Updated: March 2009
Honduras
Overview | World Vision's history in Honduras| World Vision in Honduras today
OverviewThe second largest country in Central America, Honduras is bordered by Guatemala and El Salvador to the west, Nicaragua to the south, and has coastlines along both the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea. Honduras is characterized by humid, tropical weather, moderate temperatures, and long periods of drought caused partly by deforestation. In addition, contamination from mining activities has severely impacted the quality and quantity of available water. With its mountainous terrain, Honduras has a limited transportation network, thereby isolating rural residents. Natural resources include timber, gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, iron ore, coal, fish, and hydropower.Spanish is the predominant language, but English and several dialects of Amerindian also are spoken. Approximately 90 percent of Hondurans are Mestizo, a mix of Amerindian and European, primarily Spanish heritage. The third poorest country in Latin America, Honduras faces particularly acute poverty and food insecurity in rural areas, where 53 percent of the population lives. On average, only one-third of Honduran children attend school past the primary level, resulting in decreased availability of qualified labor, productivity, and income generation. Child labor is also an issue, as an estimated 384,000 children and adolescents between the ages of five and 18 are employed. Honduras, along with four other Central American nations, declared its independence from Spain in 1821 to form a federation of Central American states. Seventeen years later, Honduras left the federation and became fully independent. Honduras, along with four other Central American nations, declared its independence from Spain in 1821 to form a federation of Central American states. Seventeen years later, Honduras left the federation and became fully independent. In 1969, El Salvador invaded the country after Honduran landowners deported several thousand Salvadorans. |  |
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| Five thousand people ultimately died in what is called “the football war,” because it broke out during a soccer game between the two countries. After a decade of military rule, democracy returned with the election of Roberto Suazo Córdova as president in 1982. Honduras was used in the early 1980s as a training ground for Nicaraguan Contras and the U.S. military during the Contra-Sandinista conflict. By 1987, both sides had departed, leaving behind a rising cost of living and a high national fiscal debt. The 1990s saw economic reform through the leadership of President Carlos Reina. His administration helped to reduce inflation, restore economic growth, and hold down spending. Reform, however, crashed to a halt in October 1998 with the arrival of Hurricane Mitch. The hurricane caused the deaths of more than 7,000 Hondurans, injuring another 13,000, and causing $3.8 billion in damage. Nearly one-third of the highway infrastructure was destroyed along with thousands of homes, displacing 1.5 million people. The Honduran government collaborated with international relief organizations to help get the country back on its feet. Today, the government of Honduras has implemented a national poverty reduction strategy to combat the 28 percent unemployment rate and to help the 51 percent of people who live below the poverty line. Education reform is a key element to this strategy, including the provision of school food for all children. Other goals of the strategic plan are debt relief, health-care reform, utilization of national resources, and international cooperation. Despite reform efforts, the quality of healthcare is still in decline due to a scarcity of medicines, supplies, human resources, and facilities. One out of four Honduran children under five years of age suffers from chronic malnutrition. In some rural communities in the western area of the country, that total can reach 88 percent. Poor housing conditions (including hay roofs, dirt floors, and interior cooking fires) also contribute to ill health among thousands of families. Back to top World Vision's history in HondurasWorld Vision began ministering to the people of Honduras in 1974 by supplying funding for an association of evangelical Protestant churches and missions. World Vision also provided financial support to help victims of Hurricane Fifi, a storm killing 1,200 people and leaving thousands homeless. Child sponsorship was initiated that same year, and by the late 1970s, 236 children were sponsored through six projects. Other projects during the 1970s included providing funding for the El Sembrador Farm School that trained 200 students each year in vocations like carpentry, wood carving, mechanics, and agriculture. In 1978, thousands of Nicaraguans entered southern Honduras seeking refuge from their country’s civil war. Through the Honduras Refugee Relief Project, World Vision provided food, tents, and emergency kits for 7,000 people.During the early 1980s, development projects were implemented, medical dispensaries were provided, and training was conducted in the following areas: vocational skills, healthcare, agriculture, irrigation, sewage facility construction, and leadership. By 1981, a total of 8,892 children were receiving help through sponsorship projects. By 1986, more than 11,000 children were sponsored through World Vision, and 103 projects were active. Relief projects included help to victims of drought, floods caused by Hurricane Gilbert in 1988, and floods again in 1990. World Vision also assisted in a major vaccination campaign for tuberculosis, tetanus, polio, and measles in partnership with the Ministry of Health in 1986. Other World Vision projects provided medical and dental care, nutritional supplements, and school supplies for needy children. By the end of 1991, World Vision worked in 151 projects, and a total of 28,186 children were receiving help through sponsorship. In 1998, Hurricane Mitch damaged all lowland agricultural production and destroyed infrastructure, sweeping away schools, health clinics, and other vital community centers. Once the hurricane subsided, World Vision immediately began relief efforts by providing 4,344 emergency packs of food, blankets, and medicine air-dropped to families. Rehabilitation activities included distributing tools and seeds, rebuilding bridges, establishing community water systems, and building and repairing schools and homes. Southwestern Honduras holds high rates of infant mortality and malnutrition and has inadequate access to safe water and healthcare. In response, World Vision launched a microenterprise program that provided small loans and business training to more than 10,000 entrepreneurs in 13 communities, 81 percent of whom were women. Back to top World Vision in Honduras todayWorld Vision is committed to partnering with the people of Honduras to enhance their lives today and to help enact sustainable solutions for the future of their communities, families, and children. Currently, 60,550 children are registered in the World Vision sponsorship program. Several times this number of children and other family members benefit from World Vision activities. Of these registered children, many have World Vision sponsors in other countries. U.S. donors sponsor more than 24,600 girls and boys. In addition, World Vision operates 25 development programs, 11 of which are supported by U.S. donors. Highlights of these efforts include the following:
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