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Humanity and Hope United Foundation Reduces Poverty in Honduras

Humanity and Hope UnitedHonduras has a notorious reputation for high levels of global poverty and corruption. However, one charitable organization is on a mission to improve living conditions in the country. The Humanity and Hope United Foundation is working to reduce poverty from the ground up. In an interview with The Borgen Project, the Foundation’s director of trips and Honduran volunteers, Caleb Mejia, provides insight into the organization’s mission.

Obstacles in Alleviating Poverty

Honduras has been in the process of democratization for 40 years after being under strict military rule. Despite this transition, coups and widespread distrust in government officials are still prevalent. One contribution to this was the Iran-Contra Affair. Although the country avoided the direct conflict that fell upon its Nicaraguan neighbors, negative impacts still ensued. The CIA-backed anti-communist forces in Honduras violently targeted local Marxist groups and committed human rights abuses. As a result, a lack of confidence in officials surfaced. Political instability has certainly contributed to heightened levels of poverty in Honduras.

Natural disasters also impact Honduras’ ability to grow. Category 5 Hurricane Mitch made landfall in Honduras in 1998, leaving thousands dead. In addition, agriculture and infrastructure were decimated, causing high levels of unemployment and poverty. Without sufficient resources or global support to prosper, Honduras struggled to bounce back from this particular natural disaster. Then, in 2020, Honduras was hit with the devastation of Hurricane Iota and Hurricane Eta, causing widespread homelessness and destruction.

Humanity and Hope United’s Mission

The Humanity and Hope United Foundation has been working first-hand to address Honduran poverty and its effects. To do so, the NGO partnered with the three Honduran communities of Remolino, La Cuchilla and La Coroza. Mejia told The Borgen Project that Humanity and Hope United makes “sustainable changes in rural and underserved communities in Honduras.” Mejia is a 23-year-old Honduran serving impoverished communities in Honduras. “We partner with communities to create jobs that will provide for them and their families,” says Mejia. Humanity and Hope United seeks to empower people and bring them closer to self-sufficiency. Currently, the organization is working on building walled homes in La Cuchilla. In addition, the organization is also bringing a playground to La Coroza and aims to create a chicken coop in Remolino.

Sustainable and Multi-faceted Solutions

“In order to pull people out of poverty, we must create sustainable changes,” states Mejia. A major emphasis of Mejia’s is that it is more beneficial to “focus on the needs of the individuals rather than just a single issue.” As an example, Mejia explains to The Borgen Project that the organization “entering into a random Honduran village with the mission to bring clean water may not be the best solution,” as opposed to other, more selective projects.

Mejia also says that “if they were also in need of more jobs, better education and houses, a single goal decided before arrival would not wholly support the village’s people.” Humanity and Hope United’s endeavors are “multi-faceted and well-rounded.” In its poverty reduction efforts, the organization seeks to “create a sense of ownership” in communities. Mejia notes that the populations “eventually become business owners, homeowners, high school graduates” and more.

Making the World a Better Place

Working for Humanity and Hope United, Mejia describes his role as a “dream job” where he is able “to create lifelong connections with people wanting to create a better world.” He explains further that his work has impacted his worldview, and as such, he sees the best in people, “understanding that everyone has a sacred story worth fighting for.” To emphasize the passion for his work, Mejia says, “Serving people with all my heart changed my life.”

Other examples of progress are seen in the La Cuchilla village. It used to lack clean water access, with homes constructed out of mud and sticks and 90% of children unable to attend school. Since the village’s partnership with Humanity and Hope United in 2017, crops and livestock provide jobs, income and food security, allowing for self-sufficiency. The village is working on obtaining more access to better healthcare, housing, classrooms and clean water.

Joining the Cause

Anyone is capable of joining the fight against global poverty and enacting meaningful, lasting change. Mejia’s advice for supporting the Humanity and Hope United Foundation “is to take the first step and visit Honduras.” Mejia emphasizes the importance of society “becoming a part of something bigger than ourselves.” He exclaims, “see the need with your own eyes, hear the stories that will impact your heart and let that goodness drive you to help others!”

