Tag Archive for: Poverty In Honduras

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Child Marriage in Honduras

Child Marriage in HondurasHonduras, a country in Central America, has a legacy of child marriage, especially the marriage of young girls. Historically, some rural communities normalized child marriage in Honduras and framed it as a ‘protective practice’ despite the harm it caused. The key factors that contribute to the persistence of child marriage among girls include adolescent pregnancy, gender-based violence, ethnicity and gang related violence. 

A report in 2019 found that 34% of girls in Honduras marry before the age of 18 compared to 10% of boys. Within the 34%, 9% of girls marry before 15. Child marriage is more prevalent in ethnic groups such as the Miskito people as well as afro-descendant and Lenca-speaking communities. The rate in rural areas rises to 42.4%, pointing to the fact that geography and poverty can exacerbate the risk for young girls.

The Forces Behind Child Marriage

Gender-based violence in Honduras is both widespread and ingrained. According to The World Bank, “Honduras has one of the highest rates of violent deaths of women in the world.” This fuels the practice of child marriage in Honduras, as young girls often enter CEFMU to escape violence, yet the majority of these girls will end up facing further abuse from their partners. 

The prevalence of violence in Honduras is even more concerning for cases of femicide, as a woman is murdered every 36 hours, mostly by an intimate partner. Entrenched misogynistic attitudes are part of the driving force in Honduras that encourages CEFMU, and one informant summed up these issues saying that men often see their wives as their property and slaves.

Poverty is a major factor driving child marriage. In the Latin American and Caribbean region, more than 60% of girls married before 18 are from the lowest income bracket. Many young girls in poverty are less likely to receive an education because gender norms prioritize boys education and future employment. This pushes girls into domestic roles, reinforcing gender stereotypes that ultimately lead them into CEFMU.  

Fighting CEFMU With Education

Emerging in 2006, the UDIMUF is the first feminist organization on the Atlantic coast of Honduras. It helps improve the quality of life for girls, adolescents and women alike. It works to empower women by providing spaces for political participation and advocacy. This helps ensure that women and girls can fully exercise their rights, significantly reducing the likelihood of young girls entering into child marriage in Honduras. The work behind the UDIMUF’s mission includes:

  • Forming training schools for community leaders focusing on gender sexual diversity.
  • Creative, feminist training with girls in schools focusing on the prevention of violence.
  • Provides free legal and psychological care to female victims of gender-based violence.
  • Established a case validation committee for the violent deaths of women at the Regional Violence Observatory. 
  • Designing municipal public policies for gender equality and equity.
  • Research on gender, sexual diversity and human rights related to violence prevention.

In 2024, UDIMUF launched a positive masculinities school in Honduras, to help prevent gender based violence. Through this single initiative, it has reached more than 70 participants and are looking to reach out and positively affect an increasing number of communities.

The efforts of the UDIMUF have had a lasting impact on the communities in the La Ceiba area. As a civil society partner of the spotlight initiative the UDIMUF contributes to a national effort that has directly reached 119,428 women and girls. This has helped create supportive and inclusive environments that promote gender equality and further contribute towards efforts to ending child marriage in Honduras.

Honduras’ Progress Towards Ending Child Marriage

Honduras has taken multiple steps to address the forces behind CEFMU. In July 2017, the Honduran government increased the minimum age of marriage from 16 to 18 and removed all exemptions. Former President Castro helped promote the long-term prevention of child marriage via legislative reforms. In addition, the public prosecutors office oversaw the training of more than 4,000 civil servants, on preventing violence against children.

In November 2021, Honduras launched a national action plan to end violence against women and children. The plan focuses on providing roadmaps for the implementation of violence-prevention policy, with partners like UNICEF Honduras ensuring these policies are enforced at the municipal level.

Honduras still has a long way to go before child marriage is fully eliminated, but the country is certainly making encouraging progress. Whether it be through government initiatives or the work of NGOs, the issue is now at the forefront of the country’s concerns and it isn’t going anywhere until Honduras achieves real change.

– Jacob Anderson

Jacob is based in Milton Keynes, UK and focuses on Celebs and Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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Volunteer Nurses in Honduras

Volunteer Nurses in HondurasAs of 2024, almost 63% of people in Honduras lived in poverty. The main reasons for such a high poverty rate are extreme food insecurity, lack of access to basic services, climate disasters and violence.

Particularly in the city of La Ceiba, poverty is at a severe high of almost 93%. Located on the northern coast of Honduras, La Ceiba has a population of about 285,000 people. If 93% of these people are living in poverty, then about 265,000 people are in poverty in just one city in Honduras. The city experiences common hurricanes and flooding, which exacerbates the poverty rate.

A Broader View

The nonprofit A Broader View sends volunteer nurses to La Ceiba to assist in public hospitals. The organization was founded in 2007 and runs volunteer programs in 32 countries around the world. Since its founding, A Broader View has raised and donated more than $4.5 million to partners in need and has had almost 70,000 volunteers.

The Premedical and Student Nurse program in La Ceiba sends volunteers over the age of 17 to work in public hospitals and clinics. These volunteer nurses in Honduras work alongside local doctors to help the largely understaffed facilities. Volunteers assist with basics such as charting patients, cleaning and bandaging wounds and taking vitals. No experience is required to participate in the program. Spanish immersion lessons are offered to those interested. Volunteers are asked to bring several pairs of scrubs, a stethoscope, a blood pressure cuff, masks, gloves and pens. La Ceiba has limited availability of supplies and cannot provide these basics to each volunteer. Volunteers are housed on-site and work eight-hour shifts Monday through Friday. Program lengths range from one week to 12 weeks.

