Honduras
Global Communities works alongside the people of Honduras to tackle urgent crises and build lasting resilience for a safer, stronger future.
Honduras sits in the heart of Central America’s Northern Triangle, where poverty, violence, and environmental challenges shape daily life for millions. These harsh realities often drive families to leave their homes in search of safety and opportunity.
Nearly 60% of the population lives below the national poverty line, and close to half struggle to meet basic needs. Rural and Indigenous communities are especially affected, with limited access to jobs, health care, and education.
The country’s high levels of violence only amplify these hardships. Gang activity and corruption weaken public trust in institutions and threaten community safety, particularly in urban areas. At the same time, climate change brings rising seas, prolonged droughts, and destructive storms — making Honduras one of the most vulnerable countries in the region.
In 2020, the country was rocked by a series of overlapping crises: the COVID-19 pandemic followed by Hurricanes Eta and Iota. These events struck rural communities particularly hard, causing massive crop failures, displacing families, and deepening food insecurity. Today, millions continue to face hunger and lack the resources to rebuild.
For more than 30 years, Global Communities has worked alongside the people of Honduras to build safer, stronger, and more resilient communities. We help families prepare for and recover from disasters, prevent disease, rebuild local economies, and strengthen community leadership. Our work addresses urgent needs while laying the foundation for long-term stability, so communities are equipped to face future challenges with confidence and security.
Current Programs
Eradicating Malaria Through Strategic Health Initiatives
Global Communities is partnering with the Ministry of Health of Honduras to eliminate local malaria cases by 2028. The program reaches more than 200,000 people across 12 departmental regions, focusing on prevention, detection, and treatment, especially among women, children, young people, and the indigenous Miskito population in Gracias a Dios.
Key strategies include monitoring and analyzing malaria cases to ensure timely diagnosis and treatment. The program also reduces mosquito populations through indoor spraying and the distribution of mosquito nets. Community education and outreach encourage behaviors that prevent infection and protect families.
This collaborative approach strengthens local health systems by supporting municipal governments, civil society, and community organizations, creating a model for effective malaria control and long-term public health improvements.
Advancing Health and Ending HIV and Tuberculosis
Global Communities works with Honduras to achieve zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination, and zero AIDS-related deaths through the National HIV Strategic Plan. The program identifies new HIV cases, provides treatment, distributes Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), and tests key populations for HIV. These efforts are carried out in partnership with the Ministry of Health and academic institutions, with a focus on sentinel surveillance clinics for sexually transmitted infections and comprehensive care services.
The project also strengthens tuberculosis (TB) care, including treatment for multi-drug-resistant cases, by enhancing diagnosis with advanced molecular biology techniques and integrating HIV and TB services for more complete care. Health teams receive ongoing training, and the Integrated Health Information System is continuously improved with new HIV surveillance capabilities. Collaborations with the National Autonomous University of Honduras and the Ministry of Health support scientific research that informs public health strategies.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the program adapted to prevent infections and support hospitals by deploying rapid response teams, establishing oxygen-generating plants, and providing essential medicines, ventilators, and critical equipment. These combined efforts have helped build stronger health systems and improved care for communities across Honduras.
Previous Programs
Supporting Food Security and Resilience
To help families in Honduras’ Dry Corridor overcome chronic food insecurity, Global Communities implemented the Honduras Agricultural System Support (HASS) program with funding from the United States Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance. Over the course of the program, HASS strengthened the resilience and disaster preparedness of 14,764 households in 50 communities across the departments of Ocotepeque, Copán, La Paz, Valle, Choluteca, and El Paraíso. Through climate-smart farming practices and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) initiatives, communities gained more reliable access to nutritious food and clean water. The program also targeted 1,500 of the most vulnerable households with cash and voucher assistance. These resources helped farming families avoid slipping into food insecurity during the lean season. HASS also advanced gender equality by implementing the Women Empowered methodology, which built women’s leadership in political, social, and economic spheres. (closed in 2025)
COVID-19 Community Vaccination Brigades
With financial support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and The Task Force for Global Health, Global Communities supported the Ministry of Health through the COVID-19 Community Vaccination Brigades project in Honduras.
