Hope for Honduras

By Sr. Mary Kay Meagher, Notre Dame Sisters Social Justice Coordinator

For many years, the news coming out of Central America always seemed to be bad news – national tragedies, natural disasters, ongoing crises that affect millions.

Honduras has been experiencing hardship. A larger Central American country with a long coastline, Hurricanes Eta and Iota decimated the country in November of 2020. These disasters affected 80% % of the country’s agricultural production and left over two-thirds of the population without basic resources. The hurricanes were only adding to a national crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic, the near collapse of the medical system in Honduras, spiraling femicide, government repression, and state-sanctioned violence. Despair mixed with exhaustion and near starvation cause many people to feel that the only alternative is to join the ongoing exodus of people fleeing North.

But there is good news coming out of Honduras.

“Vamos a la Milpa” is an initiative which aims to achieve collective food sovereignty, which is the self-determination of food systems for indigenous people.

The SHARE Foundation is supporting a network of Honduran organizations promoting the vision of “Vamos a la Milpa” including: the Jesuit-sponsored Radio Progreso/ERIC, Berta Caceres’ COPINH Indigenous organization, women religious congregations (School Sisters of Notre Dame, Sisters of Mercy), Paso a Paso, San Isidro Labrador Parish, San Alonso Rodríguez Foundation and COPA of Bajo Aguan.

Honduran partners have asked SHARE to organize a solidarity delegation to Honduras. About 25 people  from the U.S. will be joining the “Vamos a la Milpa” delegation to Honduras from July 2-12, 2021.

You are invited to join the delegation virtually. See the invitation here: Virtual-Delegation-informtaion-Vamos-a-la-Milpa.pdf