Honduras

With funding from Annie's, SHI-Honduras will aim to strengthen environmental awareness and community involvement through the organization of "Friends of the Environment."  The program will involve at least 600 students and over 100 micro-projects, such as organic gardens, will be implemented in the village schools, with an average of six per school.  Of these projects, at least 20 will be generating revenue to ensure financial sustainability of the school programs. 

With the funding, SHI's Honduran staff has also committed to the production of at least 10 teaching guides, with supporting documentation and three environmental games, apart from other promotional material.  They will disseminate this information to support environmental awareness of members of parents, neighbors and Honduran society in general.  Another important aspect of the program will be to strengthen the cultural identity of the students and raise their self-esteem, as it will involve children of indigenous groups that have been historically marginalized from society.

To help support Annie’s-SHI’s work in this country, please enter the Annie’s Free Year Sweepstakes and vote for Honduras.

Honduras Quick Facts (Source: World Food Program)

• Honduras is a low-income food-deficit country of 7.5 million inhabitants, of whom 3.3 million are children under 15.

• 50% of the populations live in rural areas.

• Extreme poverty affects 47% of the total population, and 75% of the rural population.

• 1.5 million Hondurans face hunger.

• Women and indigenous groups are among the poorest people in Honduras.  Women who are heads of households make up about 9% of the country's small farmers.

• There is considerable inequity in the education sector: the illiteracy rate is 27 % in rural areas and 9.6% in towns.

• 20% of pupils drop out of primary education.

• The 2001 census of first-grade pupils showed chronic malnutrition at 42.7% among children in rural areas and 24% in towns. Poor nutritional status is related to limited access to food, water, sanitation and health services and high prevalence of respiratory infections and diarrhea.

• The nutritional status of children is related to that of mothers: studies show that weight gain during pregnancy is correlated to birth weight. Maternal mortality and birth rates are highest amongst poor rural women with low education.