Honduras

Honduras, a culturally diverse country with an abundance of natural resources and biodiversity, remains one of the poorest countries in Latin America, with high levels of insecurity and inequality. Helvetas supports smallholder associations to increase their productivity to generate more income, promotes vocational training for young people to improve their employment prospects and promotes dialogue for efficient management and quality of natural resources.

Capital

Tegucigalpa
Area

112,492 km²
Poverty rate*

12% of the population live under the poverty line of $1.90 per day
UN DEVELOPMENT INDEX*

Rank: 138 out of 193
Population

10,629,706
People supported per year

280,383
Thematic focus

Climate & Disaster Resilience
Voice, Inclusion & Cohesion
Private Sector Development
Education and Vocational Skills

* Source: UN Data

The forests of Honduras are a trove of biodiversity. But they are threatened by deforestation, whether by large landowners or by smallholders who, out of economic necessity, need new fertile land to farm. Helvetas focuses its efforts in Honduras on the economic development of small farmers: by improving the skills and know-how of farmers’ associations, we contribute to generating fair value chains for products like organic cacao. This approach serves to increase small farmers’ income, while managing natural resources sustainably and restoring soil fertility.

Better prospects for rural communities

Honduras, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, has virtually no future prospects to offer young people. Only one in five go to secondary school, and even fewer in rural areas. To earn money, many young people migrate to the cities, where they easily end up in criminal circles and gangs. Together with Helvetas, the ministry of education and municipal authorities offer young people an alternative in rural areas by providing practically oriented vocational training.

Water and sanitation governance

Helvetas, together with its partners at the local level, strengthens the capacities of local governments for the proper management of water, sanitation and hygiene services. We encourage the creation of spaces in which local governments, civil society and the private sector coordinate actions in order to improve services for the most disadvantaged, so that they do so in an effective and responsible way.

An essential part of Helvetas' work is to defend the human right to water and sanitation. We support the most vulnerable groups not only in their efforts to build wells and latrines, but also in promoting a holistic approach that includes the fair distribution of water resources, the sustainable management of water supply services, effective land irrigation and improved hygiene practices.

Promoting entrepreneurship

We foster entrepreneurial skills in the agricultural sector and we seek to impact young Hondurans in rural areas between 14-30 years old, with emphasis on young people with high migration potential and young returnees, proposing the updating, replication and institutionalization of the EDUCAR Model in the center-west and south of the country.

Teenagers and young adults learn which products are in demand, how to market them successfully and how to draw up business plans. We support trainees, even during their training, in setting up small businesses as poultry breeders,vegetable growers producers of honey, coffee, vegetables and artisanal products.

Giving the people a say

Helvetas also enables municipal authorities to bring public services closer to the citizenry. Through democratic participation, the population can articulate their needs and priorities with regard to public spending, e.g. to call for road repairs or a new school.

Visit the website of Helvetas Honduras.

The country programme in Honduras is co-funded by the SDC programme contribution.