Rachel Nielson
Founder and Program Director
rachelnielson@help-international.org
Rachel's involvement at the Hogar began in 2005 when she spent a summer in El Salvador volunteering with HELP International. That summer, she worked with several organizations throughout El Salvador teaching English and organizing activities in orphanages. She was especially drawn to the Hogar due to her experience working with persons with disabilities at an Easter Seals camp in the United States. During the winter of 2006, she and her new husband, Ryan, returned to live and volunteer at the Hogar for three months. After this incredible experience, they wanted to give other young people the same opportunity to serve at the Hogar, so, with the help of friends, they fundraised over $20,000 to start the Hogar del Nino Project.
Rachel now lives in Denver, Colorado, where Ryan is a pediatric dental resident at The Children's Hospital. Rachel taught high school English for five years, but she now enjoys staying home with their son, Noah, whom they adopted in August 2011. As the Hogar Program Director, she helps train volunteers and communicates with them frequently while they are in El Salvador. She also continues to fundraise for the orphanage and visits the Hogar residents, whom she loves, once a year.
Molly Hunter
Assistant Program Director
Molly and her husband Andrew volunteered at the Hogar during the summer of 2009, using their specialized educational training from Brigham Young Univeristy to make a lasting difference at the orphanage. Andrew used his skills as a therapeutic recreation major to plan activities to address the Hogar residents' varied physical needs. Molly used her skills as a photography major to capture the residents' spirits and souls through the lens of her camera. Her photography has been used to create recruiting and fundraising materials for both the orphanage and HELP International volunteer programs.
Molly currently lives in Provo, Utah. She is a professional photographer and a stay-at-home mom to her daughter, Reese, who was born in July 2011. As the Hogar Program Assistant Director, she recruits and trains volunteers, as well as focuses on program development.
