Oxfam's work in Honduras in depth
In Honduras Oxfam focuses on strengthening social organisations to make their voices heard, and on positive, lasting changes for the most excluded, vulnerable and discriminated-against people, such as women.
The context
Honduras is the third poorest country in Latin America and the Caribbean. Farmers, women, ethnic and indigenous groups in rural areas are the most affected by inequality and poverty. 71% of American Indians and afro descendants live in extreme poverty.
Safety conditions are terrible, especially for women: from 2003 to 2009 more than 1,200 women were murdered, and most cases have not been investigated.
9% of small growers in Honduras are women and 70% of them are illiterate. Income in women-led households in rural areas is 30% smaller than income in households led by men.
More than 50% of people in Honduras are young people, but public policies aimed at them and at women are scarce. Demands from their organisations and other associations are not considered when designing and implementing public policies.
How is Oxfam helping?
Economic justice and access to rural services
Oxfam seeks to dignify the life of small producers (men and women) by placing special emphasis on improving their livelihoods, food security, access to water sources and market systems. To do this it is fundamental to influence the Government to ensure public policies will support small-scale agriculture and develop women’s leadership.
Oxfam will work with local organisations with the following goals for 2015:
- Increased income and food security in households, especially those where women are the head of the home.
- Different organisations working with Oxfam ensuring the participation of women in decision making processes and business chain management.
- Local organisations and authorities improving the integrated watersheds and sustainable water sources in the north-eastern region.
- The Government increasing the national budget for small-scale agriculture from 1.4% to 2.5%.
- National budget and local initiatives decentralising on behalf of small producers (men and women).
Producing and marketing coffee
Marlen Contreras is one of more than 250 women who have increased their income and quality of life by producing and marketing coffee. She has succeeded thanks to the support and training received from the COMUCAP organisation.
Training women and helping them own their production sources has not been easy in a society where women are marginalised and denied their rights. However, Oxfam’s support and collaboration have helped turn this into a reality in one of the poorest areas in Honduras.
Strengthening social movements and fostering the participation and leadership of women and youth in political processes
There is an urgent need to strengthen the links between social organisations of women and young people and create a joint political agenda, especially in the north-east, to bring about necessary change.
Oxfam is working with women and youth organisations to achieve the following by 2015:
- Design and implement public policies that address the needs of women and youth in Honduras.
- Ensure dialogue spaces and encounters between women, young people and authorities.
Seeds that yield fruit
At the end of 2008, the EROC (Espacio Regional de Occidente, which includes 400 autonomous foundations, six youth networks, 20 women’s networks and 30 civil society co-ordinators in 57 municipalities) signed an agreement for $3.8m so that 30 of the poorest municipalities in the region could receive direct support in their municipal budget.
The signing of this document is without precedent. Citizen organisations not only lobbied for the funds, but also made the joint decision on the development plans for each municipality, as well as on the fiscalisation mechanisms. This process has its roots in the moment when ASONOG (Asociacion de Organismos No Gubernamentales) set in motion the “Citizen Participation” programme, with the support of Oxfam and Diakonia. What started as a programme is yielding specific results in the fight against poverty and the protection of the rights of the most vulnerable population in the poorest areas of the country.
National campaign support
Our programmes have the support of national campaigns:
The "Vamos al Grano" campaign works to raise the voice of small women growers and the need to guarantee their food security.
The "National Campaign Against Femicides” strengthens the participation and leadership of women; it also works to prevent violence against women in Honduras.
Adaptation, risk reduction and emergency relief
The likelihood of natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods and hurricanes in Honduras is very high. Oxfam is working with others to:
- Build political, technical and management capabilities in disaster risk preparedness. We are helping prepare a joint risk assessment with other municipal and local committees in the most vulnerable regions, as well as developing and implementing mitigation strategies, preparedness plans, and prompt and efficient responses during emergencies.
- Build strategic alliances to be better prepared to respond during an emergency.
- Help build capacity to deal with disasters in local organisations
Increasing forest coverage
Forest coverage has decreased alarmingly because of livestock and agricultural activities. But in the Ocotepeque department, to the west of Honduras, the forest area will go from 66.72 hectares of forest coverage to 85.56. More than 14,300 people will benefit from agriculture and clean water sources.
The increase in forest area is credited to a shared management process in the sustainable micro watershed management in Rio Hondo, implemented by the Ecological Association in San Marcos de Ocotepeque (AESMO) and by community and local governments, as well as by Oxfam and other national and international agencies.
The aim is to protect the forest and implement adaptation measures to ensure sustainability and future growth. Measures include: preparation of organic fertilisers, ending the burning of plots, stopping landslides with stone walls or terraces, and using technology to help preserve the area and turn it into one that is more productive, safe and sustainable.
Last updated: May 2011
