Honduras is considered one of the poorest countries in Latin America. It suffers from drought in the summer and floods and hurricanes in the rainy season – Hurricane Mitch killed 5,600 people and caused US$2 billion in damage in 1998. This kind of destruction is devastating to the poor who live off the land and count on healthy crops to feed their families every year.
Our Work in Honduras
We have a long history of work in Honduras that dates back to 1973 when Horizons was founded. Our initial focus was on mobilizing humanitarian assistance in the wake of Hurricane Fifi. Since then, we have provided support to the campesino movement and focused on women’s and labour rights. Currently, we are providing support to partner organizations in the departments of Valle and Francisco Morazán, which have the highest levels of UBN (Unsatisfied Basic Needs) in the country; the department of Colon, where we work with Garifuna communities; and at a national level with a coalition that is working to respond to the plight of migrants.
Horizons of Friendship joined with many other organizations to deplore the coup d’etat which took place in June 2009. Since then, we have worked closely with partners in Honduras and Canada to monitor the ongoing situation and press for truth, justice and reparations. Find out more. In March 2011, at the urging of the Americas Policy Group, Canada’s Parliamentary Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development held a public hearing on Honduras. To read the entire testimony provided to the Standing Committee in Ottawa, click here.
