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The level of COVID-19 testing is extremely low in Honduras, making it difficult to get an accurate view of how the country has been affected. The reported number of positive cases surpassed 151,000 and related deaths were more than 3600 as of 4 February 2021.
The public health system has limited capacity for handling critical cases. In addition, Honduras faces a very long road to recovery from the hurricanes last November. The storms caused approximately 200 deaths and $10 billion of damage to homes and agriculture, resulting in widespread food insecurity. Honduras' coffee harvest is threated by pandemic restrictions that keep local workers at home and prevent foreign harvesters from entering the country. Security forces have been deployed to enforce curfews. It is mandatory to wear face masks, use sanitary gel and maintain social distancing in public places.
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Thank you for praying for children and families in Honduras who have been impacted by COVID-19—and the local staff and churches who continue to serve them in difficult circumstances.
They might not be able to physically meet on the playground, but God’s love continues to unite sponsored children across Honduras in powerful ways! When Honduras was placed on lockdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19, local churches were determined to continue bringing hope to isolated families. Read more open_in_new
Please note: Due to the current pandemic, most child development centres in Honduras are temporarily closed. Our local church partners continue to meet the urgent needs of the children through home-based care.
Compassion’s program is contextualised across countries and communities, as well as age groups.
Compassion assisted children in Honduras typically attend program activities at their local child development centre after school. Here is an example of what a typical program day looks like for children in Honduras.
Devotional time - Children are taught to pray.
Spiritual lessons - Children sing songs and learn Bible stories.
Break and snack time - Children can play in a safe environment and develop friendships.
Social-emotional lessons - Children learn conflict resolution skills and how to develop healthy self-esteem and a godly character. Children often come from challenging home environments and are taught social and personal skills.
Lunch and social time - The majority of children do not have adequate nutrition in their homes and schools do not provide meals. Compassion centres at the local church aim to provide children with extra nutrition each time they attend the centre. Children experiencing malnutrition often receive extra food rations. Snacks usually consist of fruit, cereal and milk. Meals often comprise meat, cereals, vegetables and fruit.
Health lessons - Children learn practical health and hygiene tips.
Letter writing and career planning - Older children work with local staff to identify their strengths and interests and set goals for their future.
In addition, children are invited to participate in sporting tournaments, retreats, camps and educational visits. Older students are offered a variety of vocational skills workshops, such as welding, beauty, sports, baking, music, and computing. Parents and caregivers are offered parenting classes.
of people live below the poverty line
mothers die from pregnancy related causes per 100,000 births
of people lack access to improved sanitation
Located in the corridor from South America to Mexico and the United States, Honduras is a transit country for everything from illicit drugs to human trafficking and mass migration.
Honduras’s history since Spanish colonisation in the 16th century is marked by military coups and counter-coups.
Racked by violence and corruption, gang rule and inequality, it is one of the most unstable countries in a volatile region, with recent widespread drought creating further hardship for locals and leading to ever-increasing numbers travelling across borders—most headed north for Mexico and the United States.
Almost half the population lives in poverty, and around 17 per cent of Hondurans live in extreme poverty (less than US$1.90 per day). Honduras has the second-highest extreme poverty rate in Latin America and the Caribbean, after Haiti. The country is also afflicted by one of the worst rates of inequality in the world, with a stark division between rich and poor.
Remittances (money sent home by expatriates) make up a significant part of the nation’s economy and many families are dependent on this source of income. Small-scale farming, the backbone of the nation’s agricultural economy, is collapsing; many rural communities are no longer able to sustain themselves due to drought and changing rainfall patterns.
In 2017, President Juan Orlando Hernandez was the first president in Honduras’s history to run for re-election, after the Supreme Court lifted a constitutional ban on presidents serving more than one term. He won, in a result that was widely questioned by international observers and met with protests across the country. More than 20 people were killed in subsequent riots.
Meanwhile, Honduran children living in poverty face many challenges, with malnutrition and insecurity foremost among them. They are particularly vulnerable to the threat posed by gang activity, with many boys coerced into joining and girls threatened with rape and forced labour. As meeting their basic needs becomes more difficult, some see gang life as the only alternative to starving or risking their lives on the road to the United States border.
Yet local churches across the country are working hard to nurture and protect these vulnerable children, to ensure they have the safety and space to grow and develop and experience a hope more powerful than poverty.
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