This initiative administered 63,600 doses of vaccines in the municipalities of Choloma, Villanueva, and the Department of Cortés. The project provided critical support to the Expanded Program on Immunization, helping to protect the population by reducing vaccination gaps and improving access to essential vaccines. (closed in 2023)
Rebuilding Lives After Hurricanes Eta and Iota
With support from the United States Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, Global Communities implemented the Honduras Emergency Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene, and Shelter (HEWS) program. HEWS addressed the immediate needs and early recovery of nearly 237,000 people affected by Hurricanes Eta and Iota. The program provided access to clean water, sanitation, and safe shelter while delivering multi-purpose cash assistance. Additionally, HEWS supported long-term economic recovery by assisting agricultural and non-agricultural livelihoods. (closed in 2022)
Restoring Land, Safeguarding Water in the Dry Corridor
From June 2017 to June 2021, Global Communities worked in the Dry Corridor of Honduras to protect and restore the watersheds that local families depend on. Through the Watershed Management and Conservation component of the Dry Corridor Alliance Program, funded by the United States Agency for International Development and the Government of Honduras, we partnered with national, regional, and local governments, community members, and water organizations to combat land degradation, reforest critical areas, and secure long-term access to water for drinking and irrigation.
The program placed 106,000 hectares of land under improved management, directly benefiting 40,000 families. It also strengthened 310 local water management organizations and trained and equipped 75 forest protection groups to safeguard natural resources for the future. To ensure communities had the tools to make informed decisions, the initiative also established 10 water quality laboratories and 45 hydroclimatic stations, creating a strong foundation for ongoing watershed monitoring and conservation. (closed in 2021)
Helping Honduran Communities Weather Dual Crises
From July 2020 to March 2021, Global Communities implemented the Health Assistance and COVID-19 Emergency Response (HACER) program to help communities in Cortés and the Dry Corridor prevent and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The program reached 122,147 people with vital health and water, sanitation, and hygiene support. HACER strengthened municipal response teams, mobilized community health volunteers, and engaged residents in dialogue to identify and address local COVID-19 risks. The program also developed localized response plans closely aligned with municipal efforts.
When Hurricanes Eta and Iota struck, HACER quickly adapted to support displaced families, providing hygiene supplies in collective shelters and coordinating relief efforts with the United States Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance. These combined efforts helped communities respond to both health and disaster challenges while building local capacity for the future. (closed in 2021)
Uniting Communities and Health Systems Against Zika
From 2016 to 2019, Global Communities implemented the Nuestra Salud, or “Our Health,” program to help Honduras respond to the Zika virus outbreak. The program focused on empowering communities to take an active role in protecting their health while supporting local health systems. By working closely with the Honduran Health Secretariat, Nuestra Salud coordinated a rapid, effective response that built on existing health systems and policies, reaching more people and helping to slow the spread of the virus. (closed in 2019)
Impact
234,688
individuals gained improved access to clean drinking water between 2020 and 2024
24,097
insecticide-treated mosquito nets installed to protect residents from malaria in 2024
111,982
people received education on good hygiene practices from 2020 to 2024
Resources
From Policy to Practice: The HIV Care and Treatment Project’s Experiences in Transitioning to an Optimized Regimen in Honduras
Exploring Health Provider Knowledge of the Undetectable Equals Untransmittable (U=U) Concept in Central America
Validation of Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (KAPREP) among Key Populations in Honduras: A New Tool
News
Preparing for Hurricanes from Forecast to Aftermath
As hurricane season barrels into Latin America and the Caribbean each June, communities across the region brace for impact. With an average of 14 named storms, seven hurricanes, and three major hurricanes of Category 3 strength or higher each year, the threat is real — even if not every storm makes landfall. That’s why Global…
Humanity at Risk: Addressing Challenges to Principled Humanitarian Action
By Paula Rudnicka, Sr. Manager for Public Affairs. Audio production by Kallista Zormelo. For decades, the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence have underpinned humanitarian action. They provide a foundation for delivering aid with integrity and fairness, and they help ensure that assistance reaches those in need based on vulnerability and urgency, rather…
Cultivating New Leaders, Healthier Futures through Family Gardens
San Francisco de Cones is a peaceful mountain village in Honduras known for its year-round temperate climate and fertile land, ideal for growing beans, corn and coffee. Most residents rely on growing the food they consume and, until recently, there was always enough to sustain them. However, over the past five years, frequent landslides, winter…