Volunteer Nurses in Honduras

The Borgen Project interviewed Nancy Crane, a volunteer nurse who went to Honduras in 2017. In January of that year, La Ceiba experienced major flooding that affected thousands of people. September and October 2017 saw heavy rain and frequent flooding. Nancy went to La Ceiba in September 2017 as a volunteer nurse for 12 weeks with A Broader View. Her motivation for going was a desire to move into the nursing field. She had no prior experience, and A Broader View provided hands-on experience. Nancy was placed in Hospicentro Okens in the emergency room four days a week and at a small local clinic one day a week. She was placed in a homestay with a man who taught her Spanish in her free time.

Nancy told The Borgen Project that her expectations for her time in La Ceiba were to do more observing, handle basic first aid and take vitals. She quickly learned that it would require a lot more patient care than she had prepared for, as well as tasks that do not take place in U.S. hospitals. Nancy was the only volunteer at Hospicentro Okens and was welcomed by everyone, even though her Spanish was not perfect.

“When they heard that I was from the U.S., they actually called me ‘Doctor,'” she said. She was surprised by this since she had no experience or training. Hospicentro Okens was very limited in resources. Nancy recalled some of the more basic tasks she had to complete to help with hospital functioning. “At the emergency room where I worked, they do not have computer systems to log people in, and so we actually would have to sit down in our free time and create lined paper so that we could have people sign in,” she said. She also had to cut and sterilize gauze to be used as needed.

Poverty in La Ceiba

When asked about poverty in La Ceiba, she described walking 10 minutes through flooded streets to reach the emergency room each day. The clinic she worked in was in the most impoverished part of La Ceiba. “When I would go there, there would be hundreds of people lined up to come in to the un-air-conditioned ER, and there are dogs running in and out,” she said. She described it as “organized chaos.” The only running water at the clinic came in through the kitchen window during rain and flowed into a barrel, serving as the only fresh water available.

When patients came in for care that required supplies the hospital or clinic did not have, they were sent to the medical store to buy the supplies themselves before returning for treatment. Nancy described all of the people seeking care as very patient and accepting of the quality care they were receiving. She recounted a man who arrived having a severe heart attack in an open-back jeep with no gurney — he had to walk himself to the entrance.

Nancy also recounted what happens when no surgeons are available. The osteopathic surgeon only comes in once a week, so if someone had a broken limb, doctors would clean it, remove all the bone pieces, clean them, put the clean bones back and stitch it up. The patient would then wait in that condition for one to six days until the surgeon returned.

Nancy also spoke about the severity of diabetes in Honduras. Most people do not have access to whole foods or blood pressure devices, which causes a large number of people to require amputations.

Nancy greatly valued her time as a volunteer nurse in Honduras and later went to school in the U.S. to become a nurse. She volunteered at a clinic in Guatemala in the fall of 2018 and hopes to return to Honduras in the future.

Healthcare in Honduras

Since 2017, several organizations have worked to improve health care in Honduras. The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) worked with the Honduran Ministry of Health to improve the quality of one of the main public hospitals in Tegucigalpa. In September 2024, UNOPS announced a plan to upgrade and construct six operating rooms not currently in use. As of December 2025, Hospital Escuela now has four stretcher elevators to better transport staff and patients. A Temporary Equipment and Sterilization Center was also handed over to the hospital to provide more space during construction and to ensure proper sterilization of medical supplies.

On March 13, 2026, the U.S. Embassy in Tegucigalpa announced a $46.5 million five-year bilateral health Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The Department of State will provide $29.5 million over the next five years to help the Honduran health care system address HIV/AIDS and other noncommunicable diseases. The Honduran government commits to increasing its health spending in HIV and global health security by $16.8 million. The MOU gives Honduras greater national autonomy over its health care system and integrates U.S.-funded frontline health care and laboratory workers into the national health workforce.

Looking Ahead

Volunteer nurses in Honduras still play a critical role in supporting the health care system. Several organizations beyond A Broader View send volunteers to the country. With limited local staff available, volunteer nurses provide immediate, short-term care and relieve pressure on local nurses. Volunteer programs also bring critical supplies that Honduras lacks. In the years since Nancy Crane volunteered in La Ceiba, funding has increased and more volunteer nurses have helped support the health care system for those living in poverty.

– Kaitlyn Crane

Kaitlyn is based in Rohnert Park, CA, USA and focuses on Global Health for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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Cash-in-Hand in Honduras’ Informal Economy

Honduras’ Informal EconomyInformality is a growing phenomenon in the global South, specifically in countries of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). While almost everyone must work out of necessity, not all work is created equal. In Honduras, the informal economy is seeing notable change, with women entering the formal workforce and small businesses driving social and economic development.

The Informal Economy: What Is It?

While formal work involves a written contract between employer and employee and generally ensures workers’ protection, rights and stability, informal labor is a broad term with multi-faceted meanings. This might include a family-owned shop where an employee helps on the weekends, street vendors, gig workers, micro-businesses and domestic workers in cash-in-hand employment.

