Guest blogging for me today is Lisa, our Political Officer who visited Copán, Honduras last week – not just to see the beautiful Mayan architecture at Copán Ruinas and enjoy the sunshine, but on serious business to visit an NGO project site! Here she is with her report:
This past year, our project funds for Honduras have been supporting Progressio, a UK based NGO, and one of their technical experts in his project work alongside the Maya Chorti people of the Copán region in western Honduras, located just 10km from the border with Guatemala. This indigenous group have a long history living in the region, and many work as farm labourers in the area or have more recently begun more self-sustainable farming practices or micro-finance initiatives.
One community I was privileged to meet are currently facing hardship as they have been evicted from their homes and forced to set up temporary shelters along the roadside, until the resolution of a legal process to grant them the new housing sites they have previously been guaranteed. Unfortunately this is not a one-off problem, with other communities facing similar prospects in the future. It was both challenging and inspiring to hear the stories and determination of members of the community, who with the support of organisations like Progressio and OCDIH (a Christian development charity in Honduras) are better able to articulate their difficulties and formulate strategies to move towards a solution. For example: looking for legal support to bring land issues to a swift resolution and ensure their community members a home and future; setting up a community radio; tackling issues of food security; or working through their women’s groups to tackle health, employment and education issues in the home. I felt fortunate to be able to visit, to see and hear firsthand the difficulties of these communities, but also to witness their resolve to find peaceful and sustainable solutions.
Here at the Embassy, as we cross into April and a new financial year, we’re beginning a new round of support for projects in the region. In Honduras, we’re going to continue our work supporting Human Rights Defenders through the funding of a year’s contract for a specialist to work with our European Commission colleagues in Tegucigalpa. If you’re a human rights expert or know someone with experience working in this field and are interested in the opportunity, please see the advertisement and application details on our website. Whilst the difficulties for those defending the human rights of themselves and others in Honduras continue, we will continue working with our European Union colleagues to monitor and offer our support to improve the situation, both to local authorities and institutions, and to civil society individuals and groups.