By investing time, energy and money in organizations that aim to make the world a better place, an ordinary individual can make a significant impact in reducing global poverty.

– Lucy Gentry
Photo: Flickr

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Humanity and Hope: The Impact of COVID-19 on Poverty in Honduras

COVID-19 on Poverty in Honduras
Families in Honduras found strength within community ties and organizations like Humanity and Hope, despite the impact of COVID-19 on poverty in Honduras. There have been 249,118 COVID-19 infections in Honduras since the start of the pandemic. In May 2021, Honduras reported the highest peak with an estimated 1,000 infections a day, according to the Reuters COVID-19 tracker.

Prior to the pandemic, 40% of the total population in Honduras did not have employment. COVID-19 affected 250,000 families into food security due to job loss, according to the World Food Programme (WFP).

Supporting the Community

Despite the impacts of COVID-19 on poverty in Honduras, family communities within Honduras assisted others by handing them food and toiletries during the hardest times of the pandemic. Organizations like Humanity and Hope also stepped up, serving the communities of La Coroza, La Cuchilla and Remolino to help them become sustainable on their own.

Humanity and Hope, a nonprofit organization located in El Progreso, Honduras, initiated team and volunteer trips after a year of lockdown. Caleb Mejia, director of trips and Honduran volunteers, said people from different parts of the world take these trips and encounter the hardships of communities.

“Humanity and Hope does not want people to come down to Honduras and dig a hole or paint a school, and that’s it,” said Mejia in an interview with The Borgen Project.  “You can see something through television or through your phone, but it will never, ever be the same if you actually experience it.”

Humanity and Hope

Humanity and Hope operates on six different pillars: infrastructure, economy, community, health, education and leadership. According to Mejia, volunteer trips occur once a month with a focus on a pillar.

In July 2020, H&H’s annual health trip served nearly 1,010 people in a week. The annual health trip consisted of a team of 18 staff members, volunteers and assistance from the Honduran Red Cross and dentists.

“Along that week, we ended up doing triage, pharmacy, doctor consultations and hosted experience trips,” said Mejia.

When Hurricane Eta stepped in amidst a pandemic, Honduran communities suffered complete destruction. Despite the devastation and impacts of COVID-19 on poverty in Honduras, communities of Honduran family members, even those outside the U.S., came together to help others.

“I had the means and the people who were willing to help,” said Ashley Carrasco in an interview with The Borgen Project, a resident of California. “I helped because Honduras is my home, the love of my life.”

Ashley Carrasco and Franklin Castillo

In November 2020, Carrasco and her family fundraised an estimate of $4,000 for the communities of San Pedro Sula and Santa Barbara. Carrasco used the means of social media to fundraise on the Venmo app to provide to families affected by the pandemic and hurricane.

Carrasco and her family, located in the United States, shared their fundraiser with every possible follower. She transferred the collected funds to her cousin, Franklin Castillo, located in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, to purchase grains, diapers, baby formula, mattresses and toilet paper to distribute to the community.

“I witnessed many people losing their homes due to the hurricane and floods,” said Castillo in an interview with The Borgen Project. “The government’s response was slow like always. I have seen communities do more for each other than the government.”

Castillo raised a total of $9,000 with the help of family members in the U.S. He distributed the toiletries and food supplies estimated to last each family at least two weeks to nearly 300 families within communities that were impacted by COVID-19 and the hurricane.

Castillo continues to give a portion of his business earnings to the community. He said the pandemic is still affecting people as Honduras initiated vaccinations to the elderly, a small percentage of the population. According to Our World in Data, research university of Oxford, only 0.6% of the population has received two doses of the vaccine.

“I saw a positive change in the community,” said Castillo. “People who did not have much were trying to help others. My family and I were able to help, all thanks to God.”

– Diana Vasquez
Photo: Franklin Castillo