While this type of work occurs in every country, there are notable trends. In 2024, the OECD drew upon the survivalist aspects of informal work, noting how these jobs are often characterized by a lack of social benefits, poor working conditions, lower remuneration and poverty. Currently, 90% of the global workforce is made up of informal employees, largely from low-income countries.

While policy change is urgently needed, much informal work is also produced and performed within the household, making it difficult to categorize or track. Women are more likely to be part of the informal labor force, and four in 10 people in LAC countries currently depend solely on informal work. More than half the people in countries such as Colombia, El Salvador, Paraguay, Peru, Bolivia and Honduras are vulnerable to exploitation, with low earnings, excessive working hours and poor working conditions — conditions that may carry on into future generations.

A Case for Formalization

Employees working informally do not contribute to a country’s GDP, largely due to tax avoidance. Workers within the informal economy earn less than their formal counterparts, and their country’s economy is often weaker as a result.

J.P. Morgan notes that “informality thrives where entry is hardest” and is thus bound to disproportionately affect those without formal education or with low social standing. For these reasons, it is more likely to affect women and girls. The shift from informal to formal economies is not straightforward, but can be achieved through policy and business action, reducing the gender pay gap and the potential for violence and abuse facing women and girls.

Honduras: A Case Study

The OECD report shows Honduras’ informal economy to be the largest among the LAC countries examined, with nearly 80% of salaries coming from informal channels.

Despite this, organizations such as CAVEXSA, COCASAM and UPROCASUR have been aiding the transition from informal to formal work. These are small to medium enterprises in the agricultural sector, harvesting, packaging and transporting commodity goods such as sugar and coffee.

Backed by the ComRural II project and the World Bank Group, they are committed to providing technical training and job opportunities for rural communities. More than 3,200 Hondurans have attained job security, with numbers set to increase with every harvest. These are jobs in previously male-dominated sectors, signaling economic growth that also challenges gendered stereotypes.

Looking Ahead

Honduras’ informal economy remains essential for many, but procedures such as effective minimum wages, community-driven businesses, contributory schemes and social protection are among the ways the OECD suggests alleviating the burden of informal work.

Denis Calderón, a former okra producer and current board member of CAVEXSA, is a single mother of five. “I was a housewife — I’m not ashamed to say it,” she said, adding that “women are capable of anything,” in agriculture, domestic life and beyond. The leadership of women like Calderón in these businesses reflects a broader shift in how economic growth is taking shape in the global South.

– Grace Sandall

Grace is based in Madrid, Spain and focuses on Business and Technology for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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AguaClara: Clean Water in Honduras and Beyond

Clean Water in HondurasIn 2010, the United Nations (U.N.) General Assembly officially declared access to water a human right. Nonprofit organization AguaClara Reach has been working with water technologies since 2005. Dr. Monroe Weber-Shirk created the program to implement water treatment plants in lower-income areas. Since then, AguaClara Reach has helped more than 100,000 people gain access to clean, safe water. Founded in Honduras, the program has expanded its work and now operates 26 water treatment plants across Central America and India, each working to reduce poverty through clean water.

The Link Between Lack of Safe Water and Poverty

Lack of access to safe water not only reflects poverty but also drives it. Without safe water, economic opportunity is limited, and communities face cycles of illness, lost productivity and time spent locating water sources. The World Bank classifies India and Honduras, the primary beneficiaries of AguaClara’s projects, as lower-middle-income countries. Both countries experience large inequalities of wealth. In Honduras, the poverty rate was 62.90% as of 2024, based on the national poverty line. While data for poverty at the national level is unavailable for India, the World Bank reports that in 2022, the poverty rate at $3 a day was 5.25%. Initiatives like AguaClara play a role in helping to reduce poverty through clean water.

The Consequences of Unsafe Water

With a large proportion of Hondurans living in poverty, an estimated 2.7 million do not have access to safe drinking water. The World Health Organization (WHO) identifies waterborne diseases as a primary cause of child mortality. The National Survey of Demography and Health shows that only 50% of households in Honduras have access to E. coli-free water, with rural and low-income communities particularly affected.

Conditions in India are similar. As of 2025, 91 million people in India had no guaranteed way of securing clean water sources. Waterborne diseases in India resulted in an estimated 11,728 deaths from 2014 to 2018. Unsafe water also deepens poverty, with waterborne diseases costing the country around $600 million each year.

AguaClara’s Community-Led Mission

According to AguaClara Reach, the organization advances global access to safe drinking water through community-scale, gravity-powered water treatment technologies, capacity building with local implementation partners and research and education with university partners.

To sustainably reduce poverty through clean water access, AguaClara Reach implements its technologies with the community in mind. Its method relies on an understanding of the political and social context of each project area to support a long-term solution.

Since 2008, the AguaClara plant in Tamara, Honduras, has provided locals with clean and safe water. Each household pays a $5 tariff, allowing the water board to continuously upgrade water infrastructure. The community accepts this fee on the basis that access to reliable water eases financial pressure. Improvements made by the Tamara water board include an expanded storage tank, the use of stacked rapid sand filters and a self-cleaning clarifier. In Tamara, AguaClara technology has improved the quality of life and will continue to do so as the equipment evolves.

Looking Ahead

Efforts to improve access to clean, safe water continue across developing nations. The work of AguaClara Reach offers one model for addressing this challenge, with measurable impact across communities in Central America and India. As the organization expands its reach, its community-led approach provides a path forward to reduce poverty through clean water.

