no place to call home. His older brother had become infamous in town for drugs and theft. In late 2024, his brother, Christian, was sent to prison for aggravated assault with a weapon and will be imprisoned for 4-5 years. Gerson wanted something different for himself. 

The contrast between these two boys stayed with me. One had talent but needed opportunity. The other had ability but lacked stability. And honestly, while this name was novel for me at the time, it’s very common in Honduras so I likely overemphasized the symbolism of this “obscure” name making it a bit more symbolic than it really was. They were very different, with the same name, yet they represented the same question:

What happens when someone has potential but doesn't have the support they need?

That question led me to begin talking with schools, coffee farms, community leaders, and anyone else who might help create something meaningful. I didn't know exactly what that "something" was, but I knew I wanted to build it.

Somewhere along the way, I started referring to the idea as "Gerson Project." I quickly knew I wanted it to have “Gerson” in the name after I met these two boys. 

Then, not long afterward, I met yet another Gerson.

This Gerson was struggling with drug addiction. Through the support of many generous people, we were able to help send him to a rehabilitation program and begin a new chapter in his life. That's what Project Gerson is all about.

But why is it called “Project Gerson" specifically? Frankly, we ended up with Project Gerson because the website and all social accounts were all available.

Michael

michael@projectgerson.org