Standing for Change in Honduras

Two years ago, it was impossible to imagine a community in Honduras where children could play outside after dinner, where families could enjoy an evening walk.

It is easy to remember seeing headlines reporting tens of thousands of Honduran children arriving in the United States, seeking asylum from the relentless violence in their home country. Gang violence was running rampant, and local communities and families were paying the price.

It seemed rather hopeless in many ways. How do you fix a country-wide violence problem? Yet today, through the work of World Renew partners in Honduras, and with funding from countries like the U.S, the landscape of local communities is beginning to change. Hope is taking root as transformation begins.

World Renew has been working in Honduras since 1974, and began its partnership with the Association for a More Just Society (AJS) in 2003.

World Renew directly supports “the Gideon Project,” an important AJS program which focuses on at-risk youth and their families.

The Gideon Project provides psychological, emotional and legal support to at-risk youth in the wake of the domestic violence, high levels of street crime and inadequate public services. AJS’s programs provide a safe space for young people to heal and grow, and offer a support network that guides them through lessons in self-confidence, goal-setting and faith-building. The project also works with the families of the children, helping them learn to communicate better and to discipline without violence.

Community projects like these have seen real results in Honduran communities. At-risk youth are commonly drawn into local gangs, the main source for violence throughout the country. By helping young people and their families course-correct, AJS is essentially breaking the circle of violence.

Since April, AJS has been focused on yet another major obstacle to peace. They have been working to remove corrupt police officers from the national police force in Honduras.

Local Hondurans have long ceased reporting crimes due to the widespread corruption, which has allowed for unspeakable brutality to continue and perpetrators to go unpunished, repeating their crimes.

The commission appointed by the Honduran president includes two AJS staff members, Carlos and Omar, who together have worked to remove 40 percent of the highest-ranking police officers so far.

Police officers have been implicated for years in corruption, kidnappings, and murders in Honduras, but the issue has never been confronted head on, until now.

The hope is that, with the restoration of justice, peace and security in Honduras will return as well. However, as AJS and the commission remove corrupt officers from their positions, they are also gaining enemies. Staff members have received death threats for their work, and AJS has relocated Carlos and Omar's families to the United States for their safety.

Change is taking shape in Honduras, but in order to continue this work, World Renew needs supporters. World Renew stands with AJS, believing that this is the time for change to come to Honduras. We need you to stand with us.

Carlos and Omar visited Washington DC in June to deliver a message to congressmen - that the US has a significant role to play in supporting the Commission, with information, finances, and international pressure.

Supporters and allies now have the opportunity to reinforce this message by signing a petition, which encourages our congressmen to: 1) help ensure that the Commissioners are adequately protected and 2) use U.S. influence in Honduras to support the efforts to clean up the police force.

“Please pray that the programs of AJS would be effective in reducing the cycle of violence and impunity in vulnerable communities in Honduras,” says Matthew De Kam, World Renew’s program consultant in Honduras.

 “Pray for the staff of AJS and their families, that God will protect them and give them victory in their efforts for justice. Finally, prayerfully consider how the policies of powerful nations such as the U.S. and Canada can have a big effect on small countries such as Honduras.”