– Polly Laws

Polly is based in Cardiff, UK and focuses on Good News and Global Health for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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Quick Facts About Hunger and Poverty in Honduras

poverty in HondurasHonduras is a country located in Central America. Home to remarkable landscapes and Mayan remains, it also has an important role in world trade. Honduras is a main provider of coffee, palm oil and bananas. However, even with this, Hondurans still suffer from food insecurity.

What is Food Insecurity?

Food insecurity is a lack of access to vital food sources. This threat heightens illnesses and harm to people’s lives. This can lead to: desperation, disease and death. Families facing this are forced to make an income through selling possessions or skipping meals, as they are desperate to earn a living.

This is traced back to the problem of poverty, which deeply affects the developing countries and the people living there. The hunger crisis is an unfortunate consequence of this.

In Honduras, 63% of the population lives in poverty, which affects the most vulnerable members of society, like children. Children’s health, well-being and education are negatively affected. Eventually, this causes a reduced quality of life for the people of Honduras.

Natural Disasters and Weather Conditions

Honduras’s hunger crisis is a result of natural disasters and destructive weather conditions, like drought, which have harmed farms, increasing the chances of burning the land. Not only a crucial food source, but a hotspot for coffee production, which causes an economic decline. More than 100,000 families rely on the coffee trade as an income, showing the importance of agriculture.

Located in the Dry Corridor, the area is prone to dry spells, making food more difficult to grow and reducing the amount available to the people. With the lack of harvests, some families have to migrate to survive these harsh conditions.

Another part of the hunger crisis is linked with the extreme weather conditions, such as hurricanes. From people fleeing their homes to safety, it has negative effects on lives, not just food sources. In 2024, the hurricane season doubled the expected rainfall. This is bad because it can flood food sources and wash them away. Primarily, this affected the southern and western areas, therefore increasing the possibility of emergency food insecurity.

Malnutrition and Undernourishment

Malnutrition is a prevalent issue in Honduras. Indeed, one in four children under the age of 5 struggles with chronic malnutrition, according to the World Food Program (WFP). This is a severe issue, as it stunts growth. This takes place when a diet does not have enough healthy nutrients. On the other hand, obesity is unfortunately increasing with younger women. Therefore, this shows the issue of food access, as not enough Hondurans are able to have a healthy diet.

In 2024, 20.4%  people in Honduras suffered from undernourishment. Rural areas of Honduras are particularly affected, as they face more poverty and starvation. This is because food insecurity is increased by the lack of opportunities for employment and access to standard services. Challenges make it harder for people like: farmers, women and people with medical conditions to access balanced diets.

The people of Honduras are in great need of fundamental food. More than 25% of Hondurans are relying on humanitarian assistance for survival. This takes place by action groups providing help by giving: medical care, food and water.

Lack of Awareness

Honduras was the least funded country in 2023, meaning that the lack of awareness about the daily threats is huge, with violence being one of the examples.

In 2022, there was an average of 253 homicides monthly, translating to 31% of homicides for every 100,000 people.

Fortunately, this has been decreasing yearly, but sexual violence and abuse have remained an issue in society. This has impacted many lives in Honduras.

Solutions

Certainly, Honduras faces many setbacks like hunger, poverty and extreme weather conditions, but this has not stop the country from making progress.

According to the National Institute of Statistics, poverty reduced in Honduras from 73.6% to 60.1%. For extreme poverty, it had reduced from 53.7% to 38.3%. Also, the population above the poverty line has expanded, therefore highlighting improvements in standards of living.

Employment and job opportunities have also increased. From 4.2 million people now working, the unemployment rate has decreased to 4.9%. All of these factors help the country to flourish economically. Even with substantial challenges, Honduras is beginning to develop and transform into a successful country.

– Daisy Sheena

Daisy is based in Manchester, UK and focuses on Global Health for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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How the Nonprofit Honduras Hope Improves Lives in Honduras

Honduras HopeHonduras, bordering Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua in Central America, is one of the lowest-income nations in the Western Hemisphere. According to the World Food Programme (WFP), approximately 63% of Hondurans live in poverty or roughly two-thirds of the 10.6 million residents. In the country, 20% of children under the age of 5 face chronic malnutrition, including micronutrient deficiencies, which lead to stunting and other developmental delays.

Economic instability and inflation, as well as political corruption and droughts exacerbated by inconsistent rainfall, worsened poverty in 2024, with climate instability intensifying issues related to food production and water access. Among those impacted, women, children, Indigenous and Afro-descendant populations appear to have been challenged the hardest. Environmental damage to the agricultural sector has placed particular pressure on rural communities and the marginalized populations that inhabit them.

About Honduras Hope

The organization, founded in 2001 by Reverend Bill Briggs, the coordinator, focuses on improving the lives of rural and indigenous populations in the San José and Plan Grande communities within the Department of Yoro. The nonprofit has a unique approach in which the board of directors works directly with “Patronatos,” or community councils, rather than arriving with a prescriptive aid solution.

As a 100% volunteer, nonprofit organization based in Franconia, NH, Honduras Hope improves lives through several trips to Honduras each year, working closely with local leaders to fundraise and kickstart initiatives. Such work acts as a complement to the organization’s own investments, which are fundraised through grassroots efforts, such as the concessions stand it ran on behalf of the Common Man food and restaurant chain at the Sandwich Fair in Sandwich, NH, in October 2025. The Borgen Project had the opportunity to speak with several board members at this event.

