We arrived in Tegucigalpa on 19 April, it has been a long journey since we left from London Heathrow. We went to CEHDE (a training centre) in Santa Lucia after we landed, all of the staff there were incredibly welcoming and we were given a sample of delicious Honduran food. Here is where we would learn Spanish for the next week. Soon after each of us were escorted to the homes of our new families that we’d be staying with for the duration of our stay in Santa Lucia.
Over the last few weeks, I have stumbled upon several articles discussing the value (or lack of thereof) of sending young people to volunteer overseas. As an employee of Progressio, an international development charity that sends 18-25 years old to Africa and Central America, I felt I needed to dig into the issue a bit more.
On 3 February, in light of the Miss Honduras killing, Channel 4 reporter Guillermo Galdos wrote an article highlighting the perils women in Honduras face on a daily basis. Entitled ‘Honduras: Where women are killed for $60’, the article depicts a violent drug fuelled country where its women are treated like the dirt on the bottom of a shoe - it is certainly worth a read. Coincidently, our placement selection of Honduras fell within the exact week of this murder. Ripples were felt across the globe.
Sunday 8 March 2015 was International Women’s Day. “A global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future”. Thank you, ladies! Mothers, sisters, teachers, role models: the hard work you put in has helped us get where we are today. Including the boys; they love you too. We are equal in appreciation and hope one day we’ll be equal in recognition too. It takes all types to build a world, after all.
Progressio has been working on gender in Honduras for several decades. To celebrate International Women’s Day, Glenda Rodriguez, Progressio’s Central America Sub-Regional Manager, talks to us about being a woman in Honduras.
What would you say are the main challenges facing women in Honduras?
At the first drug prevention fair that we ran at a school in Catacamas, national volunteer Emilia asked the children, aged between 5 and 10, to draw pictures of any drugs and alcohol that they know. We watched incredulously as the kids set to work without hesitation, drawing an array of different drugs and many including diagrams of how you take them.
As we approached the half way mark this week, I took the time to reflect on my journey so far with regards to my own personal experiences and also the work we have all been doing as Team Catacamas.
Since the off, 14 February has been a date pencilled into our diary. For Salomon, the leader of the national volunteers, had invited us to join the celebrations within 10 minutes of our first bus ride, displaying the welcoming Honduran spirit from the moment we entered the country. Super excited, we were thrilled to be invited. It highlighted just how successful the previous cycle had been in developing relationships with the national volunteers and therefore it was only right that we did it justice.
Something we are all strangely resigned to, living in Honduras, is early mornings. We leave the house at 8am so waking up at 6.30am is the norm (although some of us have taken longer to give in to this). Today, however, we are woken an hour earlier by next door’s cow. Sensing we are not going to get that extra hour of sleep, we are up and getting ready for a busy day. As I make my way to the pila to get a bit of washing done (little and often is the only way so as not to go insane/break your arms!), Ceri is already up doing her daily yoga, looking out over Puca.
In many ways this week has been the most enjoyable so far, although maybe the busiest! The team has visited three schools and has taken the drug prevention fair to over 300 children. Growing in confidence and personality after each one, everybody involved feels like we have made some real progress, and hopefully given the young children inspiration to stay on the straight and narrow road in what can seem an impossible task, especially in the neighbourhoods and social conditions some have the experience of growing up in.
