Nestled in northern Central America, Honduras was once home to several Mesoamerican peoples — most notably the Maya. This ecologically diverse land — with its rainforests, cloud forests, savannas, mountain ranges and barrier reef system off the northern coast — teems with life. Its wealth of natural resources is equally impressive, including a variety of minable minerals and agricultural exports such as coffee, tropical fruit, sugar cane and lumber. Moreover, its growing textiles industry serves an international market.
The nation’s wealth of natural beauty and resources, however, belies the dire poverty in which its people live. In fact, Honduras holds the unfortunate distinction of being one of the poorest nations in Latin America. This is due in part to its longstanding political instability, social strife including the world’s highest murder rate and economic issues such as fluctuating export prices, rising inflation and unemployment. Other contributing factors include frequent natural disasters such as hurricanes, mild earthquakes and flooding as well as widespread poverty, disease and inadequate education which results in a high rate of illiteracy.
The nation’s wealth of natural beauty and resources, however, belies the dire poverty in which its people live. In fact, Honduras holds the unfortunate distinction of being one of the poorest nations in Latin America.
Facts about Honduras
– The capital of Honduras is Tegucigalpa
– The five stars on the Honduran flag represent the five countries of Central America, with the middle star representing Honduras
– The currency in Honduras is the Honduran Lempira
– The population in Honduras is 9.265 million
– The official language is Spanish
– The word Honduras translates to “great depths”
– It is the second-largest country in Central America
– Honduras has the unfortunate distinction of being the country with the highest murder rate in the world
Facts about poverty in Honduras
- More than 60% of the population lives in poverty
- In rural areas, approximately one out of five Hondurans live in extreme poverty (less than US$1.90 per day)
- The country faces the highest level of economic inequality in Latin America
- One in three infants is malnourished
- Children in rural areas get an average of four years of schooling
Where we work in Honduras
In Honduras, we affiliate with three projects: The El Refugio Welfare Center in Progreso, Maria Reyna Home in San Pedro Sula and the Siguatepeque Primary School in Siguatepeque.
Read more about our affiliated projects
How a 90s Best Seller is Helping Kids in Honduras Today
Sponsorship in Central America
How you can help children in Honduras
You can help a child living in poverty in Honduras in a few different ways. One way is through our child sponsorship program. Sponsorship provides an underprivileged child with basic and education-related necessities such as food, clothing, healthcare, school supplies, and school tuition payments.
This vital support allows impoverished, vulnerable children to develop to their full potential — physically, emotionally and socially. Sponsors positively impact the lives of the children they sponsor through the knowledge that someone cares about their well-being. This gives children in need hope, which is powerful.
Our policy has always been to consider the needs of each sponsored child on an individual basis. We work closely with our volunteer coordinators at our project sites in Honduras who are familiar with each individual circumstance and the needs of every child in their care. Sponsorship donations are sent to our projects — orphanages, homes, community centers and schools — at the beginning of each month in the form of subsidy stipends. Our on-site volunteer coordinators use those funds to purchase items for children in our program, to ensure that they have what they need to do their very best and succeed in school.
You can also help children in Honduras by donating to one of our special funds. Our special funds offer a variety of giving options for sponsors who wish to further their support, as well as for donors who wish to make a difference without making a commitment. In the past, thanks to donations to our Hope In Action Fund and our International Feeding Program, we have been able to further support our projects in Honduras beyond sponsorship.
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