Briggs told The Borgen Project, “This is the third organization I’ve founded over the last 35 years,” all within Honduras. While all of his efforts have targeted the effects of poverty, Honduras Hope improves lives most effectively in the student population. The organization fights for children’s right to education. Briggs explained, “At the center of our organization and structure is the idea of hope – it’s in the name ‘Honduras Hope,’ after all.” This hope surrounds the work it does to propel disadvantaged students toward a path out of poverty.

How Does Honduras Hope Bring Hope to Students?

Briggs said that a central tenet of the speeches he regularly gives students is the phrase “si se puede,” or “yes you can.” The story of Dr. Cecile Lobo encapsulates how exactly Honduras Hope improves lives for students, empowering them with the idea that they can achieve their dreams by facilitating their education. With financial support from Honduras Hope, Lobo became the first Indigenous Tolupan doctor in Honduras.

Similarly, the organization established the San José boarding house for those unable to travel to school from rural mountain communities. After converting the home, which once belonged to a professional Honduran soccer player, Briggs explained that the nonprofit provided funding for school supplies and uniforms. It completed the project with the assistance of a residential supervisor to oversee the students and offer tutoring.

Girls’ Empowerment and Community Transformation

Kathy Swanson is a member of the Honduras Hope board of directors, serves on the Education Committee and leads both the Girls’ Empowerment Program and the Women’s Cooperative. She explained to The Borgen Project that at first, it was not expected of girls to attend secondary school or university or even to seek professional training. Cultural norms in the community resisted such action. Girls and women were instead expected to work within their communities.

However, Swanson’s belief that “girls have a right to dream, too” has been a guiding principle for Honduras Hope from the beginning. Since its work in Honduras, these community values have changed. Swanson recalled a transformative moment during her initial phase with Honduras Hope. During a meeting in which the committee faced significant resistance to sending young and adolescent girls to school, an older woman in the community stood up. The entire room fell silent as she explained that her hands, stained white down to the wrists, looked that way because they had spent nearly every day of her long life in starch. “She did not want her granddaughters to be cornered into that same life,” Swanson concluded.

This anecdote clearly moved Swanson and it also moved the community. They then paved the way for girls to seek their right to a different life. A 2023 newsletter detailed how Honduras Hope provided financial support to 34 students from Plan Grande to attend high school, with seven seniors on track to graduate. Furthermore, it reported that an average of 18 university students received scholarships each year to forge their path out of poverty. Additionally, 16 teenagers from San José and four mountain communities resided in the boarding house to attend high school in Yoro.

What Has Honduras Hope Done?

The organization funded two primary projects to completion. The first was the implementation of a new electrical program, which delivered electricity to Plan Grande near the end of 2023. Briggs noted that the program “was very tough to complete, politically,” given the widespread corruption in the nation. “At the end of the five-year project,” he said, “we are proud to say we covered the entire cost of installation.”

The second was the San José Water Project, a major milestone for the San José community, which previously had no means of accessing fresh water without long, arduous boat trips. It began nine months ago and was completed at the beginning of October 2025, a $60,000 initiative that now delivers water directly to the community. Briggs explained that navigating infrastructure across the 1.5 miles from the River Machigua to San José was very labor-intensive. However, the community rallied to complete it with financial support from Honduras Hope.

Additionally, Honduras Hope improves lives by implementing several other initiatives. For example, according to its 2023 newsletter, the Plan Grande nutrition program provided 69 preschoolers with nutritious, hot meals each week. For those unable to make the journey to the Community Center, the nonprofit purchased 200 broiler chicks for families to raise at home. Such work has been essential for those who otherwise don’t have the resources to eat.

– Shea Dickson

Shea is based in Newton, MA, USA and focuses on Good News, Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Pexels

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Telehealth: An Initiative To End Maternal Mortality in Honduras

Maternal Mortality in HondurasThe historic site of Cópan, located in the western highlands of Honduras, is world-renowned for its magnificent ancient Mayan ruins, but behind the famous carved stone monuments and hieroglyphic stairs, the region suffers from extremely high maternal mortality rates and a lack of access to health care services. This development reflects a greater trend of inequality and misinformation, which presents a life-threatening problem for Honduran mothers and their infants.

Maternal Mortality in Honduras: A Grave Problem

As of 2024, the maternal mortality rate in Honduras clocked in at 58 per 100,000 live births. One significant contributing factor to these alarmingly high rates is a widespread lack of access to health care, especially in rural areas. Honduras ranks among the nations with the lowest physician density in Latin America. However, approximately 57% of live births occur in rural regions. Consequently, a dangerous shortage of medical assistance and knowledge exists in highland regions like Cópan, which is a five-hour drive away from Guatemala City, the nearest metropolitan area.

Even though Honduras has taken strides in reducing maternal deaths in the past few years, its rates still surpass those of comparable countries such as Mexico, Nicaragua and El Salvador. The statistics are grim. Approximately 4.2% of all deaths in women ages 15-49 are due to maternal complications, more than double that in the United States. The majority of these deaths are the result of severe bleeding and infections, which could be prevented if not for the lack of quality health care in rural areas.

