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…
Read MoreCultivating 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…
Read MorePromoting Evidence-Based Approaches to HIV: Our Posters at AIDS 2024
By Paula Rudnicka, Sr. Manager for Public Affairs In July 2024, more than 11,000 people attended AIDS 2024 – the largest gathering on HIV and AIDS in the world. Global Communities and our subsidiary IntraHealth International showcased our work through five posters, which highlighted the results of studies conducted by our HIV projects in Central…
Read MoreMaría’s Harvest: Empowering Sustainable Farming and Drought Resilience in Honduras
María Martínez is a wife, mother, grandmother and producer of basic grains living in the Zacatustal, San Ramón, Choluteca community in Honduras. Her home is far from central markets which makes access to nutritious food a challenge. María received fencing wire, seeds and fertilizers from the United States Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Humanitarian…
Read MoreDoses of Hope: Expanding Vaccine Access for Honduran Families
Immunizations are a cornerstone of global health, contributing to millions of lives saved. High vaccination rates limit the transmission of preventable diseases, protecting entire communities and mitigating outbreaks should they occur. The COVID-19 pandemic served as a stark reminder that strong immunization programs are essential for global health security. In July 2023, Global Communities launched…
Read MoreUniting Communities: A Pivotal Force in Combating HIV/AIDS
By Betty Adera As we observe this year’s World AIDS Day, it is crucial to shine a light on persistent inequalities that continue to affect the lives of children, adolescents and young women. Numerous awareness campaigns and other strategies have led to critical advancements during the four-decade long HIV/AIDS global pandemic. However, the role of…
Read MoreHygiene Promotion Volunteers Help Make Clean Water Count in Communities
Until a few months ago, the community of El Bijao did not have access to clean and safe drinking water. Residents of the western Honduras village had to travel long distances to obtain the basic necessity, a journey which was exhausting and dangerous. Now, more than 80 families – around 380 individuals – are benefiting…
Read MoreImproving Access to Safe Drinking Water in Honduras
By José Alberto Vasquez Padilla Despite possessing a large amount of water resources, many communities in Honduras suffer from a shortage of safe drinking water, which leads to a series of public health and quality of life problems across the country. According to the National Survey of Demography and Health (ENDESA 2019), only 50% of…
Read MoreRebuilding a Sense of Home and Hope in Honduras
Over the course of 14 months, the HEWS program aimed to address both the immediate needs and early recovery of 100,050 people by organizing access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene, safe living conditions through improved shelter and settlements, and multi-purpose cash assistance.
Read MoreSupporting Community Recovery in El Copantillo
The drive to the remote community of El Copantillo looks much different than it did almost a year ago. Roads once cleared by the municipality were swept away, along with the rest of the mountain face, when tropical storms Eta and Iota pummeled Honduras in November 2020, causing considerable damage to homes, livelihoods, crops and…
Read MoreCommunity La Reformada, La Lima, Heads Home from Storm Shelters
Community clean-up efforts after tropical storms Eta and Iota, implemented by Global Communities under the USAID’s BHA-funded Honduras Emergency WASH and Shelter (HEWS) program, have enabled a majority of displaced families in La Reformada, La Lima to return to their homes. With the support of the community, program volunteers, and staff provided by Aguas de…
Read MoreUSAID HEWS Program to Provide Post-Hurricane Shelter and WASH Support in Honduras
To respond to the substantial emergency needs brought on by recent hurricanes in Honduras, Global Communities has launched Honduras Emergency WASH and Shelter (HEWS), a six-month program in the country’s Cortés, Copán, Ocotepeque and Santa Bárbara departments. The program, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA), aims to address…
Read MoreCommunities and COVID-19 Recovery Policy Implementation: Learning From The Example of Rainwater Harvesting Systems In Honduras
By José Eguigure The article was originally published at https://revista.drclas.harvard.edu/book/jos%C3%A9-eguigure As a current student at the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), I attended a virtual session called “The Fog of War: Real Time Lessons for Developing Countries in the Fight Against Covid-19” taught by Professor Ricardo Hausmann. Hausmann strongly recommended that we focus our attention on what…
Read MoreIn Honduras, Communities Fight Drought With Watershed Work
Managing access to water in the so-called Dry Corridor is key to economic and food security in the Central American country. Reporting/photo: Teresa Welsh, Article production: Naomi Mihara This article was originally published on the Devex website. San Antonio del Norte, HONDURAS — The pavement winds south through the Honduran countryside as pine forests shift…
Read MoreHonduran Community Leaders Limit Spread of Zika
By Harry Sanderson This article was originally published on the US Global Leadership Coalition website Over his 23-year career, Angel David Rodriguez has gradually incorporated health topics into his classroom curriculum at the suggestion of the Honduran Ministry of Health. As a math and science teacher, Rodriguez never imagined he’d be working hands-on as a…
Read MoreCommunity Volunteers Lead the Way to Zika Prevention in Honduras
Zika, the mosquito-borne virus that can cause birth defects was rampant in Honduras three years ago, with about 36,000 cases, and a fear that the number could only rise. This year as Global Communities’ USAID-funded Nuestra Salud (Our Health) program ends there are only about 600 cases. The success is greatly due to the training…
Read MoreGlobal Communities’ José Equigure Receives Honduras 20/20 Scholarship
Last month, Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández participated in the delivery of Honduras 20/20 scholarships to 139 young people, which will assist them in pursuing masters, doctorate and medical degrees at diverse and recognized universities abroad. The aim of this Presidential Scholarship Program is to support Honduran scholars in learning leadership competencies and skills, which…
Read MoreUS-funded Projects Ease Drought for Farmers in Honduras’ Dry South
For Honduras, a reliable water supply in the impoverished, dry south is the key to prosperity that keeps families together, stabilizes impoverished communities and gives its most capable people reason to stay in the region rather than move to cities or head north to the United States. “We have the land, but without water, we…
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