Misconceptions Impacting Infant Health

The neonatal mortality rate in Honduras is correspondingly high, at an average of nine deaths for every 1,000 live births. Without their mothers, many infants are subject to neglect and other potentially harmful practices, which include feeding the infant with a damp, honeyed cloth and wrapping a band around its umbilical cord. In villages where the nearest medical facility is hundreds of miles away, it’s easy for dangerous misconceptions like these to spread.

However, researchers theorized that educating community members could bridge the knowledge gap and increase awareness of healthy postpartum practices. A health care intervention system was implemented in more than 5,000 households in the Cópan region to test this notion. During this period, families were regularly visited by community health care workers who instructed them on birth-related topics such as infant care, illness prevention and reproductive health.

Along with increasing parents’ likelihood to visit a health facility and breastfeed the infant shortly after birth, the intervention also decreased potentially dangerous practices. The study showed that providing health care services can significantly increase maternal and infant health, demonstrating an urgent need to implement medical services in rural areas.

The Pan American Health Organization

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is an international public health agency comprising 35 member countries in North, Central and South America. Since its founding in 1902, it has collaborated with governments and other organizations to address key problems in Latin American health care. Its achievements are lengthy and include extending the hemisphere’s life expectancy, eliminating numerous fatal diseases and spearheading the world’s first global immunization week. However, the organization’s work is far from over.

An interview with PAHO director Jarbas Barbosa illustrates exactly how the organization’s innovative solutions propel it into a new era of health and connection. Barbosa is no stranger to hard work; soon after obtaining his master’s degree and PhD from the University of Campinas in São Paulo, he embarked on a decades-long journey in public health.

Upon interviewing him about the PAHO’s vision for the future, his passion for improving the lives of others is clear in his promise that, “as director, I am committed to expanding our engagement to improve the health and well-being of all people in the Americas.” He believes that by investing in solutions that address common health problems, PAHO can address the root causes of other prevalent issues affecting Latin America, from political corruption to climate instability.

However, he emphasizes that the PAHO can’t expect to do this independently; instead, “Successfully meeting all these challenges requires effective coordination across sectors.” To do this, PAHO collaborates with influential groups like the World Bank and invests in new research and technology to best address the needs of the Latin American population.

PAHO’s Maternal Telehealth Initiative

So, what do scientific studies on rural health care intervention and the PAHO’s goal of technological collaboration mean for maternal health in Honduras? The answer is a groundbreaking telehealth initiative that enables essential medical assistance for pregnant women living in rural areas.

In collaboration with the Latin American Center for Perinatology, the PAHO has established a teleconsultation pilot, in which women are provided with routine blood-pressure testing and virtual check-ins throughout their pregnancy. As a result, potential maternal complications can be addressed before they become life-threatening.

The program also utilizes the help of community volunteers, who are trained to take vital readings and spread information about immunizations and healthy habits to their community. Bremen de Mucio, a Regional Maternal Health Advisor at PAHO, calls the initiative “a standout example of collaborating to address health care challenges and improve health equality.” While it is too early to observe its long-term effects, telehealth is undoubtedly a significant step in identifying warning signs and reducing pregnancy-related deaths.

– Grace Gonzalez

Grace is based in Oakton, VA, USA and focuses on Business and Global Health for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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Smaller INGOs in Honduras and Beyond

Smaller INGOS in Honduras and BeyondWith the recent federal cuts to world aid funding in the United States (U.S.), smaller international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs) have both felt the strain and shown a particular resiliency. Melanie Gibbons, who has worked with the Lutheran World Relief and merger company Corus for more than 20 years, has witnessed the benefits of smaller INGOs. She highlights how working locally, collaborating with other INGOs, operating on a smaller scale and maintaining the “nimble” qualities of a small organization can be an asset in the nonprofit sector.

Honduras’ Smaller INGOs and Tuition-Free School

In Honduras, just 38% of high school students graduate. At El Hogar, a tuition-free school supported by international aid, that number jumps to 92%. After years of work, helping with the world’s poorest countries, INGOs of all sizes have realized the importance of working locally in order to accomplish sustainable progress in a region, avoid unnecessary power struggles, honor the people that they are serving and get to root causes. And working locally often means working smaller. “And this is where the benefit of the larger organizations, working with the smaller organizations, is so good,” Gibbons says. “Because these smaller organizations who are right there in and their communities will know more quickly where needs are shifting, or what is most culturally appropriate or needed.” 

The Goal of Any Good Aid Organization

The goal of any good aid organization, Gibbons says, is to put themselves out of business. She lifts up the example of Splash International, an organization that provides water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in high need cities throughout the world. It plans to accomplish its implementation goals and close its doors in 30 years and it is on track to see that happen.  

“Those relationships are what will create the ability to scale later, to pivot quickly and to meet the right needs at the right time. So the relationships are crucial.” Fundraising is a matter of relationships, which are a matter of trust and working locally. Often, working more intimately creates relationships that can last for a long time and create generational change in different regions. Gibbons emphasized that fundraising ultimately comes down to relationships, with trust as the foundation.

In her view, smaller organizations that work locally and closely with communities are especially positioned to develop long-term bonds. Those connections, she noted, can create ripple effects that last for generations. At the same time, she acknowledged that smaller INGOs face challenges—such as limited visibility and resources—which makes collaboration with larger organizations essential for sustaining impact.

Building Trust Quicker

Smaller INGOs in Honduras and beyond are flexible in relational terms, as well. Able to form relationships and build trust more rapidly than larger organizations. An example of this is Splash International’s work in Addis Ababa. The organization started with government schools in implementing WASH solutions like water fountains, child-friendly toilets, and hand-washing stations. After implementing them in all of the government schools, with the help of the local government, it is scaling up and reaching out to the housing and business sectors in the region. “And this I would say that that gets back to the question of scale,” Gibbons said, “and how sometimes we underestimate the smaller organizations’ role in sector solutions. They have the ability to try new things and learn quickly at a smaller scale and then translate those learnings into larger investments that can be multiplied.”

Another benefit of smaller INGOs in Honduras and beyond is the collaboration that takes place among the organizations. “I think for the most part it’s a very supportive environment,” Gibbons said about the collaboration between small organizations. “Executive directors of small organizations know that they need each other. We’re always learning from each other and being supported.” Though sometimes they are vying for the same money from funders, “There’s more collaboration than competition,” Gibbons said. 

Having an Abundance Mindset is Crucial

Overall, one of the biggest assets of running, or working for, smaller INGOs is the ability to revamp the system in creative ways. Gibbons believes there’s enough out there to provide for the needs of the poorest and neediest in the world. “I really do, in my heart, believe that there’s enough for everyone, not only to survive but to thrive. The sector has some opportunities to be creative and think differently, and that’s exciting to be part of. I’m grateful to have the chance to be part of the solutions.” While she hurts for all who are hurting because of the budget cuts, she also sees a window for positive growth and change within the INGOs sector. 

Looking Ahead

Because of their ability to work locally, work collaboratively and work creatively, smaller INGOs in Honduras and beyond are making a big difference in providing important humanitarian aid to the world. The landscape of world aid is going through a shift, and smaller INGOs are providing relief where it is needed and working at a smaller scale and in a nimbler way to provide scalable solutions.

– Gregory Walker

Gregory is based in York, PA, USA and focuses on Global Health for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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Rural Fishermen Safeguard Small-Scale Fishing in Honduras

Small-Scale Fishing in HondurasArtisanal fishermen on the Caribbean coast of Honduras are celebrating the creation of a marine protected area managed in partnership with their small-scale fishing communities. The ordinance for the Santa Rosa de Aguan Site of Importance for Wildlife, overseen by the Honduran Forest Conservation Institute, was signed on May 28, 2025. Created in collaboration with Rare, an ecological nonprofit, the project saw the communities of Colon, Cortes, and Atlantida rejoice at the declaration and join together in envisioning a positive future for the fishing industry.

Background

Honduras is a lower-middle-income country, as 63% of the population lives in poverty, one in five rural residents experiences extreme poverty, and 19% of children under 5 experience malnutrition, causing developmental delays. Unstable access to essential services, increasing violence and inequality alongside the changing climate and disproportionate economic growth have contributed to food insecurity and malnutrition.

Additionally, in 2024, the country faced several challenges, including droughts, unpredictable rainfall, inflation, and economic instability, which led to struggles in the agricultural sector and a decline in household incomes. These problems were significantly more damaging in rural and marginalized communities.

Fishing Project

The plan in Santa Rosa de Aguan will involve collaboration with local fishermen, who will survey and patrol coastal waters to combat illegal fishing, utilize sustainable fishing gear, and protect the long-term health of shoreline ecosystems. Beaches, rainforests, coastal mangroves and 12 nautical miles of open ocean comprise the 112-square-mile zone accessible to fishermen working within the new project. With the help of Rare, the project aims to protect 100% of mangrove swamps and reserve 12 nautical miles of open seas exclusively for small-scale fishing and conservation, Good News Network reports.

Rare, through its Fish Forever initiative, has helped create more than 28,000 square miles of community fisheries in 2,000 cities and towns around the world. The global project recognizes that healthy coastal fisheries are essential to the food security, economic prosperity, and climate resilience of coastal communities worldwide. Furthermore, they work with fishers to revitalize coastal fisheries and partner with local governments, funders, leaders, and NGOs to support local communities in managing them sustainably.

Outcomes

According to the Statistics Institute of Honduras, the indigenous Garifuna speakers of Santa Rosa de Aguan live with half their population in extreme poverty. These small-scale fishing communities, comprising multiple generations of fishermen, have exclusive access to sustainable food supplies, employment opportunities, and secure wages. The scheme enables locals to utilize traditional fishing methods, building upon the fishing industry and developing it into a sustainable source of employment in the country. With the help of Rare, fishermen have gained access to an expansive region of waters that will be used to continue developing the fishing industry and eventually contribute to Honduras’ economy. Mayor of Santa Rosa de Aguan, Heber Flores, states, “By protecting the resources that sustain us—fishing and agriculture—we’re securing a future of dignity, resilience, and opportunity for our communities,” Good News Network reports.

The Future

In conclusion, the establishment of the Santa Rosa de Aguan Site of Importance for Wildlife marks a significant step toward sustainable small-scale fishing practices and community empowerment on the Caribbean coast of Honduras. By involving local fishermen and prioritizing environmental conservation, this initiative aims to uplift impoverished communities while ensuring the long-term health of vital marine ecosystems.

As these communities come together to protect their resources, they pave the way for a brighter future where dignity, resilience, and economic opportunity can flourish in harmony with nature. Through collaborative efforts, the vision for sustainable fishing addresses not only immediate needs but also strengthens the overall welfare of future generations.

– Phoebe Guildford

Phoebe is based in Cardiff, Wales and focuses on Good News for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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How IFAD Fights Rural Poverty in Honduras

Rural Poverty in Honduras
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Honduran government have cooperated for many years to fight rural poverty in Honduras. The country is largely agrarian, with every one in four citizens employed in agriculture, and is considered a low to middle-income country. With nearly half the population living on less than $6.15 a day, Honduras is the poorest country in Central America, and the second poorest behind Haiti in Latin America.

Adding to Honduras’s perennial issues are the frequent severe weather events and climate disasters that plague the country’s rural infrastructure. For instance, a 2019 drought decimated the land’s bean and corn crops, creating widespread food insecurity for Honduran citizens. The following year, hurricanes Eta and Iota affected more than 400,000 citizens and caused more than $2 billion in damage.

Since 1979, the IFAD has worked with Honduras to alleviate rural poverty, provide financing to rural farmers and build systems and infrastructure that support small, independent agriculture. This article will explore IFAD’s current program benefiting farmers, the Project for the Economic and Social Inclusion of Small Rural Producers in Northeast Honduras (PROINORTE) and the organizational framework, the Country Strategic Opportunities Programme (COSOP), that currently guides IFAD’s operations in Honduras. The article will also examine one of IFAD’s former successes in the country to demonstrate how COSOP and PROINORTE will help alleviate rural poverty in Honduras.

About IFAD

Founded in 1977 in response to global food shortages, IFAD is a United Nations (U.N.) agency dedicated to addressing rural poverty. The agency provides funding, training and investment to rural communities to strengthen small-scale agribusiness and the overall well-being of rural populations. IFAD partners with businesses, corporations, international organizations and governments to secure funding for grants and low-interest loans directed toward rural farmers.

IFAD is guided by its Country Strategic Opportunities Programme 2020-2025 (COSOP) in Honduras. COSOP is an institutional framework that outlines the rules of engagement for IFAD’s involvement in Honduras. It defines the specific areas where individual IFAD projects should concentrate their efforts and outlines the strategic objectives the organization aims to accomplish.

Specifically, COSOP lists two objectives that guide Honduran IFAD projects. The first focuses on increasing rural productivity and building sustainable food systems. This goal not only aims to help local rural farmers improve their business practices, but also strives to improve rural Honduran communities’ social and physical health. The second objective aims to boost rural employment in Honduras by helping producers access markets and funding.

PROINORTE: Building Small-Scale Farming Businesses

Under the guiding framework of COSOP, IFAD has created two projects to help reduce rural poverty in Honduras, the Project for Competitiveness and Sustainable Development in the South-Western Border Region (PRO-LENCA) and the Project for the Economic and Social Inclusion of Small Rural Producers in Northeast Honduras (PROINORTE). PRO-LENCA reached completion in 2023 and will be discussed in the next section below.

PROINORTE is the only IFAD program currently open in Honduras. The program operates in the northeast region of Honduras, where 59% of households live in poverty. Like its guiding framework, COSOP, PROINORTE aims to improve the productive and marketing capabilities of small rural farmers and to foster sustainable business practices and lifestyles in rural communities. Additionally, the program looks to help farmers build resilience against Honduras’ frequent climate disasters and economic volatility.

PROINORTE includes three areas of activity or “components.” Component 1 helps farmers develop organizational frameworks, build partnerships between businesses and producers, and bolster entrepreneurial agrarian activity. Meanwhile, component 2 provides financing and implementation of plans put forth by local producers and businesses. Component 3 monitors PROINORTE’s progress and ensures that goals are met.

PROINORTE, rather than providing emergency relief or assistance, works to develop small-scale, subsistence-level farms into functioning, free-market businesses. By providing professional training and investment, the project seeks to connect agrarian farmers with markets to sell their products, thereby increasing rural employment and living standards. The project has an estimated total cost of $46.48 million, with funding provided by the IFAD, the OPEC Fund for International Development, the Honduran government and local beneficiaries in Honduras.

Past Successes

To understand how PROINORTE will positively impact northeastern Honduran communities, it is important to examine IFAD’s past successes in the country. PRO-LENCA, a program similar to PROINORTE but located in the southwestern region of Honduras, wrapped up in 2023. Like PROINORTE, PRO-LENCA sought to reduce rural poverty in Honduras by investing in and developing local businesses and agriculture.

According to IFAD documents, PRO-LENCA was largely successful, benefiting 59,000 Honduran citizens and creating more than 1,800 jobs in the area. The program reached nearly all of the households it set out to help, with the incomes of these impacted households rising by almost 50%. Moreover, for every dollar invested in PRO-LENCA, $2.40 was created in economic benefits for rural Hondurans in the target region. Additionally, the project increased youth and female employment in southwest Honduras and decreased food insecurity.

Looking Forward

While it is too early to assess PROINORTE’s economic impact, the benefits that PRO-LENCA created paint a positive future. PRO-LENCA worked to build organizational capabilities and link rural businesses to consumer markets. The hope is that PROINORTE will repeat this program’s success in Honduras’ northeast region. Guided by COSOP, PROINORTE looks to continue IFAD’s track record of reducing rural poverty in Honduras. By helping rural farmers turn their small-scale agriculture into full-fledged businesses, PROINORTE will stimulate rural economies and help Honduran farmers build resilient food systems.

– Charles Citron

Charles is based in Boston, MA, USA and focuses on Business and Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr