ajs

Good Friday in Honduras

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 21:38:06 GMT

Joy and Art Merge in a Solemn Ceremony

By Jo Ann Van Engen

2025 was not an easy year in Honduras. The presidential elections on November 30 were peaceful but quickly devolved into two months of anxious waiting as votes were counted and re-counted and politicians accused each other of fraud. And that turmoil added to the daily worries of rising prices, lack of jobs and the looming threat of deportation of family members from the US. People could be forgiven for not being in the mood to celebrate.

But, despite these very real crises and the solemnity of what Good Friday represents, the streets downtown reverberated with laughter and creativity. The artists participated in making carpets in part because this liturgical tradition is important to them, but I think it goes beyond that.

I think the decision to make art, even when that art will last only a few hours before being trampled underfoot, is a decision to practice joy not in spite of but because life is so often messy and painful.

I want to get better at practicing joy. I think I have felt that it is inappropriate when so many bad things are happening around me. But I’m figuring out that it isn’t wrong to seek joy when the world is hurting. It’s a practice that keeps us moving forward even when it seems impossible.

Author

West Michigan Celebration of Stories Highlights

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 16:34:25 GMT

Love, Honduras

Dear Friend,

Whether you were with us in person or celebrated from afar, we are deeply grateful for the many ways you participated in our West Michigan Celebration of Stories events!

Take a look at some of the highlights below— and if you weren’t able to attend, don’t worry! You can still enjoy recordings of the speakers and dancers below.

We connected with over 700 people across the 3 events (Holland, Kalamazoo, and Grand Rapids), and 43% of you were brand new to ASJ!
We celebrated all of the gifts Honduras has to offer through the theme of "Love, Honduras" . We ate a LOT of good Honduran food, we watched a video of folkloric dancers from Nueva Suyapa filmed at our office in Tegucigalpa (watch it here) , and we also watched two live folkloric dances performed at the event (watch them here) .
Thanks to your generosity, we raised almost $170,000 towards our $200,000 goal - all of which will be matched! If you would like to help us get the rest of the way towards our goal, there is still time to give!

Recordings

You can watch the keynote talks from Kurt Ver Beek and Sara Pineda - or, feel free to forward on to a friend that you wish had been there to hear them!

Pictures

Here are some highlights from our Celebration of Stories in Holland, Kalamazoo, and Grand Rapids.

A New Beginning for Education/ Justicia Winter 2026

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 22:13:24 GMT

A Spotlight On Our Dedicated Volunteers

2025 Year-end luncheon with our volunteers.

The first week of February is when, ideally, Honduran schools should welcome students to the classrooms. However, this has only happened a handful of times. Honduran law also requires schools to provide at least 200 days of classroom instruction. This has also only happened a handful of times.

From 2002-2012, children only received an average of 120 days of school per year. Our advocacy work resulted in an increase in school days from 2013-2018, when children received an average of 218 days of school per year. Even during the pandemic, ASJ continued to work for Honduran children’s right to a good education.

When children returned to their classrooms in 2022, they received an alarmingly low number of 97 days of school. So, our team designed a tracking tool, accessible to the general public, that compiles the days-of-class data that our volunteers collect. This platform has become an important reference tool that holds the authorities accountable to improve the quality of public education.

The success of this school days counter, called “Aulas Abiertas” (Open Classrooms), is a testament to our dedicated volunteers. Every Friday, a group of young collaborators come to our office ready to conduct hundreds of calls to Honduran parents and ask them the following questions:

How many days of class have your children had this week?
For how many school days have your children received a school lunch?

This data feeds our dashboard and informs our advocacy to improve the education system. Our volunteers do their work enthusiastically, and, at the same time, they receive valuable experience and mentorship from our staff. We asked the volunteers what motivates them to do this work with ASJ, and here is what some of them responded:

At the end of the year in 2025, we held a luncheon to thank these amazing volunteers, and we were extremely grateful and encouraged to hear so many of them already talking about volunteering again for the next year. The fulfilling work they have been doing and the deep friendships and professional relationships they developed at ASJ were some of the highlights mentioned often.

We are excited to continue our work in tandem with our volunteers, staff, and civil society allies this coming year. Even though the school year has only just started, we already have so many significant wins to be grateful for! Here are a few highlights from the start of this school year:

School started the first week of February, and this gives children a higher chance of receiving the 200 days of school they deserve.
The first shipment of school lunch supplies was also delivered the first week of school.
The first shipment of new textbooks for this school year was delivered to the poorest children in nine different departments (states) in Honduras!

We are grateful and motivated because Honduran children deserve a better quality education.

A Honduran Celebration/ Justicia Winter 2026

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 22:10:15 GMT

How Hondurans Live Out The Joy of Democratic Participation

By Ernesto Cortés

In the months leading up to the presidential election in Honduras, there was an atmosphere of anxiety and uncertainty. The media frequently broadcast news stories that suggested public institutions were being exploited for partisan purposes. There was strong polarization between political parties, fake news, attacks and hate speech against candidates. In this context of democratic crisis, I signed up to be an observer with the Network for the Defense of Democracy (RDD)—a civil society alliance led by ASJ—because I believed that only by participating actively and consciously could I contribute to building a more just society for all Hondurans.

On election day (November 30), I got up at 5:00 a.m. to go to the Olympic Village sports complex in the capital city, Tegucigalpa, where I would be an electoral observer. I must confess that the context had predisposed me to expect a negative day, full of chaos and conflict. However, it was quite the opposite. From early in the morning, people came to cast their votes. Even with minor delays at the beginning due to technical problems, the day proceeded in an orderly and peaceful manner. I saw elderly people, families, and young people waiting patiently for their turn to vote. What I thought would be a bad experience turned into a demonstration of patriotism and civic fervor.

At the end of the day, during the vote count, order and mutual respect were once again evident. The members of the polling stations correctly followed the protocol established by the National Electoral Council (CNE). The national and international observers present at the voting center agreed that everything was done with transparency and that there were no signs of fraud. Although I may not be personally satisfied with the results of the election, I have learned a life lesson. Hondurans—even amid crisis and uncertainty—chose peaceful participation because we believe that voting is the only legitimate way to decide on a better future for all. The authorities elected for the 2026-2030 term have structural challenges to face and will only be able to achieve success if they work hand in hand with the different sectors of Honduran society.

I would like to close this reflection by inviting you to promote and celebrate democracy in your own spaces and communities in the US as a way to exercise and value your civic rights. And finally, I also want to reiterate that your commitment and continued support for ASJ are essential to ensuring that the work we do continues to significantly contribute to the benefit of those who are most vulnerable in Honduras.

Ernesto Cortés shows his ink-stained pinky, a mark received by Honduran citizens after they vote.

Ernesto has been part of the ASJ team for over 3 years now. He currently serves as a junior researcher for the ASJ think tank, the Justice Institute. He also leads the ASJ-Honduras internship program with enthusiasm and dedication.

You can learn more about the ASJ Justice Institute through:

An International Observer’s Experience/ Justicia Winter 2026

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 22:08:08 GMT

A Reflection from ASJ-Canada Board President, Matt Van Geest

Matt Van Geest receives symbolic Dionisio painting from Carlos Hernández, ASJ co-founder and ASJ-Honduras executive director.

Canadians went to the polls in 2025 in an election that, for most of us, was over in the time it takes to grab a coffee. For me, I showed my ID, marked my ballot in private, dropped it in the box, and headed home, all within 5 minutes. Results arrived before bedtime. Democracy in Canada has always felt, to me, efficient, orderly, and secure. In late November, I was in Honduras as part of an international delegation observing that country’s national elections. The contrast was striking, and instructive. If you want to understand the fragility of democracy, sometimes you need to leave home.

Election day in Honduras unfolds with an intensity and transparency unfamiliar to most Canadians. I noted throughout the day how much fun people seemed to be having! The loud Latin music being played outside of voting centres helped with that vibe! Voters lined up early. Observers from political parties and those organized by civil society stood around each table as the day begins, ensuring that processes are respected. And once voting closes, every citizen has the legal right to observe the manual count at each polling station, sometimes a process that stretches late into the night. I heard counting coming though the open window of my hotel room still coming in at 3 in the morning!

The vote was exceptionally close, and election night counting was slow. The close results meant that the process would be slow. When electoral authorities announced that results would not be available until the following Monday (which stretched into a month), tension rose across the country. For many Hondurans, uncertainty during that long count carried real political and economic risk.

The election was also shaped by events far beyond Honduras’ borders. In the days leading up to the vote, a series of unexpected and forceful statements from U.S. President, Donald Trump, shifted public opinion. The Liberal Party had been expected to win. But after Trump signalled clear support for the National Party, many Hondurans reassessed their choice out of fear that opposing Trump’s preferred candidate might trigger punitive policies affecting immigration status or the flow of remittances. The concern was not abstract as roughly a quarter of Honduras’ GDP comes from remittances (the flow of money sent to family members).

That fear is also connected to the recently released U.S. foreign policy framework which emphasizes American dominance in the hemisphere and explicitly discusses shaping electoral outcomes in Latin America. Hondurans understand that their democracy, not just their economy, is vulnerable to forces beyond their borders.

Despite the contested counting process and the negative impact of external influences – both important learnings for me – I also got a glimpse into the impact of organizations like ASJ-Honduras. Organizing 12,000 domestic observers and a small group of international observers was no small feat, and demonstrated their commitment to transparency, good governance and anti-corruption.

I returned to Canada with a different understanding of what democracy can cost. We can’t just treat it like the coffee run of my election experience earlier last year – it’s something that requires work and it is worth fighting for. And what struck me most on election day in Honduras was not so much the fragility or the external influences – it was the determination. Honduras lined up to vote because it mattered to them, and that was a lesson worth bringing home.

“After many years of effort, we’re excited to share that in 2025, ASJ-Canada received official charitable status from the Canada Revenue Agency. This will allow Canadians to get a tax receipt while donating to the work of ASJ in Honduras.

We launched our new website and social media presence and are very excited about this new chapter, already seeing the outpouring of support from Canadians who are invested in this work. 2026 will be a foundation-building year as we continue to grow and sustain our support of this shared mission.”

- Matt Van Geest, Board President, ASJ-Canada

Welcome Message/ Justicia Winter 2026

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 22:03:03 GMT

Words from the Executive Director

Dear Friend,

In November, I had the privilege to travel with ASJ supporters from the US and Canada to Tegucigalpa as a team of international election observers. The experience was profound. I’ve been sharing about it with anyone who will listen ever since. One of the most common questions I get is, “Were the results legitimate?” After I answer with an emphatic, “Yes!”, there is the inevitable follow-up, “How do you know?”

It’s a good question. And I have a good answer.

ASJ coordinated several critical efforts around the election in November, from supporting the Prayer Walk for Peace and Democracy that brought over 300,000 people into the streets last August to recruiting over 12,000 volunteer election observers to cover 85% of all polling stations across the country on Election Day. Something else ASJ and our partners were engaged in before, during, and after the election was our work to implement the Process and Results Verification for Transparency (PRVT), or “quick count”, methodology to verify the official results.

At its simplest, PRVT identifies a statistically representative sampling of polling sites across the country. In the case of Honduras, this was 1,004 locations–from bustling urban centers to bucolic rural villages. Election observers in these sites receive intensive training, and are stationed there from before the site opens to after the results are announced. Once results are finalized (in Honduras, election workers call out each vote verbally and all citizens and observers are allowed to watch), the observers submit these results to a centralized location. In our case, observers at these polling locations sent results to the ASJ office. These were then analyzed and used to predict what the final outcome should be, all within a vanishingly small margin of error.

This method shouldn’t sound all that new. It’s exactly what the Associated Press does to project the winners of US elections. It has been used over 170 times in over 50 different countries, including in Venezuela in 2024 when civil society proved through the use of this method that Nicolas Maduro lost 2 votes to 1.

When we projected the final results based on our data, they mapped almost perfectly onto the official result announced by Honduras’ National Electoral Council. The vote was free and fair, and we could prove that the results were legitimate.

This story is just one of so many reasons why I love the work of ASJ. In a world where trust in electoral outcomes is plummeting, including and especially here in the US, truth feels negotiable. This PRVT project, though, proves otherwise. Data doesn’t lie. Objective truth is real and regular people like you and me have the tools to uncover and proclaim it.

Justice needs truth. May we all have the courage to uncover and proclaim it.

Onward,

Thirsty For Justice

Tue, 27 Jan 2026 14:14:01 GMT

Thirsty For Justice

I am thirsty for justice that rolls like a river–for Honduran schoolkids to start their first day of school when they are supposed to on February 2, with school lunches ready and with freshly printed textbooks on their desks.

And, I am thirsty for a community of justice seekers that says “basta ya!” or “enough already!” to injustices happening in my own neighborhood.

ASJ’s mission is to be brave Christians, dedicated to doing justice in Honduras and to inspiring others around the world to seek justice in their own contexts. Lately, it feels easier to do justice in Honduras (i.e. by giving money, sending prayers, and staying informed) than it does to seek justice in my own context. Maybe you can relate.

I take my role as a pastor and the leader of ASJ-US seriously. I know that my words carry weight. And I know that the ASJ community includes a diversity of political perspectives. It is a rare and beautiful community that I feel honored to lead and steward. I’m not interested in being partisan, and I never want to speak in a way that makes anyone feel like they don’t belong in ASJ’s story.

What I do want is to be a brave Christian who pursues justice for those who need it most–both in Honduras and in my own community. And I want to be the kind of leader that invites others to be brave Christians pursuing justice, too.

That’s why I believe that together, we must have the courage to say that the violence we are seeing in Minneapolis and around the country against immigrants and citizens is incompatible with the way of Jesus.

In moments like this, silence is not neutrality. When we say nothing, we are absolutely saying something. At ASJ, our values include “championing justice”, “acting with courage”, and “choosing hope.” These values demand that we speak.

When I started as Executive Director, I went on a Listening Tour. I asked staff and supporters what they loved about ASJ, and what their hopes were for ASJ moving forward. One of the things I heard most was that people loved the invitations to support the work in Honduras with their prayers and financial gifts, and that they were thirsty for more opportunities for tangible action. To not only support the work of justice with their prayers and their finances, but with their voices too.

We at ASJ-US have been working for the last several months to develop a strategy and programming to equip you, our supporters, with the tools and opportunities to do this. To use your voice to actively advocate for justice in Honduras and in our own communities in ways that are nonpartisan, Biblically-rooted, and mission-specific. I am thirsty for this, and I know from countless conversations that so many of you are too.

I wish we were ready to launch these resources right now, but we need a little more time. If you want to be the first to know when we are ready, sign up here and stay tuned later this spring for more details about our plans and how you can get involved.

Onward,

Rev. Kyle Meyaard-Schaap

Executive Director, ASJ-US

November 30 Elections Recap

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 21:42:12 GMT

Peaceful and Historic, But Still Counting

When Hondurans went to the polls on Nov. 30, 2025, the country stood at a crossroads. After months of tension—and troubling signs during March primary elections—many feared that the general election could descend into chaos.

Instead, Honduras witnessed one of the most peaceful and participatory elections in its history, due in large part to the presence of thousands of trained election observers mobilized by civil society organizations, including ASJ.

Causes for Concern

Concerns about the integrity of the process were not unfounded. During the March primaries , observers documented serious irregularities: ballots delivered to the wrong locations, and distribution delays that left many voting centers without ballots until as late as 9 p.m. on the election day. By midafternoon of the primary, about two out of three observers had reported problems with ballot arrival or distribution.

In response, ASJ and its partners within the Network to Defend Democracy undertook an unprecedented effort to protect the integrity of November’s general election. More than 12,000 volunteer national observers were recruited, trained, and deployed to polling stations covering approximately 85 percent of the country. These observers were largely drawn from Protestant and Catholic churches within the network, as well as from the Honduran equivalent of the U.S. and Canadian Chambers of Commerce, the Honduran Council of Private Enterprise (COHEP) .

The observers verified that poll workers were looking for proper identification and fingerprint scans, along with other safeguards that were established to prevent fraud.

“Having all of those observers is why things remain peaceful right now,” said Kurt Ver Beek, ASJ cofounder and Calvin University sociology professor emeritus. “This is the narrative in all of the media right now. The contingent of thousands of observers resulted in a lack of ability of people who wanted to manipulate or carry out fraud.”

That peace was visible across the country. Peter Heslinga observed the election firsthand as one of 30 ASJ international observers.

“I was struck by the complexity of protecting transparent, free, and fair elections,” Peter said. “This work is logistical, anticipatory, attentive, reflective, physical, prayerful - a labor of faith and hope with present-day and enduring importance.”

Lydia Heslinga, Peter’s daughter, also attended the elections as an international observer.

“The experience made me want to continue to be involved in the important justice work that ASJ does, including the support of democracy,” she said. “Hopefully I’ll be back in four years!”

Too Close to Call

Pre-election polls had suggested a clear outcome, with Liberal Party candidate Salvador Nasralla holding a 10-point lead over National Party candidate Tito Asfura, and the ruling Libre Party’s candidate trailing far behind. But the race tightened dramatically in the final days after U.S. President Donald Trump publicly endorsed Asfura and announced a pardon for former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández. Hernández was serving a 45-year sentence in the United States and is a member of Asfura’s National Party. Warnings that U.S. support would be withdrawn if Asfura lost prompted some voters to shift allegiances.

As of this writing, the electoral council in Honduras is still counting ballots. With roughly 99 percent of ballots counted, the margin between the top two candidates is just 42,400 votes. Honduran law allows election authorities until the end of the month to certify final results.

In the meantime, ASJ’s Carlos Hernández has met with both leading candidates, urging them to accept the outcome of what observers widely regard as a clean election. Both candidates have pledged to do so, giving hope to Hernandez and ASJ as they seek to work with whoever is ultimately elected to improve the country for the most vulnerable people there.

“This is where we remember that we need God,” Hernández concluded. “We need his power and wisdom to move forward. Please pray for us.”

ASJ-US and ASJ-Canada Joint Statement on Honduran Elections

Tue, 02 Dec 2025 16:01:36 GMT

ASJ-Canada and ASJ-US Congratulate the Honduran People,

 Call for Full and Transparent Results

As sister organizations committed to justice, peace and hope in Honduras, ASJ-Canada and ASJ-US extend our deepest congratulations to the people of Honduras on the peaceful conduct of their national elections on November 30, 2025. With the initial tally showing an extraordinarily close vote, we call on election authorities to do what is necessary to ensure a transparent count of the remaining ballots in order to guarantee public trust in the final outcome.

We commend the Honduran voters for their dedication to democratic participation and their commitment to shaping the future of their country through civic engagement. We also recognize the efforts of electoral authorities, civil society organizations, the international community and the thousands of volunteer observers who worked to ensure a transparent, orderly, and secure process. We are especially proud of our sister organization, ASJ-Honduras, for their unwavering commitment to democracy demonstrated through their electoral observation efforts, their analysis activities, and their consistent call for a fair and orderly process.

Now that such a process has been achieved, the work turns to counting the votes with accuracy and transparency. The results remain close, increasing the possibility of a contested result. We support the work of the election officials at the National Electoral Council to give Hondurans confidence in the final results by conducting their count with rigor and transparency.

We remain hopeful that the spirit of peaceful participation in the democratic process embraced by the electorate will carry forward into the post-election period to come. We look forward to continued collaboration with ASJ-Honduras as we all work together toward a just and hopeful future for all Hondurans.

Matthew Van Geest
President, Board of Directors
ASJ-Canada

Russ Jacobs

President, Board of Directors
ASJ-US

ASJ-Canadá y ASJ-EE. UU. felicitan al pueblo hondureño y piden resultados completos y transparentes

Como organizaciones hermanas comprometidas con la justicia, la paz y la esperanza en Honduras, ASJ-Canadá y ASJ-EE. UU. expresan sus más sinceras felicitaciones al pueblo hondureño por el desarrollo pacífico de sus elecciones generales el 30 de noviembre de 2025. Dado que el recuento inicial muestra un resultado extraordinariamente reñido, pedimos a las autoridades electorales que hagan lo necesario para garantizar un conteo transparente de los votos restantes, con el fin de asegurar la confianza del público en el resultado final.

Elogiamos a los votantes hondureños por su dedicación a la participación democrática y su compromiso con construir el futuro de su país a través de la participación cívica. También reconocemos los esfuerzos de las autoridades electorales, las organizaciones de sociedad civil, la comunidad internacional y los miles de observadores voluntarios que trabajaron para garantizar un proceso transparente, ordenado y seguro. Estamos especialmente orgullosos de nuestra organización hermana, ASJ-Honduras, por su inquebrantable compromiso con la democracia, demostrado a través de sus esfuerzos de observación electoral, sus actividades de análisis y su constante llamado a un proceso justo y ordenado.

Ahora que se ha logrado dicho proceso, el trabajo se centra en el recuento de los votos con precisión y transparencia. Apoyamos la labor de los funcionarios electorales del Consejo Nacional Electoral para que los hondureños confíen en los resultados finales, llevando a cabo el recuento con rigor y transparencia.

Mantenemos la esperanza de que el espíritu de participación pacífica en el proceso democrático que ha abrazado el electorado se mantenga en el período postelectoral que se avecina. Seguiremos colaborando con ASJ-Honduras mientras trabajamos juntos por un futuro justo y lleno de esperanza para todos los hondureños.

Matthew Van Geest

Presidente, Junta Directiva

ASJ-Canadá

Russ Jacobs

Presidente, Junta Directiva

ASJ-EE. UU.

Artisans of Fraternity, Guardians of Hope

Fri, 28 Nov 2025 16:16:23 GMT

A call to action for Honduras

This past Monday, Monsignor José Nácher, who courageously co-lead the Prayer Walk for Peace and Democracy earlier this fall, joined us during our weekly ASJ devotional. He encouraged us to be Artisans of Fraternity and Guardians of Hope. In light of the uncertainty that Hondurans are facing with elections coming up this same week, our team resonated deeply with Monsignor’s words.

Despite the reality of fear and uneasiness, Monsignor inspired us to awaken our hearts with conviction. He stated, “There is hope, and this hope drives us toward reconciliation and fraternity”. This is not superficial optimism, but a deep certainty that Honduras can be reborn through faith, love, and cooperation among its children.

Artisans of fraternity: relationships that build a country

Monsignor explained that to be “artisans of fraternity” is to commit ourselves to the patient, careful, and constant task of building authentic human relationships. The sermon reminded us that:

Humans are beings in relationship .
Without relationship, there is no community, no identity, no spiritual life.
Fraternity is at the heart of the Gospel: working for peace, loving fraternally, giving preference to others with honor.

Like artisans who shape their work with their hands, fraternity is not mass-produced or rushed. It is made with love, detail, and dedication. Every gesture of justice, respect, and solidarity is a unique piece that builds a more just society.

Guardians of hope: protecting what sustains

The second invitation from Monsignor José was to be guardians of hope . To guard means to keep, protect, and cultivate. In a country where so often attempts are made to sow discouragement and division, guarding hope is an act of spiritual, moral, and civic resistance.

Monsignor emphasized, “Elections cannot be stolen without first stealing the hope of the people. And Honduras has not lost hope .” That is our greatest strength.

Prayer that sustains a people

Finally, Monsignor also reminded us that as we hope and work, we also pray. Not as an escape, but as the deepest way to strengthen hope. Prayer sustains Honduras, awakens our hearts, and impels us to act with righteousness, justice, and love.

Our devotional time ended with a time of collective prayer. We would love you to join us in this prayer too:

PRAYER FOR HONDURAS

Lord God, of history and of life,

at this crucial time

We lift up our prayer to you for Honduras.

Look kindly upon this people who long for peace and

help us to understand that true peace

can only come from justice.

Give us a heart like yours,

so that we may recognize each other as brothers and sisters,

beyond differences of any kind,

because what unites us is greater.

Help us to banish corruption, violence, and indifference,

so that love, unity, and service may flourish in our land.

Enlighten, Lord, those who govern

and those who aspire to do so,

and may we all work each day

for the common good.

Make us artisans of fraternity

and guardians of hope

so that together we may advance

towards a reconciled Honduras

where your Son Jesus Christ

reigns with his peace and goodness.

Amen.

PRAYER FOR ELECTION OBSERVERS

Lord God of justice and peace,

You who see into the heart of every person

and love your people with tenderness and faithfulness,

We pray for all the election observers in our nation.

Grant them wisdom to discern with righteousness,

courage to speak the truth,

and serenity to act with impartiality.

May their presence at each polling station and in each community

be a sign of hope,

a guarantee of transparency,

and a testimony that it is still possible to build together

a homeland founded on honesty, respect, and brotherly love.

Lord, bless Honduras at this decisive time:

may no one manipulate the will of the people,

may truth prevail over deception

and the common good over personal interests.

May the Holy Spirit enlighten all who participate in this process,

so that our elections may be a step toward unity, justice, and peace.

We ask this of you, good Father,

through Christ, our Lord.

Amen.

November 2025 ASJ-US Statement about Honduran Elections

Tue, 25 Nov 2025 21:48:57 GMT

The Association for a More Justice Society-US Supports the Network to Defend Democracy; Calls for Free and Fair Elections in Honduras

November 25, 2025

GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN— Having long worked for free and fair elections in Honduras, the Board of Directors of the Association for a More Just Society-US (ASJ-US) supports the Network to Defend Democracy and all domestic and international civil society organizations who have committed to safeguarding the integrity of the Honduran elections on November 30, 2025. We celebrate the thousands of registered national and international election observers who will bring critical accountability and trust to the electoral process. Still, troubling signs remain that the electoral process may be corrupted by partisan interference.

We reiterate the need for the National Electoral Council (CNE) to be free to exercise its duties independently and impartially. The candidates must respect the independently and impartially tabulated results and commit to the peaceful transfer of power. The will of the Honduran people must be respected above all else.

Russell Jacobs, President of the ASJ-US Board of Directors, said, “The Honduran people deserve integrity in the electoral process - from access to the polls without interference to transparent and prompt vote tallies. Confidence in the government requires confidence in the most fundamental of democratic institutions - the vote.”

ASJ-US stands side by side with our sister organization, the Association for a More Justice Society-Honduras (ASJ), as well as its partners in the Network to Defend Democracy. We will be sending a group of 30 international observers from the US and Canada to participate in the electoral monitoring process and to be in solidarity with all those Hondurans who will go to the polls on November 30. We believe that if the rule of law is respected, proper electoral processes are followed, and results are respected by all parties, then Hondurans can come together to chart a bright future. As the nation moves forward, we will remain committed to our partner, ASJ, in pursuit of a more just society for all Hondurans.

The Association for a More Just Society-US is a US-based nonprofit organization dedicated to doing justice in Honduras and inspiring others around the world to pursue justice in their own context.

La Asociación para una Sociedad más Justa-EE. UU.

(ASJ-US) expresa apoyo a ASJ y exige elecciones con libertad y transparencia en Honduras

25 de noviembre de 2025

GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN — En consonancia con nuestro llamado y fomento a la celebración de elecciones con libertad y transparencia en Honduras, la Junta Directiva de la Asociación para una Sociedad más Justa-EE. UU. (ASJ-US) expresa su apoyo a ASJ Honduras, a la Red por la Defensa de la Democracia (RDD) -plataforma que conforma nuestra organización hermana- y a todas las organizaciones de sociedad civil nacionales e internacionales que se han comprometido a salvaguardar la integridad de las elecciones hondureñas del 30 de noviembre de 2025.

Celebramos la participación de miles de observadores electorales nacionales e internacionales registrados que aportarán responsabilidad y confianza a través del ejercicio de sus derechos ciudadanos, como parte fundamentales al proceso electoral.

Reiteramos la necesidad de que el Consejo Nacional Electoral (CNE) pueda ejercer sus funciones de forma independiente e imparcial. Los candidatos deben respetar los resultados tabulados de forma independiente e imparcial y comprometerse a una transferencia pacífica del poder. La voluntad del pueblo hondureño debe respetarse por encima de todo.

«El pueblo hondureño merece integridad en el proceso electoral, desde el acceso a las urnas sin interferencias hasta un recuento de votos transparente y rápido. La confianza en el gobierno requiere de confianza en la institución democrática más fundamental: el voto», afirmó Russell Jacobs, presidente de la Junta Directiva de ASJ-US.

ASJ-US se mantiene al lado de la Asociación para una Sociedad más Justa-Honduras (ASJ), así como de sus aliados de la Red por la Defensa de la Democracia (RDD). En el marco de nuestro trabajo para el fortalecimiento de la democracia en Honduras, enviaremos un grupo de 30 observadores internacionales de Estados Unidos y Canadá para participar en el proceso de observación electoral y para solidarizarnos con todos los hondureños que acudirán a las urnas el 30 de noviembre.

Creemos que, si se respeta el Estado de derecho, se siguen los procesos electorales adecuados y todas las partes respetan los resultados, los hondureños podrán unirse para trazar un futuro brillante. A medida que la nación avanza, seguiremos comprometidos con nuestro socio, ASJ, en la búsqueda de una sociedad más justa para todos los hondureños.

La Asociación para una Sociedad más Justa-EE. UU. es una organización sin fines de lucro con sede en Estados Unidos, dedicada a promover la justicia en Honduras y a inspirar a otras personas de todo el mundo a buscar la justicia en su propio contexto.

Context Updates on the 2025 Elections in Honduras

Thu, 13 Nov 2025 20:49:45 GMT

Honduras’s Institutional Crisis Deepens Ahead of the 2025 Elections

As the date for the Honduran presidential elections moves closer, our team has been working diligently to monitor the situation and to ensure a transparent and fair process. This is a statement from staff member Andreas Daugaard, director of Investigations for ASJ-Honduras:

"[Last week] we released a new brief outlining recent and deeply concerning developments in Honduras ahead of the November 30 elections.

The situation is increasingly complex, with the rule of law being undermined almost daily — placing electoral integrity at serious risk.

What’s happening?
�� The Attorney General has threatened legal action against a member of the Electoral Council, alleging conspiracy to manipulate electoral results based on unverified private audio recordings.
�� Two rival groups are each claiming to represent Congress — one backed by the legislative majority, the other by the President of Congress — further eroding oversight and the rule of law.
�� The military has become increasingly politicised, extending its influence into electoral matters and targeting journalists as “hitmen of the truth.”

We call on the international community to remain vigilant and to closely monitor the evolving situation in Honduras."

Since the situation is constantly changing and producing new developments, our staff is planning to provide a few more updates in the weeks to come. Stay tuned to learn more about what is happening and how to help protect democracy in Honduras.

HOPE

Wed, 12 Nov 2025 17:55:34 GMT

Dear friend,

I couldn’t stop looking at the picture.

Of course, there had been plenty of inspiring photos from this summer’s Prayer Walk for Peace and Democracy. The sea of blue and white rising and falling as hundreds of thousands walked the Honduran hills through Tegucigalpa, flowing like a never-ending stream. Catholic nuns praying their rosaries alongside Pentecostals dancing in the streets.

But the picture that still knocks me flat is the closeup. The one of the two men standing side by side (picture enclosed). They are exhausted, and the shorter collapses into the taller. The tears mostly hold joy and relief, but they are mingled with something darker. After all, there had been threats—promises of harm done to themselves and their loved ones if they led their followers through the streets of Honduras in prayer.

Despite the fear and intimidation, Pastor Gerardo Irías and Monsignor José Vicente Nácher forged ahead. They knew Honduras needed unity and, above all, prayer before the looming November 2025 presidential elections.

As an ASJ supporter, you know that these kinds of threats aren’t out of the ordinary, and your support has helped slow and reverse violence in Honduras. Today, I am writing to share a way you can continue standing with brave Hondurans like Pastor Gerardo and Monsignor José in hope.

The Evangelical pastor and the Catholic archbishop put the word out as widely as they could to their churches, hoping to mobilize 20,000 to walk and pray. Instead, an estimated 230,000 walked in the capital of Tegucigalpa alone. It was a historic moment. And without your past support for ASJ, it may have never happened.

After all, two years prior, Pastor Gerardo and Monsignor José didn’t even know each other’s names. They first met in 2023 at ASJ’s offices. They were two of many civil society leaders convened by ASJ to discuss safeguarding democracy– especially before the election in 2025. It was at that meeting that they shook each other’s hand and learned each other’s name. It was at that meeting–and many subsequent meetings–where old religious prejudices began to be replaced by trust and mutual affection.

So, when the moment came this summer to act, Pastor Gerardo and Monsignor José knew what they had to do. And they knew that they had to do it together.

That took a tremendous amount of hope . Hope that people would turn out. Hope that the death threats would ultimately prove hollow. Hope that the government wouldn’t resort to violence. Hope that any of it would ultimately make a difference.

I don’t know about you, but I can find that kind of hope difficult to muster. And I think the Pastor and Monsignor probably did too. Hope is not a superpower that we can will ourselves to feel despite the circumstances. It’s a muscle that needs to be exercised. It takes practice and intention. Sometimes we’re sore and exercising hope hurts. Sometimes we need a friend to hope on our behalf, because we just can’t gather the strength to do it ourselves. Sometimes that friend needs us to do the same for them.

Alongside Pastor Gerardo and Monsignor José, ASJ is choosing to practice hope. And we need you to practice hope with us.

I’m writing this letter a month before millions of Hondurans will go to the polls on November 30. ASJ has been working tirelessly to ensure that it will be an election free from fraud and abuse. We have been exercising our hope muscle by:

Recruiting over 8,000 local election observers, with the goal of 10,000 by election day.
Walking alongside 300,000+ in prayer for peace and democracy.
Tracking and publishing dozens of data points related to the state of democracy in Honduras on our online Democracy Observatory platform.
Conducting and publishing independent, high-quality polling in the run up to the election.
Meeting with presidential candidates to present them with a roadmap toward justice and steps they can take on Day One should they win the election.
Driving forward the powerful alliance of civil society that is shining a light on Honduran elections like never before.

Would you make a year-end gift today as an act of hope alongside our partners in Honduras as they prepare to work for justice with a new presidential administration in 2026 and beyond? If so, your gift will have double the impact thanks to two generous donors who have agreed to match all year-end gifts up to $100,000!

Election day in Honduras is Sunday, November 30. It’s the first Sunday of Advent–Hope Sunday. That’s no coincidence.

The hope of the Incarnate and Risen Christ is already going ahead of us–into this election and into the next administration. Our job is simply to follow. To walk together in hope.

Onward,

Rev. Kyle Meyaard-Schaap

Executive Director, Association for a More Just Society-US

Seeking Justice at Home and Abroad

Tue, 11 Nov 2025 17:50:37 GMT

Calvin alums turn faith into action through nonprofit

This piece was originally published by GR Magazine and is reprinted here with permission.

By Ann Byle -

November 5, 2025

A vibrant mural created by Esan Sommersell at ASJ’s Grand Rapids office reflects the organization’s mission of seeking justice in Honduras and inspiring communities around the world to do the same. Below is the text on a plaque next to the mural.IN LOVING MEMORY Dionisio Diaz Garcia was a lawyer who worked for ASJ and was assassinated in 2006 because of his work defending a group of security guards. Dionisio was always passionate about helping people whose lives were most difficult without asking anything in return. After his death, he was referred to in the media as "the lawyer of the poor." Dionisio was a loving father, husband, and friend. He left a meaningful legacy and incomparable example we should all follow. We believe that his desire and enthusiasm to do justice still lives in all of our hearts and in the Association for a More Just Society. Written in 2020 by Dionisio's wife Lourdes Albir (now deceased) and son, Mauricio Diaz.

Kurt and Jo Ann Van Engen Ver Beek wanted to change the world when they graduated from Calvin University back in 1986. The pair have done so one country at a time, starting in Honduras where they live most of the year. They founded The Association for a More Just Society—ASJ—that has offices in Honduras as well as downtown Grand Rapids.

ASJ USA’s mission is clear: “We strive to be brave Christians, dedicated to doing justice in Honduras and inspiring others around the world to seek justice in their own contexts,” according to the ASJ USA website.

Today ASJ USA collaborates with ASJ Honduras to promote justice and peace there, shares experiences and lessons learned with people and organizations working in other countries, and challenges people of faith to seek justice in their own communities.

For the Ver Beeks, doing justice began early. “We were interested in helping the poor in the United States or overseas,” said Kurt Ver Beek. He and his wife were in Grand Rapids over the summer and spoke to Grand Rapids Magazine then. They have since returned to their home in Nueva Suyapa, a notorious Honduran barrio run by gangs.

They volunteered at Baxter Community Center, Other Way Ministries, and did internships with World Renew, based in Byron Center. World Renew offered them jobs in Central America working with local partners doing work in rural development and agriculture. They stayed two years, then moved to Honduras to do the same things with World Renew.

The pair also began running a semester abroad program for Calvin, bringing students to Honduras for what came to be called the Justice Semester. “We were teaching the students all the stuff we wished we had known when moving to Central America,” said Jo Ann Ver Beek, who today works in communications, strategic planning, and as a donor liaison for ASJ.

“We became more and more convinced that in Honduras—where there was an abundance of nonprofits working with orphanages, small businesses, and street people—there was no one addressing why people were in the streets,” said Kurt Ver Beek. “Why the poverty? Why corruption and violence, and who is working on that?”

ASJ-Honduras was birthed in 1998, soon after that first semester abroad program. “Everything we do in Honduras is about making the country a better place so people don’t have to leave,” said Ver Beek. “The Bible has a huge emphasis on justice and protecting the vulnerable; that’s the way we were taught to live out our faith, and we do so by helping strengthen the Honduran government.”

ASJ-USA was founded in 2000 to offer financial and prayer support to ASJ-Honduras, as well educate North Americans on justice-related issues. Three quarters of ASJ funding comes from U.S. churches and individuals, said the Ver Beeks.

Executive Director Carol Hernandez is the public face of ASJ-Honduras, a man who meets with government officials and speaks to leaders and the public. He travels with a body guard because of death threats, not uncommon in Honduras. In fact, ASJ’s labor rights program leader Dionisio Diaz Garcia was shot and killed by a professional hitman in December 2006. His killers remain free as of today.

Kurt Ver Beek runs the investigation piece of ASJ’s four-point strategy to improve lives in Honduras. These data-driven investigations look into issues such as low school attendance because schools are closed many days a year, lack of adequate textbooks in schools, gang violence, corruption, and more.

ASJ-H presents the data via press conferences, sometimes one or two a week, as a second part of its strategy. Communicating their findings and naming names can help bring change, leaders say. The remaining strategies are building alliances with the Catholic church, universities, schools, and businesses, and lobbying the government for change. ASJ also serves as consultants to nonprofits interested in doing similar work.

“The things we’ve learned in Honduras can be used here in the United States. The degree of problems is worse in Honduras, but the problems are very similar,” said Ver Beek.

There are about a million Hondurans in the United States, said Ver Beek, about half with legal status and half without. Twenty-six percent of the Honduran economy comes from the $6 billion in remittances sent back to Honduras from friends and family living in the U.S, he added.

The Ver Beeks and ASJ constantly seek justice for the poor and vulnerable through encouraging government transparency and providing support and accountability in education and health care. They do so in Honduras, but also share those experiences with justice-seeking organizations and people around the world. And right here in Grand Rapids.

“If we can do it in Honduras, you can seek justice right here in Grand Rapids,” said Kurt Ver Beek.

Two books offer insights into the work of ASJ and the Ver Beeks.

Call for Justice: From Practice to Theory and Back by Kurt Ver Beek and Nicholas Wolterstorff. The pair discuss theology, politics, human nature, and government systems in the work of justice. The book and an accompanying reader’s guide are available on the ASJ website.
Bear Witness: The Pursuit of Justice in a Violent Land by Ross Halperin (Liveright, an imprint of W.W. Norton & Company) is the gripping tale of Kurt Ver Beek and Carlos Hernandez, best friends and fearless advocates who face down gangs, business tycoons, and the Honduran government in the quest for justice.

How You Can Help

Support ASJ’s work in Honduras through prayer, encouragement, and donations
Contact ASJ-USA for help to figure out how to help your local community
Lobby lawmakers to fix the immigration system in the U.S.
Connect with people who are different that you to push back against the us vs. them narrative
Ask yourself how you can help fix what’s broken in your local schools, policing, government offices.
“Be part of the solution instead of sitting around complaining,” said the Ver Beeks
Visit asj-us.org for more information on the work and mission of ASJ

Ann Byle

GR|MAG is the definitive resource on the people, food & drink, culture, arts & entertainment, lifestyle and news of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Annual Report 2025

Mon, 13 Oct 2025 19:53:03 GMT

MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

As I approach the start of my third year in the role of Executive Director at ASJ-US, I am filled with gratitude for what I’ve seen, heard, and experienced during my time here. I’m grateful for the dedicated Hondurans that I’m now lucky to call my friends, courageously working day in and day out for a more just society.

I’m grateful for the tangible success that I’ve had a front row seat to witness–from more days of school for millions of Honduran school kids to more prescription medications for patients who need them to a swelling tide of Hondurans walking in the streets just last month, praying for peace and democracy. And I’m grateful for you, if you have journeyed with us this past year on the road toward justice.

In the report that follows, you’ll find stories from that journey. Stories of courage, of transformation, of hope restored and of justice secured.

As you read these stories, it’s my hope that you too will feel grateful. Grateful for a God faithful to his promises to usher in his kingdom of justice and peace on earth, and grateful for a community like ASJ dedicated to partnering with him as he does.

Onward,

Kyle Meyaard-Schaap

Executive Director

Keep Moving Forward: Campaign Update

Wed, 10 Sep 2025 15:24:04 GMT

Thank You for Moving Forward With Us this Summer!

If you follow ASJ on social media, through our emails, or in other ways, you likely saw the phrase “Keep Moving Forward,” a few times.

The phrase comes from a story that ASJ co-founder Carlos Hernandez shared about his son during a time when his family was facing death threats from those who were benefiting from the corruption that ASJ was confronting.

At the dinner table, Carlos mentioned the idea of quitting his work for the safety of his family. His youngest son suddenly shot to his feet. “No!” his son shouted. “We won’t stop. We have to keep moving forward!”

Inspired by this story, ASJ’s executive director, Kyle Meyaard-Schaap, challenged you, our supporters, to keep moving forward for justice as Honduras and our partners on the ground continue to face danger in their work every day.

“We have to keep moving forward for each of the 10 million Hondurans who deserve to participate in a society that is safe, just, and whole,” Kyle shared .

But Kyle wasn’t the only one issuing a challenge. A generous partner of ASJ, who wishes to remain anonymous, also sees the value in committing regularly to a more just society. The donor pledged $40,000 to match:

Any new monthly pledge with an annualized amount (for example $120 for a $10/month pledge)
Any increased pledges with an annualized amount (for example, a donor who was pledging $10 per month who raised that amount to $20 would have that $10 increase matched for 12 months).

From May to June, we spread the word about this challenge and ASJ’s wonderful network of supporters decided that they, too, wanted to keep moving forward with Honduras!

Together, we raised:

$3,101 in new monthly pledges from 59 Justice Partners (that’s $37,212 new dollars every year )
About $96,000 in additional one-time gifts

That’s about $133,000 new dollars that we can send to Honduras over the next 12 months! And, the great news is that one donor was so inspired by this idea of matching new or increased pledges, that they added another $10,000 to the overall matching amount. So there’s still money left in the match if you want to help us fully reach our goal.

Among those who responded with a new Justice Partner pledge included:

A donor who had been faithfully giving for nearly 20 years, but not through a monthly giving option
Several donors who hadn’t given a gift for several years
A first-time donor who made a $50 monthly pledge
A donor who increased their pledge by more than $350 per month
19 new and increased Justice Partner pledges across two events that we hosted in June where we shared the matching gift challenge from the stage.
A donor who recently lost their spouse, and as a result wanted to update their giving information. The donor decided to add $50 to their monthly pledge because of the match

These gifts represent a wide range of supporters who have now committed to a reliable form of giving to Honduras. Thank you, ASJ community, for moving forward with Honduras!

If you’d still like to give a gift to our Keep Moving Forward campaign, you can set up monthly gifts or update your recurring donation.

Uprooted: Honduras and the Cancellation of TPS

Mon, 08 Sep 2025 19:44:40 GMT

When Policies Shift, Families Pay the Price *

by Jo Ann Van Engen

Twenty-seven years ago, on the first day of October in 1998, Hurricane Mitch roared into Honduras, skidded to a stop and in an unprecedented pause for a hurricane, stalled over the country for three relentless days, dumping more than 75 inches of rain on the country. The flooding that ensued killed over 7,000 people, left one in every ten Hondurans homeless, and wiped out nearly every bridge and paved road in the country. For months afterward, my husband Kurt and I moved through the chaos around us, asking each other the same question over and over: “How will Honduras ever recover?”

Just a few months after Mitch’s devastation, the US announced that Hondurans living and working in the US without papers would be granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS). Not a visa, but a humanitarian safeguard offered in times of war or natural disaster, TPS became a lifeline for thousands of Honduras—the collective millions of dollars they were able to send home to their devastated families played a vital role in rebuilding the country.

Last week, the US government announced that on September 8, 2025 Honduras’ TPS status would be cancelled, which means the 52,000 Hondurans who have been living and working legally in the US have overnight become subject to deportation.

You may be thinking, “OK. But TPS was not meant to be permanent–‘Temporary’ is right in the name.” And you would be right. TPS was designed to be a temporary measure. But over the past 27 years, the heads of Homeland Security have renewed TPS for Honduras 13 times. The “temporary” status has become in effect, permanent, and its cancellation after 27 years will upend life for tens of thousands of Hondurans.

What makes this even harder is that TPS includes a provision that prohibits Hondurans from returning to their home countries while in the US; so for more than two decades, thousands of Honduran men and women have built their lives in the U.S.—becoming homeowners, entrepreneurs, grandparents, community members, and church leaders. Cancelling TPS means that their lives in the US are over, but Honduras is in almost every way an unfamiliar place.

Programs like TPS were never designed to stretch across decades. The decision to continually renew this temporary program (based in part on the assessment that TPSers were an asset and not a threat to US communities) meant that these long-term workers had no path to permanent residency. They were allowed to work and pay taxes, but never gained the security of legally belonging. And now they face the uncertainty of being deported from what has been their home for the past 27 years.

The cancellation of TPS after 27 years is a stark reminder of how urgently our government leaders need to come together to overhaul U.S. immigration policy. We can craft laws that both uphold border security and open doors for hard-working people–that strengthen both our economy and the economies of their families back home. It is possible if there is political will. And if we don’t find a way to do it, we will have missed an opportunity that would benefit us all.

*In my last blog I promised to talk about the ways Hondurans can obtain legal permission to work in the US. But I’ve decided to hold off on that one for now to focus on the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program and the impact its cancellation will have on thousands of Hondurans.

ASJ's Vision Inspires Civic Renewal in the US

Tue, 02 Sep 2025 18:33:15 GMT

Inspiring civil society in the US with a vision of a more just society

Joel Hamernick remembers sitting in a room in Chicago, listening to ASJ co-founder Carlos Hernández as he spoke about Honduras’s dramatic progress in reducing crime. Seated next to him was a friend—Chicago’s former Inspector General.

When Carlos shared that the homicide rate in Honduras had dropped to 25 per 100,000 people, the Inspector General leaned over and said, “As of this moment, Honduras is safer than Chicago.”

That single statement hit Joel hard.

For two decades, Joel and his wife had lived in the Woodlawn neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago. There, they raised their family and led Sunshine Gospel Ministries , working in youth development and community engagement. Over time, Joel began to witness firsthand the devastating impact of gun violence. Friends and neighbors lost children. Families were disrupted. The root causes—poverty, public corruption, disinvestment—begged for solutions beyond individual programs.

Joel had already been asking big questions. Why do systems fail? What allows dysfunction to persist in cities like Chicago? And what would it take to fix them? And he found part of the answer through ASJ.

Learning from Honduras

On his first visit to Honduras with ASJ, Joel was struck by our approach to justice that wasn’t about charity alone but about changing the systems that harm the vulnerable.

ASJ’s four-part methodology— Research, Collaboration, Pressure, and Advocacy —provides a roadmap for how to take on corruption and dysfunction. In Honduras, this has meant everything from land title reform to purging corrupt police officers to transforming public education.

Joel saw that ASJ wasn’t just dreaming of justice; they were implementing it at scale. He began to realize that systemic reform, rather than just neighborhood-based programming, could unlock opportunity for whole populations. ASJ’s success gave him hope that a similar strategy could work back home.

Building A More Just Chicago

In early 2025, Joel launched A More Just Chicago —an initiative aimed at confronting Chicago’s most entrenched problems by applying lessons from ASJ and elsewhere.

A More Just Chicago’s first tangible project has been developing a city charter to rebuild the city’s governing foundation, powers, and responsibilities. Among the 15 largest cities in the US, Chicago is the only one without a charter. As a result, Chicago has struggled under the weight of corruption, financial mismanagement, and ineffective governance.

“We’ve got world-class institutions—science, medicine, AI—right alongside communities suffering from chronic disinvestment,” Joel explained. “Our schools are underfunded. Our transit system is failing. And 40% of the city’s budget is consumed by debt and pension obligations. This is a systems problem. And systems problems require systemic solutions.”

The idea for A More Just Chicago is not just to draft a new charter behind closed doors. It’s to involve communities— all of them—in shaping the future of their city.

A Citywide Alliance

Mirroring ASJ’s collaborative approach, Joel and his team are building an alliance that spans the city’s racial, economic, and faith divides. Their board already includes high-profile figures: a leader from Chicago Public Schools, business and faith leaders—including Christians, Jews, and the same former Inspector General who was with Joel when he first heard about ASJ.

But it’s the grassroots strategy that sets this work apart. They plan to recruit 2–3 charter ambassadors in each of Chicago’s 77 neighborhoods—trusted community members who will host dinners and dialogues about what people want from their city’s government. These dinners are not policy briefings. They’re opportunities for residents to ask: If you could change something about Chicago, what would it be?

Answers will be collected and sent to policy and legal experts, who will evaluate which ideas might be included in the new charter and how they would work in practice. Just like ASJ’s model, this process begins with listening and research, builds through collaboration, and will eventually lead to strategic pressure and advocacy—through public messaging, media, and policy action.

“This isn’t about politics,” Joel says. “It’s about governance. It’s about building a system where corruption isn’t so easy, where public resources actually serve the public.”

A Global Vision, A Local Example

At ASJ, we often talk about our dream of a more just society — spanning from Honduras to other parts of our world . For years, we’ve hoped that the model being refined in Honduras could spark justice movements elsewhere. Joel’s work is one of the clearest examples yet of that dream becoming reality.

Joel is quick to say that A More Just Chicago isn’t a copy-and-paste of ASJ. The challenges in the U.S. are different in many ways. But the core idea—that justice can be pursued through faithful, strategic, civic action—is the same .

This is what it looks like to take a vision to other parts of our world: not by exporting programs, but by inspiring local leaders to show bravery in their own context.

Chicago faces enormous challenges. But it also holds tremendous promise. If a diverse, citywide alliance can come together to create structural change—starting with a new charter—then Chicago will have a new opportunity to become more just.

Prayer Walk for Honduras

Tue, 02 Sep 2025 16:10:35 GMT

Dear Friend,

On Saturday, hundreds of thousands of Hondurans flooded their streets with prayer and peaceful demonstration. Reports from our team members who attended said it was like an inspirational sea of people all wanting the same thing for their country: peace. One of our ASJ-US colleagues said he walked past Pentecostals dancing and playing music, a woman praying the rosary, nuns walking, and priests and altar boys in full robes–all walking in the same space together for peace.

PC: Demonstrators in San Pedro Sula

And prayer not only resounded in Honduras. In Grand Rapids, MI–where ASJ-US’ office is located–over 50 supporters came to pray, sing, and walk in solidarity with Honduras. Just like in Honduras, the GR solidarity walk was a deeply meaningful time. It is good to act with brothers and sisters for justice! Below are some pictures from the day, as well as one of two local news stories that was filed about the GR-based prayer walk. Thank you to all who joined us in body and in spirit as we walked, prayed, sang, and acted for justice in Honduras!

Coverage from WWMT Channel 3 of our Grand Rapids Prayer Walk for Honduras.

Our next step is to hand-deliver the dozens of signatures we collected from participants to the office of Rep. Hillary Scholten (MI-03), urging her to co-sponsor HR 4202, a bill to support free, fair, and transparent elections in Honduras this November. We have requested a meeting with her office the week of August 25.

Finally, I wanted to end by sharing this powerful photo:

This is the leader of the Evangelical Fraternity of Honduras, Gerardo Irias, and the Archbishop of Tegucigalpa, José Vicente Nácher Tatay. Together, they and the organizations they lead called for and convened the prayer walk. A year ago, these men didn’t even know each other’s names. Now, in part because of ASJ’s work to regularly convene them and other civil society organizations in the name of Honduran democracy, they embraced and wept together Saturday as they watched hundreds of thousands of Hondurans stand up and declare with one voice, “Peace and Democracy Now!”

Onward,

Rev. Kyle Meyaard-Schaap

Executive Director, ASJ-US

Beyond Push and Pull: Migration as an Act of Love

Mon, 04 Aug 2025 17:24:41 GMT

Love, Labor, and the Price of Leaving

By Jo Ann Van Engen

When my husband Kurt and I ran a study abroad program in Honduras, one topic we always discussed was immigration. We’d ask our students to name the classic push and pull factors that drive people to leave their countries, and they could always list a lot: poverty, violence, natural disasters, job opportunities, safety. That framework was familiar and useful for discussion—but over time, I realized it was missing a very important factor.

As I’ve watched more and more of my neighbors’ children leave Honduras for the U.S. and other countries, I’ve come to see that behind all the economic and political reasons for leaving, there is another, more personal one: people leave out of love.

Most young adults don’t head north out of ambition or escape, but because it’s the most tangible way they know to care for the people they love. In a country where stable, well-paying jobs are scarce, working abroad is often the only way to support a family. They go so they can send money back home.

And they send an astonishing amount of money.

Last year alone, Hondurans living abroad sent over $6 billion back to their families (usually referred to as remittances). That’s 26% of the entire Honduran economy —the largest single source of income, more than exports from coffee, bananas, or clothing.That $6 billion represents more than just dollars. It represents millions of hours of labor. People working in restaurants, construction, farms, factories—doing difficult, often invisible jobs to support families they haven’t seen in years.

Even more striking, since the recent U.S. immigration crackdowns, remittances sent to Honduras and other Central American countries have gone up . A recent article in the Washington Post states: “ In what may be an unexpected twist as fears of deportation grip the D.C. region, immigrants from El Salvador, Honduras or Guatemala are sending more money home, transferring their savings away from a country where their hopes for the future are dimming.” ( Washington Post )

I don’t support illegal immigration, but I do understand the longing to work—and to be paid for that work. A dairy farmer recently told my friend that his immigrant employees never ask for raises or time off, but they do ask for more hours. Why? Because their hearts are turned toward their families, and more hours mean more money to send home.

From an economic standpoint, it’s not ideal that a quarter of Honduras’ economy depends on remittances. But when, according to the World Bank, more than one out of ten Hondurans live on less than $2 a day and job opportunities are so limited, these transfers are lifelines. Families depend on them—and those who send the money are proud to be able to give.

I believe most of us—whatever our differences of opinion—can agree on this: hard-working people doing essential jobs to care for their families should be allowed to work legally in the U.S. And my Honduran friends would be the first to say: "yes! let us come and contribute— and let us come legally with work visas."

Stay tuned for next month’s post, where we’ll explore what it actually takes to become a “legal” worker in the U.S.

Prayer update July

elizabeth@asj-us.org (Elizabeth Hickel) — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 20:38:29 GMT

Prayer Update (JUL 16- Election Process Turmoil)

Dear Prayer Partners,

I’m reaching out to ask for your prayers regarding a troubling situation developing this week in Honduras.

This year, ASJ has been working diligently to ensure that the presidential elections scheduled for November 30 are transparent and conducted in accordance with Honduran law. We've been encouraged by the growing number of participants in our Network for the Defense of Democracy and by a recent advocacy trip to Washington, D.C., where we were able to share our concerns with key decision-makers.

Painting Hope to Keep Moving Forward

Mon, 07 Jul 2025 20:13:26 GMT

Meet the Artist Behind Our New Sticker Illustrations

Earlier this spring we sent out a letter reflecting on the story of Carlos Hernández, Executive Director of ASJ-Honduras, and recounting how he was inspired by his son to keep moving forward despite the threats and challenges he was facing

Since we were also deeply inspired, we wanted to have a constant reminder of this powerful story. That is why we decided to seek out an artist that could create a design showcasing the unity between the U.S. and Honduras seeking justice and moving forward together. We wanted to make something that would stick with us and you.

Additionally, since one of our goals at ASJ is to highlight Honduran artists, we found someone that helped us portray the simple life of Honduran people. We found Aziel, and we were confident that he could carry out our vision. The image he created is full of nature and the vibrant colors of the tropical country.

“A country rich in nature, resources, culture, and kind hard-working people.”

–Aziel

When we contacted Aziel, it was his first time hearing about ASJ, but he was excited about our mission and our impact in Honduras. He agreed immediately to work on the design. He was happy to demonstrate what we wanted and was thrilled to contribute to our mission by creating the illustration.

With our suggestions and his art style we were able to design this sticker. We hope that it reminds us all to keep moving forward no matter where we are in the world and what we are going through.

You can find Aziel on Instagram @azielbarrientos his artwork is sold on Artblr.

Doing Justice in Immigration

Tue, 01 Jul 2025 21:20:40 GMT

How U.S. Policy Shapes Honduran Families’ Futures

by Jo Ann Van Engen

For the past 25 years I have lived in the same neighborhood in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. The friends I made when I was 35 are still my friends today, and a lot of our conversations center on how our adult children are doing.

Paula is one of those friends. She is ridiculously proud of her kids: Mari, Ricardo, Gabriel, Sofia, Kati, and Alexa. They are smart, funny, and kind. They love to tease each other, and they each talk to their mom every day. This is astonishing to me for the obvious reasons, but especially because all but one of Paula’s children live outside of Honduras. Three live together in Spain, where they work in home health care and construction. Two live and work in the US. Only her daughter Sofia lives in Honduras with her husband and two children.

Paula is just one of many friends who have children in the US. There’s also Magda’s son, Andres; Lourdes’ daughter, Sindy; and Priscilla’s granddaughter, Rebecca. I could keep going.

These young people have a lot in common. They work hard and don’t drink or get in trouble. They are often lonely, and their families miss them and worry about them every single day.

My friendship with these women and their kids has made me deeply aware of how immigration impacts Honduran families–in both good ways and bad.

The US needs willing workers like Gabriel, Alexa, and Andres, and they need the work so they can support their families in Honduras. And they are working hard! Check out this astonishing statistic: Hondurans in the US currently send six billion dollars a year back to their families in Honduras. It is the #1 source of income for the country.

But many of my friends’ children go to the US without a work visa because those visas are almost impossible to get. They plead asylum at the border or pay someone to help them cross the border illegally; not because that is their first choice, but because, despite knowing jobs are waiting to be filled, they can’t get a visa that allows them to go do that job. The immigration system is pretty broken.

If you know a dairy farmer, orchard owner, or landscaper, ask them how hard it is to get workers through work visa programs. Most give up. It is just too much red tape, too expensive, and too uncertain. Some might admit that they hire workers without legal status–not because they want to, but because they don't feel they have a choice.

My friend, Johny, is a rare exception. He is an elder in our little neighborhood church. His wife, Digna, is in charge of the Sunday school. Two years ago, Johny was approved for an H-2B visa to work in Tennessee doing landscaping. He works there for six months of the year and the other six months he is back in Honduras with his family, active in our community and in our church. Everyone in our church is jealous of his good luck. His H-2B visa means he can legally and safely go to the US each year and then return to Honduras without fear of being arrested.

Last Sunday I talked to Digna to see how she felt about Johny’s job. She admitted that when her husband told her that a friend had given his name to a recruiter, she was sure it was a scam–everyone knows someone who has lost money to people pretending to offer work visas. But, now she is thrilled. “The visa has been such a blessing. Johny is treated well at his workplace. He works regular hours, and they pay him a decent wage.” And most importantly for Digna: “He comes back to us every six months.”

Making work visas easier to get would go a long way toward fixing the problem of undocumented immigration and would be welcomed by hardworking people like my friends’ kids.

President Trump’s back and forth on whether to deport undocumented immigrants working on farms, meat packing plants, and other industries is one more indication of the urgent need to figure out how to make work visas available.

In April, the President mentioned in a cabinet meeting that he was working on creating better legal channels for immigrant workers.

"We're going to work with farmers that, if they have strong recommendations for their farms, for certain people, that we're going to let them stay in for a while and work with the farmers and then come back and go through a process, a legal process. We have to take care of our farmers and hotels and various places where they need the people," Trump said.

- Reuters

Work visas would allow people like my friends’ children to work part of the year in the US while still staying connected to their families, communities, churches, and country.

Because the truth is that while Honduras’ unemployment rate is high and salaries are low, Honduras needs these young people, with their work ethic, creativity, and intelligence.

And their families need them. Losing so many young people is tearing apart the strong fabric of Honduran families–children are growing up without their parents, grandparents are raising grandchildren. In a country where adult children seldom left home until they started their own family, many households today are empty of young adults. It is painful to watch.

I pray that President Trump and his advisors will follow through on making work visas attainable, so that the thousands of jobs that need doing in the US can be filled by willing, hardworking people like my friends’ children who would jump at the chance to earn money abroad and to continue to be part of the countries they call home.

Win-win.

Defending Honduran Democracy in Washington D.C.

Fri, 27 Jun 2025 15:58:39 GMT

Honduran civil society works together for fair elections in 2025

On June 16, after some flight delays and frustration, a group of powerful Honduran leaders were in Washington, D.C. ready to advocate for their country. They included the head of the largest university in Honduras, the President and Vice President of the Honduran equivalent of the Chamber of Commerce, a representative of the Archbishop of Tegucigalpa and the head of the Protestant Church of Honduras, a nationally-renowned journalist, and leaders from ASJ-Honduras and ASJ-US.

We were there for one simple purpose: to raise awareness about Honduras’ upcoming election on November 30, and to ask for support in ensuring a free, fair, and transparent election.

Over two days, we met with representatives from the State Department, three Senate offices, three House offices, and more than 10 NGOs.

 Here’s what we learned:

This won’t be our last visit to DC before the November elections, nor will it be the last chance for you to add your voice to our efforts to advocate for a fair process free from manipulation. If you’d like to be the first to know about future advocacy opportunities, you can sign up for our advocacy mailing list:

Onward,

ASJ Board of Directors Meet in Honduras

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 20:57:50 GMT

J ustice seekers from Canada, the US, and Honduras commit to working together

From June 12th-15th, the boards of directors from ASJ-US, ASJ-Honduras, and ASJ-Canada retreated together in Honduras. Russ Jacobs, president of the ASJ-US board of directors said,

“Time together draws the boards closer around the shared mission and helps refine our focus.”

The three boards spent meaningful time discussing institutional strategic planning, budget, and mission alignment, but also took intentional steps to, once again, declare their commitment to walking alongside each other in the work for a more just Honduras.

In addition, the three boards spent quality time with ASJ staff. A special devotional was held to worship and pray together. Carlos Hernández, executive director of ASJ-HN said,

“The joint meeting between ASJ-US, Canada, and Honduras was excellent! An opportunity to strengthen our relationships, reinforce unity, and, for us [ASJ-HN] in particular, to show that we are not alone–that we have the support of our brothers and friends from ASJ-US and Canada. The visit also contributed to the morale and motivation of our entire team. In difficult times, it is important to know that we are not alone.”

The boards spent time learning about the work on the ground from those who execute it on a daily basis. Directors from the different focus areas such as education, health, security, and transparency gave engaging presentations with detailed context on the achievements, roadblocks, and challenges that Honduras is presently facing.

Furthermore, the three boards also sought to hear from community leaders and members about how our work for a more just society in Honduras has impacted and intersected with their families. As Kyle Meyaard-Schaap, Executive Director for ASJ-US, put it,

“We didn’t want to travel all the way to Honduras just to sit in board rooms all day. We worked hard to create opportunities for the members of the boards to experience firsthand the transformative work that ASJ-Honduras is doing on the ground every day.”

The directors visited a local marketplace, Mercado Los Dolores, in the historic downtown area of Tegucigalpa. There, they met the president of the marketplace, who received them with Honduran hospitality and gave them a tour of the market. During that visit, representatives from the transportation business sector joined the conversation to share their lived experience as victims of extortion and how the response from the government, or lack thereof, puts their lives and livelihoods at risk. Both representatives from the marketplace and the transportation sector expressed their appreciation for our partnership, closeness to, and advocacy for their communities.

The directors also visited the community health center located in the Nueva Suyapa neighborhood and the one-room schoolhouse in the La Montañita village. Our local partners gave tours and provided valuable information on what their day to day serving their community looks like. The boards had the opportunity to hear more about the challenges Hondurans face in the areas of health and education, culminating in a time of play in the rain with the children from La Montañita followed by a warm, homemade, Honduran meal.

Let's Keep Moving Forward

Thu, 01 May 2025 17:56:16 GMT

Choosing defiant hope over fear.

Dear Friend,

The boy could be forgiven for being terrified.

His father had just shared that, as a result of his work, his life was in danger. The boy was only six, but he was beginning to comprehend the meaning of the word “death”, with its terrible, irreversible finality. But fear, though present, was not his overwhelming emotion. More than the terror for his father’s life, the boy was indignant that his father was in danger simply for trying to make his country a better place.

The father could be forgiven for being terrified.

The death threats had been coming in steadily, and he had to prepare his family–young as they were–for what was possible. He had lain awake nights, agonizing over whether to continue the anti-corruption work he had dedicated his life to, but which now threatened to widow and orphan his family. How was he possibly supposed to balance the dual responsibilities to his family and to his fellow Hondurans? He had done the math in his head a thousand times as he lay sleepless, and it never added up.

As Carlos looked around the dining room table at the faces he loved–faces processing the news he had just shared–his youngest son suddenly shot to his feet. “No!” he shouted. “We won’t stop. We have to keep moving forward! ”

I haven’t been able to shake this story ever since Carlos Hernandez, ASJ-Honduras Executive Director, shared it at our Celebration of Stories events in Chicago and Grand Rapids earlier this spring. More than anything, the simplicity of it keeps pulling me up short.

On any given day, I can list a dozen reasons before breakfast why the world is irreparably broken and why the logical choice would be to curl back up under the covers. But ever since I heard the defiant words of Carlos’ son, they have reached across the intervening decades, grabbed me by the lapels, and still haven’t let go. They have forced me to recognize that, despite all the reasons to the contrary, there are so many reasons to keep moving forward.

And that’s why I want to take this opportunity to thank you for continuing to move forward with ASJ.

We have to keep moving forward for the 2 million kids in Honduras’ public schools who received 35 more days of school than last year and a square meal almost every day they were in class, thanks to your support for ASJ’s public pressure and collaboration with the Minister of Education.

Will you commit to moving forward with us by making a gift today?

I hope you will decide to keep moving forward with us because the truth is that we–all of us–can be forgiven for being terrified.

The world is in turmoil. Wars rage. Politics poison. And injustice persists. It can feel hard, sometimes, to find hope to keep going. At least, it can for me.

But whenever we feel the temptation to fear and despair, let’s remember the words of a boy who chose defiant hope over fear. Let’s choose to keep moving forward together.

Onward,

ASJ Supporting Students’ Learning in Honduras

elizabeth@asj-us.org (Elizabeth Hickel) — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 17:38:15 GMT

Earlier this month, The Banner published a story written by Our Shared Ministr y by Karina Guevara and Elmer Salinas .

The authors showcase the work that ASJ-Honduras is doing to help and support students in Honduras.

Karina and Elmer tell the story of Genesis Garcia, an 8-year-old, whose family struggles to find consistent jobs. "Genesis Garcia Baquedano is 8 years old and lives with her older brother, Anderson, and their parents in Honduras. Her parents work hard to support their family. Genesis’s father is a painter who struggles to find consistent work, and her mother is a street vendor who spends long hours away from home."

According to Karina and Elmer, although Genesis is a good student, she was struggling with reading, writing, and math. This is where the ASJ-Hondurans' program, Strong Communities , comes to be a blessing. "Through God’s grace, Genesis and her family were able to join the Strong Communities program facilitated by World Renew’s local partner, Association for a More Just Society (ASJ, because the Spanish translation is Asociación para una Sociedad más Justa). Through the program, Genesis attended academic support sessions, where she impressed her tutors with her perseverance and enthusiasm. Now, Genesis’s teachers praise the program for the significant progress Genesis has been making at school."

We are blessed to be able to help kids like Genesis and her family to be able to achieve their dreams and goals.

You can read the full story HERE and learn more about the ASJ-Honduras Strong communities program HERE

Celebrating 25 Years

Fri, 21 Mar 2025 17:58:40 GMT

Highlights from our 25th Anniversary Celebration in Grand Rapids, MI

Here are a few of our favorite images from the events:

Phew! How much fun was Tuesday?! If you were able to join us for our 25th Anniversary Celebration of Stories lunch or dinner: thank you! Our team (though tired) is still feeling the excitement from all of the amazing conversations, the delicious food, the music, and the community. If you weren't able to join us: we missed you and wanted to include you in this recap!

Though I have so many favorite moments from Tuesday, here are some that I'm still thinking about today:

The words of ASJ co-founder Carlos Hernandez's son, coming to us across the years and the miles, reminding us that even in the face of injustice we just have to "keep going forward".
Hearing the updates from ASJ co-founder, Kurt Verbeek, about how ASJ's efforts ensured that 2 million public school kids in Honduras got 187 days of school and 170 days of school lunch last year.
Sending only 2.5 bags of trash to the landfill across both of our events (serving more than 500 people) thanks to our volunteers and Neland Ave Church. The rest was recycled or composted!
360 of us singing Happy Birthda y to ASJ-US to celebrate 25 years of doing justice in Honduras!
Together, raising more than $136,000 (and counting)!

That's right, you read that last one correctly.

Because of your generosity, we raised more than $136,000 together - meaning that we met our $100,000 match and will be sending at least $236,000 to ASJ-Honduras to support and advance our shared work for justice!

For context, this is enough to fund almost 50% of our education program work for an entire year . Incredible!

Even though you all obliterated our goal, we are still accepting donations for this event. If you weren't able to join us or know someone else who would love to support the work of ASJ, you can click the button below to help add to our total. What do you think - can we send $250,000 to Honduras?

We want to thank our corporate sponsors for coming alongside us this year!

HOW IMMIGRATION AFFECTS A COMMUNITY/ Justicia Winter 2025

elizabeth@asj-us.org (Elizabeth Hickel) — Tue, 25 Feb 2025 17:50:14 GMT

MY EMPTY VILLAGE / HOW IMMIGRATION AFFECTS A COMMUNITY

(by Sara Pineda)

As I sit in my parent’s empty living room, I remember when there used to be three families living together in this small house. Now it feels empty, just like the rest of the village. All my best friends left. My favorite cousin left. Displacement has pierced through my community. There is not one lone reason that made all these people leave; it’s not a one-size-fits-all type of situation. Instead, it’s a compendium of the conditions they’ve been living in, the relationships they have both within and outside the country, and how they perceive their current and future life opportunities.

My best friend Lila* left Honduras because she felt like it was her last option. She had endured incredibly traumatic experiences since childhood. Her uncle was killed by a gang. Her father fled in fear. Her family supported her brother’s education but not hers. She worked full-time to fund her own education. She was mugged on the bus several times going from work to her college. They took her computer, phone, wallet, and even the rings and earrings she was wearing. Every time this happened, she had to start over while still feeling traumatized and shocked. Then, after having worked hard to find a job, she was fired from her position because they wanted to hire someone affiliated with the political party that was in power at that time. She felt like every time she was close to achieving her goals, the finish line got moved and placed further away.

My cousin Luis and his brothers also left. Their whole life, they had worked on the coffee farms, but they were having trouble affording the basic necessities like food, medicine, and appropriate housing. When I asked them why they chose to leave, they had similar answers. They felt as if they were barely getting by. They wanted to build houses of their own instead of having three families in one small house. They wanted to also offer their kids a more secure future. They did not want to simply survive anymore. They knew migrating to a different country would not make them wealthy, but they wanted to be stable enough to think about the future. They wanted enough stability to allow their children to have dreams and believe that they could achieve those dreams.

Remittances, which is money Hondurans in the US send back to support loved ones, are sustaining a huge part of the economy in my village now. In fact, in the whole country remittances make up 26% of the Honduran economy. There are over 1.1 million Hondurans in the US, over half of them have legal status, and they send over 9 billion dollars a year back to Honduras. Families use that money for food, clothing, the schooling of the children left behind, and to build houses. And yet, when I ask the people that have left if they would like to come back home, the vast majority answer yes. If they knew they could have safety, stability, and better life opportunities, they would never have left in the first place and they would want to return to their home.

I miss them deeply, and my village is not the same without them. But I also think about how Lila deserves to feel safe and pursue her dreams. I think about how although I enjoyed the times when my cousins and I were all together, my parents’ house was not meant to accommodate three families at once. I pray, hope, work, and dream that one day my village can feel whole again. Advocating for immigration reform and taking a deeper look at how the US and Honduras are intertwined are some actions that contribute towards this dream. Similarly, working on root causes like improving public systems - the work of ASJ - is just one of the ways - but it’s an important one to me because without working to improve these systems, we will not see this dream become a reality. I dream of the day when the people in my village can feel like they are not only surviving day by day. I dream of the day when my village doesn’t feel empty anymore because we have built a more just society for my people to thrive here.

* Names were changed to protect the identities of the people in this story

HONDURAN ELECTIONS 2025

HONDURAN ELECTIONS 2025/ Justicia Winter 2025

elizabeth@asj-us.org (Elizabeth Hickel) — Tue, 25 Feb 2025 17:17:27 GMT

Young Hondurans have stepped up for democracy

(by Blanca Stephanie Elvir)

Training session with volunteers for election observation in 2021.

“As a child on election day, my routine was accompanying my grandmother to the polling station and, in the last years when her eyesight began to fail, supporting her in the process. She would get up early and prepare “burritas” (two tortillas with beans, egg, and cheese, arranged like a sandwich) to take with us and eat while we waited in line. Elections were an important day for her because, while fulfilling her civic duty, she would get to meet up with her friends from the neighborhood, whom she loved spending time with. ”

This is the story told to us by Raul, one of the volunteers on ASJ’s Democracy in Action program, currently doing his professional internship in ASJ’s Transparency and Democracy department.

Many of us young people have similar stories to this one when we are asked: how do we experience elections? Without realizing it, our parents and grandparents have instilled in us the importance of participating responsibly in electing our authorities and thus deciding the course of our country. This was how, in the 2021 elections, young people were the segment of the population that defined the result of the electoral process, which reached one of the highest levels of participation (68%) in the history of Honduras.

In previous electoral processes, ASJ has encouraged youth participation beyond voting. Observation, communications and advocacy strategies have been promoted during the three stages that make up the electoral process: the pre-electoral stage when preparatory activities are carried out; on election day when citizens go to the polls and vote; and finally, the post-electoral stage which includes the counting of votes, the review of possible irregularities and the declaration of the new authorities.

Specifically, in 2021, through the Informed Vote initiative, 1,273 national observers participated— deployed in 17 of the country’s 18 departments. The young volunteers were recruited through social networks and were subsequently trained to collect the required data and input.

In 2025, Honduras will once again undergo an electoral process to elect the president of the country, as well as the municipal mayors and the deputies of the National Congress, who exercise the legislative power. The electoral process will consist of two stages: the first, called the internal elections and primaries, will be held on March 9, 2025. Its objective is for each political party to choose the candidates who will participate in the subsequent general elections, which will be held on November 28 of the same year.

This year, in addition to our regular advocacy work, ASJ is also coordinating the Network for the Defense of Democracy, which is an alliance of NGOs, youth, women, Catholic and Evangelical churches, universities and private companies. This alliance represents a unique and innovative initiative that is bringing together diverse sectors of society to work together in advocacy, electoral observation, and overall social auditing that we hope will increase the fairness and transparency of this electoral process. Included in the actions we will carry out is the participation of 10,000 young people, just like Raul, who are willing to continue stepping up to defend democracy in Honduras.

ASJ-US 25TH ANNIVERSARY

HOW IMMIGRATION AFFECTS A COMMUNITY

ASJ-US 25TH ANNIVERSARY/ Justicia Winter 2025

elizabeth@asj-us.org (Elizabeth Hickel) — Tue, 25 Feb 2025 17:10:47 GMT

Reflecting on 25 years of seeking justice together

(by Jo Ann Van Engen)

We do not have a picture of our first event, but we creatively recreated what it looked like.

Twenty-five years ago, on a beautiful summer evening in Grand Rapids, ASJ-US held its very first Celebration in my sister Shar’s backyard. I don’t remember a lot about that day, but I do know that what we lacked in experience, we more than made up for with confidence and boundless enthusiasm.

Here is what I remember about that day:
Around twenty people came
Our program for the afternoon consisted of some photos we had hastily taped to the railing of the deck just before our guests arrived.
Shar had to run across the street to beg her neighbor to take over the grill when her husband Reed, a large-animal veterinarian who was on-call that day, raced off to deliver a calf.
There were no sign-up sheets and I do remember how much money we raised: zero dollars.
WE ALL ATE LOTS OF PIE!
Everyone agreed the event was a huge success!

We have come a long way since that summer day.

What began as a volunteer effort in West Michigan to support the work ASJ-Honduras had begun two years earlier, has grown to include a talented and enthusiastic staff of six people —half in Grand Rapids and half in Honduras— who invite people around the world to join in the effort to do justice in Honduras and in their own communities.

That work has led to an ASJ community that has grown to include thousands who pray, advocate, and financially support ASJ’s work in Honduras, and who volunteer stuffing envelopes and setting up tables, help renovate new office spaces, welcome our Honduran staff when their justice work puts them in danger, and who work together in their own communities to find ways to do justice and to come alongside those whose lives are hardest.

Twenty-five years after that tiny backyard celebration, ASJ continues to celebrate the many ways that God has guided this journey. Working for justice against those who use their authority not to serve but for their own benefit, has at times been dangerous, difficult and sometimes heartbreaking. But even in those times, it has felt like our ASJ community is where it should be—answering God’s call to all of us to do justice.

ASJ-US has grown and changed in the past 25 years, but our purpose has not: to be brave Christians, dedicated to doing justice in Honduras and to inspiring others around the world to seek justice.

Thank you for taking this journey with us and CHEERS for the next 25 years!

Justicia Winter 2025

HONDURAN ELECTIONS 2025

Welcome Statement/Justicia Winter 2025

elizabeth@asj-us.org (Elizabeth Hickel) — Tue, 25 Feb 2025 17:04:21 GMT

From the Executive Director

Dear Friend,

Who doesn’t love to celebrate? Birthdays, promotions, good news, reunions–our lives are full of reasons to rejoice and be glad. And at ASJ-US, we are celebrating all year long as we mark our 25th anniversary! Since 2000, ASJ-US has been seeking to be a community of brave Christians dedicated to doing justice in Honduras and to inspiring others around the world to seek justice in their own contexts.

It’s been 25 years of exhilarating highs, of crushing lows, of deep partnership with ASJ-Honduras, and through it all, an abiding trust in our justice doing God. I hope that in what follows, you will see evidence of 25 years of God’s faithfulness. If you have been with ASJ-US through some (or all) of those 25 years, I hope you feel proud of the justice and peace that we’ve been able to secure together. And I hope that you feel inspired to work together toward ever more justice for Honduras.

Because at 25 years, we certainly have a lot to celebrate. And we have a lot more left on our to-do list. I’m looking forward to more meaningful justice work alongside you in 2025 and beyond.

In this edition of Justicia, we are highlighting:

WELCOME, NEW BOARD MEMBERS!

With great joy, we welcome these new members to our Board of Directors. Our board is made up of volunteers who are committed to our mission of being brave Christians dedicated to seeking justice in Honduras and to inspiring others around the world to seek justice in their own contexts.

Michael Pinda

Laura Watrous

Thomas Turner

Get Involved

If you are interested in volunteering with us in your city, email : info@asj-us.org

Paused International Aid

Tue, 28 Jan 2025 23:01:28 GMT

What does paused international aid mean for ASJ?

Some of you have been asking how ASJ’s work will be impacted by President Trump’s recent executive order to pause all foreign aid and Secretary of State Rubio’s subsequent stop-work order on all foreign aid .

An honest look at US aid could be a good thing. However, this action does bring back memories of when the Trump Administration cut off aid in 2019 to Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador because of its frustration with the increasing flow of immigrants from those countries to the southern border. Many of you likely remember that as a result, ASJ lost over 60% of its total budget which forced us to lay off many of our Honduran staff and to shut down our Peace and Justice project that had done so much to combat crime in dangerous neighborhoods. It was heartbreaking for us.

But, two important things came out of that painful event:

Our ASJ community in the US and around the world responded generously with encouragement, prayers, and donations and within a year, we were able to restart much of the work we had paused. A time of painful uncertainty became one of renewed trust in God’s leading.
We learned an important lesson: To ensure financial stability, we needed to diversify our funding. We committed to capping the percentage of ASJ-Honduras’ budget that could come from US government funds, and we built relationships with foundations and supporters who believed in ASJ’s mission and wanted to join us in that work over the long haul.

As a result, although we have been in the process of applying for some USAID grants that we are now no longer counting on, we currently have no funding that will be affected by these orders and we anticipate no meaningful interruption to our work in 2025 because of either the funding freeze or the stop-work order.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for many other critically important civil society organizations. Many nonprofits with whom we partner in Honduras and in the US, including some that are very active in ASJ-led alliances, depend heavily on grants from the US government. Their important work will almost certainly be impacted by these decisions. We know how that feels, and we are grieving the uncertainty they are now facing.

At the same time, we are rejoicing that ASJ’s work will continue unaffected, and we are thanking God for so many of you. It is your faithfulness and generosity that has put us on a sustainable funding path insulated from the ebb and flow of political winds. We are so grateful.

And, we will continue to need you. In order to keep diversifying our funding even more, and to enable ASJ-Honduras to continue to grow, we’ve set an ambitious goal to increase our funding support for ASJ-Honduras by 50% over the next three years, and 100% in the next five. We look forward with eagerness to how God will continue to make a way for ASJ’s important work of supporting democracy, fighting corruption, and ending violence.

In an email I sent out after the election in November, I noted that US elections always have consequences for Honduras, regardless of who wins. I also shared that we would keep looking for opportunities to advocate for policies that center the most vulnerable in Honduras, and I promised to keep you informed on how you can join in.

To that end, you can sign up to receive our updates here:

Let us know if you have any questions and thank you for your continued partnership.

Onward,

Christmas 2024

Mon, 16 Dec 2024 03:50:13 GMT

Something Worth Waiting For

I love Advent.

There's something about the embrace of waiting that feels to my spirit, so often in constant motion, like a relief. Advent tells me to wait. To remember that God is the one bringing his kingdom of justice and peace, and that often--like a tiny baby born into scandal to a no-name girl from backwater Nazareth--it looks nothing like we might expect.

Yet, Advent waiting is a particular kind of waiting. It is not passive. We wait with expectation for what new, shocking, unexpected thing God will do in His world. We expect God to move in powerful ways because that is who God is, and it's how He has always acted. Perhaps most especially, when He freely chose to take on the stuff of his world in order to rescue it all from the grip of sin and death and despair.

We at ASJ are waiting; waiting for the fullness of God's justice and shalom to cover Honduras and the whole earth as the waters cover the sea. Yet, we wait with expectation and hope.

Why?

Because over the past 27 years since the founding of ASJ-Honduras, God has given us more reasons to expect the unexpected than we can count. Because that's just who God is and how God works.

Because Advent reminds us that, though we wait, there is something coming worth waiting for.

As we gather around the table this Christmas, we also want to share with you a few of the traditional foods our Honduran partners and friends will be enjoying with their families.

Giving Tuesday 2024

Tue, 03 Dec 2024 03:32:48 GMT

Will you walk with us for a more just society?

Watch this video from our ASJ-US executive director, Kyle Meyaard-Schaap, and join us in seeking justice, walking together.

Seeking Justice. Walking Together

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 16:31:51 GMT

The beauty of doing justice in community

I couldn’t stop staring at the park across the street.

I saw it when I woke up the first morning in my host family’s home this past summer. They told me that for years, it had been the neighborhood soccer field. But it was often controlled by gangs and not a safe place for kids. So they and their neighbors decided to do something about it.

They partnered with ASJ to draft up plans for a park. ASJ secured funding from private businesses to augment public funds. Neighbors chipped in. Cement was poured, grass was planted, and lights were installed. When it was inaugurated earlier this year–only a month before my visit–it became the only park in the whole neighborhood.

And from my first day with my host family, I couldn’t stop staring at it.

One of ASJ’s greatest superpowers is its commitment to doing justice in community.

In Honduras, ASJ has always rejected the temptation to move fast and alone, and has instead embraced the slower task of building coalitions and alliances to advance justice.

In the US, ASJ is a community of over 1,000 donors spread out across the country who are all united in our common vision of a more just Honduras.

Because of ASJ’s commitment to walking the road of justice together, we have been able to achieve amazing results together this past year:

Thanks to ASJ’s advocacy, the 2024 school year started exactly when it was meant to on February 1st. As of November 15, Honduras’ 2 million school kids have received 182 of the legally-required 200 days of school this year.
For the first time ever, school lunches were delivered on the first day of school this year and kids have had a meal at school all but 35 days this school year.
Spearheaded by ASJ, a coalition of dozens of NGOs called the Network to Defend Democracy was launched in September and is committed to voter education and election monitoring in the run up to Honduras’ national elections in November 2025.
After significant pressure from ASJ, the government placed its first order for medications in 2024 much earlier than in previous years. As a result, ASJ surveys have found that 80% of patients are receiving all of the medications they need–an increase from 59% in 2023.

You’re receiving this letter in the wake of our own election in the US. We know from past experience that US elections have consequences for Honduras, and for ASJ. That’s why ASJ-US has set a goal to double our financial support for ASJ-Honduras over the next 5 years in order to insulate our work from political pendulum swings and to set us up for long-term, sustainable growth . Because whoever is in power in Washington, we know that the real power to drive transformation in Honduras rests with you–our community.

Will you continue to walk the road toward justice with ASJ by making a year end gift today? I hope you will, because there is much more road to be walked. The journey toward justice is long. But when we walk it together, it is also beautiful.

Onward,

Statement on the US Elections

Tue, 12 Nov 2024 21:12:59 GMT

What I've Been Thinking About the Past Week

Hi friends,

I love a lot of things about ASJ. One of them is that we are a big community with diverse political opinions that is still able to come together to pursue the common mission of seeking justice for the most vulnerable in Honduras. It’s hard to find communities like that in this hyper-polarized time. It’s a unity of purpose that feels like a real gift.

So, I’ve wrestled with whether to write this message. The results are only a week old. The various emotions within our community of supporters are fresh. With so many organizations rushing to fill airwaves and inboxes in the wake of the election with responses, I’ve wondered if we need to be one of them.

Yet I chose to write this because many people have asked me what the results of the election mean for ASJ.

The truth is that US elections always have consequences for Honduras, regardless of who wins. The nature of the relationship between Honduras and the US means that when new administrations take power and policy priorities change, Honduras feels it–whether it’s increased deportations under President Obama, funding cuts to Central America during President-elect Trump’s first term, or President Biden’s reluctance to raise those same funding levels back again.

We don’t yet know what specific policies will change or what priorities will be centered by the incoming administration in the weeks and months ahead. What we do know is that, just as with all administrations before it—Democrat and Republican—these changes are likely to impact Honduras and its people in real, tangible ways.

And here’s something else we know: our commitment to our partners in Honduras and to our mission remains unchanged. ASJ will continue to find opportunities to advocate for policies that center the most vulnerable in Honduras. As the policy landscape of the new administration comes into better focus, we will keep you informed on how you can join in.

Because no matter who is in the White House, or which party controls Congress, we will never stop being brave Christians committed to doing justice in Honduras and to inspiring others to seek justice wherever they are rooted.

Café & Conversación: Democracy and Discipleship

Thu, 24 Oct 2024 21:57:08 GMT

Loving Our Neighbor in Public

Café & Conversación is our relaxed, cozy, and safe space to hold engaging conversations with brave christians who are dedicated to doing justice in the context they are rooted in. This time, our special guest was Carlos Hernández , co-founder and executive director of ASJ-Honduras. We had an incredible conversation on the intersections of the christian faith and participation in democratic processes and political spaces.

Cafe y Conversacion/ Justicia Fall 2024

elizabeth@asj-us.org (Elizabeth Hickel) — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 15:36:52 GMT

Answering some additional questions from our summer webinar.

Over the summer, we were grateful to connect with our community of justice seekers in the US through our webinar “Café & Conversación.” We were excited to see so many of you and to hear from our guest speaker, Jessica Pavón who is the director of communications for our ASJ-

Honduras team. During the session, Jessica shared her invaluable insights on strengthening democracy, the importance of free speech, and the critical role of citizen participation in building a more just society. Her passion and dedication to justice in Honduras shone through, making for a truly memorable experience.

Since we were not able to answer all of your questions during the session, we will feature a few of them in this edition. Our Café & Conversación sessions will continue. This fall, we will feature ASJ-Honduras Executive Director, Carlos Hernández. Stay tuned for more information on our next session!

WHAT DO YOU THINK IT WILL TAKE FROM THE AVERAGE CITIZEN TO MAKE THE BEAUTIFUL DREAM YOU DESCRIBED A REALITY

Active participation. When we think that things won’t change, we fall into despair. But it takes all of us actively participating, raising our voices, and working together to enact change. Things don’t change overnight, so we need to keep in mind that seeking justice is an ongoing process. It may take some time, but we have seen change happen before, and we know it is possible. Also, curiosity and willingness to engage with an open mind in tough conversations. When we always avoid hard topics at the dinner table it pushes us even farther apart - justice work is meant to be done together and that requires curiosity. Active participation. When we think that things won’t change, we fall into despair. But it takes all of us actively participating, raising our voices, and working together to enact change.

WHAT HAVE YOU SEEN TO BE THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY FOR ASJ

TO COMMUNICATE WITH THIS GOVERNMENT

One of the ways we communicate is through our press conferences. We get a lot of news coverage of our press conferences, so the Honduran government often responds quickly to what we present. Increasingly we have found that instead of being defensive, they accept the facts we present and assure the public that they are working on the problems (and often they do).

The second way we communicate with the government is in one-on-one meetings with government officials. We have been able to connect with officials who are frustrated by inaction and truly want to make a difference like the minister of education, the minister of health and with others in the Honduran police and court system.

HOW HAVE YOU SEEN OTHER INSTITUTIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS RESPOND TO ASJ’S WORK?

WHERE HAVE YOU FOUND UNEXPECTED PARTNERS OR UNEXPECTED OBSTACLES IN YOUR RECENT WORK

We have been very grateful over the last two years by the support we have received from international organizations, churches and individuals when ASJ been threatened by the Honduran government. That outspoken support has led the government to back off on their threats a number of times. Within Honduras we have been thrilled to see the Catholic and Protestant churches, public and private universities and numerous organizations join ASJ’s Alliance for the Defense of Democracy–a clear sign that others see the importance of speaking up to ensure that democracy flourishes in Honduras.

WHAT MOTIVATES YOU TO NOT FALL INTO HOPELESSNESS AND TO KEEP WORKING FOR JUSTICE IN HONDURAS

Justice work is “long obedience in the same direction” . When we feel hopeless, it has helped us tremendously to look back on timelines of our work to see how far we have come. Sometimes it’s hard to see it day to day because the progress is slow, but when you take a few steps back and look at the big picture and all you have accomplished in moving the needle of justice you can feel hope grow again.

Building Strong Communities/ Justicia Fall 2024

elizabeth@asj-us.org (Elizabeth Hickel) — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 15:36:45 GMT

Walking alongside each other

Seeking justice is a road better walked with community. That is why our work is done in partnership with brave Honduran brothers and sisters who are passionate about improving

systems in Honduras. That is why we “acompañamos” (walk alongside). That is why we invest in vulnerable communities to equip Honduran youth and families to build stronger futures.

Strong Communities is an ASJ program that strengthens protection and resilience factors for children and adolescents through work with families, community leaders, and other community stakeholders, in order to foster a culture of peace and active participation of the whole community.

Our program works with families by providing family learning sessions, home visits, psychological attention, Impact Clubs for children, tutoring time, and academic support to those families involved.

Our community team has said:

Our desire is to continue supporting the families in our community. It is not easy as we face many challenges each day, but knowing that we are sowing

hope in our participants motivates us to keep working so that we can have more Strong Families in the communities we work with.

One mother of a 13-year-old boy said:

My life has changed in a beautiful way. My children have received great support at the impact club, where they learn about violence prevention and develop life skills. I am delighted with the support we have received. They have been there in difficult times, providing help with school supplies and guidance in personal situations.

Her child has been attending the Impact Club for three years and has found in it a safe space that provides emotional and psychological support.

The achievements of this initiative are evident: Children and adolescents actively participate in student governments, become community leaders and are active in youth forums.

This year, we plan to train more than 1,800 children and adolescents in a methodology for preventing and reporting sexual abuse, thus ensuring that more young people have access to opportunities that allow them to dream and build a better future.

Learning and Growing/ Justicia Fall 2024

elizabeth@asj-us.org (Elizabeth Hickel) — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 15:36:38 GMT

Walking alongside Isabel

ASJ works to strengthen the public education system in Honduras. Public education in Honduras faces many challenges, including poor infrastructure, outdated teaching methodology and curriculum, and motivation challenges for both students and teachers. Given that over 2 million Honduran children depend on the public education system, our ASJ team has dedicated

itself to advocating for improvements to this system that will benefit those children who most need it. Our team not only advocates for national reform, but also walks alongside the communities we are advocating for. One of those children is Isabel, who is currently in fourth grade at her local elementary. Isabel and her sisters are being raised by their grandmother. Isabel attends our Impact Club in one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Tegucigalpa. Impact Clubs are a safe space for children and youth to grow through service-learning, leadership- building activities, and the teaching of a violence prevention curriculum.

When Isabel first joined, she was shy and insecure, but with her consistent attendance we saw her deep desire to learn, participate, and become more involved in club activities.

Furthermore, her engagement and participation in school activities has also improved greatly. Family and community members have noticed that being a part of the Impact Club has helped Isabel’s self-esteem and development in spaces with other children. Our team has noticed that,

despite having financial difficulties at home, not having a father present, and only having her grandma to support her, Isabel feels very enthusiastic about going to school and growing up. She often expresses her desire to do well in school so she can help her grandmother and her sisters when she is older. Our community team has also reached out to Isabel’s grandmother inviting her into her grandaughter’s growth journey. Isabel’s grandmother has consistently participated in family activities led by our ASJ team and aimed at strengthening family relations, understanding children’s development and growth, and learning good parenting skills.

After joining the Impact Club in her neighborhood, Isabel has changed from being shy and insecure to becoming an enthusiastic and participative child. Isabel’s grandmother has expressed gratitude to our community team not only for working with her child, but also fostering a space where families grow strong together. Isabel and her grandmother are also part of our network of volunteers who collaborate with our team by collecting data on the number of school days children are receiving at their local public school and documenting the conditions under which students are learning.

For many years, we have been working with local community members to audit government services so we know what needs to be fixed to make schools better for Honduran children.

One of the main issues we identified when we started our work in education was that children in Honduras were not receiving the amount of school days required by the Honduran constitution.

We started advocating for the government to ensure that children went to school at least 200 days per year as required by law, and we also worked on raising awareness in the general public so they could be empowered to hold the authorities accountable.

Community members like Isabel and her grandmother are crucial to our work in building a better education system in Honduras. Isabel and her grandmother inspire us to continue working for justice in Honduras’s public education system.

We know that if conditions improve, children like Isabel will have a chance to continue dreaming and growing with enthusiasm and joy.

Welcome Statement/Justicia Fall 2024

elizabeth@asj-us.org (Elizabeth Hickel) — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 15:36:24 GMT

ACOMPAÑAMOS

Walking alongside each other for a more just society.

Dear Friend,

It is with great joy that we bring you another edition of our Justicia magazine.

As we work to build a more just society in Honduras, we get to witness so many incredible stories of resilience and justice in community.

One of the values we strive to practice is “Acompañar,” which means to walk alongside each other. Our work is done in partnership with a team of brave Hondurans seeking justice, peace, and systemic reform in Honduras. It is an honor for us to walk alongside our partners, community members, and supporters. We also

strive to inspire people around the world to seek justice in their own contexts.

The stories you will find in this edition all share that common sentiment of “Acompañar.” We hope that as you read, you will be inspired and challenged to join us in seeking justice and walking together. (See stories below)

Blessings,

*The names of program participants included in these stories have been changed to protect their privacy.*

In this edition of Justicia, we are highlighting our value of “Acompañar,” and we also want to invite you to check out our other values.

We recognize we are broken individuals who make up an imperfect organization. Therefore, we are grateful to have so many incredible supporters who hold us accountable and encourage us to carry out these values to the best of our ability.

You can read more about our values through our website:

ASJ’s work for Education in Honduras

elizabeth@asj-us.org (Elizabeth Hickel) — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 13:42:28 GMT

Our mission to seek justice for those who are in the most vulnerable circumstances in Honduras has led us to work in education, specifically on the strengthening of the public education system. There are 2 million kids in Honduras who depend on the public education system. For many years, we have been working with local community members to audit government services so we know what needs to be fixed and bring about institutional change in favor of Honduran children. We continue to empower our Honduran brothers and sisters, and we continue to walk alongside them as we advocate for a more just education system in Honduras.

OUR WORK IN THE PAST

Increasing Number of School Days

Reducing “Ghost Teachers”

The Impact of Covid-19 on Education

OUR WORK IN THE PRESENT

Days of School

School Lunches

Textbooks, Infrastructure, and Qualified Staff

OUR WORK IN THE

FUTURE

There are 2 million kids in Honduras who attend public schools, and our team and volunteers remain passionate about seeking justice for them. We know there is still much work to be done, but we will continue to push for more school days, more school lunches, more textbooks, and better school buildings - because we know these things will result in higher test scores, healthier kids, and better life opportunities. We will continue to audit the system to fight corruption within it. We will continue to seek a more just education system where Honduran children can learn and thrive. Because all children deserve a good education, and Honduran children deserve a brighter future.

Quarterly Program Report

elizabeth@asj-us.org (Elizabeth Hickel) — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 14:40:31 GMT

January- May 2024

A STORY HIGHLIGHT:

Teachers play an important role in the protection of our children. Because we recognize the importance of equipping teachers, ASJ has been providing trainings with a methodology called “Playing makes us stronger,” which aims to prevent sexual abuse of children and adolescents. The workshops are carried out through a series of playful activities intended for educators. They will, in turn, guide children and adolescents through songs, stories, games, posters, and theatrical activities as they develop skills to prevent violence and child sexual abuse.

“IT IS GRATIFYING TO SEE HOW THESE INITIATIVES CAN MAKE A REAL DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF CHILDREN,” - a teacher from one of the schools benefiting from this program

So far this year, this program has trained 60 teachers from 22 schools . These teachers become the guardians of child safety, providing annual trainings that give children the necessary skills to protect themselves.

Just as this story has inspired us to continue our work, we hope that, as you read the rest of this report, you are also inspired to join our movement for justice.

Download the PFD HERE

Flip through our full quarterly program report below

Imagine into Existence

elizabeth@asj-us.org (Elizabeth Hickel) — Thu, 25 Apr 2024 13:54:08 GMT

Dear Friend,

When I started as Executive Director at ASJ-US last October, I had many questions.

How do I print to the office printer? What’s that password? Where’s the office coffee pot? What’s that password again?

With a little over six months on the job now, I’ve had a lot of these early questions answered (blessedly, I found the coffee pot right away). There is one question, though, that I’ve become fixated on: What might Honduras look like 25 years from now because of the work of ASJ?

It’s a big question. Sometimes, my present feels so full that it’s hard enough to even imagine what’s for dinner. But with some effort and creativity, I can catch glimpses of what this future can look like.

But more than this, imagination is strength for the journey. It is a direct blow against the powers and principalities that thrive on the perpetuation of violence, corruption, and oppression. Creative imagination has the audacity to announce to the status quo that things need not always be the way that they are now and then has the courage to imagine a new way of being into existence.

I joined ASJ at a time when our advocacy against corruption was being met with relentless threats from the Honduran government. You may have heard about some of these threats in a letter from Kurt earlier this year. Fear was trying to rob us of our imagination. But, thanks to the public support from dozens of partners and the ceaseless prayer from our ASJ community, fear did not win. We continue to imagine and work for new futures for the people of Honduras every single day.

And the best kind of imagination is grounded in the very real signs of hope on the ground all around us.

Imagination, it turns out, is not divorced from reality. It is a creative continuation of it.

For years, Jim Wallis–a pastor, activist, and justice seeker–has shared a paraphrase of Hebrews 11:1 about faith that I think captures well our task of Spirit-filled imagination: “Faith is believing in spite of the evidence–and then watching the evidence change.”

ASJ celebrated 25 years of presence and transformation in Honduras this past year. In those 25 years, we have worked tirelessly to imagine countless examples of hope and resilience into existence. We have believed in spite of the evidence. And we have had the joy of watching, over and over, as the evidence changed. This is what ASJ does. It works, with audacious imagination and relentless action, to make public systems work for those who need them most.

Will you give a gift today to support this work? In partnering with ASJ, you take your place next to us as we work together to turn imagination into reality for those in Honduras who need it most. You strike a blow against the status quo of injustice and oppression, and you announce that a better future is possible for Honduras–a future of more justice, more peace, and more flourishing.

Why Justice Matters To Me: Omar Hernández

Fri, 19 Apr 2024 14:53:03 GMT

Why Justice Matters To Me: Omar Hernández

Omar Hernández takes us on an exceptional journey through his hometown and shares with us his dreams for a more just Honduras. Take a look!

Justicia/ Mario's story

elizabeth@asj-us.org (Elizabeth Hickel) — Tue, 12 Mar 2024 23:04:47 GMT

Mario the Bus Driver

“Honestly, I have traveled a lot of places, but I always feel out of place. Nowhere else feels like home.” -Mario

If you drive into the Nueva Suyapa neighborhood, one of the first things you will see is Mario on the side of the road in front of the lot where his buses are parked. He will probably be in the middle of telling a story, and the men around him will be laughing.

Mario is in his mid-50s and grew up poor in Nueva Suyapa with his three brothers. His two oldest brothers immigrated to Miami many years ago, but Mario and his brother Herbert decided to stay in Honduras. Mario recently sat down with us and told us some of his story:

When he was 15, Mario and his brother decided to buy an old pickup truck. They put some wooden seats in the back and told their neighbors that, for a fee, they would drive them from their neighborhood to downtown Tegucigalpa– about five miles away. It was the first bus service in Nueva Suyapa. Mario says, “That pickup was also the neighborhood ambulance. I don’t know how many babies were born in the back of that pickup truck, but it was a lot!” The pickup had more customers than it could handle. Soon, the brothers bought an old yellow school bus, and then another, and another. They now own 40 buses that take people all over Honduras.

Mario and his brother have built a strong business. They have found success in Honduras, and Mario is proud of that. He told us about the time he called his brothers in Miami to let them know that he and Herbert planned to build a new home for their mom. He said with a grin, “They got very quiet, and then one said, ‘Listen, we don't have money to send for a house!’ and I said, ‘We don’t need you to help pay for it, I just wanted to let you know.’” He laughed and then said, “That felt really good.”

Anyone would have thought that once Mario could afford it, he would leave Nueva Suyapa, which is considered one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Tegucigalpa, and move somewhere nice, but he hasn’t. Thirty years later, he is still there. We asked Mario why he stayed when he could live anywhere. He paused for a bit and then said, “Honestly, I have traveled a lot of places, but I always feel out of place. Nowhere else feels like home. I just want to be here–caring for my mom, spending time with my family, and making sure I am there when something goes wrong at work.”

When Mario talks about things that can go wrong at work, he isn’t just talking about a driver calling in sick. Being a bus owner in Honduras is dangerous. If you own a bus or a taxi (or any neighborhood business), you have to pay gang members every week whatever amount they ask for. In exchange, they will leave you alone. If you don’t pay, they promise to make you wish you had. The formal word for this is extortion. In Honduras, it is called the “war tax.”

Mario hates extortion for a very personal reason. Ten years ago, after Mario resisted paying an even higher war tax than the week before, gang members kidnapped his 15 year-old-son and held him for four days. Mario, completely panicked, called ASJ co-founders Kurt VerBeek and Jo Ann Van Engen and asked if they could come. They stood by his side as he fielded threatening phone calls from gang members demanding he pay more money. They would put his son on for just a few seconds and then continue to threaten Mario. He was terrified of what they might do. He paid the ransom and they released his son, but Mario had had enough. He called Kurt and said, “I want to do something to stop this.”

That’s when Mario started working to eliminate extortion in his neighborhood. He worked with ASJ investigators to determine which gangs were involved and who was in charge. He hid one of ASJ’s investigators in his back seat while he went to the drop-off spot so we could get photos and a recording. He shared photos and phone numbers of the people who threatened him. He was fearless, and it paid off. Gang leaders were arrested, other bus drivers joined the fight, and extortion in his neighborhood was completely stopped. For years, Nueva Suyapa was the only poor neighborhood in the capital city that did not pay “war tax.” Mario and the other drivers were so grateful they even started making regular donations to ASJ’s work.

We asked Mario why he took that risk and continues to take risks to keep his community safe. He said, “Well, don’t think it is because I am not scared. I am, but someone has to do it, and if I show my face, that means others don’t have to. They can stay safe. I guess I have just realized that, for me, life is only satisfying if I feel like I am contributing something.”

At the end of our conversation, we asked Mario what it was about Nueva Suyapa that had kept him there all these years. He grinned and instantly replied, “Because it's the best place ever!” We laughed together, knowing that what he meant was that Nueva Suyapa is home, and that makes it the best place ever for him.

ASJ's work

Justicia/ ASJ’ Work Building a Safe Home

elizabeth@asj-us.org (Elizabeth Hickel) — Tue, 12 Mar 2024 22:56:08 GMT

ASJ’ Work Building a Safe Home

Brave Christians working for justice in Honduras.

Tackling extortion in Honduras is not an easy job. Our brave team has undertaken this task because we have seen change happen in the past, and we believe change is possible now. In an article for CRC’s Do Justice blog , ASJ-Honduras’ Director of Research, Andreas Daugaard, wrote:

“ASJ had long been deeply concerned with how widespread extortion had become and the almost complete impunity for those involved. Our first response was to do research; we read all the literature on the subject we could encounter, interviewed 47 people, including victims, police, and judges, and we even went inside a maximum-security prison to talk to gang-members convicted for extortion. We analyzed 149 legal cases and conducted a national survey, all to understand this awful crime of extortion and comprehend what the authorities were doing about it.

We found out extortion was an even bigger problem than we thought. We estimate that 206,623 Honduran families (9 percent of the population) were paying 737 million dollars to extortionists in 2020. We also discovered that extortion was mutating.”

With groundbreaking, strong research, ASJ is leading the way in building a safer Honduras. Stories like the one you will read here are what motivate us to push forward. Mario is our friend and neighbor who has shown us what it means to have the courage to build a safe home.

ASJ’s courageous work in speaking up against extortion created ripples throughout Honduras. After we published our research, the general public and the government reacted in visible ways. In his article, Andreas tells us about the reactions:

“The Honduran Business Council released a public statement that extortion had “gotten out of hand,” the transportation sector decided to make a manifestation on the day of our report launch in which they jammed traffic all around the capitol by blocking streets with their vehicles. We launched our report, and it immediately went viral: the news programs made it the top story and the next day, our report was on the covers of all major newspapers. We were invited to the most-watched TV debate program in Honduras and were given 90 minutes to present our findings and recommendations.

The government pushed back heavily. The police director said we were lying - that we were exaggerating the scope of the problem. Yet two days later, the highest levels of government responded. The president, Xiomara Castro, called for a press conference to launch the new national anti-extortion strategy. And when we saw a copy, we got excited: it seemed to implement almost identically the things we had recommended and presented to the police. Some phrases even seemed to be copy-pasted from our report.

The report made it around the world with citations in newspapers from Spain, Japan, and in the New York Times. Congress called the police director to a hearing to be held accountable. However, in the following four months, the situation did not seem to be improving. Honduras has been engulfed by a series of events that have removed focus from the declared “war against extortion.” Yet, Hondurans remain under a state of emergency while victims of extortion are unprotected."

You can see we have brought you into a story that is still ongoing. Our work is not done yet. As you read this issue of Justicia, Mario and his brother continue to run their business in Nueva Suyapa, and Andreas continues to lead the ASJ-Honduras Research Team investigating difficult topics. We will keep monitoring the evolution of the anti-extortion plan that President Xiomara Castro presented after the release of our initial research. We continue to dream, pray, sing, and work to build a safe home, and we want to leave you with words from Andreas’ article:

“In the end, we must focus on doing our part: identifying the needs of the vulnerable, working diligently to seek justice, and speak the truth before the people with the power to make change. What they choose to do with the truth is largely out of our hands. All we can do is pray for God to soften their hearts and bring justice. At ASJ we will continue to research and bravely speak up but also pray and fight for a more just Honduras. We hope you will join us.”

previews story

Mario's story

Justicia: Building a Safe Home

elizabeth@asj-us.org (Elizabeth Hickel) — Tue, 12 Mar 2024 20:08:44 GMT

In recent issues of Justicia, we have shared about the melodies that inspire us to continue working for justice and why our staff call Honduras home . In this issue, we want to share with you what it means for Hondurans to build a safe home. We often see many people leaving other countries and coming to the US, searching for a better life. Although immigration is a complex topic, we understand there are always push and pull factors that motivate people living anywhere to either leave or stay in their home countries. Extortion in Honduras is one of the most pressing push factors displacing people from their homes. Gangs have been the traditional perpetrators of this crime. It’s so common Hondurans have a colloquial name for it: the “war tax.” Typically, extortionists will force business owners like bus and taxi owners, produce vendors, restaurant owners, and other members of the community to pay them a recurring fee under the threat of committing acts of violence against them or people they love if they fail to pay. Over 200,000 Honduran households are forced to pay extortion fees every year.

On my first visit to Honduras as Executive Director in January, I witnessed the tremendous beauty of the country and its people. I also learned about the challenges Hondurans face. These two realities–beauty and challenge–exist side by side. But what we hear most clearly every day at ASJ from our Honduran friends and partners is how much they love their home. Many Honduran immigrants will say they would have stayed if they had felt safe enough to stay–if they knew their businesses could thrive and they could raise their children in peace. Staying true to our mission of being brave Christians, ASJ has been investigating the topic of extortion and developing proposals for how to address it in Honduras. With our work, we aim to build a safer Honduras for people like Mario, whose story you will read in this issue. As Mario will tell you, there is no place like home, and we are honored to participate in this work of building a safe home alongside our Honduran brothers and sisters.

Check out the PDF version HERE

QUARTERLY PROGRAM REPORT

alison@ajs-us.org (Alison Wabeke) — Thu, 07 Mar 2024 23:07:35 GMT

November 2023 through January 2024

Message from the Executive Director

In January, I had the opportunity to travel to Honduras for my first trip as Executive Director. It was an incredible time of learning and sharing. I met so many amazing people and heard countless stories of beauty, struggle, and resilience. It was a powerful and personal reminder for me of why the work of ASJ is so important and why I am so proud to be a part of it. And if you’re reading this, you are a part of it too. I know that it can sometimes be hard to feel connected to the transformative work happening in Honduras, and I know that we aren’t all so fortunate as to be able to travel there to see it firsthand. But my hope for you is that as you read the stories in this report, you will feel–in a very real way–that it was your prayer, your financial support, and your partnership that made all of this work possible.

Download the PFD HERE

Flip through our full quarterly program report below

Visiting Honduras as the new ASJ-US Executive Director

elizabeth@asj-us.org (Elizabeth Hickel) — Wed, 06 Mar 2024 14:50:29 GMT

Hi Friend,

It’s hard to do justice to the view of the mountains surrounding the town of La Union. Words (and even pictures) don’t quite capture it. I had caught glimpses of its panoramic majesty during the steep uphill drive into the mountain range the evening before, but its full beauty only hit me the next day.

The morning had started with some cows in the dark and a handful of men coaxing milk from grateful udders. After the jugs had all been filled, a new task presented itself. A group of cattle had broken out of their enclosure on the other side of town and would need to be driven back. I mounted my horse, looking more at ease in the well-worn saddle than I felt, and joined the procession through the town's streets to the pasture where the cattle belonged. When we rounded the corner, my breath caught in my chest.

“Pasture,” it transpired, meant something different here than it did to my Midwest mind. Rather than flat grassland, we found ourselves on a gently sloping hillside with a soaring vista of the surrounding mountains dotted with lavish forests, coffee fields, and other grazing livestock. Thousands of feet of ancient elevation pulsing with beauty and life. I couldn’t stop staring.

But the beauty was diluted. The vibrant green of the mountain forests across the valley was already dotted with too much brown for this early in the dry season. It was a trend, I was told, that residents of La Union had been noticing more and more. After all, the cows hadn’t broken out of their enclosure for the pleasure of an evening stroll through the town plaza. They were hungry and looking for better grass. With the heavy rains still months away, it was a hunger that they and the land were only beginning to befriend.

This blend of beauty and struggle was on the surface of so much of my time in Honduras.

For simply reporting the findings of an independent watchdog about the perception of corruption in Honduras, ASJ became the target of a torrent of public abuse and slander from the Honduran government. Yet, in response, I saw ASJ-Honduras leaders return evil with good and cover their staff and our shared mission in prayer.

A heartbreaking case of abuse at a remote orphanage that ASJ was helping to address went sideways, leaving the fate of the children there in limbo. At the same time, other children across Honduras celebrated the opening of the school year a full month sooner than the year before and the smooth delivery of school lunches across the country—goals that ASJ has been working toward for years.

I witnessed the work of a neighborhood impact club for kids and saw the joy of belonging and the beauty of empowerment, even as I learned how much vulnerability shapes so many of their stories.

Rejoice and lament. Celebration and sorrow. Beauty and struggle.

It’s impossible to understand ASJ’s work for justice without also understanding these twin realities and the inescapable relationship between them. It would be reductionist to believe that Honduras is nothing more than its most intractable challenges. It would be naïve to believe that all that makes Honduras remarkable can exist outside of the context of those same challenges. After all, Honduras is no different than any other place this side of the kingdom of God.

What I’m starting to understand, though, is that this alloy of beauty and struggle is not a tension to be escaped but a gift to be embraced. The beauty makes the struggle for justice bearable by reminding us of all we must fight for. The darkness of the struggle makes the light of celebration and joy much brighter.

This is the shape of our common work for justice: progress and disappointment, success and failure, rejoicing and lament. Twins holding hands and standing with us on tip-toe as we await the fullness of the kingdom of God, a fullness that will somehow be even brighter for all the darkness that came before.

Blessings,

Statement from ASJ-US Board of Directors

Sat, 03 Feb 2024 00:38:31 GMT

English

ASJ-US calls for the Honduran government to protect and promote a strong civil society. ASJ-US expresses concern over continuing and escalating intimidation against non-governmental organizations that advocate for effective and transparent governance. In particular, it calls attention to attacks against ASJ-Honduras following the release of Transparency International’s annual report on the perception of corruption, which disclosed the country's stagnation in the fight against corruption, lack of accountability and high impunity.

For over twenty five years, ASJ-US has supported ASJ-Honduras’s work on behalf of the most vulnerable Hondurans. Inspired by the commitment of brave Hondurans to advocate for justice, ASJ-US has provided financial support, including the full funding for ASJ-Honduras’s offices that opened in 2020. ASJ-US will continue to stand beside ASJ-Honduras’s work identifying areas needing improved government accountability and solutions to bring about that accountability.

The independent and non-partisan monitoring and advocacy provided by ASJ-Honduras and Transparency International are essential to protect the interests of the Honduran people. Attacks and restrictions on civil society organization stifle the robust dialogue and engagement of the Honduran people essential to ensure a transparent government that meets the needs of the electorate.

ASJ-US calls on the Honduran government to work with ASJ-Honduras to address the public’s concerns about impunity and corruption identified in the Transparency International report.

Español

ASJ-US pide al gobierno hondureño que proteja y promueva una sociedad civil fuerte. ASJ-US expresa su preocupación por la continua y creciente intimidación contra las organizaciones no gubernamentales que abogan por una gobernanza eficaz y transparente. En particular, llama la atención sobre los ataques contra ASJ-Honduras tras la publicación del informe anual de Transparencia Internacional sobre la percepción de la corrupción, que reveló el estancamiento del país en la lucha anticorrupción, rendición de cuentas y alta impunidad.

Durante más de veinticinco años, ASJ-US ha apoyado el trabajo de ASJ-Honduras a favor de los hondureños más vulnerables. Inspirados por el compromiso de los valientes hondureños quienes abogan por la justicia, ASJ-US ha proporcionado apoyo financiero, incluyendo el financiamiento completo de las oficinas de ASJ-Honduras que se abrieron en 2020. ASJ-US continuará al lado del trabajo de ASJ-Honduras identificando áreas que necesitan una mejor rendición de cuentas del gobierno y soluciones para lograr esa rendición de cuentas.

El monitoreo independiente y no partidista y la incidencia que proporcionan ASJ-Honduras y Transparencia Internacional son esenciales para proteger los intereses del pueblo hondureño. Los ataques y las restricciones a las organizaciones de la sociedad civil ahogan el diálogo sólido y la participación del pueblo hondureño necesarios para garantizar un gobierno transparente que satisfaga las necesidades del electorado.

ASJ-US hace un llamado al gobierno hondureño para que colabore con ASJ-Honduras a fin de abordar las preocupaciones de la población sobre la impunidad y la corrupción identificadas en el informe de Transparencia Internacional.

Prayer Update

Fri, 02 Feb 2024 17:16:28 GMT

On January 30th, 2024, ASJ unexpectedly became the target of a ferocious attack by the Honduran government—an attack that is escalating and has put ASJ and our staff at risk. I am writing to ask you to raise your voice in prayer, support, and advocacy as we determine how to best respond to this situation while continuing to work for justice in Honduras.

The Situation:

ASJ has the honor of being the Honduran chapter of Transparency International (TI), which produces the most influential corruption index in the world. On Tuesday, January 30, ASJ held a press conference to share Honduras’ ranking in the index published by TI early that morning (Honduras' rank had stayed the same as the previous year--154th out of 180 countries).

Government officials, furious that Honduras’ ranking had not improved, immediately began to threaten ASJ and our staff in the media. First, the president of Congress, in his opening session of the year, said that “there would be consequences” for ASJ’s report. An hour later, another high-level official warned that “ASJ’s days are numbered.” On Wednesday, the minister of transparency announced that government authorities “would definitely be taking legal action against ASJ.”

This is certainly not the first time that ASJ has been attacked and threatened for speaking up and telling the truth. We know from long experience that doing justice makes those who abuse their power angry. But this is the first time these attacks are coming directly from the Honduran government, which has the power to use legal and physical force to intimidate and silence its critics and seems increasingly willing to do so. The government’s threats are a stark example of the threats to democracy that are increasing around the world. We are taking these threats seriously and doing everything we can to ensure that our justice work continues uninterrupted.

My friend and co-director, Carlos Hernandez, reminds us often that “Truth has power.” At ASJ we are committed to telling the truth —through our investigations and our press conferences. It is how we carry out God’s call to do justice for those most vulnerable, and it is not negotiable.

But we know we cannot do this alone, especially in these moments. Our staff is always encouraged and sustained by the knowledge that thousands of people around the world care about what happens in Honduras and walk alongside them as they do this difficult work.

Here are three ways you can stand with us today:

Pray for wisdom as we respond to this threat, for the safety of our staff, and for a path forward as we continue our work.
Sign up for prayer alerts here .
Support us financially as we increase security measures in Honduras to make sure our staff stays safe during this volatile time.
Call your congressional representative to tell them what is happening and urge them to speak out against the attacks against ASJ and against the Honduran government's increasing disregard for democratic rule. You can enter your zip code here to find your representative's office phone number. Feel free to use this script as a guide:

My name is [NAME], and I am a constituent from [CITY]. I’m calling to tell you about very concerning attacks on a civil society organization that I support in Honduras called the Association for a More Just Society. Simply for publishing an independent report on corruption in the country, they are now being threatened and attacked by the Honduran government. Please do all you can to speak out against this abuse of power and to support civil society—in Honduras and around the world.

Thank you for standing with us!

Songs of Justice / A Simple Faith

elizabeth@asj-us.org (Elizabeth Hickel) — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 21:28:24 GMT

“At its simplest, justice is the way God intended for things to be.”

-Kyle Meyaard-Schaap

Dame una fe sencilla

“Give Me a Simple Faith”

Lyrics by Santiago Benavides

Translation by Julián David Salinas

Excerpt from the song:

Give me a simple faith

That sits at the table of the poor,

That rejoices in gladdening hearts,

And that weeps also with their sorrows.

A faith like that, similar to you.

Simple, just like your coming to earth was,

Just as your peasant stories were,

Just like your home in Palestine was.

Give me a simple faith

That does not give place and space to lie,

That can’t live with injustice,

And doesn’t keep silent about what it knows gives life.

Simple, like your compassionate look,

Like those villages traveled,

Like the love that led you to give your life.

When did your justice journey start?

I admire my older brother a lot. I was 17 years old when he came home from a semester abroad in New Zealand and announced to the family that he was a vegetarian. When he shared why, he connected dots for me that had never been connected for me before between global food production, land rights, environmental destruction, and human exploitation and oppression. He connected the kind of person I wanted to be with the choices that I make every day. It’s a connection that has grown stronger and stronger as I’ve had my own encounters with injustice.

What does justice sound like to you?

To me, justice sounds like a belly laugh . No sound to me better reflects joy, delight, fulfillment, and right relationship than a knee-slapping, eye-watering laugh.

What is your hope for justice in your context?

I live in Grand Rapids, Michigan, a city that is deeply racially segregated. One of the most polluted waterways in Michigan runs behind my backyard. Affordable housing is in short supply. My hope for justice here is not just that these injustices would be remedied but also that it would be my neighbors and I who do it . I hope that barriers of suspicion and distrust can be dissolved as neighbors build meaningful relationships. I hope that all of us can come to see that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. I hope that we can all come to see that if our neighbor is oppressed, if our neighbor is poisoned, if our neighbor is unhoused, then so are we all.

Francis's story

Songs of Justice / Dance for Honduras

elizabeth@asj-us.org (Elizabeth Hickel) — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 21:26:40 GMT

“It is so gratifying to see children laughing heartily after having suffered for so long.”

- Francis Martínez

Danza a mi país

“Dance for My Country”

Lyrics by Luis Enrique Ascoy, Daniel Poli, Martin Valverde

Translation by Sara Pineda

Excerpt from the song:

My people are brave and generous,

Poor but rich in dignity.

And neither suffering nor anger

have stopped us from dancing.

And so we dance, dance, dance despite our pain

With joy in our walk.

And so we dance, dance, dance because we hope

That the God of life will set us free.

When did your justice journey start?

My journey started with the Christian values I learned from my family at home. When I started working for ASJ in the RESCATE program, I saw how much suffering children in my country were experiencing, but I was also able to see the impact our actions can have in the fight for justice. Those experiences motivate me to continue working and remind me that when we have the will to fight for justice, we can achieve great things.

What does justice sound like to you?

Justice sounds like children’s laughter.

What is your hope for justice in your context?

God is never late . He will deliver us and set the right people in key positions. I believe Honduras will be a country where true justice can exist.

Karol's story

Kyle's story

Songs of Justice / Beyond the Temple

elizabeth@asj-us.org (Elizabeth Hickel) — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 21:22:54 GMT

"The Strong Communities Program prevents violence in Honduran neighborhoods."

- Karol Salazar

No hay paredes

“ No Walls”

Lyrics by Jesús Adrián Romero

Translation by Sara Pineda

Excerpt from the song:

Everywhere I travel

I want to take you.

Outside of the church and religion,

Through every town and through every region

Among the people who are wandering

without direction, aimlessly;

Among the streets of my city

Where I can see there’s so much need.

Everywhere I will take you

For there are no walls where you could ever be concealed.

When did your justice journey start?

As a social worker, I have always felt called to work with people living in the most vulnerable conditions. Before joining the ASJ team, I worked in education for 5 years. I met a lot of children and adolescents who were living in difficult family situations. As educators, we sought out ASJ’s help, especially when we needed to report childhood sexual abuse.

What does justice sound like to you?

To me, justice sounds like waves crashing on the shore, the stillness and peace that comes with that.

What is your hope for justice in your context?

My biggest hope is that we can decrease the rates of violence and sexual abuse in our community. I hope that more cases can be reported and brought to justice in my community of Nueva Suyapa and throughout the rest of the country.

Carlos' Story

Francis' Story

Song of Justice / Sent to Work for Justice

sara@asj-us.org (Sara Pineda ) — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 21:21:30 GMT

“I think of John 3:16 and how God sent his Son to the world. He sends us too that we may give our life for our brothers and sisters.”

- Carlos Hernández

Enviado soy de Dios

“ The Lord Now Sends Us Forth”

Lyrics by Anonymous

Translation by Gerhard M. Cartford

The Lord now sends us forth

with hands to serve and give,

to make of all the earth

a better place to live.

The angels are not sent

into our world of pain

to do what we were meant

to do in Jesus’ name;

that falls to you and me

and all who are made free.

Help us, O Lord, we pray,

to do your will today.

When did your justice journey start?

My journey started when I was about 13 years old. I was heavily impacted by people in my family who, even though we were poor, challenged me to work on improving our community. At that age, I started giving literacy classes to seniors in our community. Then, as I grew into a young adult, I started to question what it really meant for me to be a Christian. This process of questioning my faith ultimately opened up my mind and heart to move to Nueva Suyapa, one of the most violent neighborhoods in Honduras. Living in Nueva Suyapa challenged me to work for justice in my community. This challenge to work for justice did not end there, for we must always remain attentive to God’s call.

What does justice sound like to you?

Justice sounds like thunder. It is strong and disruptive, just like when the walls of Jericho fell. Some might say justice sounds quiet or passive, but I think it is loud, disruptive, and commands attention.

What is your hope for justice in your context?

This is a broad question, and my answer will vary depending on my current circumstances. This past December, I was experiencing some health issues that required laboratory testing. I was able to get both the labs and medical treatment immediately, which led me to think about those who have not had the same privilege as me. My neighbors who rely on the public healthcare system have had to wait months, sometimes even years, to receive the care they need. I felt very emotionally affected by this reminder. I believe God uses circumstances like this one to sensitize us to the needs of others. I was reminded not only to have empathy for what the majority of Hondurans have to go through but also to think about concrete actions that we can take to improve the situation.

Read Karol's story

Songs of Justice- A Special Series

sara@asj-us.org (Sara Pineda ) — Wed, 31 Jan 2024 15:36:18 GMT

We bring you a special series, “Songs of Justice”

Every Monday morning, the hallways of the office building in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, fill up with the sound of beautiful songs of worship that talk about justice.

We are a group of brave Christians, and as such, we share the spiritual practice of regular worship and fellowship time with our brothers and sisters. Our staff members in the US and Canada join remotely and participate in this time of reflection and worship. There is something so profoundly powerful about starting the week by singing these songs that serve as prayers and also as declarations of faith in a God who cares about justice for those living in the most vulnerable conditions in our world.

In this special series, you will find a sneak peek into the songs that our staff members have found to be encouraging, together with brief reflections on their justice journey.

In addition, we asked our staff and volunteers from ASJ to answer the question: What does justice sound like to you?

This word cloud is a visual representation of the answers we received. We encourage you to think about this question as well.

What does justice sound like to you?

We would love to hear your answers to this question, so we invite you to share your thoughts with us by email at:

info@asj-us.org

Or through your social media by tagging us and using the hashtags:

#justicesoundslike

#dojustice

ASJ 25th Year Anniversary

elizabeth@asj-us.org (Elizabeth Hickel) — Wed, 31 Jan 2024 14:34:01 GMT

Throughout our anniversary week, staff and board members from ASJ Honduras, the US, and Canada came together in person and remotely to celebrate and encourage each other. The work ahead of us will not be easy, but we know there is a great cloud of brave witnesses who support us and a faithful God who sustains us. While some sat together and others showed supporting posters and balloons through a computer screen, one uniting declaration resounded beyond all barriers: “Ebenezer! Thus far, the LORD has helped us.”

Join us in the hard work of justice

elizabeth@asj-us.org (Elizabeth Hickel) — Tue, 21 Nov 2023 13:51:34 GMT

Dear Friend,

Many people have been asking me how things are going in Honduras, and honestly, that’s a hard question for me to answer. Lately, it feels like things have been heartbreakingly difficult and unexpectedly good at the same time. So, I think I will tell you stories about both those realities because woven together, they describe this hard and complex work of justice that we have committed to do together.

First, the heartbreakingly difficult part.

2023 has been such a hard year. Let me share some of the stories my friends have been telling me.

At church, last Sunday, my friend Luis, who has been sick for a while now, told me how a few days earlier, he had decided to go to the hospital and stand in line with thousands of other sick people to try to get an appointment to see a doctor. He told me he had waited for over twelve hours in the sun! He finished his story by pulling out an official appointment card from his wallet, and I almost cried—both in relief that he would finally see a doctor and in total frustration over how hard it had been to accomplish.

Last week, I stopped to chat with my neighbor Maria, and she shared how disappointed she was that her daughter’s school had combined two classes into one because they don’t have enough teachers this year. She is worried about how she will keep her daughter motivated to learn in a classroom with 52 other children.

More and more, friends are expressing anger that the politicians they elected so enthusiastically two years ago seem more focused on staying in power than on doing the hard work that will create jobs, make their neighborhoods safer, and keep their children healthy and in school. This disappointing lack of action following such high expectations has been hard for all of us to take.

That is the first part of my story, and it is the part that keeps me up at night worrying about what will happen next and strategizing about what ASJ can do about it.

But the second part of the story is that 2023 has been a year of incredible creativity and remarkable progress for our staff at ASJ.

ASJ staff have spent the year focused on doing what we do best: identifying problems in health, education, and security, looking for solutions to those problems, and publicizing our findings as a way to spur the government to action.

Government authorities have not loved all the media attention our reports have received because they know it makes them look bad. But the interesting thing is that while they criticize us and our reports publicly, many have started reaching out for our help behind the scenes.

A few months ago, the minister of education called Carlos Hernandez (ASJ-Honduras’ Executive Director) and told him that every time ASJ is on TV talking about our ideas for improving Honduran schools, he gets a call from the President saying, “Why aren’t we doing any of these things! Take care of it now!” Carlos laughed and said he was happy to help, and now he and the minister have regular meetings to talk strategy--how to get textbooks to every child, how to provide summer school so kids can make up for missed days, and how to get more teachers in the classrooms. The minister seems excited about the possibilities, and so are we!

Jaime, our police expert, was surprised to receive an invitation to a high-level meeting to discuss the police strategy for working on homicides. Jaime went to the meeting where he carefully laid out ASJ’s ideas, and after two follow-up meetings, the police chiefs asked him and his team to do some training with the police before the end of the year.

And this year, hundreds of people, from church leaders to businessmen to academics, are forming alliances with ASJ to work together to challenge the government to do better.

For ASJ, this is what justice looks like- -working with a government that doesn’t necessarily want to work with us to make life better for the Hondurans whose lives are the hardest. It is difficult work, but it is not too difficult; it takes a long time, but not too long. Along the way, God reminds us of what is possible and of the impact our work can have.

We do this work for Luis, Maria, and the millions of others who keep hoping that justice will reach them. We don’t give up because they don’t give up.

Thank you for partnering with ASJ and leaning into the tension of progress and challenges in Honduras with your support and commitment to the work of justice and flourishing. We look forward to all God will do through each of us this year. Would you consider a gift to support the work of ASJ in Honduras?

All donations to ASJ between now and December 31st will be matched up to $250,000, thanks to a generous ASJ partner. Your generosity fuels our ability to have an impact. Thank you.

A Farewell Reflection from Jill Stoltzfus

elizabeth@asj-us.org (Elizabeth Hickel) — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 14:08:06 GMT

Dear Friends,

I have been spending a lot of time lately thinking about my time with ASJ, and as I reflect, I find my eyes coming to rest on a blanket that I purchased on my very first trip to Honduras in 2003. That blanket still hangs over the back of my couch (that is when I’m not curled up under it), and I realize that it has become a symbol for me of the work that I, along with so many of you, have done together to help create a more just society in Honduras.

When I stand back and look at the blanket, I see a beautiful tapestry, a piece of art. The closer I look at it, the more I can see the intricate work that went into weaving each of the hundreds of threads together to make the whole.

It reminds me of my journey at ASJ and how God, the ultimate weaver, has woven the experiences, passions, skills, gifts, and moments of hundreds of people all together to create something profound. Each thread may seem simple in the same way moments pass without us recognizing their significance, but when you stand back, you say, “Wow! What a thing of beauty.”

I can see examples of these threads in my personal life and how they have been woven together to make me who I am today.

I see my church growing up and how every week I had to recite Micah 6:8 for my teachers: "What does the Lord require of you, to do justice, to love mercy, to walk humbly with our God." This verse became the drumbeat of my heart - but it was a verse I didn’t fully understand until I was in Honduras seeing the work of ASJ. I see my family, people who showed me how to live out love, especially in other parts of the world. I see the thread of Calvin University where two professors, Kurt Ver Beek, and JoAnn Van Engen, exemplified for me how to approach life with both my mind and my heart when I did a semester abroad in Honduras. During that semester, they took me all over Honduras - Copán, Amapala, Olancho, maquilas (factories), banana plantations - and we studied Honduran history and various approaches to development work. This was pivotal as my love for Honduras began to grow, and my desire to be part of making life better for those living in vulnerable conditions took root.

I have also been reflecting on the development of ASJ over the past 15 years and how God has been faithfully weaving threads together for ASJ as well.

I see the thread of working for peace - ASJ co-founders Carlos Hernandez, Jo Ann Van Engen, and Kurt Ver Beek feeling called to do something to respond to the violence in their community, Nueva Suyapa. They initiated the peace and justice project, which reduced the homicide rate in their neighborhood by 75% from 2005-2010. This statistic alone could be the end of this story, but it wasn't because, at that time, Honduras had the highest homicide rate in the world, and everyone was looking for something that was working to address violence. Here was ASJ, a relatively small NGO at the time with a successful project, knowledge of how the system worked, experience with walking with victims, and now an opportunity to change national systems through a police purge and judicial reform - God is faithful.

ASJ-US Executive Director Announcement

elizabeth@asj-us.org (Elizabeth Hickel) — Thu, 19 Oct 2023 16:14:01 GMT

On behalf of the Board of Directors, I am thrilled to announce that Rev. Kyle Meyaard-Schaap has been named the new Executive Director of ASJ-US. Kyle is a passionate, thoughtful justice seeker who has demonstrated strong leadership skills, deep advocacy experience, and a relationship-oriented way of being. We welcome Kyle to this position this week.

Kyle was selected following a 6-month international search process led by the board, and he will be the third Executive Director in ASJ-US history. We are confident in his ability to embody our mission to strive to be brave Christians dedicated to doing justice in Honduras and inspiring others around the world to seek justice in their own contexts.

ASJ co-founder Kurt VerBeek said “Jo Ann and I are really excited to have Kyle join the ASJ team! Kyle is gifted and experienced in many key areas and we know he will bring new perspectives and creativity to our team that will help us all to better carry out ASJ’s mission to do justice in Honduras. Hang on to your hat, Kyle! It’s going to be a wild and amazing ride!”

Kyle and his wife began supporting ASJ in 2010 after they both traveled to Honduras together and were first exposed to the work ASJ was doing to make systems of health, education, and security work for the most vulnerable.

A graduate of Calvin University and Western Theological Seminary, Kyle has been working for eleven years on educating and mobilizing Christians toward doing justice, with a particular focus on environmental and climate justice. His first book published earlier this year, Following Jesus in a Warming World: A Christian Call to Climate Action, is a Christian call to justice. His ability to communicate clear action that is rooted in a deep biblical understanding of the world is one of the

reasons we are thrilled to have him join ASJ in creating a more just society in Honduras. Kyle lives in Grand Rapids, MI with his wife Allison, and two sons.

Kyle said "I've admired the work of ASJ since I learned about it as a student at Calvin. God's kingdom of justice and peace has been breaking out all over Honduras for the last 25 years thanks to the brave and faithful efforts of ASJ. I am honored and humbled to join this incredible team as the next Executive

Director of ASJ-US. Here's to the next 25 years and more of even more justice!"

Please join us in giving Kyle a warm ‘ bienvenida ’ welcome to ASJ !

Russ Jacobs

President, ASJ-US Board of Directors

Association for a More Just Society

2023 Annual Impact Report

elizabeth@asj-us.org (Elizabeth Hickel) — Thu, 19 Oct 2023 15:22:17 GMT

After closing our fiscal year (August 2022-July 2023), we're reflecting on our collective impact . Join us in looking back on a year of working for peace and justice in Honduras, and inspiring communities across the world to do the same.

New Message from Our Executive Director

Jill Stoltzfus

Dear friend,

This year we celebrated 25 years of impact in creating a more just society in Honduras. Reflecting on those 25 years we see God’s faithfulness and the tangible impact of our work in the lives of Hondurans who live in the most vulnerable conditions. This year we celebrate significantly more class days in Honduran public schools, more medicines available in public hospitals and clinics throughout Honduras, and improving relationships with government authorities. We know that these changes in systems affect the lives of millions of Hondurans, and we are proud of the impact we’re having.

We are also thankful for a year of joining together in person with many of you. Together, we brought our deep knowledge of Honduras’ context to DC to advocate for change; we hosted guests in Honduras so they can experience the work firsthand; and we brought the leaders of ASJ-US, ASJ-Canada, and ASJ-Honduras together in Honduras to reaffirm our partnership and celebrate our shared commitment to doing justice together. As I conclude my time as ASJ-US Executive Director I have a great sense of hope and excitement for the future of ASJ. Transitions and big anniversaries inevitably lead to reflection. When I look back, I am struck by all the ways I have seen God’s hand at work in Honduras and through all of you and I am confident that He will remain faithful walking with ASJ in this great work of creating a more just society.

Blessings,

Jill Stoltzfus

ASJ-US Executive Director

¡Bendiciones!

Announcement: ASJ-US Leadership Transition

Tue, 18 Jul 2023 18:33:30 GMT

Dear supporter,

My name is Russ Jacobs and I bring you greetings from the board of directors of ASJ-US. I started my term as president of the board in August 2022 and have served on the board for twenty years.

I share with you that Jill Stoltzfus will end her tenure as ASJ-US Executive Director later this year. She and Kyle will become parents this spring and that life event has prompted her to consider her professional path. She plans to continue to work after the birth and to bring her skills to a new opportunity—as yet unknown.

I received this news with mixed emotions. It brings sadness because I have known Jill as an ASJ employee for all fourteen of her years with the organization. Once she leaves I will not have the opportunity to engage with her in the same way. She has met the challenges of the moment for ASJ-US—not just once, but repeatedly—and we will miss her leadership. But at the same time, I receive this news with joy because Jill will bring her gifts elsewhere. As I have talked about this news with ASJ co-founders Kurt Ver Beek and JoAnn Van Engen, they have shared that they know ASJ-US would not have gotten where we are today without Jill, but they also know that Jill has set us up for success even after she leaves. We celebrate her tenure at ASJ-US and support her decision to take on a new challenge. At the time of her departure we will take more time to honor her service to the work of ASJ-US.

With grace and integrity, Jill has given the board ample notice to plan for her transition. For personal and professional reasons, she wants to return to work following her maternity leave and will help to transition her successor. Our hope is that this individual will be identified and hired by the end of the summer, allowing for several months of overlap of these leaders in the fall. Jill's last day of employment with ASJ-US will depend on the timing for her next job. We expect that she will transition away before December 2023.

A committee on the ASJ-US board has already started identifying the leadership needs for ASJ-US. We feel gratitude that Jill and the board had already engaged in long-term planning and started succession planning as part of their regular board activities. The leadership transition happens at a time of strength for the organization, with a committed board and staff, established systems and processes, and a deep relationship with ASJ-Honduras.

As we move through this season of transition, I ask you to join me in prayer. Prayer for blessings on Jill and Kyle as they welcome a new member to their family. Prayer for Jill to move successfully into her next job. Prayer for ASJ-US staff as they navigate change. Prayer for the ASJ-US board to have wisdom and discernment as they identify the next leader for ASJ-US. And prayer for the work of justice to which we have committed ourselves in partnership with ASJ-Honduras and ASJ-Canada.

Will You Choose Stubborn Hope With Us?

Wed, 31 May 2023 17:11:53 GMT

Dear friend,

My husband, Kurt, and I live in Nueva Suyapa , a neighborhood on the edge of Tegucigalpa, Honduras’ capital. A few times a year, a group of us from the neighborhood gets up really early and hikes up the mountain behind our community. About halfway up the steep climb, we reach a spot where Nueva Suyapa spreads out below us—hundreds of tin roofs and brightly painted walls lit up by the sun.

It is a picture-perfect view that always makes us smile. Up close, our neighborhood is not so picture-perfect. While Nueva Suyapa is a big, busy, bustling place where a walk down the street involves multiple stops to chat, it is also a place where jobs are hard to find, schools are overcrowded, and gangs sow fear and violence.

But, it is my neighbors’ response to the hard reality of Nueva Suyapa that fuels my hope for justice. Every day I see them face challenges, pain, and heartache. And every day, I see their courage, tenacity, and hope: my friend, Nidia walking her son to school to make sure he stays safe; Miguel and his neighbors working together to build stairs where a path is impossible to climb; and our many friends who, despite the risk of extortion from gangs, continue to operate barbershops, vegetable stands, and used-clothes stores so they can feed their families (pictured below). That kind of courage and hope led a small group of Honduran friends and us to found ASJ 25 years ago.

ASJ’s vision has always been to do justice by improving education, health, transparency, and security for people like our neighbors. And we have seen God do amazing things—like a police purge that significantly lowered violence in Honduras, and an education campaign that doubled the number of days that Honduran children went to school.

This past year has been especially hard for our staff as we learn to work with a new government that at times has seemed uninterested or unable to do its job. There were many times over the past months when our hope for change felt foolish and unreasonable. But we have kept going, fueled by our awareness that God has been faithful over and over again. And in the last months, our stubborn hope has borne fruit in unexpected ways :

Our education team’s stubborn hope led to the Honduran government tripling the budget for daily school lunches that will keep kids in school.
ASJ staff's stubborn hope resulted in a more transparent process for electing Honduras' new Supreme Court.
Our stubborn hope helped ASJ recruit 20,000 volunteers to help monitor Honduran schools this year so that children get the education they deserve.

We are so grateful for the stubborn hope that has led many of you to support our efforts to do justice through times of exciting progress and times of uncertainty and doubt.

This spring, would you consider a donation to support the initiatives ASJ is leading in Honduras this year? Your generosity truly fuels our ability to have an impact in Honduras and beyond. Thank you for your support.

May your lives be filled with the kind of hope that makes you plant your feet, find your people, and work to make your own communities and Honduras places where hope and justice flourish.

Three generations of our friends and Nueva Suyapa residents, including Julisa, impact club graduates Marilyn and Maria José, and their mother, Rosa.

Why We Call It Home - A Special Series

Thu, 27 Apr 2023 15:22:58 GMT

We bring you a special series, “Why We Call It Home.”

While ASJ's office is in the capital city of Tegucigalpa , our 70 staff—lawyers, social workers, policy analysts, researchers, accountants, IT specialists— come from all across Honduras . Their knowledge of and love for their communities fuels their determination to bravely work for justice.

ASJ staff live out the expression, ' 'perfect love drives out fear.' ' Because they want safe communities, they launch initiatives to prevent violence and improve court systems. Because they want their children's schools free from corruption, they campaign for a stronger public education system.

We asked three staff members, Claudia, Hillary, and Winnie , to share what makes their hometowns special. As you get to know their communities and explore the included map, we invite you to join in their hope for a future where everyone experiences peace and justice at

home.

Why We Call Honduras Home / Winnie Gonzales

Thu, 27 Apr 2023 14:57:22 GMT

Heritage & Magical Moments in Santa Rosa de Aguán

We bring you a special series, “ Why We Call It Home .” While ASJ's office is in the capital city of Tegucigalpa, our 70 staff —lawyers, social workers, policy analysts, researchers, accountants, IT specialists— come from all across Honduras . Their knowledge of and love for their communities fuels their determination to bravely work for justice. ASJ staff live out the expression, "perfect love" drives out fear." Because they want safe communities, they launch initiatives to prevent violence and improve court systems. Because they want their children's schools free from corruption, they campaign for a stronger public education system.

We asked three staff members, Claudia, Hillary, and Winnie, to share what makes their hometowns special. As you get to know their communities, we invite you to join in their hope for a future where everyone experiences peace and justice at home.

How would you describe the people of Santa Rosa de Aguán?

The people of my community are very hard-working and united; we are kind, empathetic, sensitive and tenacious . Although Hurricane Mitch in 1998 marked a “before” and “after” in the community, Santa Rosa de Aguán has moved forward thanks to its residents who fight daily for the common good and for the community's development.

How did the town become home?

My family is Garifuna (a Central American Afro-indigenous group) . On April 12, 1797, the first Garifunas arrived by boat to what is now Punta Gorda, Honduras, after leaving the Caribbean island of St. Vincent. As time went by, they established 47 different communities—including Santa Rosa de Aguán—along Honduras' northern coast.

The Garifuna people are one of seven recognized indigenous groups in Honduras and our customs are markedly different from the other groups. Our music and gastronomy are part of our contributions to the Honduras' multiethnic and multicultural identity.

For years, both sides of my family have traditionally fished and cultivated banana, yuca, sweet potato, rice, and corn crops. Without a doubt, my ancestors, grandparents, and parents’ daily dedication positively impacted my life and my search for personal and professional progress.

What were your favorite things to do as a child?

My favorite place is the beach , but I also remember going fishing and feeding the baby animals. Most of all, I remember the estuary where the Aguán river meets the Atlantic Ocean. Watching the whirlpools that form when saltwater and freshwater currents meet, along with the sunset , created a magical moment.

What injustices affect the Garifuna community?

The Garifuna community is geographically located on Honduras’ North Coast, an area of great natural beauty and wealth . This location has been and continues to be a source of conflict between the community, the government, and private enterprise . The community faces issues of its community land title being ignored, encroaching settlements, and environmental exploitation, among others. Projects are often authorized and implemented without the knowledge of, or at least socialization with, Garifuna communities.

How do you hope your work for justice impacts communities like Santa Rosa de Aguán?

I am convinced the way to positively impact my community and country is to strengthen the capacities of my Garifuna brothers and sisters and other indigenous groups so that they are empowered and equipped to demand that the government respect human rights.

A community engagement project organized by Winnie's team

Read Hillary's Story

Read Claudia's Story

Why We Call Honduras Home / Hillary Gómez

Thu, 27 Apr 2023 14:42:56 GMT

History and Industry in El Progreso

Hillary (with papers) working with youth in a shelter after 2020 hurricanes

What makes El Progreso special?

Known as “The Pearl of the River Ulúa,” El Progreso is a commercial hub and one of the most important cities in the Yoro Department. Our location in the fertile Sula Valley is very important because you have to pass through it before you reach the beautiful beaches of Atlántida or the industrial metropolis San Pedro Sula.

El Progreso has majestic views of the Mico Quemado mountain range, a protected area of ecological wealth , and the mighty Pelo River, which gives life to all the banana farms in the region.

This " green lung" is the main source of water for our community. My city is also full of history, as it was the site of the 1954 strike (a major uprising of banana workers that led to labor reforms), one of the largest and most important social movements in the history of Honduras.

Entrance of the Mico Quemado mountain range

What memories do you have from growing up in El Progreso?

I remember my mom and neighbors telling me stories of the banana farms where they grew up and how social causes were important to them. Through them, I learned how this little city grew to be called “Progress”. Now that I live in a completely different city, I feel the difference and I miss what I used to take for granted (like the banana and the sugar cane farms on the road to San Pedro Sula).

What are your favorite places in El Progreso?

First, my home, which has a way of always calling me back. At home, I feel confident and calm , surrounded by the warm lands that watched me grow. Secondly, the railroad museum because it is full of history. And third, the stunning view I can see from the Mico Quemado mountain range.

What is something every El Progreso resident knows about?

I would say the famous baleadas you can find in different corners of the city’s commercial center. In addition, since we’re a banana hub, us ribereños (riverside dwellers) know the differences between a wide variety of bananas : guineo verde (green), maduro (ripe), plátano verde (plantain), camulian, morocas, and guineítos. Citrus fruits, sugar cane, rice, and vegetable farms are also common in this region.

Oh, and this part of Honduras is extremely hot , I remember many times when the temperature was 100 °F, but it felt 107 °F. That was steaming hot!

Baleadas (tortillas with beans and cheese) and bananas

What injustices impact life in your community?

We face many challenges, for example, the lack of access to well-paying jobs, basic health services , quality education, and threats to public safety (extortion, assaults, organized crime, and drug-dealing). In addition, politicians’ impunity and acts of corruption in the justice system make it difficult for people with fewer resources to have a voice and receive the assistance and protection they need.

What does a more just and peaceful El Progreso look like to you?

I envision my beautiful, more just and peaceful city as a place where all people have equal opportunities and access to basic services such as education, health, public safety and adequate housing.

In a more just and peaceful El Progreso, local communities will have a voice and be actively involved in making decisions that affect their lives. I envision El Progreso as a place where all people can live with dignity and respect and without fear of violence or discrimination; where all communities can thrive together in an environment of harmony and cooperation.

Read Winnie's Story

Read Claudia's Story

Why We Call Honduras Home / Claudia Gómez

Wed, 26 Apr 2023 20:47:34 GMT

Solidarity & Hilltop Views in Tegucigalpa

How would you describe Tegucigalpa’s geography and people?

The capital of Honduras is a city surrounded by mountains, with a rugged topography and a historic center with narrow colonial-style streets . Traveling on this "up and down" terrain can make you feel like you are on a roller coaster. The city remains in constant movement , people come and go, like an anthill, always in action .

With approximately two million inhabitants , the poorest and most prosperous neighborhoods are right next to each other, often separated by walls or streets, so you can see poverty and abundance in close proximity and marked inequalities .

Capital city residents might be considered more serious and distant compared to other parts of Honduras, but I believe we’re also prone to solidarity and we help our neighbors. If you ever have a problem in the street, some angel will appear to assist you.

How did growing up in Tegucigalpa shape you?

I was born and raised in Tegucigalpa. My parents are from the interior of the country and came to the city to study because my grandparents believed in the importance of education for a better future. My parents believed the same and I consider myself lucky to have had an opportunity that thousands of Hondurans have not.

What are some of your favorite places or memories in Tegucigalpa?

One of my favorite memories is my walk through the Juana Laínez park (pictured above). I grew up in Morazán, one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city, named after one of our founding fathers: Francisco Morazán.

The park is very close by, so we used to walk there as a family or go on bike rides. The park has a beautiful hilltop view of the capital and it is also home to one of the emblematic symbols of the city: the Peace Monument.

My other favorite places are El Picacho Park , which has a beautiful view by day or night; and La Tigra National Park , a cloud forest that is the "lung" of the city. There you can feel the pure and fresh air.

From left to right: entrance sign for La Tigra National Park, waterfall at La Tigra National Park, and sculpture in El Picacho Park

What are some issues or injustices that affect life in Tegucigalpa?

Life in the capital city is hectic. As the governmental center of the country, this is where Hondurans "inhale" the political atmosphere the most, and in recent years, this has resulted in increased polarization . Inequality is marked in the city and in access to public services , for example in some neighborhoods people only receive water once a month. Although the largest and most equipped public hospitals in the country are located here, there is limited access to medicines and people wait months or even more than a year to undergo surgery. There are neighborhoods where gangs and organized crime create an environment of fear. Although the government has taken some actions, many people still feel insecure or have lost their lives.

Yet, as capital city residents we also witness firsthand the results of ASJ's work . We see the impact of advocacy campaigns , how officials react to our reports, and how other civil society organizations, universities, churches and individuals join our efforts for a more just society.

Read Winnie's Story

Read Hillary's Story

Honduran Children's Migration to the U.S. is a Justice Issue

Wed, 01 Mar 2023 20:51:07 GMT

A reflection from ASJ-US's staff and board about migration
and the interconnected work of justice in Honduras and the U.S.

In recent days you may have heard news about the growing wave of migrant child labor in the United States. Our ASJ-US team was deeply disturbed to read an expose detailing how migrant children, mostly from Central America, are working in dangerous conditions in factories and farms across this country. We recommend reading the New York Times article; you can access a copy here in English and Spanish .

The investigative piece documents children, many of whom are Honduran and as young as twelve-years-old, making auto parts, roofing, and packing cereal during 12-hour shifts that leave a heavy physical, mental, and emotional toll, and little time for school. These children in communities throughout the U.S., including Grand Rapids, Michigan (where ASJ-US’s home office is located), have few avenues of protection.

Like us, you may have felt a range of emotions while reading the above piece: A cry for forgiveness for not knowing about a heart-wrenching injustice. A desire to identify who’s to blame: employers, sponsors, us as society? A deepened realization of how injustices in Honduras and the U.S. are interconnected. A familiar ache because you or someone you love has experienced these injustices. An anger and frustration at our systemic and individual failings to protect the newest and youngest members of our communities.

Amidst these emotions, we mourn that:

Many young Hondurans struggle to hope for a better future amidst high levels of corruption, violence, and unemployment. The injustices of the drug trade, colonialism, and economic exploitation have moved many families to make difficult decisions in order to survive.
Our current immigration system is broken , making it almost impossible for the average Honduran adult to receive a temporary work visa, even though factories and farms are looking for workers. Current policies like Title 42 also make it harder for families to seek asylum together, leading more children to enter the United States alone.
We have all become part of this brokenness as we buy products fueled from the unjust labor of children or as we make hiring decisions.

At ASJ, our deepest desire is for Hondurans to experience peace, justice, and flourishing wherever they are. And we believe this lifelong work is not a “Honduran” issue, but rather a mission that requires all of us . The truth is, the U.S. is often a perpetrator of injustices that affect the global communities we care about.

One of our favorite scripture verses is Zechariah 8:4-5, in which God describes a new, transformed Jerusalem where, “Once again men and women of ripe old age will sit…, each of them with cane in hand because of their age. The city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there. ”

We believe this promise also belongs to Honduras, a beloved country with a future.
At ASJ in Honduras, more than seventy Honduran colleagues work everyday to reduce violence and corruption so that families have opportunities to provide for their children and see them enjoy safety, education, and a promising future in their country. How can we support them in that work?

Here’s where we’re starting. We invite you to join us :

We also invite you to join an upcoming webinar with our staff in Honduras to discuss ASJ’s recent research on factors that impact Hondurans’ decisions to stay in or leave the country. This is a way to deepen relationships with Hondurans as fellow allies in the journey toward a more just future. Click below to receive updates once the webinar is scheduled.

We dream of city streets where all children are free to play and grow —in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and beyond. For that to happen, we will need to deeply see how we impact each other’s wellbeing and work for justice in all of our communities. Thank you for joining us in the pursuit of this beautiful vision.

ASJ-US Staff and Board
Hannah Applebach
Sharon Baker
Erica Boonstra
Steve DeHaan
Jodi de la Peña VanderPol
Luis Flores
Omar Hernández

Elizabeth Hickel
Russell Jacobs
Anna Johnson
Scott Johnson
Chelsea Lernihan
Kim Lodewyk

Maureen O'Keefe Hodge

Comfort Sampong
Kelli Schutte
Jill Stoltzfus
Jo Ann Van Engen
Mark Veenstra
Kurt Ver Beek
Alison Wabeke

Valentine's Day Cards for our Community

Thu, 09 Feb 2023 15:46:16 GMT

“J ustice is what love looks like in public. ”

Philosopher Dr. Cornel West

In Honduras, February 14 ^th is known as Día del Amor y la Amistad , or Day of Love and Friendship . In honor of all the forms of love that propel us to be brave, speak truth, and pursue justice, we’ve created free valentines in Spanish and English for our community.

We hope you will use these valentines to give thanks for the people in your life. And we hope you will be inspired by the reminder that, in the words of philosopher Dr. Cornel West, “ justice is what love looks like in public. ”

Read a reflection from ASJ-Honduras Executive Director Carlos Hernández on how "perfect love drives out fear."

An Advent Reflection: The Tension of Hope

elizabeth@asj-us.org (Elizabeth Hickel) — Thu, 15 Dec 2022 21:00:02 GMT

An advent reflection from our Director of Programs, Alison Wabeke

Recently, I came across this artwork from Danielle Cook, an artist and author who writes about hope, empathy, and justice ( @ohhappydani ). I immediately resonated with the “tension of hope” in her illustration.

She writes:

Hope in the scriptures isn’t just “waiting for the best.” There were people suffering under the very REAL weight of oppressive regimes, looking back at how God delivered His people in the past and anticipating that He would do it again in the future. They weren’t just hoping He would “arrive”. They were hoping He would set them free.

Advent sits in the tension of what has been and what will be. It’s the promise that liberation will follow suffering. And it’s the reminder that even though what I’m waiting for hasn’t happened yet, I’ve seen it happen before, and I believe it will happen again.”

For ASJ, this last year especially has been one of sitting in this tension of hope that Cook describes. When Honduran president Xiomara Castro was elected a year ago, we were ready with ideas and proposals to seek justice based on our 24 years of experience. We had seen change happen before and we wholeheartedly believed that change could happen again.

For the last year we encouraged, lobbied, and pressured the government. We wrote proposals. We hosted more than 150 press conferences. We sat in this in-between place—the tension of hope. When one of us would begin to doubt that change would happen again and start to lose sight of our hope, another would remind us all, “I’ve seen it happen before and I believe it will happen again.”

It was an incredibly hard year . Being met with closed doors for 10 months feels like a really long time when you are in the thick of it. Despair—the enemy of hope—waits right around the corner. But we stayed sitting in that tension of hope, continuing to encourage, lobby, and pressure— refusing to believe the work of justice is too hard or that it takes too long.

What does it look like for ASJ to sit in the tension of hope? It means two weeks ago we rejoiced when the Honduran government incorporated our recommendations into a plan to reduce extortion—recommendations that have the potential to drastically reduce the extortion that is hurting so many Hondurans and influencing their decision to leave home and migrate to the U.S.. It means we celebrated last month when the government announced they would take on our plan and ideas for implementing summer school for 200,000 kids so that they can begin to recover the learning they lost during COVID-19. And it means we wept last week because despite our research and proposals, the Minister of Health refuses to acknowledge that 72% of the population is receiving none or only partial medicines for common diseases like high blood pressure or diabetes, and 15% of the population knows someone who has died recently because of lack of access to medicine.

As Cook writes, hope is not just waiting for the best. It’s understanding that we are called to do justice—even if we don’t get to see the results in our lifetime. A coworker in Honduras recently told me that God doesn’t usually let us see the complete picture, but each tiny tick of the needle that moves towards justice is worth it in God’s eyes and is helping to build God’s vision. We have seen justice happen before in amazing ways in Honduras, and we believe it will happen again —that is what motivates us to do this work.

At ASJ, one of our core values is “choose hope” because we are motivated by a vision of what could be— an awareness that we sit in the tension of hope with the promise that God will not just “arrive,” He will set us free.

Gathering for a Brighter Future

Tue, 22 Nov 2022 15:18:41 GMT

A recent gathering of children in ASJ's programs is a reminder that we all matter to God (see the photo slideshow above). These children deserve quality schools, police who protect them, and a democratic system that they can fully participate in. They, and all of us, are part of God’s call to do justice wherever we are.

Dear Friend,

Last month, almost two hundred teens from ASJ’s impact clubs (a mentoring program for children who live in vulnerable circumstances) gathered in a park outside of Tegucigalpa for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The included photos, taken by former impact club member Edwin Flores, beautifully capture their excitement to be together, make new friends, and talk about how they can serve their communities. I wish I could have been there—by all accounts it was a joyful day in what has been a hard season.

These children, who face injustice in so many aspects of their lives, have struggled because of the pandemic. All have had very little schooling for the past three years as Honduras unevenly returns to in-person learning. All live in communities where gangs restrict daily life and sow fear and distrust. All come from homes where it is difficult to earn enough to pay for food, clothes, and medical care.

We see these children in our minds’ eye every time we think about ASJ’s mission: to seek justice for Hondurans in the most vulnerable conditions by pushing the government to provide the services they need.

Sometimes we feel discouraged with the challenges of our task. But when I see the faces of these Honduran children, I am reminded of why we do this work and the impact that we are having in their lives and the country:

ASJ campaigned to get these kids and 1.7 million others back in school this year and is leading a coalition of business leaders, government authorities, and education experts to develop programs that will help them catch up.

ASJ is working to make communities safer by researching how police interact with victims and offenders. We published our findings and the police have asked us to help them develop a strategy for the next 10 years!

ASJ is helping to protect democracy by putting together an international group of experts to monitor and publicly evaluate the upcoming selection of a new Supreme Court in Honduras.

The impact club children gathered in the park are a reminder that we all matter to God. These children deserve quality schools, police who protect them, and a democratic system that they can fully participate in. They, and all of us, are part of God’s call to do justice wherever we are.

We invite you to join us in shining a light on injustice. Will you give a gift to contribute to this important work of justice? Every gift given to ASJ before December 31 will be matched—your impact will be doubled at any amount. Together, we can look toward a future of safety and flourishing in Honduras.

God bless you all,

Jill Stoltzfus
Executive Director, ASJ-US

P.S. See more pictures from the joyful gathering below!

Why Transparency Matters

Wed, 02 Nov 2022 09:08:15 GMT

The experience of communities in Honduras teaches us the importance of working for the common good.

In 2018 , community leader Rubén Sosa Aguilar was surprised to find lawyers at his door. They asked what he knew about $500,000 of public funds meant for community projects in his little town of La Cuesta. Rubén didn’t know anything about the money or the community projects and neither did anyone else in his community. But, he knew what they had lost.

“Imagine how beautiful that would have been, ” reflects Rubén. Investigations eventually found that several public officials had pocketed all the project money in a scandal called the “Pandora" case. Rubén's reaction was unequivocal: “To rob from those in poverty is an injustice.”

Corruption, like that of the Pandora case, is the abuse of public positions for private gain. It touches every area of daily life, from the repair of roads, to the availability of medicine in public hospitals, to community safety.

A first step toward undoing corruption’s harm is promoting transparency so that the public has the information they need to hold leaders accountable .

How does ASJ work toward transparency?

We investigate cases of corruption and publicize our findings, which often spark the public to demand change. That’s what happened in 2020 when we reported on government corruption in the purchase of mobile hospitals. Whenever ASJ releases an investigation, we include recommendations for reforms to prevent future injustices.

We equip community members of all ages to audit the performance of their schools, health centers, and justice systems. This work helps build a culture where people believe in their agency to improve their neighborhood.

We build coalitions to push for change. ASJ-Honduras is part of Transparency International (TI), a global network of over 100 anti-corruption organizations. In August, ASJ hosted TI chapters from Colombia, Brazil, Guatemala, Venezuela, and Peru to share ideas of how to fight corruption. ASJ-Honduras is also a member of CCINOC, a group of organizations that combats corruption in Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. CCINOC showcases brave Central American leadership as it advocates in Washington, D.C. and other spaces for more transparency-building policies.

Fighting for transparency is risky, complicated work. But, it is the best way to ensure governments work for communities awaiting justice like La Cuesta.

Sisters Standing for Change

Wed, 02 Nov 2022 07:33:27 GMT

L: Sisters Marilyn (16) and Marisol (19); R: Marilyn (with clipboard) in her local health center

ASJ's Strong Communities programs offer a safe space for young people and their families to grow, build leadership, and pursue change. Two sisters share how their involvement in the programs has impacted their lives.

Marilyn and Marisol are sisters who live with their grandmother, aunt, and older sister in Nueva Suyapa, a bustling yet marginalized neighborhood in Tegucigalpa. Marisol is 19 years old and just started studying at university. She is quiet and speaks slowly and carefully.

Marilyn is a 16-year-old junior in high school who says 100 words for every 10 of Marisol’s. It is clear they love each other a lot. “We are really close. We do homework and housework together every day. Not that we don’t fight,” laughs Marilyn, “but we never stay mad at each other for long.”

Life is not easy for teenagers in Nueva Suyapa where violence and limited resources shape everyday life. As little girls, the sisters played outside with their friends all day without a thought of danger. But, now that they are older, they are more careful—they don’t walk by themselves or stay out past dark. They both have childhood friends who are now in gangs or have been killed.

But, Nueva Suyapa is their cherished community and the only home they know. They know who sells the best homemade coconut popsicles and can walk the path to school and their friends’ houses with their eyes closed.

For 10 years, Marilyn and Marisol participated in ASJ’s Strong Communities programs , including weekly mentor-led clubs focused on their holistic well-being. These clubs have shaped who they are; the sisters describe them as a place where they could play, create art, have conversations about God’s plan for them, and imagine their future selves.

Last year, Marilyn was chosen to join a group of social auditors who monitor Nueva Suyapa's health center. ASJ trains these volunteers to track honest recordkeeping, medicine availability, and fair treatment.

Marilyn was struck by how wearing a vest that said “Social Auditor” on the back gave her power.

"Well, authority, I guess," she reflects. "We could ask important questions and get answers. Usually no one listens to young people, especially doctors and nurses. But, when we were there with our vests, the staff was respectful. It seemed like that gave patients in the waiting room the courage to call out the staff when they said things [about health centers] that weren’t true.”

Marilyn and Marisol wear shirts that say, "I love community auditing."

Nueva Suyapa is their cherished community and the only home they know.

Along with Marilyn, Nueva Suyapa’s auditors have developed an improvement plan for the local health center to increase quality of care and prevent corruption. ASJ’s work at the community level has always been the foundation of what we do. Our community programs help develop leaders who become advocates for their own neighborhoods.

These leaders help us all to understand how to make communities safer and schools and health centers stronger.

Marisol is studying journalism and Marilyn wants to be a police officer (she admits that many people are trying to talk her out of that goal). Both sisters are excited about the future, but recognize that not all of their friends share their hopeful outlook.

Marisol remarks that ASJ's programs helped her realize that we must invest in youth if we want to build stronger communities. “It’s not easy to stay hopeful when you grow up in a community like ours. I think if we all encouraged each other to keep going and to get involved in making our community better, it would make a big difference.”

The Future of Education

Wed, 02 Nov 2022 07:02:56 GMT

The dedicated teachers, parents, and community members who work for improved public education inspire us.

As a young person and student, I want a good education to grow as a person.

The words of Rebeca Flores, a middle-schooler in the capital city of Tegucigalpa, reflect the hope of many youth.

Yet after two years of pandemic-related school closures, Honduras’ public schools find themselves in a vulnerable state. Recognizing that access to education is a justice issue, ASJ made the safe re-opening of public schools a priority in 2022.

Together with other civil society groups, we held press conferences and presented proposals until the government formally re-opened schools in April.

And in the months since, ASJ has drawn attention to the importance of recovering the years of lost learning . For example, third-graders who last saw a classroom in 2020 will need specialized attention in order to master writing and math.

One important way to invest in the long-term quality of education is to ensure children have the best teachers possible. So when the Honduran government began a process to hire 14,000 teachers nationwide, ASJ spoke up, as it has in years past, for a fair, transparent hiring process without nepotism or political influence.

As Honduras’s education system faces challenges, the dedicated teachers, parents, and community members who work for the improvement of their local schools inspire us.

Our children should come first and we must work to recover what has been lost.

Now that the Honduran school year is scheduled to end in November, ASJ is again calling on both the government and society to adopt creative solutions to bridge the gap for Honduras’ children.

Whether that means recruiting volunteers to tutor during the three-month vacation, organizing a thorough review of communities’ education needs, or adapting curriculum, ASJ-Honduras Executive Director Carlos Hernández says, “Our children should come first and we must work to recover what has been lost.”

Justice for Youth in Detention

Wed, 02 Nov 2022 06:47:30 GMT

To address violence in any society, we must first change how we view our neighbors. Sasquia Antúnez Pineda knows this well. Sasquia’s heart is permanently divided in two—one half in Honduras where she spent the first 22 years of her life, and the other in Canada where she lives with her husband and daughters. Recently Sasquia and ASJ’s paths crossed on a topic of mutual passion—justice for Honduras’ children. In this reflection, Sasquia shares about her work with ASJ and her belief that we all should care about the restoration of juvenile offenders.

~ A reflection from Sasquia Antúnez Pineda

I emigrated to Canada just after finishing college in Honduras. I was excited for opportunities to study, experience a new culture, and perfect my English. I became a high school teacher and married a wonderful man, with whom I have two beautiful daughters. My life in Canada is full of love and great people. Living here has taught me so much about myself and the world.

But, living far from my country has been hard. Honduras is a beautiful place and despite its many problems, life somehow seems lighter there. Hondurans tend to face hardship in two ways—by putting our trust in God no matter how hard things get, and by finding humor in every situation. I miss it every day.

Recently, my concern over increasing youth violence in Honduras led me to pursue my master’s degree with a focus on churches and governments' responses to youth violence. I knew it was important to ground my thesis in people's experiences, so I was thrilled when ASJ welcomed me to do my research with them as they worked to understand how the Honduran government can better care for juvenile offenders.

I spent 10 months partnering with Diana Medina from ASJ. Diana is as passionate about youth justice as I am, so we made a good team.

I was thrilled when ASJ welcomed me to do my research with them as they worked to understand how the Honduran government can better care for juvenile offenders.

Together we analyzed the challenges in the way the Honduran government treats youth offenders in detention centers, and searched for better youth rehabilitation models that could be adapted to the Honduran context.

In my conversations with staff and kids at the detention centers, I was struck by how much hardship these young people had experienced —poverty, substance abuse, gangs, trauma, limited access to school. They were often betrayed by the adults and systems around them, and violence seemed like a reasonable response. I also saw that despite their difficult lives, many still had dreams and did not want their current situation to define their future.

Detention centers are not ideal for youth—too often they become schools for violence and separate children from their families and the positive links in their communities. Community-based rehabilitation is a good idea but hard to do well because it is so hard for kids to escape from the groups in their communities that pull them into violence.

The truth is there are no easy answers to youth rehabilitation. But, I believe research into this issue needs to start by listening to the voices of the young people affected, trying to understand the context they come from, and learning what motivates them to work for a better future.

My hope is that my research can bring a little light where mostly darkness has been found. One thing I heard from detention center staff is that they want churches to get more involved in helping troubled youth. But, fear of engaging with juvenile offenders has been a huge obstacle.

I hope that the testimonies I've gathered can show church leaders, government, and international funding agencies that these young people can suggest solutions for their own lives and that we should listen to their voices. I plan to present my research findings to government and international funding agencies in Honduras that are working in the area of children's protection and hope to publish in a Canadian academic journal.

I know that what God wants for these children is the same thing he wants for my children and your children—the chance to be loved, feel safe, learn, and one day have a vocation. God wants these children restored to community.

My time with ASJ in Honduras has made clear my call to speak up about restorative justice for youth. We can’t ignore this issue because it is difficult. God’s call to do justice for the most vulnerable includes these young people whose lives have been shaped by injustice. We need to put aside distrust and learn to build bridges with these young people so that they in turn learn to trust us.

Join Us in Walking Alongside

Thu, 30 Jun 2022 15:14:09 GMT

"There is a word in Spanish—acompañar—which means to walk alongside or to be present with—a value of ASJ that shows up in how we do our work."
-A letter from Jill Stoltzfus, ASJ-US's Executive Director

Dear Friend,

I recently returned from visiting Honduras where I spent time with our team in our Tegucigalpa headquarters—a space surrounded by mountains and full of Hondurans dedicated to creating a more just society. Right now, our world is brimming with examples of how violence and corruption result in loss of life. Grief is a heavy companion and despair lurks around the corners. And yet, it is trips like this one where I leave knowing that although this work is hard, we won’t give up hope that things can change because amidst the grief and challenges, systems and lives are being impacted.

As I reflect on that week, it is striking to me how I am reminded of the way ASJ lives out the call to seek justice in big systemic ways, and also in daily interactions. Let me share a story from my time there with you.

I met with Maria*, an ASJ psychologist, who told me about her work with our Rescue program . Maria works with children who have been sexually abused and their families, and seeks to find healing and justice in their lives.

It is estimated that one out of every 13 children in Honduras will be assaulted or abused, but less than 1% of cases will earn a conviction.

While sharing with me about some of her hopes for this program in the coming year, her phone rang.

“Excuse me”, she said, “I’m sorry to interrupt but I need to take this call.”

When she stepped back into the room after taking the call, she told me the story.

"The past couple of days have been hard. One of the girls I've been working with, Sandra *, tried to commit suicide three months ago. Since then, I’ve helped to get her set up seeing a psychologist and doctor which ended up helping her mental health a lot. However, I really think she needs more care and have recommended that she be admitted into a residential program, but her parents don't want her to go. There is a lot of stigma around these programs, and I think they're just afraid to not be with her. The call I just took was from them as they were taking the night to decide what to do, and in the end they said "Maria, if you think she should be admitted then we will do that."

This story made me pause and consider how it represented such a vivid example of how doing justice requires relationships built in trust. Sandra’s family is just one of 75 individuals that ASJ works with to find healing. There is a word in Spanish— acompañar —which means to walk alongside or to be present with —a value of ASJ that shows up in how we do our work. Maria exemplifies in such a beautiful and clear way what it looks like to live out the definition of that word—what an inspiration.

In addition to walking alongside Sandra and other individuals, ASJ also works to prevent the occurrence of sexual abuse on a systemic level. Through a partnership with the Secretary of Education, we provided prevention training to over 700 teachers, reaching 18,000 students – teaching them how to recognize signs of sexual abuse and how to get help if they are in a vulnerable situation. Recently, we also worked with the Honduran courts to implement new case management techniques which reduced the case backlog from 1,294 to 50 cases in six months for the Common Crimes Unit.

Systemic reforms like these complement our work with individuals like Sandra to prevent abuse from happening and to ensure that more Hondurans can find justice.

Seeing my coworkers like Maria at work reminded me that seeking justice means reforming institutions and walking alongside individuals like Sandra—two endeavors that require trust. It requires dreaming up creative solutions, putting them into proposals, and speaking truth at press conferences. It also requires taking late night phone calls from parents like Sandra’s and showing up when people living in vulnerable conditions need us most. This is the work of justice. This is the work we are called to do.

We have set an ambitious goal to raise $45,000 in response to this letter by the end of July to support initiatives like the work Maria is doing to reform institutions and also to be present with people like Sandra. Will you join us in this work of walking alongside to create a more just society by giving a financial gift?

Thank you,

Jill Stoltzfus
Executive Director ASJ-US

P.S. Right now, ASJ is working on an important project with significant economic impact— reforming the national electric company in Honduras, which loses almost $1 billion annually to corruption. To put that into perspective, this is money that could fund 137,364 homes, 31,219 classrooms, or generate 242,094 fair jobs—huge potential! Stay tuned over the next year for updates on how we are working to root out this corruption with the goal of having access to quality, affordable electricity for life, work, school, and play.

*A pseudonym to protect the privacy and security of community members and staff

Berta Cáceres' Family Visits U.S., Advocates for Full Justice

Mon, 11 Apr 2022 14:48:02 GMT

Members of Berta Cáceres’ family ask the United States to stay vigilant so that all those involved in her assassination be punished according to the law.
ASJ accompanies Berta Cáceres' family in meetings with U.S. officials and multinational agencies
“We are with you in the search for justice”: Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House

Tegucigalpa, April 11, 2022. The family of indigenous leader and environmental defender Berta Cáceres traveled to Washington, D.C. to request the support of officials and government agencies in monitoring the judicial process against the material and intellectual authors of her assassination.

This is Berta Cáceres family’s second visit to Washington, D.C., led by mother Austra Berta Flores , with the accompaniment of the Asociación para una Sociedad más Justa (ASJ), to discuss advances in the investigation and trials of the perpetrators and to request the attention of Congressmembers and U.S. agencies to the case.

During the advocacy trip, the Flores family met with representatives and staff from several congressmembers’ offices , the House of Representatives, and government offices, among them: Patrick Ventrell, Department of State; Michael Camilleri and Emma Buckhout, United States Agency for International Development (USAID); Tim Reiser, office of Senator Patrick Leahy; Ausan Aleryani, Legislative Assistant for Foreign Policy, and Nathan Lee, office of Senator Tim Kaine.

In addition, they met with : Wyndee Parker, National Security Advisor of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi; Congressman James McGovern; Eric Jacobstein, Director for Central America and Cuba at the National Security Council (NSC); Alex Sadler, House Foreign Affairs Committee chaired by Congressman Gregory Meeks; Serena Gobbi, Legislative Director for Congresswoman Norma Torres; and Ricardo Zúniga, Special Envoy for the Northern Triangle.

The visit aims for the United States government, within the framework of international cooperation, to monitor that Honduras ensures the crime against environmentalist Berta Cáceres does not go unpunished. At the same time, it aims to continue strengthening the investigations so that justice is done and all those responsible, both material and intellectual authors, face trial.

“ASJ has accompanied the investigation since Berta Cáceres’ assassination. We appreciate the significant advances in the case, yet it is very important that all those responsible be prosecuted,” stated Carlos Hernández, ASJ-Honduras’ Executive Director.

Members of the Flores family, Austra Berta Flores, Gustavo Cáceres, Roberto Cáceres, and José Antonio Carrillo participated in the trip; along with Carlos Hernández and Kurt Ver Beek, member of the Board of Directors, from ASJ. They are also accompanied by Seattle International Foundation (SIF) representatives.

In September 2019, the group met with representatives of international agencies and U.S. government officials, among them Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House, and Luis Almagro, Secretary General of the Organization of American States.

As ASJ works for the proper functioning of government systems, it appreciates the diligence of Honduras’ Attorney General Office so that seven material and one intellectual author, David Castillo, were prosecuted and convicted for their crime against Berta Cáceres, while insisting that all those involved are punished according to the law.

Patiently Persisting for a More Just Society

Tue, 22 Mar 2022 20:26:57 GMT

"Your support is so important as we continue to follow the simple but profound call to do justice in hard places. "
-A letter from two of ASJ's Co-Founders, Carlos Hernández and Kurt Ver Beek

Dear Friend,

Our world is a hard and confusing place to be right now and Honduras is no exception. There has been a lot going on! But for us at ASJ, the challenges of the last two months have led us to an even clearer conviction of our purpose and of God’s faithfulness to ASJ over the last two decades.

Many of you read the letter we wrote two months ago, describing the miraculously peaceful election of Xiomara Castro as president of Honduras and our surprise at how quickly the transition team reached out to discuss how to tackle Honduras’ biggest problems. We were excited about what we could accomplish together in 2022.

But, our work with the new government has not gone as quickly as we hoped. The new administration has been in office for two months now and things are moving slowly despite an urgent need for action.

Schools are still closed even though parents desperately want their children to return to classes, violence in vulnerable communities has risen sharply, and promised subsidies for the poorest Hondurans have not materialized. The new government is showing its inexperience and has been distracted by political infighting.

It's estimated that two-thirds of Honduran children are still not receiving an education, as their schools have remained closed since the start of the pandemic.

As if transitioning to a new government wasn’t enough excitement, last month outgoing president, Juan Orlando Hernández, was arrested for his alleged involvement in drug trafficking . He will likely be extradited soon to the United States to stand trial.

News of Juan Orlando’s deep involvement in drug trafficking has led to a mix of emotions for our staff. Many of our proudest achievements happened during the eight years of Juan Orlando’s presidency— the purge of the Honduran police, 200 days of class in public schools, continuous monitoring of the performance of government ministries and many risky investigations into government corruption.

We worked hard to shine a light on wrongdoings in Juan Orlando’s administration while at the same time working to strengthen the institutions under his leadership. So, while we were happy with his arrest, it hurts to know that while we were working so hard to make government more transparent and effective, Juan Orlando appears to have been an active participant in the drug trafficking that has wreaked such havoc in Honduras.

Our proudest achievements include the purge of the Honduran police, 200 days of class in public schools, continuous monitoring of the performance of government ministries and many risky investigations into government corruption.

The reality is that justice work is difficult and often messy. To seek justice, we must denounce government authorities who use their power for personal gain and also try to work with the authorities to strengthen the institutions that serve their citizens, especially those in the most vulnerable circumstances. Finding that balance is never easy, but we are committed to doing it well.

One thing is clear after these two challenging months—our staff is amazing and their work has never gone on pause . During the pandemic and now during the government transition, they have continued to work with at-risk youth and victims of violence. They continue to carry out cutting edge investigations into extortion, violence, and migration. And they have inspired us with their optimism, creativity, and patient persistence as they seek to build connections with the new government.

We know they will succeed because this is what we have done for 24 years— prayed and worked to find an open door, a place to start, that one person who shares the vision of working for a more justice society. That is all we need to move forward as we have done so many times in the past to help achieve better schools, health services that everyone can access, police who serve and protect.

Thank you for being a part of this journey. Thank you for praying and giving for the work of justice in Honduras. Please don’t stop! Your support is so important as we continue to follow the simple but profound call to do justice in hard places.

(And check in next month to see how things are going—we believe we will have remarkable stories of God’s faithfulness to share!)

Que Dios les bendiga! (God bless!)

Carlos Hernández and Kurt Ver Beek
ASJ Co-Founders

Ex-President Hernández’s Arrest Underscores the Importance of the Fight for Justice in Honduras

Thu, 17 Feb 2022 22:40:51 GMT

This week, Honduras’ former president Juan Orlando Hernández (2014-2022) was arrested at the U.S. government’s request on drug trafficking charges. If Honduras accepts the request, Hernández will stand trial in the United States.

Hernández’s arrest is a distressing sign of how organized crime has penetrated the highest levels of government in Honduras. “ Organized crime, drug trafficking, and corruption has put our country in anguish, provoked pain and distrust in citizens, and damaged our democracy ,” states ASJ-Honduras’ Executive Director Carlos Hernández.

ASJ is committed to helping repair broken systems for the common good. The regressions in the fight against corruption and impunity and the reluctance of the political elite to address institutional weaknesses have resulted in the Honduran government not applying justice impartially and independently. Over the last decade, ASJ has called for policies to remove organized crime money from political campaigns, conducted investigations into the use of public funds, and supported the strengthening of justice systems.

This week’s events underscore the importance of strengthening institutions to truly serve Hondurans, especially those living in vulnerable conditions. ASJ is focused on working in collaboration with civil society and the new administration for this restoration.

We join calls for stronger rule of law, transparency, and accountability to create a Honduras where no one is above the law. These proceedings also point to the role of the U.S. government and people in standing with Hondurans for justice and peace, from understanding how U.S. demand for drugs contributes to violence in Honduras to supporting local civil society in their calls for transparency. We invite justice-seekers everywhere to join us in recommitting to the long-term work for a more just society that protects the life and dignity of every Honduran.

The Association for a More Just Society (ASJ-US) is a U.S.-based non-profit that supports its partner organization ASJ-Honduras’ promotion of peace and justice in Honduras. ASJ-US shares its experiences in Honduras with global communities of justice seekers and seeks to inspire others to pursue justice in their own contexts.

For inquiries, contact ASJ-US at info@asj-us.org

In light of the ex-president's arrest, you might have questions about how Honduras reached this moment, what extradition means, and what the future holds. Join ASJ leadership in Honduras on Thursday February 24th at 12:30 P.M. EST for a webinar on recent events, the long work of repairing broken systems, and accountability for the Honduran people.

Miraculous Moments: An Advent Reflection

Wed, 22 Dec 2021 23:40:02 GMT

During Advent, we give thanks for miraculous moments—good coming out of Honduras.

Luke 2:8-20

Imagine yourself as a shepherd – working diligently and faithfully to keep watch over your sheep at night. You’re part of a close-knit community that cares for each other and preserves life.

Yet tonight it’s cold. The work is hard, dirty, even dangerous. You may feel restless, weary, and a bit afraid, wondering what ferocious animal or malicious bandit lurks just beyond the firelight. Still, you know that this job is a calling that instills in you love, commitment, and the daily practice of showing up.

Many of us who have lived and worked in the midst of injustice can sympathize with the shepherds. Violence, corruption, poverty, and fear are a part of the daily context in Honduras and beyond. But then suddenly, in the midst of the shepherds’ dark night, the sky ignites! The glory of the Lord shines. The heavens are filled with the countless angels singing God’s praise. A brief miraculous moment before the darkness once again engulfs the shepherds.

Tegucigalpa at night

Although brief, that moment’s brilliance is burned into the shepherds’ retinas. It fundamentally changes their view of the world. It gives them hope to do something audacious , to go out and find this Christ and share good news from unexpected sources – offering a rebuke to those who say, “What good could come out of Nazareth? What good could come out of Honduras?”

When we reflect on the last two decades of our work at ASJ, we can point to four or five of these sky-igniting, jaw-dropping, miraculous moments – and one of them happened last month. In an unexpectedly peaceful election, Hondurans stood for change; an unprecedented number of Honduran youth participated in transparency initiatives; and Honduran leaders asked ASJ for proposals to reform education, energy, and health.

In the words of Carlos Hernández , ASJ-Honduras Executive Director:

Without a doubt, the past few weeks are a sign that Hondurans continue to believe in the possibility of better futures. We will continue working, striving, and advocating to improve the quality of life of Hondurans.

ASJ, and Hondurans across the country, feel filled with hope to do something audacious. These miraculous moments are few and far between; most of our existence has been like the work of the shepherds – showing up day after day and being faithful to our call. But if not for this faithfulness, for this daily choice to show up, we may have missed the miracle.

Good came out of Nazareth, and good is coming out of Honduras too – may we recognize this as a narrative beyond our understanding. In these moments of brilliance amidst the darkness, we say, “Glory to God in the highest!”

We invite you to be ready to see and hear these miraculous moments where the sky ignites and the glory of the Lord shines in, and to join the host that sings out emphatically that justice can be done, that good is coming out of Honduras.

Will You Support Courageous Love in Honduras?

Wed, 24 Nov 2021 11:28:10 GMT

ASJ-US Executive Director Jill Stoltzfus shares an inspiring opportunity to join us in creating something wonderful—an education system where Honduran children can safely play, learn, and dream

Dear Friend,

November is a big month as Hondurans elect a new president, and 2022 will be an even bigger year as a new government transitions into power. This change brings both challenges and opportunities for our work in health, education, and security.

Amidst great change, we are committed to our mission— to be brave Christians joining a country’s call for justice and peace. This desire to be courageous doesn’t mean that we aren’t ever afraid, but it does mean that we choose to love beyond our fear in our work.

I write this letter days after virtually attending a press conference in Honduras and witnessing one example of what loving beyond fear looks like. At the press conference, ASJ pulled together a group of universities, teacher unions, and civil society organizations to present a thorough plan to transform Honduran public education over the next ten years—an initiative born out of the knowledge that though the children we love don’t get to pick presidents, their lives are affected by their policies.

Sitting in the front row were representatives of five top presidential candidates. This is what courageous love looks like —speaking truth to those in power.

I listened to my coworkers bravely present how access to education has worsened since the pandemic began.

Before the pandemic, Honduras had 1 million of 3 million children outside of the education system.
Today, that number has grown to be over 2 million children who are not receiving an education.

One of those 2 million children is 15-year-old Lizzy (second from left), who dreams of becoming a businesswoman, but whose family couldn’t consistently afford internet for online classes during the pandemic.

I watched as the groups at the press conference cast a vision for what they hope the Honduran education system will look like in 10 years. It was the kind of vision that gave me goosebumps —based in gathering solid research, well thought-out proposals, and groups of people together around common goals. Goals as big as improving graduation rates and also as detailed as noting how many books and chairs specific schools were missing.

After the press conference, I sent a message to ASJ-Honduras Executive Director Carlos Hernández asking what it meant to him to have so many key partners—“all in one space”—advocating together to create a more just education system in Honduras.

“At ASJ, we are very encouraged! We have built this alliance with many groups—all together representing more than 200,000 students, teachers, and leaders.

We have all come together to build a proposal to strengthen education in Honduras for the next 10 years. The pandemic has exacerbated the failures in the educational system that ASJ had already been working on, but this alliance allows us to be stronger and to be able to influence the next government with sustainable transformation for the future of education.

This proposal is also supported by other groups like the Honduran council of private enterprises, the association of private universities of Honduras, civil society, the association of municipalities of Honduras, the foundations that work in education, and also by international cooperation. This is undoubtedly a new stage in our advocacy work— with the goal of building a more just society and to create an education system that will benefit our young girls and boys .”

I write this letter not knowing who will win the presidential election in Honduras on November 28. But I do know the groups that came together at this press conference, including ASJ, will work to hold whoever is elected accountable to achieving this beautiful vision of a better education system for Lizzy, and all of Honduras’ 3 million children. And I do know that we will continuously strive to be Brave Christians who love beyond fear, because justice is possible when courageous people work together.

Please join us in creating something wonderful—an education system where Honduran children can safely play, learn, and dream. Will you give a gift to contribute to this important work of justice? Together, we can create a more just society.

With gratitude,

Jill Stoltzfus
Executive Director, ASJ-US

Praying for Peace

Sun, 21 Nov 2021 23:32:47 GMT

During a November 21st event, ASJ staff and supporters gathered for a time of learning and prayer for Honduras' Nov 28th election. We invite you to continue praying for the following points

For a deeper dive into how our team in Honduras is approaching this season, read the prayer bulletin below.

This month’s prayer bulletin comes from ASJ’s Brave Christians team in Honduras. Brave Christians is a network of ministries and individuals dedicated to prayer and action for peace and justice in Honduras. One of Brave Christians’ leaders, Luis Luna, penned the following in light of Honduras’ upcoming elections on November 28.

Luis Luna is an assistant pastor at Iglesia de Dios La Victoria in Villanueva, Cortés, Honduras. He is a psychologist, writer, and is currently pursuing a graduate degree at Lee University. He has 11 years of experience in the social sector working in the area of community development, strengthening civil society, and public institutions.

“You are the salt of the earth…and the light of the world.” Matthew 5:13-16

Following Jesus involves walking in holiness. When we hear a conventional interpretation of “living in holiness," it's usually to separate from the world. However, in the above part of the Sermon of the Mount, it seems that Jesus’ exhortation implies involvement in the world. In any case, how can salt have an effect without being in something that it preserves and seasons? How can light glow without being in darkness?

A question then arises: should we remove ourselves from the world or become part of it? Which way of the two should we pick? Jesus shows us a different way: to bless the world promoting the countercultural values of the Kingdom of God.

The call to be salt and light is especially important in Honduras’ election season , when there is often a lot of finger pointing. But little repentance. Walking in holiness, being faithful to Jesus in the midst of an election season for earthly governors means we publicly affirm the truth, even if there are risks. It means we practice and promote justice, although it makes “the powerful” of this world uncomfortable. It means we seek peace, even if some view violence as a useful tool.

Holiness is love resisting hate. It’s truth resisting lies. It’s justice resisting corruption. It’s Shalom resisting chaos. In view of this and taking into account that in a few weeks Honduras has general elections (on Nov 28), we ask that you help us pray for the following points:

Please pray for peace. We are praying that these elections take place peacefully.
Please pray for transparency. We are praying for electoral authorities, and that the process and results be legitimate.
Please pray for citizen participation . We are praying that Christians in particular exercise their citizen responsibility to vote.
Please pray for wisdom for leaders. We are praying that the Lord guides the next leaders of the country to govern with justice.

Thank you for praying with us,
Luis Luna & the Brave Christians team

Our Collective Impact

Fri, 12 Nov 2021 23:37:01 GMT

Carlos Hernández, ASJ-Honduras' Executive Director, presents to a group of reporters.

Our Annual Impact Report shares stories of how we're working for peace and justice in Honduras and beyond. Check out a few highlights from the report below or click to the right to access the full report.

Young Adults Leading the Way

In two of the major issues impacting Honduras, we are proud that young adults are leading the way :

A group of 48 young people have joined ASJ’s first School for Young Auditors , which teaches them how to use auditing to counter corruption and improve the quality of public services.

In anticipation of Honduras’ elections in late November, our young adult-led “Informed Vote” team is calling on candidates to publish their assets, tax returns, and conflicts of interest on our public online platform. As they promote transparency , they are also hosting nationwide forums for young people to develop and present proposals on changes they would like to see in the country, from safe public spaces to employment programs.

Preventing Violence

We are passionate about sharing our experiences to help prevent violence . This year, our “Peace & Justice” investigators and psychologists have hosted workshops with more than 300 people from over 45 churches and faith-based organizations on how to recognize and report cases of child sexual abuse . After one workshop, a participant commented,

Thank you so much for training us and giving us these important tools. You show us that we can be agents of change and set a new precedent and path.

ASJ also signed an agreement with other civil society organizations, including UNESCO, Compassion International, and Save the Children’s chapters in Honduras to collaborate on prevention activities and monitoring the justice system’s treatment of cases involving children.

Advocating for Access to Education

ASJ’s pursuit of justice as the pandemic continues to impact Honduras looks like monitoring vaccine distribution and recommending transparent hiring processes of doctors. And it also looks like addressing the way the country’s move to online classes denied access to education to 1.3 million of Honduras’s 2.9 million children.

In response, ASJ has presented a proposal for safe, part-time, in-person classes , which includes teacher vaccinations, focus on remedial learning, infrastructure repair, and prioritization of the most excluded communities. With our and others’ widespread advocacy, the Ministry of Education adopted a strategy that benefits 18,000 students, with more to come.

Dear Honduras,

Fri, 12 Nov 2021 15:11:31 GMT

The view in Copán, western Honduras.

*

September 15, 2021 marked the 200th anniversary of Honduras' independence from Spain. As ASJ-Honduras researcher Edgar Aguilar reflected on what the day meant to him, he wrote this open letter to his home on his personal blog , which he has adapted to share here.

Dear Honduras,

Today we celebrate 200 years of your independence. It’s a tradition. Do you remember? I’ve spent at least 15 years celebrating this day every September 15: participating in parades, attending events, imagining from a young age a future here; a future of prosperity, opportunities, and development.

That’s what I was taught in school, that in a free country as the nation develops, one does too. That in a free country there are rights and opportunities for all. That in a free country everyone is protected and can enjoy a dignified life.

However, much has happened in these 15 years of celebrations and parades; I have realized that you are not completely free, yet, and that there is much to do so that your citizens enjoy the promise I grew up believing in.

I have realized that you are not completely free, yet, and that there is much to do so that your citizens enjoy the promise I grew up believing in.

Many have lost their roots, hope, and love for you. I don’t blame them:

Today, 1 of every 3 children between 3 and 17 years of age is excluded from the educational system. An unfulfilled promise. On top of that, ¼ of teenagers and young adults are neither studying nor working. Another unfulfilled promise.
Currently, for every 1000 births, 18 children under the age of 5 die. And in every 100,000 births, 129 mothers die.
It is estimated that about 12.5% of GDP is lost to corruption (around $2.5 billion), stealing Hondurans’ work and their lives.
Impunity in the country was 87% in 2018. Too many wrongdoers go unpunished. A homicide rate persists that greatly affects the young, women, the LGBT community, and defenders of the environment and human rights. You have even been called a ‘narco-state’, for the latent collaboration between organized crime and the elite.
A large part of the population does not have a job in the formal sector and earns 3,635 Lempiras ($150) a month.
About 35% of the country’s energy is stolen, and this provokes a great financial impact on the country while leaving us with low quality service.

An overlook of Honduras' capital city, Tegucigalpa.

It seems that you have failed us, but in reality we have only been lied to. You are not completely free, yet. You are trapped by some people with interests against the promises you once made to us. People who are keen to compete for the power to control you, only to pursue their own self-interest and reckless greed.

Your potential is immense, your beauty is great, and your promises are good ones. Although in the last 15 years I have realized that parades and celebrations, like other things, can become only an illusion of a yet unknown reality; I still believe in a future in which your promises—the things I was taught you were and could be—become a reality.

I accept my part and understand the challenge. We must not sit with just pom-poms or hopelessness. We must not lose our trust and love for you. We must contribute—all of us— in creating the future we grew up hoping for. It’s all of our responsibility to work so that you fulfill your promise; it’s not a done deed from the past like I was taught. It’s a process, in which we contribute to your continued liberation.

“ I still believe in a future in which your promises—the things I was taught you were and could be—become a reality.

The depressing statistics that I mentioned earlier must change and they will. We should support and be people committed to ensuring that you provide security and rights to all Hondurans. We should support and be people who are aligned with the common good and not with unconscionable corrupt interests.

Right now, we have upcoming elections to establish new leaders. I hope that these competing candidates truly work to guarantee a future with life, educational opportunities for all, and individual and collective prosperity.

It’s not so simple. I have realized that much of what I grew up hearing is not as easy as it seemed, but it’s good for me to learn that reality is complex and that we are all called to create a more just and prosperous Honduras. I still believe that you can fulfill your promises and that you can continue freeing yourself , with the difference that now I do not take your promises for granted, I take responsibility, and I realize I’m a part of this too.

With affection, Edgar

Edgar Aguilar
ASJ-Honduras Researcher
Edgar Aguilar hails from Tomalá, Honduras, and enjoys adventuring to new places, reading about Honduran politics, and having good conversations with friends. Find his original reflection in Spanish at https://bit.ly/3aZva5t .

Embracing Love: A Reflection from Honduras

Tue, 19 Oct 2021 18:13:40 GMT

One year after Hurricanes Eta and Iota devastated Honduras, ASJ Co-Founder Jo Ann Van Engen shares the stories of families that ASJ is walking alongside.

Early this week, my husband, Kurt and I drove to Rivera Hernandez, a sprawling neighborhood of almost 200,000 people in northern Honduras. Last year, many of the families ASJ worked with in the community had their lives turned upside down by devastating back-to-back hurricanes .

Over the past year, ASJ has tried to respond well to each of these families’ needs . Some, we helped buy new beds, refrigerators and stoves to replace those that had been washed away in the flood, others needed lost cell phones replaced so their children could access online school. For the most damaged homes, ASJ hired construction workers to rebuild broken roofs, walls and floors.

Kurt and I wanted to see how the families were doing, so Tuesday morning, we ducked through the doorway of a small home to talk with 61 year-old Isabel and her granddaughter, Karina . ASJ staff met Isabel five years ago, after her son was killed by gang members, leaving her responsible for her then two-year-old granddaughter. I sat down on the bed with a chatty and confident Karina.

ASJ has forged a relationship with Isabel and her granddaughter Karina over the past five years.

“I’ll be eight next month and I am in the 3rd grade,” she announced. “They just opened my school again and I walk there by myself. I’m learning my times tables!” (she proudly got out her homework and filled out some worksheets while I watched). “When I grow up, I’m going to have a house with a garden that has flowers and little an imals!"

Her grandmother looked over at her and smiled.

“Karina is my comfort. I lost my mind for a while after my son was killed. I was in therapy with Aline (the ASJ counselor) for five years. And then last year the hurricane hit and I felt so overwhelmed again. It was an answer to prayer when ASJ showed up. They helped me get a new roof and furnishings. I don’t know what I would have done.” She put her arm around Karina as we got ready to leave and said softly, “My dream is for Karina to be able to stay in school and have a good life.”

Karina shows Jo Ann her school worksheets.

L ater in the day, Kurt and I met Alicia and her daughter, Ruth. Alicia is tall and strong; Ruth looks just like her. As we settled into chairs outside, Alicia handed a cup of cinnamon and chamomile tea with a drop of anointed oil to Jairo, the ASJ investigator, who wasn’t feeling well. She smiled as he took a tentative sip and assured him it was just what he needed.

Alicia and Ruth welcomed us into their home with a new bedroom and bathroom.

Alicia’s husband was murdered last year and ASJ reached out to her with grief counseling and investigators. When the hurricanes came and destroyed her home, ASJ helped her rebuild. She proudly showed us her new bedrooms and bathroom and then we chatted about life as her daughter leaned on her knee. One of the things she said keeps running through my mind:

“You know, lately I’ve been realizing that we all need to learn how to love better. I think the best churches are the ones that teach us how to love well. Some don’t teach that at all it seems. But, it’s what I am trying to teach Ruth.”

Alicia’s life has been so hard and yet being with her I felt embraced by her love. She made me realize how little I understand the human spirit, God’s grace, and where we find strength in hard times.

Ruth plays with friends outside her home.

At ASJ, we come alongside those whose lives are most difficult, and try to meet their needs—both immediate things like new roofs and refrigerators and longer-term, structural changes like good schools for their children and a justice system that protects them when they are in danger.

Alicia and Isabel reminded me why God loves those whose hearts have been broken and why he persistently urges all of us to help each other pick up the broken pieces and use them to build a more just and flourishing society.

Thank you for being part of this work. May God shine his grace on all of us.

Jo Ann Van Engen
ASJ-US Co-Founder and Creative Development Lead

Writing for Justice

Tue, 21 Sep 2021 18:43:34 GMT

This year, ASJ hosted our first-ever justice essay contest , asking 7 ^th and 8 ^th graders to answer, “What is an issue that needs justice and why?"

We are honored to announce our winner: Delyla Martínez , rising 8th grader from Innocademy in Michigan. Our team of judges chose Delyla's essay, “ La Discriminación a Las Mujeres/Discrimination against Women, ” for best fulfilling the spirit of the prompt and our vision, “working for a just society together."

Delyla writes, "Ever since I was 8 I loved to write. My dream is to become an author when I graduate high school." We are thankful for Delyla and all the contest participants for showing us that we’re never too young or old to contribute to justice.

The complete prompt: Our organization, ASJ-US, is dedicated to making Honduras a better place – a place where it’s safe to play, where everyone has access to education, and where everyone’s voice is here. We call this work, the work of justice. Justice work looks for places in our world where things aren’t right and tries to fix them. We believe justice work can happen anywhere (even in your community!) and that anyone can do justice. What is an issue that you believe needs justice and why? Who is impacted by this issue and what will the world look like if it is fixed?

The essays presented here have been unedited and and remain as written by the author. The views expressed represent those of the author.

If you are interested in being notified the next time ASJ organizes a creative contest, email info@asj-us.org .

Pursuing Equity in Vaccine Access

Tue, 21 Sep 2021 18:23:52 GMT

Thanks to the advocacy of Honduran civil society organizations, the pace of vaccinations in Honduras has increased in the past few months. ASJ organized a group of 200 Honduran groups—churches, schools, businesses, and nonprofits—to write a letter to the Biden administration expressing the need for global solidarity to save lives.

In a global context where a few wealthy countries had first access to life-saving vaccines and treatment, it is just for them to share vaccine recipes and donations with countries like Honduras. After this campaign, Honduras received 3 million vaccines through the U.S. & COVAX, helping the partial vaccination rate grow from 6.5% to 30% and protecting many lives. There is more work to be done for vaccine equity so that COVID-19 vaccines and treatments are affordable and accessible in Honduras and across the world. We continue to track and share information on Honduras' recovery with the public.

Learn more about why and how we are working for justice during the pandemic.

Advocating for Kids' Safe Return to School

Tue, 21 Sep 2021 17:44:58 GMT

In Honduras’ capital, Lizzy , age 15, dreams of becoming a business owner after she finishes school. But Lizzy is one of 1.3 million Honduran children whose access to education was compromised by the pandemic. When classes moved online in Honduras in March 2020, almost half of unenrolled households we surveyed lacked access to electronic devices and over 70% didn't have continual funds for internet access. “Sometimes I have money for internet data, sometimes not, which make it hard for me to learn,” Lizzy shared.

A safe, equitable learning environment is essential to Honduras’ recovery. So ASJ has analyzed national data to present a model for reopening schools focused on rural municipalities with vaccinated teachers, low COVID-19 rates, and low economic access to internet. Last month, the Honduran Ministry of Education announced that it would use a similar model to open schools in 51 municipalities for part-time classes! This move will benefit 18,000 students and is an encouraging step to our aim of education for Lizzy and every Honduran child.

See a sample of our presented proposal below, which shows the number of schools (escuelas) and teachers (maestros) in each Honduran municipality. Explore the full version of our proposal (in Spanish) here .

Dreams for Honduras

Wed, 18 Aug 2021 19:03:01 GMT

Every Honduran has a dream for the country:

Feeling safe at home

A good education

Trustworthy leaders

These dreams are born out of love and a vision for the future. And while they may seem lofty to some, they are our spark to work towards a more just society .

ASJ’s lawyers, social workers, and policy experts are working to get one step closer to these dreams every day. Learn what some of these dreams are in this video that cuts across city streets and mountains in Honduras to answer the question, "What will justice look like?"

The Journey of Justice for Berta Cáceres

Mon, 09 Aug 2021 18:52:24 GMT

For over two decades, Honduran activist Berta Cáceres defended indigenous communities' rights to live safely and flourish on their land. In 2016, she was assassinated for this dedication to justice. This July, an ex-dam company president David Castillo was found guilty for his role in the murder.

In this piece, ASJ lawyer Ruslan Espinal, who for years has accompanied members of Berta's family in the case, reflects on Berta's legacy and what this conviction means to him:

Ruslan : I have been immersed in Berta’s case since the day she was murdered, when the organization I work for as an attorney, the Association for a More Just Society (ASJ), assigned me to help get security measures in place to protect Berta’s family and then to work with them as they pushed the Honduran justice system to investigate the case. It has been a long and dangerous five years as the family (and I) were threatened because they refused to give up. It took three years of perseverance for the Attorney General’s office to convict the seven men directly involved in carrying out Berta’s murder.

Many thought the gunmen’s conviction was as much justice as we could get; that pushing for the intellectual authors to be tried was beyond a reasonable expectation in a country like Honduras. But Berta’s family and those of us fighting for justice refused to accept that reality. We continued to push and investigate and speak out. And today, we are one step closer.

This is why I believe David Castillo was convicted:

I am proud of Berta’s family for persevering despite the odds.

I am proud of the Honduran prosecutors who did their job well, when few expected them to.

I am proud to work for an organization that believes justice in Honduras is possible and works to make it happen.

I am proud of so many Hondurans who keep Berta’s legacy alive by speaking out against injustice, defending our country’s indigenous communities, and defying those who tell them they are powerless.

David Castillo’s conviction is not the end of this journey. Evidence that emerged in the trial points to the involvement of others more powerful than Castillo, to a higher chain of intellectual authorship of the crime. All those involved in Berta Cáceres’s murder need to be brought to justice and I believe that goal is attainable.

Ruslan Yupanky Espinal is a Honduran-born human rights attorney. He currently works as an Official for Human Rights at the Association for a More Just Society (ASJ) .

Seeking Justice Throughout Honduras

Sat, 24 Apr 2021 18:18:20 GMT

Explore ASJ's impact throughout Honduras in our new interactive map!

In a season when travel has kept us physically away from many of the communities that we care about, we are launching a new interactive map that will help you visualize our work all across Honduras! We hope this map will help you feel a part of the work to create a more just society in Honduras.

Through videos and photos, you’ll journey through the impact justice has on Honduras . You’ll see ASJ Co-Founder Jo Ann’s update on how we are helping families recover after hurricanes hit Honduras late last year. You’ll also get a dive into one of our most ambitious projects yet: an investigation into Honduras’ national electric company, whose corruption robs Hondurans.

At ASJ, we are deeply committed to a more just future for Honduras : a future where children play safely outside and all are free to live without violence and oppression. We hope this map will give you a clear vision of the impact that we are already having and our hopes for the future. We invite you to click below to explore the map.

Hurricane Rebuilding and Connecting with Communities

Thu, 01 Apr 2021 13:54:48 GMT

Promoting justice in the aftermath of Honduras' hurricanes

In the aftermath of November’s hurricanes , we are connecting with affected community members who are also part of our anti-violence programs. In a recent visit, we met with Alberto and Lidia* , whose roof was destroyed by the storm. This teasing, loving couple shared their fresh eggs with staff as we checked out their new roof, which was installed thanks to your generosity . We also learned how Alberto and Lidia shared beans and rice with neighbors who lost everything, a testament to their care in the midst of crisis.

Families like Alberto and Lidia are on our minds as we invest in post-hurricane recovery and vaccine transparency . We are already monitoring that vaccines are distributed according to priority in almost 100 health centers across the country.

*Names have been changed to protect the family’s privacy

Investigating Corruption in the Energy Sector

Thu, 01 Apr 2021 13:44:10 GMT

Understanding ASJ's work to investigate corruption and mismangement in the National Electric Company

Last year, ASJ dove into one of its most ambitious projects yet : an investigation into Honduras’ national electric company. Hondurans pay among the highest rates for electricity in the Americas, and this is in great part due to the agency’s corruption and mismanagement.

Corruption in electricity can be difficult to visualize, so we’ve created this video with an inside look at how it affects poor Hondurans .

Our New Name: We Are ASJ

Sat, 20 Feb 2021 15:21:03 GMT

We're excited to announce that we are changing our name to ASJ!

This new name honors our shared commitment to seeking justice alongside our Honduran partner.

Our U.S. organization (formerly known as AJS) has supported the work of ASJ-Honduras for over 20 years. Together, we have worked to build a more just society in the U.S. and Honduras. Now, under the shared name of ASJ, we will continue to seek justice together.

We invite you to click below to read more about the story behind our new name , check out the history of ASJ through a visual timeline , and find answers to your questions at our FAQ .

I f you have questions about what this means for our organization, we invite you to visit our FAQ page .

Loving Beyond Fear: A Reflection

Fri, 12 Feb 2021 17:38:39 GMT

A message from ASJ-US (formerly known as AJS) Executive Director Jill : This Valentine’s Day, it is my honor to share with you the words of my colleague and friend, Carlos Hernández (Executive Director of ASJ-Honduras). Carlos has dedicated over 20 years of his life to pursuing justice in Honduras, both as a faithful neighbor in a marginalized, resilient community and as an advocate at the highest level of government. Whenever we speak, he is both honest about the challenges we face and convinced in the power of fearless love to transform Honduras. Carlos inspires me to rethink what fearless love looks like in Honduras and my own U.S. community, and I hope you feel the same after his reflection. Thank you for joining us in choosing love in Honduras.

A special Valentine’s Day reflection from ASJ-Honduras Executive Director, Carlos Hernández

Despite the frightening situations I face, I have learned that fear does not need to get the final word. I can adopt the call of 1 John 4:18 and let love drive those fears away – to love in spite of fear, to love beyond it.

I love my family enough to know that the best example I can be for them is someone who does what is right despite the risks.

When we are fearful, we dwell on everything we could lose. We choose inaction, seek to elevate ourselves at another’s expense, and suspect that God’s presence and goodness only reside within the walls of our home, church, or community.

When we chose love beyond fear, we dwell on the promise of a more just world and use the tools we have to bring it closer to reality. We approach the unknown with the mindset of abundance (“There can be enough for everyone”) and seek others’ flourishing, knowing that in theirs lies our own. And we witness God’s love in unexpected places.

So in difficult moments, I choose to focus on everything love has done here in Honduras. I think of families who find justice after one of their family members was murdered. I think of community members standing up to demand better education and health services for their children. I think of the children in my community joining clubs that teach them that there is an alternative to the darkness of gang violence. Focusing on these things helps me to be a brave Christian and – it helps me to choose love beyond fear. On this day of love, let’s continue to love Honduras and fight for justice together.

Rebuilding after Hurricane Iota

Mon, 23 Nov 2020 18:52:22 GMT

*This article was written after Hurricane Iota reached Honduras on November 17. You can find information about the earlier Hurricane Eta's impact here .

In response to Hurricanes Eta and Iota's devastating impact on Central America, ASJ is partnering with groups across Honduras in relief and recovery.

Two weeks after Hurricane Eta, Hurricane Iota also left devastating impacts across Honduras and Central America (Photos from AP)

Today, Honduras weighs heavy on our hearts. J ust 13 days after Hurricane Eta, a second devastating storm hit Honduras and other Central American countries this week. This storm, Hurricane Iota , has again flooded communities and fields, taken lives, and forced many Hondurans to relocate to shelters.

The combined impact of these hurricanes on Honduras is devastating —socially, emotionally, and economically. They directly impacted over 3 million Hondurans and caused over $5 billion in damages (about 20% of Honduras’ GDP). My head can hardly wrap itself around these numbers and my heart is aching for those who lost their lives, homes, livelihoods, schools, and health clinics in the midst of a global pandemic.

The combined impact of these hurricanes on Honduras is devastating —socially, emotionally, and economically.

Honduras is in for years of recovery and ASJ (formerly known as AJS) is committed to helping the country rebuild by doing what we do well— working toward a more just society. Specifically, ASJ will be equipping other nonprofits in sexual abuse prevention, promoting access to education when many schools are now shelters, and monitoring national purchases for transparency.

Additionally, our investigative journalists are sharing impacted families' stories and calling attention to how national decisions and systems affect their lives. (You can read one of their stories here —English translation available through the Google Translate button).

So many of you have responded to support Honduras in this time and we thank you for your deep care and generosity. This is giving me hope amidst a difficult time. What also gives me hope is seeing how many Hondurans, especially teenagers and young adults, are mobilizing to show love to their neighbors. ASJ staff member Alejandra is one such example and she shares a message below .

Alejandra Vargas, one of our staff in Honduras, shares a message about the impact of Hurricanes Eta and Iota. She is one of the many young adults that have stepped up to coordinate relief efforts for fellow Hondurans.

Thank you for standing in solidarity —we will continue to keep you updated. While we know that the months ahead provide an important opportunity to advance justice and fearless love, that doesn’t change the fact that our hearts are heavy in this moment. This is a crucial season for ASJ and Honduras and we would love for you to come alongside us. Will you give a gift to support our long-term work of rebuilding Honduras?

Responding to Hurricane Eta with Love

Thu, 12 Nov 2020 14:56:42 GMT

*This article was written before a second storm - Hurricane Iota - passed through Honduras on November 17. You can find more information about Hurricane Iota here .

In response to Hurricane Eta's devastating impact on Central America, ASJ is partnering with groups across Honduras in relief and recovery.

(Photos from AP/Reuters)

Last week, Hurricane Eta swept through Central America, leaving behind heartbreaking damage. In Honduras, the resulting landslides, ruined crops, floods, and power outages have affected more than 1.7 million people. All this comes as Honduras is still responding to the economic and health challenges of COVID-19. As our hearts are heavy, we believe this is not a time to turn away, but rather a moment to respond with solidarity and fearless love.

Our Honduran colleagues have led the way in this fearless love , immediately checking in with families that participate in our Peace & Justice, Rescue, and Strong Communities programs and live in high-flooding zones. We’ve learned that 56 families’ (about 300 people) homes were significantly damaged or completely lost during the storm . We are now working with these families to provide food and clothing and plan for future housing.

This is a moment to respond with solidarity and fearless love.

Beyond assisting the families we work with, we are also collaborating with humanitarian groups in the national response. ASJ (formerly known as AJS) and its young adult coalition joined forces with 20 other groups to collect funds and goods for families living in shelters. They were able to use our office space as a drop-off site for hygiene items, baby supplies, clothes, bedding, and food. Their rapid, dedicated labor of love will be delivered throughout San Pedro Sula this week.

Top and bottom left: heavy flooding has threatened lives on Honduras' northern coast, including Honduras' second largest city, San Pedro Sula. Top right: Alejandra (in blue cap), a member of ASJ's young adult coalition, helps lead our response in caring for neighbors. Bottom right: A group of young Hondurans gather in ASJ's office to sort through clothes and supplies for survivors.

As we help care for our neighbors’ immediate needs, ASJ is also focusing on Honduras’ long-term recovery. When Hurricane Mitch passed through Honduras in 1998, we learned that a government's response in the aftermath of a tragedy is crucial for the protection of the vulnerable. Our team of lawyers and policy experts are monitoring the government’s decisions and calling for accountability so that those most affected will not be forgotten in the weeks to come.

Author and philosopher Cornel West once said, “justice is what love looks like in public.” We want this love, not Hurricane Eta, to have the final word in Honduras. Today, you can stand with Hondurans by supporting ongoing hurricane relief efforts, as well as the restoration process. Will you give a gift to support our work in providing hurricane relief and rebuilding Honduras?

Turning the Lights on for Justice

Wed, 04 Nov 2020 21:09:52 GMT

One of ASJ's most important investigations tackles a historic source of corruption: Honduras' electric company

Honduran Executive Director Carlos Hernández (far right), and Justice Sector Director Kenneth Madrid (far left) appear on Honduras' top morning news show to discuss our report on the national electric company.

Around the world, families depend on electricity to cook, access water, study, and connect with their communities. Yet Honduran families pay the highest rates for electricity in Latin America, often more than their monthly income.

After over six months of intensive research, ASJ (formerly known as AJS) released one of the most important investigations in our history that links this burden to corruption in Honduras’ national electric company. Honduras loses about 30% of its electricity to companies and large estates that cheat the system, a loss adding up to over $400 million a year.

Honduras loses about 30% of its electricity to theft every year, with devastating effects on the poor.

This theft affects Hondurans, especially those living in poverty, in major ways. To make up the loss, the government increases families' monthly electricity bills and uses tax money to subsidize the failing electric company.

The impact of these actions stretches beyond the energy sector, as the money used to keep the system afloat is enough to hire thousands of teachers or nurses.

Energy has also contributed to social and environmental conflicts across Honduras.

Because many politically and economically powerful families profit from energy, it is not a popular subject for justice organizations to pursue. But we believe it is a critical one to resolve.

From appearing on morning news to holding forums with the private sector and government, we are committed to advocating for steady, affordable, and sustainable energy for Hondurans. This is one of the largest investigations ASJ has tackled in our history—stay tuned as this story continues to develop.

Searching for Transparency in Health

Wed, 04 Nov 2020 21:01:20 GMT

How ASJ is working for a stronger health system in response to COVID-19

For years, ASJ (formerly known as AJS) has conducted more than 15 national transparency reports that shed light on how the Honduran government can better provide health, security, and education.

When COVID-19 cases appeared in Honduras, we knew the poor would be the most impacted and that it was essential to examine whether the national response was benefiting the public good.

With this conviction, ASJ started auditing $80 million worth of purchases by one government institution called INVEST-H .

Purchases audited by ASJ:

COVID-19 test kits

Mobile hospitals

Ventilators

Biosecurity equipment

Over 20 staff members with expertise in medical purchases and data analysis worked tirelessly to compare these purchases’ prices, quality, and delivery times. We called suppliers across the world, studied best practices from the region, and tracked down paper trails for corruption. After months of investigation, we were greatly disturbed to see how INVEST-H’s lack of planning and nontransparent decision-making had put more Hondurans at risk.

For example, INVEST-H bought incomplete COVID-19 test kits and improperly stored them, causing them to spoil. In addition, it invested in over-priced mobile hospitals instead of existing hospitals, only for them to arrive months late. Because of this work and the advocacy of many, the director of INVEST-H has since been arrested on charges of misuse of public funds.

As we mourn how corruption results in loss of life, we don’t give up hope that things can change. We know that Honduran institutions can be equipped to protect public health, because we’ve seen it done well. In 2013, ASJ accompanied Honduras’ Health Ministry and the UN in creating a special body to transparently manage certain medicine purchases.

This trust also made purchases during the pandemic and complied with transparency protocols 93% of the time!

It may just seem like paperwork, but these transparent processes make a big difference in the lives of Hondurans seeking safe, affordable medicines and care. We continue to call for reforms that will make the Honduran health system work for everyone.

See the full list of our COVID-19 purchasing reports in Spanish >

Walking Alongside Communities

Thu, 29 Oct 2020 21:21:43 GMT

We may be working from home, but that hasn’t stopped ASJ (formerly known as AJS) from connecting with the communities where we work in Tegucigalpa! While both our staff and community members have felt the weight of this season – caring for sick family members, tending children, feeling isolated – our staff has gone above and beyond to stay in the lives of some 300 families.

Through a messaging app, our staff continue to hold weekly sessions with our youth clubs, offering emotional support, homework assistance, and conflict resolution lessons.

We also conduct periodic online surveys with community members on their access to food, health, and education, allowing us to identify how we can best support them and advocate for them.

Staying in such close contact with community members helped us clearly detect the challenges our dedicated youth club members face to remain in school. When we learned that parents were debating taking their children out of school so they could redirect money for mobile data to food, we supplied internet packages.

Throughout this journey, we’ve been humbled by the way community members are leading the work of justice. Community auditors who monitor local schools and health clinics are still gathering virtually for training – even many of our soon-to-graduate teenagers are getting involved!

Another encouraging example comes from a department in western Honduras that has shown incredible dedication in not leaving any child behind. As we work with this department, we admire how teachers give lessons on radio and TV, and even personally deliver workbooks to homes without internet access. When a corner store owner learned that five children living on a mountainside had no access to internet, she invited them to use her business' TV for their studies. At a time when many students are dropping out of school, this department’s commitment has brought 790 more students to class!

As the Honduran school year comes to an end in November, we are turning our attention to creatively imagining what a safe return to school could look like when classes start again in February. ASJ is collaborating with teacher unions, youth-focused non-profits, and a major university so that we can identify needed investments in infrastructure, materials, and training. Together, we hope to contribute to an environment that helps families recover and hope in a more just future.

COVID-19 IN HONDURAS

info@ajs-us.org (ASJ For A More Just Society) — Wed, 30 Sep 2020 16:46:59 GMT

In the midst of COVID-19 challenges, ASJ continues to do justice in communities and at the national level in Honduras.

As of August 2020, Latin America was quickly becoming the global epicenter of COVID-19 – the region accounts for only 8% of the world’s population, but it has accounted for 30% of global fatalities.

In Honduras, the first cases of COVID-19 were reported on March 11, 2020, and within a few days, the country went into strict lockdown. Non-essential businesses were shut down, and citizens were restricted to leave their homes only once every two weeks. Many Hondurans, who were already struggling with unemployment and poverty , have struggled to put food on the table or have even been forced into homelessness . This graph from Our World in Data shows how the number of COVID-19 cases in Honduras has grown since the initial outbreak.

Honduras has an extremely weak health system , which prevents those with coronavirus from receiving proper treatment. Over 80% of Hondurans use only public hospitals and clinics when they are sick, but corruption and government inefficiencies have crippled the health system. Some coronavirus patients have been turned away from hospitals that are too full to care for more patients.

How We're Responding

We continue to stand up for justice in Honduras, even in the midst of COVID-19. Learn how we’re doing justice.

Supporting Vulnerable Communities

Helping Students Get Back to School

“Not all students can have access to internet.” – Javier, 17 years old

“My mom chose to pull my little brother out of school this year, because of lack of communication from the teacher.” – Cristian, 23 years old

“I have helped my little neighbors by tutoring them. We should be asking the Ministry of Education to promote literacy again.” – Edna, 14 years old

We are working with organizations like World Vision and Compassion International to ask the Ministry of Education to better plan, invest, and coordinate with communities in order to serve students. We’re advocating for creative solutions, like the use of radio and TV to access more students, that will prevent public school students from falling behind in their studies or leaving school altogether.

Updated September 2020

Ambassadors Of Change In Their Communities

Mon, 28 Sep 2020 18:24:14 GMT

For years, ASJ (formerly known as AJS) has been equipping parents, grandparents, and students to stand up for change in their communities through social auditing. Now during the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve seen how these social auditors truly have become leaders for justice in their communities.

What is social auditing? It is when citizens come together to monitor, evaluate, and follow up the management of local institutions, like schools and health clinics. Ultimately, social auditing leads to stronger institutions that transparently and effectively serve the community.

Social auditors like Keybi show up at local schools and health clinics to build stronger systems. They ensure that teachers are showing up at their children’s schools and doctors have critical medications on-hand for patients. This critical work not only addresses corruption at the local level, but it means that even those living in the most marginalized neighborhoods of Honduras have access to quality, affordable education and medical care .

As the COVID-19 pandemic hit Honduras this year, life for Hondurans completely changed – especially in the vulnerable neighborhoods where we work. Many community members lost their jobs, and the strict lockdown contributed to feelings of fear and uncertainty .

A recent survey in the neighborhoods where we work found that 46% of respondents had a family member with a suspected case of COVID-19 – showing how the pandemic impacts poor communities.

In the midst of uncertainty, though, our social auditors have stepped up to lead their communities through a time of crisis.

Our social auditors have become health ambassadors to their communities – sharing information about COVID-19 symptoms with their neighbors, educating them about how to protect themselves from COVID-19, and showing up at health centers to hold doctors and nurses accountable to best practices. In fact, many of those same neighbors have started coming to our social auditors when they receive substandard medical care, so that the social auditors are able to advocate for change.

Justice Today And During COVID-19

Wed, 03 Jun 2020 18:24:15 GMT

A Letter from ASJ Co-Founder Jo Ann Van Engen

Dear friends,

It’s raining in Honduras. Not big news for most of you, but here, where we haven’t seen a drop of rain since January and the skies have been thick with smoke, it feels like a miracle. Kurt and I keep marveling at how green everything looks and how the clear sky goes for miles. It’s a well-timed reminder that no situation is permanent and that God continues to refresh and renew.

These last two months quarantining in Honduras have been challenging. We have been forced to think hard about what doing justice in Honduras looks like during this COVID-19 crisis.

The hard fact is that 80% of Hondurans use only government hospitals and clinics when they are sick. That means fighting the COVID-19 epidemic must focus on strengthening the national health system – something ASJ (formerly known as AJS) has been working at for almost 20 years. When the Honduran government asked ASJ to monitor its COVID-19 purchases – ventilators, mobile hospitals, and test kits – we realized it was one of the best ways we could do justice for Honduras’ most vulnerable people.

Last week, after hundreds of hours of investigation, we held a virtual press conference, and over 600 people tuned in to hear what we had found. We reported the good news – that the government had purchased good-quality test kits and ventilators at a good price. But, we also reported the bad news – that the lack of a strategic plan to distribute, install, and use those test kits and equipment threatened to put all Hondurans at risk.

We are hopeful that our report pointing out the gaps in the government’s response, along with clear recommendations for how to address those problems, will lead to corrections that will save the lives of vulnerable people. And that feels like what justice looks like during this crisis.

But, justice is also about seeing the needs of your neighbors close at hand. When the quarantine started, ASJ staff was immediately concerned that the hundreds of at-risk families in our Impact Clubs and Strong Families program would no longer have a way to put food on the table. So they immediately started checking in with the parents and kids in our programs and delivering cash and groceries to make sure no one would go hungry.

Those two examples – showing up at the door of at-risk families with food and sitting down with the President of Honduras to tell him where things are going wrong – are good examples of how ASJ sees its mission: being brave Christians doing justice for the most vulnerable.

I started writing this letter last week from my home in Tegucigalpa – focused on what doing justice in Honduras looks like in this moment of crisis. I am finishing it today in Grand Rapids, Michigan, heartsick at the scenes of rage and conflict playing out in cities all around the U.S. this past week. The reaction we are seeing is a clear sign that something is very wrong and, much as we might like to, we may not turn our backs on the problem. Long decades of injustice and racism in our society and in our criminal justice system have led to this place.

Today, I think we have to figure out what doing justice looks like in Grand Rapids and in our cities in this moment. It is helpful to clean up broken glass on our city streets, but it must go beyond that. We need to find ways to strengthen systems in the U.S., to hold police accountable when they break the law, and to root out structural racism where we find it.

We are not experts (although ASJ staff in Honduras successfully led police reform there), so we must learn from those organizations who have worked long years to understand and find solutions to these problems. These issues are complex but we have no choice but to fix them and that requires that we really ask ourselves how God is calling us to do justice in this moment. Kurt and I and ASJ-US are committed to doing that, and we hope that you will join us.

Responding To COVID-19 With Fearless Love

Fri, 20 Mar 2020 18:28:31 GMT

We are all living in uncertain times where things are changing and fear can be overwhelming. Our mission is to do justice, love fearlessly, and inspire others to do the same. Though our day-to-day has changed, we are taking several measures to ensure the wellbeing of all our staff during this time, as well as finding new ways to live out our mission and inspire others to do the same in the context our world is facing.

For our ASJ-US (formerly known as AJS) team, this looks like allowing a more flexible schedule for our staff, giving them the time to serve the communities they are in and ensuring that they have healthy support systems. We are also focusing on the ideas of loving fearlessly, relationships, and the most vulnerable, which are driving our actions in the coming weeks. We have created a webpage that promotes various ways to love fearlessly , our ASJ-US staff is being intentional in supporting our wider ASJ community, and we will be hosting a Virtual Celebration event to share ASJ’s journey, which we invite you to join!

Our ASJ-Honduras partners report that they are doing well and are adjusting to continuing their work for justice from home while Tegucigalpa is under quarantine. The Transform Honduras alliance has met with the World Health Organization (WHO) to get a sense of the health issues around the COVID-19 response in Honduras and will be meeting with the minister of health to help shape the government’s response and monitor its implementation of the process. ASJ-Honduras’s education team is also at work taking advantage of the temporary closure of all Honduran schools by pushing for a second registration to get as many of the 1.1 million children currently out of the system back in school as soon as possible.

Grateful For You: ASJ Funding Update

Wed, 04 Mar 2020 18:29:34 GMT

A fundraising update from ASJ-US Executive Director, Jill Stoltzfus

Many of you have been asking how ASJ-Honduras (formerly known as AJS-Honduras) is doing financially after the sudden and unanticipated budget cuts last year. The short answer to that question is: God is so good!

When we learned last year that the U.S. government had suddenly decided to cut all funds to Honduras, we felt shocked, overwhelmed, and so discouraged. For ASJ, that decision meant we would lose more than half of our budget. It meant we would have to close good programs and lay off almost half of our hard-working staff. It felt like a crisis we could not fix.

But then, we shared what was happening with all of you and you immediately began to respond. You asked good questions, pledged to pray and write letters, and gave so generously that we were completely blown away. Our discouragement gave way to immense gratitude as hundreds of you showed your support for ASJ’s justice work in Honduras.

I like numbers, so here are some that show how generously you gave. Within 44 days of the announcement about aid being cut, you sent us our entire annual budget. We now have committed to send $1.2 million dollars more to Honduras in 2020 than we had expected. All of this will help to fill the financial gap left by the loss of our U.S. government funds.

When I was in Honduras last month for the building dedication (which was pretty awesome), I was talking to Kurt and he put it like this:

“Shortly after we found out that our funding was going to be cut in half, we put together eight budget scenarios, from worst to best, based on how much money we were able to raise. These scenarios were pragmatic and even our best case scenario still meant we’d need to cut staff, as we didn’t think it would be possible to find all the funding we were losing. Each scenario detailed what programs and staff would be cut and what we could keep. It was such a depressing task and those numbers woke me up many a night.

But, then ASJ supporters showed up and we have now blown past even our most optimistic scenario. We are so grateful, and what I didn’t realize was how much that support would mean for our Honduran staff who were feeling unjustly attacked and unappreciated. It lifted their spirits and renewed their commitment to their work. For them it was especially significant to meet so many of you in Honduras last month, it made that support and this ASJ community so much more real to them.”

But, all this good news doesn’t mean we are out of the woods. While it’s much better than we expected, our budget is not where it was in 2019. 42 staff were still laid off, which means their colleagues must cover more tasks with fewer resources. And while we are working hard to get new long-term funds, that process is long and complex, meaning funding for our work in 2021 is not secure.

So, the long and the short of it is: Thank you so much for stepping up for ASJ when we needed you most. We are so grateful and humbled. And please stay with us for the long haul. Kurt likes to say the work of justice is hard, but not too hard; it takes a long time, but not too long. We hope you will partner with us for the long, hard, beautiful work of bringing God’s justice to Honduras.

Standing Up, Speaking Out

Tue, 26 Nov 2019 18:31:26 GMT

Since 2005, ASJ (formerly known as AJS) has helped over 700 people find justice and hope after violence. Our homicide investigation and victim care program is so effective, a recent study estimated it saves six lives every month . Rosa is just one of many whose lives have been changed through this project, and who is now contributing to a safer community.

Rosa’s smooth face makes it difficult to believe she has great-grandchildren. She’s lived nearly her whole life in a sprawling Honduran community which has historically struggled with violence.

Despite the gang violence in her neighborhood, Rosa worked hard to carve out a happy space for her five children. Rosa’s life changed forever when a gang member fatally shot her husband inside their family home. Rosa knew who was responsible, but she was paralyzed. “I didn’t know whether to cry or to shout or what to do,” she said, “I was so afraid.”

But sure enough, Mateo showed up the next day to help her box up her possessions. She felt much calmer in her new house, which was in the same neighborhood, but away from the crossfire of the warring gangs.

Encouraged by Mateo’s kindness, Rosa began attending the therapy sessions he recommended to help her process her grief and fear. “ I have steadily recovered over these two years, ” she now says confidently. ASJ staff then offered to help her testify against one of the responsible gunmen, who had been arrested due to ASJ’s collaboration with the police.

Though Rosa was scared, she trusted ASJ to protect her and agreed to testify.

Together, she and Mateo created elaborate alibis so that no one in her community would suspect that she was collaborating on a case. ASJ staff drove Rosa to court and earned permission for her to testify as a protected witness, which meant she could give her testimony draped in long black robes, with a voice distorter to hide her identity. “I felt like a mummy!” Rosa remembers. “When I testified, I was at first so nervous, but I steeled myself and concentrated on what I had to do. They asked why I wanted to testify. I said, I have no motive other than seeing that they stop killing people. We’re tired of so much death. ”

Advocating For Justice In Washington D.C.

Tue, 26 Nov 2019 18:30:44 GMT

Earlier this month, our Executive Director Jill Stoltzfus represented ASJ (formerly known as AJS) in Washington D.C., as leaders from across the country gathered to discuss the future of immigration.

In an event organized by the National Immigration Forum and the Evangelical Immigration Table, faith leaders, business leaders, and law enforcement discussed how to respond to immigration with compassion and justice. Jill participated in a panel about the root causes of Central America migration.

She had the opportunity to share about how violence and corruption have created instability and insecurity for Hondurans, especially for the most poor and vulnerable.

ASJ’s work to strengthen government systems is crucial in making an impact in Hondurans’ access to safety, justice, and a life full of opportunities.

Jill also met with congressional offices to advocate for U.S. policies that are informed by the realities in Central America. In these meetings, she and other faith leaders discussed migration’s push factors, as well as the impact of U.S. aid in Honduras. The Executive Branch’s recent decision to cut aid to Honduras hinders ASJ’s ability to work for peace and transparency, and we are advocating for the restoration of aid to Honduras as promptly as possible.

While Central American migration continues to be at the forefront of U.S. news and politics, ASJ stands firm in our commitment to building a stronger society in Honduras – one that allows safe communities and bright futures.

Support ASJ In A Time Of Crucial Need

Thu, 24 Oct 2019 18:33:33 GMT

A letter from ASJ-US Executive Director Jill Stoltzfus

Dear Supporters,

This is not the letter I planned to send you this month. A few months ago, I was busily making a mental list of all the amazing things going on at ASJ-Honduras (formerly known as AJS-Honduras) that I wanted to tell you about—a former president’s wife sentenced for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from a children’s fund, hundreds of high-level politicians indicted for corruption, and real progress in plans to replicate ASJ violence prevention programs. And, of course, the opening of ASJ’s new office building. All of those things are happening. And they are exciting.

But, decisions made in Washington D.C. over the last few months have put the work of ASJ-Honduras (and hundreds of other non-profit organizations) in jeopardy. And sadly, that news must take precedence today.

I asked Kurt Ver Beek, ASJ-Honduras co-founder and board president to explain what is happening.

On March 30, President Trump, frustrated by increased immigration from Central America, announced that he was cutting all aid to Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. We watched anxiously as State Department officials in charge of distributing the aid (the vast majority of which goes to non-profit organizations, not the Honduran government) tried to figure out how they should carry out such an unprecedented decision. We hoped and prayed the decision would be reversed. It was not.

Eight months later, all aid was cut. For ASJ-Honduras, this means that the contracts we signed with the U.S. government to carry out our violence prevention and anti-corruption programs have been cancelled. We are fully funded through the end of the year, but as of January 1st, we will have to lay off almost half of our staff and close down innovative and effective programs . It’s frustrating because after so many years of learning how to do justice in Honduras, we felt like we were on a roll. So many good things are happening.

We are confident that this setback is temporary and we have been working hard to minimize its impact. We have reassessed program priorities and searched diligently for new grants and funding. I am happy with the new strategies we have put together since the announcement and I’m very optimistic about new funding sources that will sustain us in the long term; but the reality is that we will still have a funding shortage on January 1 and the prospect of firing staff and pausing effective programs is pretty devastating.

The decision to cut aid was unexpected and disheartening. But, if there is one thing we have learned over the last twenty years, it is that God is faithful, and often in ways we don’t expect.

-Kurt Ver Beek, ASJ Co-Founder

We believe in the justice work ASJ is doing and are committed to doing all that we can to make sure it is not interrupted. We trust that new agreements with new partners will be signed over the next year which will secure our programs over the long-term.

This is a huge answer to prayer. But, these agreements will take time to be finalized. We need your help to fill the short-term funding gap that will hit this January when U.S. government funding ends.

Will you give generously to meet this unexpected need so that ASJ staff can continue to do justice in Honduras?

What does this short-term funding gap mean?

Last year, ASJ-Honduras had a budget of $4.2 million, of which we were receiving about $2 million from the U.S. government. Currently, we anticipate a budget of approximately $2.5 million next year and will need to reduce full-time staff from 130 to 80.

We have worked hard to come up with various scenarios for different program cuts based on how much we are able to raise from now until the end of December. The U.S. government was funding many of our violence intervention and prevention programs. Specifically, here are a few of the examples of projects that remain high program priorities but will be cut due to a lack of funds.

San Pedro Sula Violence Intervention Programs

Strong Communities Program

If you have more questions about this short-term funding gap, we invite you to participate in a call with ASJ-US and ASJ-Honduras leadership (see dates and times below).

Wednesday, October 30, 7:00 PM EDT
Tuesday, November 5, 12:00 PM EST
+1 (646) 749-3129
Access Code: 354-757-381

In addition, you may visit our FAQ page at www.asj-us.org/aid-faq or contact us at info@asj-us.org or 1-800-897-1135.

Reasons For Hope: Reforming State Institutions

Mon, 30 Sep 2019 18:34:01 GMT

When ASJ (formerly known as AJS) started working to make Honduras a more just society, we quickly realized that fighting corruption was essential to protecting the poor and vulnerable . Inefficiency and intentional misuse of public resources robbed education, health, and legal services from those who depended on them the most. We knew that an improved Security Sector would create a police force equipped to guard citizen safety and reduce violence, and working with the Education and Health Sectors would improve Hondurans’ access to quality education and hospitals. Still, for many, corruption seemed unshakeable.

In the words of one ASJ employee, “If you had told me when I started working at ASJ that we would try to transform state institutions, I would have said that you’re crazy!”

However, our work with government institutions has shown us that transforming systems is not as far-off of an idea as it seems. ASJ has always sought to promote improvement in institutions, but this work became even stronger in 2014 when ASJ signed a “Transparency Agreement” with Transparency International and the Honduran government . This agreement allowed us to perform a systematic review of Honduras’ most important institutions to help make these institutions more effective.

How do we evaluate state institutions? First, we complete a thorough evaluation of each institution in areas such as their productivity, transparency, human resources, inclusion of vulnerable groups, citizen treatment, and use of statistics. By reviewing their procedures and practices, we are able to see the strengths and weaknesses of each institution and give them a performance score. We make this information available to the public, and then we offer concrete recommendations and technical assistance to implement those changes.

At first, Honduran institutions scored an average of 33%, revealing the ways in which many of these institutions were failing to serve the Honduran population. But after five years of ASJ evaluations, the average score has improved by 30%! While there is still much work to be done, this improvement gives us hope it is possible to reform state institutions, which ultimately, positively impacts Hondurans’ lives.

Change in the Property Institute

The Property Institute is in charge of delivering land titles to Hondurans. When we started evaluating the Property Institute, it received a score of just 19%, revealing the huge problems that existed. For example, we reviewed 5,000 land titles submitted to the Property Institute, and every single one of them had irregularities.

After the Property Institute implemented ASJ’s plan for improvement, none of the land titles had irregularities! Additionally, several employees were arrested for acts of corruption,and new procedures were instituted to help families with their land titles. In 2018, the Property Institute scored 80% in its evaluation. Ultimately, ASJ’s transparency evaluations are creating lasting change and building trust for the Honduran people.

As one public official from the Property Institute said, “In the long-term, these exercises of accountability and social auditing generate social impact that citizens can feel,…protect the population’s property, and give [citizens] legal security.” For example, ASJ’s work in this important institution helped save over 400 families in one community from unjust eviction.

Change in state institutions is creating real impact for Honduras , and the improvements we’ve already seen remind us that transforming systems is possible.

Reasons For Hope: Transforming Communities

Mon, 30 Sep 2019 05:29:45 GMT

When you read the news about Honduras, you may be tempted to feel hopeless about the country’s situation. But focusing on these negative reports only tells part of the story. Honduras has already made incredible strides towards justice and transparency, and ASJ’s (formerly known as AJS) work over the past 20 years has shown us that change is possible even in challenging places.

When we started, it might have seemed like rooting out injustice was a hopeless pursuit. But these transformations prove that doing justice is not too difficult and that change is possible.

Advocating For Better Education: Karol’s Story

Fri, 27 Sep 2019 07:34:55 GMT

How joining a social auditing group inspired Karol to become a community leader and pursue a university degree

One morning, Karol Rodríguez* heard about the opportunity to attend community gatherings in a local church. As a mother of three, Karol had precious little free time, but she managed to make it to one lively meeting.

ASJ In New York Times – Support Honduras Now

Fri, 26 Jul 2019 07:42:30 GMT

A letter from ASJ Co-Founders Kurt Ver Beek and Jo Ann Van Engen

Today the New York Times published an opinion piece by Sonia Nazario, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and our good friend. For those of us who love Honduras, it is not an easy read. The article paints a bracing picture of gang control and corruption within the Honduran health, education, and security sectors and how it affects individual lives in Honduras. Sonia highlights the work of ASJ (formerly known as AJS) and cites Honduran staff along with ASJ-US board member and former ambassador, James Nealon.

Sonia’s opinion piece comes in response to the recent decision by the US government to cut all aid to Honduras (as well as Guatemala and El Salvador) as an attempt to stem the flow of Hondurans to the US border. She argues that the problems Honduras faces are a result of rampant corruption and if the US wants Honduras to improve, it should support initiatives that combat that corruption – and we agree.

The stories of corruption in the article focus on Nueva Suyapa, the community where we have lived the past 20 years. We know the people Sonia mentions and the struggles they face every day. This is a difficult reality to read, but it is accurate.

Thankfully, it is not the whole story. There is so much good that goes unmentioned – in our neighborhood of Nueva Suyapa and in Honduras as a whole. So many Hondurans are committed to stopping the corruption that is bringing down their country and we see that every day as well.

Kurt and I have a deep and abiding hope that Honduras will one day be a place where all its people flourish. This hope does not come from a place of gullibility or an unwillingness to face facts, but from our experience over the last 20 years working for justice with our Honduran colleagues.

We have hope because God is in control and He is a God who blesses efforts to bring justice where injustice reigns.

We have hope because so many of our Honduran friends and colleagues have not lost hope. People like the bus owner in Sonia’s article who keeps calling the police to catch the gangs who are extorting him, and the overworked mother who keeps showing up at her son’s school to make sure the teachers show up. People like our best friend, Carlos Hernández, who speak truth even to the highest powers of Honduras including President Juan Orlando Hernández.

And, we have hope because we have seen that when people stand up, change happens.

Omar Rivera and the police purge commission removed over 5,000 corrupt police from a 13,000 member force
A coordinated and creative effort brought homicide rates down by over 50% in five years and led to the Honduran police adopting ASJ’ innovative community-based model for violence reduction
An ASJ outcry over a shady bidding process halted the awarding of a 10-year, $9 million a year medicine contract due to lack of transparency

We have learned a few things in our work in Honduras that help us to hold on to hope even when the news is hard to hear: Lesson one is that when we push forward for justice, those who are abusing power will push back. That pushback comes through in Sonia’s reporting and perhaps signals that we have started to make some positive change.

Second, change is fragile and we must stand vigilant to protect and build on the progress we make.

Now is the time to sustain change, to continue to stand with brave Hondurans who are fighting daily to make Honduras a better place. Sonia’s piece mentioned the threats to ASJ funding, due to the cuts of US government aid, and the need to continue ASJ’s work. Will you consider a gift to support us and to stand with Hondurans in this crucial time?

Miriam Mondragon: Impacting Honduran Communities

Wed, 17 Apr 2019 07:59:26 GMT

ASJ’s (formerly known as AJS) impact clubs reach hundreds of children each year in some of Honduras’ most challenging communities . But our dream is even bigger – we want to equip other churches and organizations to use our methodology in their own communities, impacting children across Honduras to be peacemakers and agents of change. One of the principal leaders behind this replication movement has been Miriam Mondragon , who recently returned to her home country Sweden after nearly 14 years of work with ASJ. While we will miss her in our Honduran office, the project she led is only just beginning.

Miriam has been a tireless supporter of ASJ’s community programs since she joined the organization in 2005.

Seeing the pressures that children faced in Honduras’ most violent neighborhoods, a challenge weighed on her heart – “Who will reach these children first?” she asked herself, “The gangs, or the church?”

Whether it was helping to pass new legislation or quietly arranging to provide uniforms and school supplies to ASJ’s impact club children, her coworkers remember, “She always found a way.”

Partnering For Justice With The Ambassador

Tue, 09 Apr 2019 08:41:41 GMT

ASJ’s (formerly known as AJS) justice work flourishes thanks to our partnership with justice-seekers – from our faithful supporters to our talented board members.

One such partnership is with former U.S. ambassador to Honduras and ASJ Board member James Nealon. As ambassador for three years, Nealon regularly cooperated with ASJ to work for change in the Honduran government. Now he’s back in the U.S, joining his voice with ours to speak up for justice.

Nealon remembers: “As I began working with the Honduran government to strengthen weak Honduran systems and reduce violence, I bumped into ASJ at every turn.”

As it became clear that we shared common goals, ASJ and Nealon collaborated on various justice initiatives. We worked to make the selection of Honduran judges more transparent, a process that resulted in what Nealon calls, “the least corrupt court in Honduras’ history.” When ASJ joined the national police purge, Nealon’s office worked to share information and help speak up in favor of the process.

From helping to train a new investigative police unit to encouraging the creation of an independent international anti-corruption task force, ASJ and Nealon’s joint efforts will impact justice in Honduras for years to come. As the newest member of ASJ’s Board of Directors, Nealon continues to contribute to justice in Honduras with his three decades of experience in international affairs.

Just this February, Nealon joined ASJ in a series of presentations on justice before hundreds of people in Grand Rapids and Chicago. In front of one group, he reminded us, “ Justice and sustainable, positive change is a long game, but with commitment and focus over time, it’s possible!”

If you live in the Grand Rapids, Michigan area, you can hear from Ambassador Nealon at our Celebration of Justice on April 11! Find more details and RSVP on www.asj-us.org/celebration .

Support Honduras Now

Tue, 02 Apr 2019 09:04:39 GMT

A special reflection from ASJ Co-Founders Kurt Ver Beek and Jo Ann Van Engen

Last Friday, President Trump instructed the State Department to cut off all aid to Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala in response to the caravans traveling to the United States.

We are devastated by this decision . In the last 5 years, ASJ (formerly known as AJS) has worked so hard to find ways to decrease violence and strengthen Honduran institutions. These efforts are creating a safer Honduras where people won’t feel the need to leave. ASJ staff has been instrumental in purging and restructuring the police , in calling for the arrest and extradition of drug traffickers, and in revamping the public health and education systems.

This work has been difficult and complicated but we have made so much progress. Cutting these US funds, which support the work we and many others do, jeopardizes all the hard-fought progress we have made.

This progress is the work of brave committed Hondurans who are risking their lives to build a better country, where Hondurans don’t feel the need to flee. The possibility that we may lose all the progress we have worked so hard to achieve, is infuriating and counterproductive and so very sad. We strongly believe it is wrong and short-sighted. In the words of Blanca Munguia, ASJ Director of the Social Sector:

When I heard the news, I felt so sad. My thoughts immediately went to our beneficiaries – the children, mothers, and families we work with and in whom we invest through our community programs. It would be a shame considering that these resources are used in programs that help people grow in their communities, and improve education and health.

-Blanca Munguía, ASJ-Honduras Director of the Social Sector

We know from years of experience that justice and systemic reform do not happen overnight, they take time and patience. However, we have already begun to harvest the fruit of this work: homicides are down by over 50% in five years, Honduran kids are getting over 200 days of class a year, a former first lady and many other “untouchables” are in jail on corruption charges.

But, we also know that this progress is fragile and must be nurtured, so we have made good, solid plans for how to continue pushing for reform.

We have so much work yet to do, but without funds, our work and progress in Honduras is in grave jeopardy.

Today we need you now more than ever. Will you join with us in solidarity and in faith that Honduras can continue to change? There a number of ways you can help: Send in a gift , write a note to our staff in Honduras, share a message of solidarity on Facebook , forward this message. Show our team in Honduras that we are with them in seeking justice in Honduras.

Thank you for your trust and your commitment.

Que Dios le bendiga,

Kurt Ver Beek and Jo Ann Van Engen

ASJ Featured On Television Stations Across The United States

Tue, 26 Feb 2019 12:24:44 GMT

A group of U.S. broadcast journalists recently visited ASJ (formerly known as AJS) in Honduras to learn more about what we are doing to reduce violence and corruption, two of the root causes of migration from Honduras.

Now we’re excited to share that our work to make Honduras a more just society is being featured on local television stations across the United States this month!

About 30 years ago, Kurt Ver Beek and his family moved to Honduras. As they got to know their neighbors, they became increasingly aware of an unaddressed problem: violence. One day, one of Kurt’s neighbors was brutally killed.

He remembers,

“A few months went by and ended up 13 more people got killed. That’s after we knew who the murderers were. We had a witness, but we didn’t know what to do with that.”

Kurt and his friend Carlos Hernández were compelled to stand up to violence in their community. Together they organized a team of brave Hondurans – a lawyer, a psychologist, and an investigator – to help victim’s families and murder witnesses feel safe enough to testify. They also provided technical support to improve the police’s investigations of crimes. Over time, murders in the neighborhood dropped from about 42 to a year to 8 a year!

Next, the ASJ team decided to tackle the police, long known for being either corrupt or ineffective. Alongside other civil society groups, ASJ participated in a national commission to purge and transform the national police.

The commission evaluated every single police officer, and as a result, Kurt reports,

“They’ve ended up firing over 5,000 out of a total of 13,000 cops. That’s almost half of the police force.”

Now the ASJ team is working to make sure police officers operate ethically and effectively in Honduras. We invite you to watch and share this video as we continue the work of reducing violence and making systems work in Honduras. Thank you for supporting the work of these change-makers!

An ASJ Throwback: Fighting For Justice With Afro-Honduran Communities

Tue, 26 Feb 2019 10:36:02 GMT

One of our staff members reported at the time that, “it appeared justice was up for sale to the highest bidder.”

Soon afterward, Ruguma asked for ASJ’s help to resolve the border dispute. We made the 12-hour drive to the community, bringing national attention to the injustice. We also provided technical equipment and support in GPS mapping Ruguma’s land. With an official map, Ruguma could prove their claim to their ancestral land.

When in 2002, Ruguma received an government-approved copy of their map, revealing they were entitled to more land than even they had thought!

Today, Ruguma continues to be a site of resistance to protect the livelihood and lands of Garifuna people. Inspired by our early casework with communities like Ruguma, ASJ has continually worked to reform the Property Institute, the government institution responsible for titling land. Last year, an ASJ investigation reported that the Property Institute’s performance had increased by 61% in four years. This is good news for all of Honduras, and for the future of resilient black and indigenous communities like Ruguma.

Meet Nelsy: An ASJ Volunteer Transforming Her Community

Tue, 26 Feb 2019 10:13:26 GMT

With training from ASJ, a young woman advocates for peace and justice.

Hi Nelsy, thanks for being willing to share about how you are doing justice in your community! Can you tell us about where you live?

For the past few years, I’ve lived in Santa Rosa de Copan. It’s a beautiful, colonial-style town with cobbled streets. Santa Rosa is known throughout Honduras for its connection to Mayan history, its excellent coffee, and its unique cuisine.

What has motivated you to work for justice in this community?

In the midst of my community’s beauty, many people – especially young people – are suffering from violence. Though violence here is lower than Honduras’ larger cities, we struggle with child sexual abuse and domestic violence – two issues that I’m very passionate about. Compounding this problem is the ineffectiveness of many public officials. I know of situations where an abused woman has gone to the police but they urge her to go home and forgive her abuser instead of filing a report.

Throughout my life, I’ve also suffered violence personally. One day, I was at home alone, and three armed men broke in. They would have raped me if my stepfather had not suddenly arrived home. Instead, they beat him and tied the two of us up. I thought, “Well, this is where my life ends.” Another time, my cousin and I were kidnapped when we entered a taxi outside a university. Fortunately, in both situations, we were saved.

My 10-year-old nephew has inspired me the most to work for justice. One day, he told me, “Auntie, I want the Honduras I love to come back.”

And knowing someone that young is already conscious of violence, alongside my personal experiences, made me reflect, “What is happening to my country? Why do we have to suffer this way?” And that made me ask, “What can I do?”

How did your passion for justice lead you to ASJ and how did ASJ develop you as a community leader?

After that, I felt affirmed as a leader by ASJ and motivated by my love for Honduras to help teenagers in my community.

ASJ taught me how to survey my community, and how to perform audits of local government [a replication of ASJ’s national work to reform the police and increase transparency in government institutions]. Thanks to their workshops, I’ve also learned how to clearly and boldly speak with media. Now, I’m the coordinator of ASJ’s youth chapter in my community and I oversee about 25-38 teenage volunteers who share my commitment to justice.

With ASJ providing resources, training, and walking alongside you, what have you been able to contribute to your community?

After three years of involvement with ASJ’ local youth chapter and contributing to a culture of peace and justice, what are your hopes for your community, for Honduras, and for your future?

I hope that my community and country can change and be a place where people can walk peacefully in the streets without fear. We need to root out even the smallest injustices and corruption. And I hope teenagers are empowered to know they can change the status quo and prevent the trauma that violence causes. If we work together, I know my country can change.

Personally, I want to continue learning about citizen security.

Thanks to ASJ, I was introduced to a topic that is now my passion.

N ow I’m in my final year of university, and my final project is researching how the justice system in my town can better serve us citizens. As I continue learning how this system works, I want to learn how to propose more solutions that resolve conflicts and create peace.

*This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Purging And Transformation Of The Honduran National Police Force

Mon, 18 Feb 2019 09:56:04 GMT

Context, Progress, and a Vision for the Future

Read the full report here.

Distrust in the Honduran National Police

Civilian trust in the Honduran National Police has plummeted over the past few decades as rates of crime and corruption have soared. In 2010, Honduras’s homicide rate reached a record high of 86.5 homicides per 100,000 people. Between 2010 and 2014, Honduras topped the list of the world’s most dangerous peacetime nations. This violence, seemingly unchecked by government intervention, has led to low trust in government institutions, particularly in public security.

Mistrust in the police stems in part from perceptions of the National Police as a weak institution.

Honduras has the lowest ratio of police to population size in Central America, at just half the international standard set by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime UNODC. The Honduran National Police has not had sufficient resources to outfit its officers with equipment such as patrol cars and weapons. The weakness of the institution left it vulnerable to corruption, which infiltrated the National Police at every level from the highest-ranking directors to low-ranking patrol officers.

As police reports in 2016 confirmed, low-ranking officers accepted bribes to ignore crimes ranging from traffic violations to murder. Officers hijacked cars from citizens, dealt drugs for gangs, and lent out their services as hitmen.

Several emblematic cases of police corruption demonstrate the criminal activity and impunity that historically flourished in the National Police In 2011, university students Carlos David Pineda and Rafael Alejandro Vargas Castellanos, son of the Chancellor of the National Autonomous University of Honduras, Julieta Castellanos, were murdered by patrol officers when the officers attempted to hijack their car.

High-ranking officials of the National Police have been involved in international drug trafficking and have planned and executed high-profile murders, which were sometimes carried out by other police working as hitmen. Their crimes included the assassination of prosecuting attorneys Orlan Chávez in 2013, and Marlene Banegas and Olga Patricia Eufragio in 2014. In 2009, police officers ambushed anti-drug czar Arístides González on his morning commute just months after he had arrested twelve officers for their involvement in a cocaine deal. Hitman attacked and killed organized crime expert Landaverde on the same street in 2014.

The National Police not only failed to respond to the security needs of its citizens, it was itself a danger to society. To make matters worse, the orchestrators and perpetrators of crimes committed by the police were well known to the public.

No one led any significant effort to investigate or prosecute the widespread corruption within the police force. With the protectors of society acting as perpetrators, the nation desperately required a radical transformation of its police force.

Historical Context: Three Attempts at Police Reform

Since 2000, the Honduran government has made three major attempts to respond to the pressing issue of police corruption and ineffectiveness by reforming the National Police. Former Secretary of Security Gautama Fonseca carried out the first attempt to eradicate police corruption. He removed 2,090 police. However, Fonseca did not conduct the reform within the legal framework of Honduras’s labor law.

Some of the officers who had been removed successfully sued the State for a lack of due process and more than three hundred police were reinstated into the police force. The State was forced to pay L.480 million ($20,772,027 USD) for lost wages.

In 2012, the National Congress created the Commission to Reform Public Security (Comisión de Reforma de la Seguridad Pública – CRSP) to revise both the security and justice systems. The Commission proposed reforms, including seven major legal proposals, to various public ministries including the National Police, the Public Prosecutor’s Office, and the Supreme Court of Justice.

It was unable, however, to translate the proposals into action. The State spent a total of 41 million lempiras (USD $1,784,936) on the efforts of the commission, Nonetheless, the program closed in 2014 without having removed a single police officer and without acquiring approval for any of its legal reforms.

From 2012 to 2015, the Department of Investigation and Evaluation of the Police Force (Dirección de Investigación y Evaluación de la Carrera Policial – DIECP) set out toward the same goal of reforming the police under the direction of Eduardo Villanueva and in 2016 under the direction of Óscar Vásquez Tercer. In four years, the DIECP evaluated 8,546 police.

However, the evaluation process resulted in the removal of only 227 police, all of whom were low-ranking officers. Their efforts cost the State a total of L. 180.9 million (USD $7,875,489). Furthermore, as the majority of the police removed were low ranking, the orchestrators of major crimes and corruption in the police force remained untouched.

The Scandal that Broke the Camel’s Back

In April 2016, the New York Times published an article on a Honduran police scandal that revealed the deep corruption of the National Police before an international audience. The reports, which included investigations and evidence from the previous seven years, implicated two active generals and 25 active police officers in the 2009 murder of antidrug czar Julián Arístides González, among other crimes.

Transcripts from interviews as well as footage from a surveillance video showed blatant evidence that the Director of the Police Jose Ramírez del Cid and the head of Police Analysis José Rigoberto Hernández Lanza casually planned out the heinous crime with the participation of 25 uniformed police officers in the office of Del Cid. Drug trafficker Winter Blanco hired the police to kill Arístides Gonzáles at the price of just L. 400,000 ($20,000 USD).

Investigations confirmed the connection of high-level police to a number of other high-profile murders that had remained in impunity for up to five years.

Among them were the assassinations of attorneys Orlan Chávez, Marlene Banegas, and Olga Patricia Eufragio. Reports also confirmed that police were responsible for the murder of Carlos David Pineda and Rafael Alejandro Vargas Castellanos.

Police were responsible for a number of other crimes including massacres, murders, kidnappings, extortion, arbitrary arrest, armed robbery, carjacking, and attacks on the media. Investigations connected at least 38 high-ranking police and 43 patrol officers with the MS13 gang, 18 of who were involved in the murders of Aristídes González and Gustavo Alfredo Landaverde.

Members of the National Police were also responsible for crimes of public corruption. For example, police patrol car driver Ramón Edgardo Luque was lending money to other police far beyond the capacity he should have had as a driver. In 2015, a court sentenced Luque to five years in prison for the illicit enrichment of L. 10.3 million ($443,700 USD).

The Special Commission for Police Reform

The international scandal pushed the administration of President Juan Orlando Hernandez to respond to the flagrant corruption. The administration proposed to Congress the creation of a special commission for the purging and reform of the National Police. Congress passed the legislation and gave the Special Commission for Police Reform one year to evaluate the police force and make recommendations for change.

The first major decision of the Commission was to begin an investigation at the very top with the highest-ranking police officers and work their way down to the bottom. In doing so, they would avoid the mistakes of previous attempts at reform that failed to assess high-ranking officers and of corruption. Throughout the process, the Commission has been careful to follow the legal framework of the labor code.

The Commission began the process at the top by reviewing nine generals. They removed six. Over the next two months, they reviewed 418 police in the next four highest ranks of the National Police and removed 155 high-ranking officials.

By September 2018, two years after the process began, the Commission had removed 5,635 officers from the police force, 47% of whom were high-ranking officials. The only cost for this thorough process has been severance pay for removed police, which has totaled L.800 million (USD $32,523,600).

Besides removing thousands of evaluated officers in the force, the Special Commission for Police Reform also removed police who were involved in high profile crimes including those who had planned and carried out the murders of Arístides González, Vargas Castellanos, Marlene Banegas, and Olga Patricia Eufragio. About seventeen officials and seven patrol officers have also been removed from the police force for their involvement with the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang.

The Commission seeks to not only purge but also transform the national police force. As such, it has incorporated 9,823 new officers under new strict requirements and improved training. The Commission also helped pass two new laws that improve the human rights focus and hiring processes for police officers. The Commission’s mandate was recently extended until January 2019, ensuring that these reforms will take root in Honduras.

Read more about the diagnosis of problems and our proposals for solutions in the full plan .

Published November 2016; Updated February 2019

Loving Beyond Fear

Thu, 14 Feb 2019 10:19:07 GMT

A special Valentine’s Day reflection from ASJ-Honduras Executive Director, Carlos Hernández

I love my family enough to know that the best example I can be for them is someone who does what is right despite the risks.

W hen we are fearful, we dwell on everything we could lose. When we are brave, we dwell on everything we can gain. In difficult moments, I choose to focus on everything love has done here in Honduras.

I think of families who find justice after one of their family members was murdered. I think of community members standing up to demand better education and health services for their children. I think of the children in my community joining clubs that teach them that there is an alternative to the darkness of gang violence. Focusing on these things helps me to be a brave Christian and – it helps me to love fearlessly. On this day of love, let’s continue to love Honduras and fight for justice together.

Building Hope, Growing Justice Updates

Wed, 13 Feb 2019 10:32:25 GMT

For over 20 years, ASJ (formerly known as AJS) has worked to reduce violence and make systems stronger in Honduras. Now we’re looking forward to the next step of our story – a secure, modest home for justice that will be a symbol of our hope that through our prayers, our dreams, and our work, we can bring about a more just society here in Honduras.

Check out our Building Updates page to get a behind-the-scenes look we celebrate God’s faithfulness. Keep coming back to this page to see new building video updates!

Kurt Ver Beek: Standing Up To Violence In My Community

Thu, 03 Jan 2019 10:40:44 GMT

What would you do if your neighbors were being killed — and you knew who was responsible? Kurt Ver Beek, co-founder of the Association for a More Just Society (ASJ, formerly known as AJS), shares about the context of violence in his Honduran community, and about the early days of ASJ’s life-saving homicide investigation program .

Transforming Education In Honduras: One Mother’s Story

Fri, 21 Dec 2018 10:52:17 GMT

The sky is still dark at 4am, when Keybi Salinas wakes up in the morning. She prepares breakfast and lunch for her family, wakes her 14-year-old son Roger, and irons his school uniform. At 6:30am, she walks with him to the public high school a few blocks away, and then her workday begins.

Most days, Keybi will spend hours grinding pounds of corn into a fine yellow flour, mixing it with water and salt, and forming the dough into flat circles that will become the fresh, warm tortillas she sells to her neighbors.

Today, however, Keybi leaves her work behind to don a neon-green vest and official lanyard and walk to another public school. For the past two years, she has volunteered as a community auditor, trained by ASJ (formerly knonw as AJS) to ensure that her local schools are giving children the quality of education they deserve.

It can be exhausting to find time for this extra work on top of managing her tortilla stand and looking after her family, but for Keybi, it’s worth it to know she is part of measurable changes in her neighbors’ education.

Keybi wants nothing more than to see her son graduate from high school and attend university, where he already dreams of studying civil engineering. Keybi works tirelessly to help her son achieve this goal, but her hopes for her community are even larger.

“Not all children have the same blessing of having parents that fight for their education,” she says. She sees herself as part of a force that ensuring better education for her entire community.

Meet Keybi

ASJ began training community auditors in 2016, and thanks to the tireless work of volunteers like Keybi, have already seen measurable change in the public schools and health centers where they work.

ASJ trains auditors to intervene in dozens of public schools, where they track the number of days in class, the number of hours in each school day, and check the teachers’ payrolls against teachers’ attendance, looking for people who collect paychecks without showing up to work.

Keybi and other auditors show up unannounced as many as two or three times per week to track the length of classes, the length of the school day, and anything else they observe. Their regular presence helps hold schools accountable to their responsibilities.

On one of her first visits to one school that was supposed let out at noon, Keybi noticed parents lining up to pick up their children at 11 am. Teachers hushed the children who asked about leaving early, and taught for an extra hour, as they were supposed to. Now, Keybi says, teachers teach until noon every day, five extra hours of instruction each week.

People sometimes ask Keybi why she spends so much time at schools where she doesn’t have children enrolled. She says parents have told her to “not mess with things that don’t matter to you.”

“How could this not matter to me?” she asks, “Children are our present and our future,” she says, “If we have quality education, our community and our country will change.”

Will You Support Healing Justice In Honduras?

Mon, 17 Dec 2018 11:18:52 GMT

By Jill (VanBeek) Stoltzfus, ASJ-US (formerly known as AJS) Executive Director

I firmly believe that, because I’ve already seen how God is using my ASJ colleagues to bring justice and significant improvements to the Honduran health system.

When blood pressure medication was discovered to contain mostly chalk, ASJ helped to create a new way of purchasing quality medication that is now overseen by the United Nations. I know that this is a huge step forward in rooting out corruption and ensuring that quality medication reaches patients.

When corrupt officials stole medicines, ASJ’s investigations held them accountable and several of them are now awaiting trial. I know this sets a precedent for holding those in power accountable.

And, I am most excited about the recent news that the President of Honduras asked ASJ to form part of a group leading the transformation of the national health system. This intervention alone has enormous potential to affect millions of lives!

While my visit to the hospital was hard, it also made clear to me how important it is that God is working through ASJ in Honduras and bringing justice that will bring health to the poor who so desperately need it.

We have a long way to go, but with your partnership, we are committed to the long- term journey of justice healing the Honduran health system.

The Death Of The Guardian

Fri, 30 Nov 2018 11:29:23 GMT

This article was originally published on laguardiana.revistazo.com , a project of Revistazo, ASJ-Honduras’ alternative journalism website. Visit the English version of the site for more about Berta Cáceres’ life, her cause, and the trial against those who murdered her.

It was late at night on March 2, 2016, when Berta Cáceres, renowned Honduran activist, said goodnight to her houseguest. She and Gustavo Castro, an environmentalist from Mexico, had been running a workshop all day and had stayed up late to get more work done

Berta walked down the hall and turned left into her bedroom. Her small green house sat in the neighborhood El Líbano, nestled against the hills on the outskirts of La Esperanza, a colonial town in western Honduras. For most of her life, Berta had lived with her mother. But with the mounting threats in the past year, Berta had decided, just a couple of months earlier, that it was safer for her mother if Berta moved out on her own.

Castro stayed up a little longer working in bed in the guestroom. Sometime after 11:30 p.m., he heard a noise outside. Someone was walking around the perimeter of the house.

Berta heard the footsteps too. Castro heard her call out, “Who’s there?”’

Then a loud bang sounded in the kitchen as the back door came crashing in. Within seconds, a man was standing in the doorway of the guest bedroom holding a gun. A second man rushed pashed him and headed down the hall toward Berta’s room.

THE ROAD TO MURDER

At 7:51 a.m. that morning, four men met together in La Ceiba, a beach town on Honduras’ Caribbean coast, according to telephone data analyzed by the International Advisory Group of Experts (GAIPE, by its Spanish acronym). The group was comprised of Oscar Torres; Elvin Rápalo, a construction worker and experienced assassin; Edilson Duarte Meza, a former infantry captain; and Henry Hernández, a former sergeant in the armed forces and the leader of the crew.

Within the next year, all four men would be arrested for the murder of Berta Caceres.

The group set out together on the six-hour drive to La Esperanza. On the road, Hernández placed a couple of phone calls to Douglas Bustillo, a former army lietenant who through 2015 had served as chief of security for DESA, an energy company.

Berta, who was known as “the guardian of the rivers”, had been a fierce protestor of DESA and the hydroelectric dam that the company was building on the Gualcarque River in a rural region with a large indigenous population about 25 miles north of La Esperanza. As the director of COPINH, an indigenous and environmental rights organization, Berta and fellow activists opposed the dam that had invaded the space without consulting the local indigenous population, as stipulated in Honduran law through the ILO Convention 169.

Supporters of COPINH and members of the local communities had blocked the roads to the dam’s construction site in April of 2013, after DESA continued to build the dam without completing the consultation. Multiple clashes had transpired between the community members and the company’s employees. Berta had filed complaints with the government alleging that the dam and 41 other energy projects had violated indigenous rights.

Soon after filing this complaint, Berta began to receive death threats. Due to the gravity of the threats, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) granted Berta precautionary measures with which gave her the right to constant protection by the Honduran government.

For a few weeks, Bustillo and Hernández had been visiting La Esperanza and keeping tabs on the movements of Berta and other COPINH members with the help of Sergio Rodríguez, DESA’s environmental engineer. Text messages , published by GAIPE, show detailed accounts of the activists’ activities that were sent between DESA directors and employees starting in May of 2015. Rodríguez sent a message the day before the murder noting the movements of COPINH members after a workshop.

Just before 4:00 p.m. on March 2, the group of men arrived in La Esperanza. They would leave the city at 11:38 p.m. that night.

MURDER

Six shots rang out from Berta’s bedroom. The man standing before Castro pointed his gun at Castro’s head and pulled the trigger. Castro dove to the floor. One bullet hit his left ear and another grazed his shoulder.

He lay still until he heard the man walk out of the room, and then heard both gunmen rush out of the house through the backdoor they had entered through.

When he heard them leave, Castro got to his feet and went to Berta’s room. He found her bleeding on the floor. She asked him to call for help. Minutes later, Berta died in his arms.

According to the GAIPE report , the autopsy reported three bullet wounds in Berta’s chest. Police found two other bullets in the back wall of the bedroom and one in the doorframe of the bathroom to the left of the bed.

Back on the road, Hernández made another phone call to Bustillo. He called Bustillo twice more in the next hour.

THE MORNING AFTER

At 4:00 a.m., Berta’s brother, Gustavo Cáceres, was startled awake by the sound of the phone ringing. He picked it up and heard the shaky voice of his mother.

“She said that they killed Bertita and asked me to find out for sure,” remembers Cáceres, his eyes red with tears. “I said, ‘It can’t be true.’”

A friend and politician from Tegucigalpa had somehow gotten ahold of the news and had contacted Berta’s mother.

The family arrived at Berta’s house shortly after and found her body still lying on the bedroom floor. According to Berta’s daughter, Olivia Zuniga, the house was filled with police. With all of the people moving in and out, Berta’s mother says that she suspected that the crime scene had already been tampered with.

The Minister of Security made a public statement early in the morning. He claimed that the murder was a crime of passion, suggesting that an ex-lover of Berta had tried to kill her and Castro.

“Even a Minister of Security, a public official, can say such things,” says Zuniga. “It was six in the morning when he was giving these statements, and my mother’s body still had not been taken away from the crime scene. I can say that because I was there. Yet, he dared to say it was a crime of passion.”

Zuniga claims that someone at the crime scene snuck a pair of Berta’s underwear into Castro’s backpack to corroborate the minister’s story.

In his statements, the Minister of Security, Julián Pacheco, also responded to the issue of the protective measures that, according to the Inter-American Human Rights Commission, the Honduran Government was supposed to be providing to Berta. He stated that Berta had denied the constant police protection, but a police officer did patrol her movements in her hometown. He claimed that the lack of protection on that fatal night had been due to an error in her registered address.

Contrary to the minister’s account, Berta’s mother claims that the police did know where Berta lived, and that they patrolled her neighborhood every night.

“They did their rounds at nine with a patrol car, but they did not pass by that night,” she tells Revistazo.

MURDER CHARGES

As of the time this article was published, nine men have been charged with the murder of Berta Cáceres. Five were arrested in Operation Jaguar on May 2, 2016, two months after the assassination. Those five included Bustillo, Rodríguez, Duarte, Duarte’s twin brother Emerson Duarte, and Major Mariano Díaz Chavez, a military intelligence officer who served in the 15th Battalion with Hernández.

Emerson Duarte was arrested after the murder weapon was discovered in his home. The writers of the GAIPE report, however, state that they found no evidence for his involvement in the crime other than his relation to one of the other suspects.

Rápalo was arrested in September of that year, and Hernández and Torres were captured in January and February of 2017, respectively, nearly a year after the assassination took place.

Those eight men all faced trial in 2017. However, the Public Prosecutor’s Office failed to share its investigation and evidence with the private prosecuting attorneys representing Berta’s family. (In Honduras’ legal system, private accusers may represent victims and work alongside public prosecutors in criminal prosecutions.) The lack of cooperation made it difficult for the attorneys to proceed with their arguments, and the trials were delayed multiple times.

Currently, four of the accused—Hernández, Edilson Duarte, Emerson Duarte, and Torres—are still awaiting a preliminary hearing. On June 13th, a judge declared that the case of the other four suspects—Bustillo, Rodríguez, Rápalo, and Chavez—would go on to a Public Trial.

Believing that the assassination orders came from higher up in DESA’s socially, economically, and politically powerful administration, national and international activists and media have heavily criticized the case for the lack of arrests of an intellectual author

Then, on March 2, 2018, on the two-year anniversary of the murder, the Public Prosecutor’s Office announced the arrest of DESA’s president, Roberto David Castillo .

Castillo is now awaiting trial. His arrest has brought some hope that the assassination of Honduras’s guardian of the rivers will come to justice.

On November 29th, the Honduran Attorney General’s office announced the convictions of seven of the eight men initially charged with the murder of Berta Cáceres. For more on this ongoing story, follow the latest news on “Berta Cáceres: The Guardian” .

Anti-Corruption Tool Uncovers Overvalued Contracts And Fraudulent Contractors In Honduras

Tue, 27 Nov 2018 11:42:13 GMT

An ASJ study found that Honduras has lost as much as $200 million due to noncompetitive solar energy contracts
Solar energy contracts were awarded to people with political and drug trafficking links and no experience in solar energy
A business with proven connections to fraud and bribery in the public health continues to win government contracts, ASJ found
A new online tool released by ASJ will make irregular government contracting like this easier to identify

Open Businesses” (Empresas Abiertas) , a new anti-corruption tool launched by the Association for a More Just Society (ASJ, formerly known as AJS), is an online platform that allows anyone to search over 200,000 Honduran business registrations and identify each business’ partners, connections, and official registration documents.

The tool is the result of over two years of work by ASJ-Honduras, the Honduran chapter of Transparency International . The search tool gathers information from the Chambers of Commerce of Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula, Honduras’ two largest cities. All information is in the public domain, but previously, was only accessible through onerous in-person public information requests.

“What Open Businesses does is ensure that information that is public by law is also public in practice,” said Delia Ferreira, president of Transparency International , who traveled to Honduras to participate in the tool’s launch.

“We are saying internationally that we need to know who the real owners behind businesses are, and this tool allows us in Honduras to access this information with just three clicks on your computer.”

“It is an extremely useful tool for institutional investigators, for investigative journalists, and for business owners who want to know whether they are competing in an open process,” Ferreira continued. She also encouraged other Transparency International chapters to make use of the open-source tool.

Two investigations released by ASJ to coincide with the launch highlight the importance of Open Businesses for identifying and mapping criminal or fraudulent business networks. These studies illustrate irregularities in public contracting that have resulted in the loss of millions of dollars for the State and offer recommendations to make public contracting more transparent and effective in the future.

Overpaying for Solar Energy

Energy is more expensive in Honduras than in any other Central American country, while the state-owned National Electric Energy Company (ENEE) is currently running a deficit of approximately $458 million. “The financial situation of ENEE remains the primary fiscal challenge [in Honduras]…” the International Monetary Fund said in a June 2018 report . Contributing to these high prices are non-competitive and overvalued contracts with energy providers, particularly, one ASJ report showed, in solar energy.

On January 20th, 2014, the Honduran National Congress approved 23 contracts to 21 businesses to generate solar energy for the State. The companies were created, on average, just nine months before receiving government contracts – only two of these companies had ever participated in a previous bidding process for solar energy. Nor did the founders of these companies intend to manage them long-term: 17 of the 21 companies were sold within 15 months of receiving the government contract.

For example, ASJ’s study found that two individuals with political connections and no experience with solar energy opened 14 different solar energy businesses in August 2013, just five months before contracts were awarded. Six of these 14 companies were then awarded contracts, and the partners sold all six less than a month after receiving the contracts.

Because there was no competitive bidding process, these contracts were lucrative for the business owners. The Honduran Congress approved a base rate of $0.15 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of solar energy, which, with added incentives totaled $0.18 per kWh. By contrast, in 2014 the Latin American average energy price was $0.11 per kWh. El Salvador currently pays just $0.05 per kWh. A competitive bidding process that achieved a price closer to Latin American averages could have saved Honduras between $50 and 200 million over the past three years.

On November 21st, 2018, ASJ delivered a report on irregularities in solar energy to the Attorney General’s office, asking for the Attorney General to investigate accusations of irregularities and fraud. The report was also delivered to the Support Mission against Corruption and Impunity in Honduras (MACCIH).

In a public presentation, ASJ called for criminal investigation and the end of direct purchasing in favor of an open bidding process. ASJ also called for the cancelation or re-negotiation of solar energy contracts so as to obtain a more competitive price for the country.

Read here: ASJ’s Full Presentation on Irregularities in Solar Energy Contracts

Fraudulent Supplier Continues to Sell to the State

The second study presented by ASJ found that a company continued to win million-dollar government contracts even after it was discovered that they had bribed a public official. In 2011, the company Tecnologías Médicas Avanzadas (TECMA) paid social security director José Ramón Bertetty a $240,000 bribe to approve the purchase of ten modified minibusses valued at $26,000 on the market but sold to Honduras’ Social Security Hospital as ambulances for $68,000 each.

The modified buses included a cot and storage place for medical supplies, but none of the medical and surgical equipment required for a functional ambulance. When news about the overvalued purchase and the bribe came to light in 2014, Bertetty was arrested. After a conviction for bribery in 2015, he is serving seven years in prison.

ASJ-Honduras Website Explaining the Social Security Hospital Scandal (Spanish )

Despite the criminal behavior surrounding TECMA’s 2011 sales to the government, TECMA continued to win government contracts in the health and emergency response sectors, totaling approximately $7.6 million between 2011 and 2017.

Honduras does not currently prohibit businesses involved in fraud from contracting with the state in future bidding processes, which allowed TECMA to continue to win government contracts even after bribing public officials to accept overvalued contracts.

In addition, analysis done through the Open Businesses platform revealed that members of the TECMA partners’ immediate family owned two additional businesses which competed with TECMA for these same government contracts. These additional businesses earned approximately $1.2 million in government contracts between 2009 and 2017.

ASJ delivered reports of this case along with the reports of solar energy to the Honduran Attorney General and to the MACCIH. ASJ staff called for investigation and widespread reforms in public contracting procedure, including the consideration of a new state contracting law and the creation of a “blacklist” that would prevent companies involved in corruption from continuing to contract with the State. Finally, ASJ directors encouraged the use of the Open Businesses tool to investigate collusion or corruption in public contracting in the future.

Read here: ASJ’s Full Presentation on Irregularities in Health Contracts

The corruption identified in these reports affects millions of Honduras who depend on public systems. “Corruption kills, and this is why we cannot remain silent,” ASJ-Honduras Executive Director Carlos Hernández said, “This is why we have to denounce it.”

A Reflection On The Migrant Caravan

Tue, 23 Oct 2018 11:53:12 GMT

By Jo Ann Van Engen, ASJ Co-Founder

Honduras has struggled for more than a decade with rampant corruption and violence. A few years back, it earned the title “Murder Capital of the World” and the very real impact of government corruption can be seen in the poor quality of Honduras’ schools and hospitals. It is hard to find a job, hard to live in violent neighborhoods, and hard to watch government officials more interested in lining their own pockets than in improving the conditions of the country.

Honduras’ problems are big, but not impossible to solve.

ASJ has spent the last 20 years working to address violence, impunity, and injustice. For example, an ASJ-led police purge and a crack-down on drug trafficking and organized crime have brought the homicide rate down to half of what it was in 2012. Hard work by ASJ and other organizations is also bringing government corruption to light, which is the first step towards accountability and systems that work. We are seeing change. But for many of the poorest people in Honduras, this change is still understandably hard to believe in. If Honduras adds 20,000 jobs to its economy, but you still don’t have one – you are not going to feel that the economy is improving. If one month ten people are killed in your community, and the next month, it’s five, the difference is remarkable – but you don’t necessarily feel any safer.

The people walking in this caravan are both frustrated and hopeful – frustrated by the difficulties and injustices they face, and hopeful that they can walk toward something better.

I may not agree with the decision they have made, but I understand it, and my heart and prayers go out to them, just as my heart goes out to my friends here in Honduras who pray every single day that their children will be able to stay in school, find a job, and stay safe from the violence outside their doors.

As friends and supporters of ASJ, you have prayed with us repeatedly for this country. In this situation, we once again invite you to join us in prayer for the well-being and safety of this group currently walking north, as well as for the renewal of the systems in the country they have left behind.

I invite you to take a moment today to pray the following prayer — at the dinner table with your family, at work, with friends, in your church small group. Join me in covering this difficult situation in prayer.

In Christ,
Jo Ann Van Engen

Lord, we know you want the best for your children and you ask for us to want the same. Your plans are to prosper us and not to harm us. Still, this prospering can be difficult to see in our broken world.

Help us to see hurting people through your eyes and to empathize with those whose lives are so much more difficult that ours. In the face of crisis, help us to avoid becoming cynical, dismissive, and unfeeling. Help us to do all we can to make your kingdom come, in this situation, and in every situation of pain or injustice that we come across. Help us now, today, to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with you. Amen.

Learn more about the root causes of immigration from Honduras.

The Lawyer | How To Solve A Murder In Honduras

Sat, 15 Sep 2018 14:29:04 GMT

Chapter 5: Lawyers Take Evidence and Build a Case

ASJ (formerly known as AJS) lawyers represent vulnerable victims pro bono, and sometimes advocate for years as cases slowly move forward. In this way, they achieve victories in individual cases, but also show both citizens and officials that no case is too difficult to achieve justice.

As a lawyer, Kevin plays an essential role in solving murders and bringing justice. Unfortunately, Honduras’ courts operate far above capacity, and overworked, undercompensated judges and technical officers frequently dismiss cases because of technicalities. As a result, only 5% of murders in Honduras are ever solved. Yet, Kevin perseveres and “commits to make the system work for [victims and their families].”

Kevin saw the importance of this legal persistence in the emblematic investigation into the murder of Sonia. He remembers first hearing her story from a friend:

Sonia*, an entrepreneurial woman in her thirties, ran a business from her home cooking and delivering food. One day in 2012, Sonia was talking to her husband on the phone when she heard the doorbell ring. “That’s strange, it’s Alonso,” she said, referring to an ex-employee she had recently let go for his bad work ethic. Her husband heard Sonia walk to the front door to greet her old employee, and then the phone call dropped. After trying to call back several times, he had a neighbor look in.

The scene he found was horrifying. Alonso had murdered Sonia, who was four months pregnant, and her two other employees, Norma and María. Then he drove away.

Sonia’s family hired private lawyers and thought the case should have been straightforward. Sonia’s husband had heard Alonso’s voice over the phone, Alonso’s recent firing gave him motive, and there was physical evidence.

But the system failed. Alonso was not convicted and soon released from jail. After an appeal, in 2017, Honduras’ Supreme Court authorized the case to be re-opened and Kevin’s Peace and Justice team took on the case.

K evin believed there was a litany of errors in the initial case, “something deeply broken in the courts themselves that didn’t allow for a conviction,” he said. “It’s a chain – a poorly-managed crime scene, poor investigation, contaminated evidence, and the forensic medicine officials didn’t have a strong enough case during the trial.”

Kevin focused on finding uncontaminated scientific evidence, knowing it would be key to securing justice for Sonia’s family this time around. This was an innovative step for a lawyer to take in a country where courts rely almost exclusively on confessions and as a result, rarely achieve convictions. But Kevin’s plans were threatened when, the director of forensic medicine said, “all the people working under me, even the doctor who did the original autopsy, no longer work here.” Also missing were a detective who had unearthed important details of the case, and two other witnesses.

Kevin refused to be deterred. He drove dozens of hours across the country and went door to door in dangerous neighborhoods to find people with connections to the case to convince them to help.

Before and during trial, Kevin oversaw each part of the judicial system to make sure it did its job correctly. With his deep knowledge of the Honduran courts, he advised the forensic team and helped train the government’s prosecution team. His support went down to the smallest details. He laughs, “If they needed a USB or a cable, we had one. So there would be no pretext for them not to do their work.”

Last year, five years after Sonia’s murder, the courts sentenced Alonso to 80 years in prison. Kevin reflects, “It’s good to feel the satisfaction of knowing a family saw justice.”

This is just one of 295 cases Kevin and his colleagues have guided through Tegucigalpa’s courts system since 2013. ASJ has achieved twice the national average conviction rate in these cases, bringing hope to hundreds of families.

Kevin continues to be a dedicated, compassionate advocate for victims, remembering that, “Our work is this – to speak on victims’ behalf and to transmit to the authorities what they have to say and what they feel.”

The Police Official | How To Solve A Murder In Honduras

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 13:57:58 GMT

Chapter 4: Police Officials Partner with ASJ Staff

ASJ’s (formerly known as AJS) ultimate goal is to see government systems, including the police force, work well. The Peace and Justice project doesn’t try to do an end run around the National Police, but to accompany them, train them, and help them to do their job better. This attitude is appreciated by police officials, who welcome the resources and expertise that ASJ staff offer – and the convictions that they are able to achieve together.

Thirteen years ago, in 2005, Ruiz was working in the homicide department of Honduras’ capital city, Tegucigalpa, when a former colleague from the police force came to him with what seemed like a crazy suggestion. He said he now worked for a nonprofit organization called the Association for a More Just Society (ASJ) that wanted to help the investigative police solve murders in certain dangerous communities.

With additional resources and a more transparent force, Ruiz’s officers are better equipped to make progress on the as many as 2,000 cases that may be open at any time. As police officials do their job with excellence – by showing up when called, collecting forensic evidence well, or taking down testimonies with compassion – they gain a community’s trust.

This newfound trust opens the door for them to make more arrests, bring more cases to trial, and protect witnesses, informants, and the surrounding community.

As repeat offenders are taken off the street and it becomes clear that murder has a consequence, homicides in communities drop.

First in Tegucigalpa, and now in San Pedro Sula, Ruiz has seen this change first-hand. He notes that despite the changes, “people are skeptical,” he says, “People are affected by the media that says we are not doing our job. Now for people whose cases we resolve, they have a different idea. That’s maybe ten people out of a thousand. But that’s still ten, and they can spread the word and say , [the police] are people you can trust. At least that’s the mission.”

Ruiz recognizes that ASJ plays a big role in helping them earn that trust, something he values greatly.

“It says in our constitution that the most important right is the right to life, and we need to care for the lives of people,” he says, “This organization helps us do that.”

The Information Analyst | How To Solve A Murder In Honduras

Thu, 13 Sep 2018 13:37:03 GMT

Chapter 3: Information Analysts Track Information & Further Investigations

Information Analysts with ASJ's (formerly known as AJS) Peace and Justice Project compile leads and evidence lawyers and investigators learn through their fieldwork and from witnesses. With their digital database, they are able to analyze who a suspect might be and bring down criminal networks.

Bianca, a young woman whose degree in IT and concern for at-risk communities led her to ASJ, is passionate about her work as an information analyst. She knows how essential uncovering clues on suspects is to solving homicides and protecting families. Unfortunately, a mixture of corruption, lack of training, and huge case backlogs means the Honduran police often fail to rigorously investigate murders. When the police do collect information, “they save it on paper, and when the paper was easily ruined, you lost your information,” Bianca observes. As a result, only 5% of homicides in Honduras are solved every year.

With this wealth of information, Bianca provides direction as ASJ criminal investigators and lawyers pursue the young man with the gelled hair. He is the last remaining suspect in a murder carried out by an older man with three accomplices. The lawyer and investigator think he is the son of the older man, but they aren’t sure of his name. So they call Bianca and she searches what links he has in the database.

Thin red and blue lines stretch across her computer screen, connecting pieces of evidence she has entered into the system. Typing up a single name may turn up a voice recording or a picture. Clicking that result may next lead to a report of a scuffle in an area of known gang activity.

As she analyzes the intersecting relationships, Bianca says, “I create a spider web.”

These are remarkable changes, but Bianca is most proud of how cases like the investigation into the last missing suspect, “share hope with those who had lost it.”

Days turned into weeks as Bianca collected and organized information on the older man’s entire family tree. She eventually discovered the young man’s name was “Ivan.” But no one in the older man’s family had the name Ivan.

“It would have been easy to feel defeated,” Bianca acknowledges. But she says, “I went back to my desk…and started to investigate the [primary suspect’s] wife’s family.” Scanning the digital family tree, she found out that the main suspect’s wife had a son by another marriage. His name? Ivan.

Eventually, the spider web catches someone. Bianca and her team are currently awaiting this suspect’s trial.

These types of investigations result in more suspects identified and thus more perpetrators losing their power to terrorize communities. In the years Bianca’s ASJ team has worked in several San Pedro Sula communities, they have solved murders at double the government’s success rate.

Solving these investigative puzzle often takes Bianca months. But for Bianca, it’s all worth it to, “bring hope and light to families who have already given up hope that their case has a resolution.”

The Investigator | How To Solve A Murder In Honduras

Wed, 12 Sep 2018 13:18:01 GMT

Chapter 2: Criminal Investigators Connect with Witnesses and Uncover Evidence

Investigators with ASJ's (formerly known as AJS) Peace and Justice Project accompany police officers as they investigate a crime, helping them identify suspects and know when they have enough information to issue an arrest warrant. Perhaps most importantly, they act as a trusted bridge between victims and authorities, giving witnesses the confidence to report crimes and share their testimony.

“Case files were a single sheet of paper,” Mateo says with disappointment. He pulls one from 2013 from a large binder. “Homicide,” the sheet said, noting the name, age, and occupation of the victim, but little else: “perpetrator unknown.”

With another investigator, Mateo began to do a careful study of the region, sending his discoveries to ASJ’s information analyst . Five different gangs operate in Barrio Viejo, and they have divided the area into zigzagging territories with invisible but fiercely-defended borders. Mateo and the rest of the ASJ team began to take photos, gather information, and carry out interviews about the criminal structures operating in the community.

This technical information would be essential to future victories in the community, but just as important to those victories was something often overlooked in police stations – the kindness and compassion with which ASJ staff treated victims like Rosa and their families.

Soon after ASJ began working in Barrio Viejo, Mateo visited the local police station, where he found officers speaking aggressively to a visibly-frustrated young woman. Mateo intervened and asked to speak with her.

“They’re treating me like a criminal!” she complained to him, insisting she had information to share, but continuing to talk in circles. Mateo listened patiently. “Okay, I trust you,” she said after almost an hour, “I’ll give you the information because I like how you’re treating me.”

Mateo sees informants as long-term collaborators . “We don’t just talk to beneficiaries on the days we need something from them,” he says, “We’re always checking in with them, asking them how they are, how’s their family, how’s their neighborhood. It’s this treatment that makes the difference,” he says, “Seeing that people are more than another death, another number.”

People who don’t trust the police trust Mateo with reports of crime and violence, and the names of those responsible. In this way, Mateo acts as a bridge between government authorities and the community, helping both to learn how to work together.

New police officers particularly appreciate the input and expertise of the more-experienced criminal investigator. “They’ll take reports to us and ask ‘Is this missing anything?’” Mateo says, “We support them through the whole investigation.” While ASJ investigators cannot formally collect information, they often accompany the police investigator to the crime scene, the morgue, or the forensic medicine unit, noticing anomalies and suggesting routes of investigation for the police officer to take.

Mateo and his colleagues are often instrumental to arrests and convictions, but they don’t like to take credit for themselves. “We don’t want people just to trust us, but ultimately to trust the police, the attorney, and the judges,” he says.

Peace and Justice works to build up community members’ trust in the police, while also building up police capacity so that they can deserve that trust.

The difference has been remarkable. In ASJ’s first year in Barrio Viejo, they saw homicides drop by 50%. The area is still more violent than the national average, but attitudes are beginning to change.

“We are showing people that what they once felt was impossible, is now possible,” Mateo says.

The Witness | How To Solve A Murder In Honduras

Tue, 11 Sep 2018 12:39:59 GMT

Chapter 1: Witnesses and Informants Provide Crucial Information

Brave witnesses are crucial to convicting murderers in Honduras. Some of these witnesses later become community informants, providing Peace and Justice staff with important information and insight about crime in their neighborhood, and helping to solve even more cases.

Rosa’s life changed when a young man running from two gang members ran inside her family home to hide. One of the gang members followed him in, but in confusion, shot Rosa’s husband. “Idiot, you got the wrong guy!” the second gang member called out, but it was too late. Her husband had already been shot eight times.

Rosa was paralyzed. Though she’d managed to hide herself in the next room, she clearly identified the young men responsible. “I didn’t know whether to cry or to shout or what to do,” she said, “I was so afraid.”

Eventually, police arrived, but only to take Rosa’s husband to the hospital. She rode along with him and they had barely arrived at the hospital when she felt his grip on her hand loosen.

Encouraged by Mateo’s kindness, Rosa began attending therapy sessions to help her manage her grief and shock. At first, she couldn’t hear a gunshot without becoming paralyzed and locking down her house. “There was sort of a mental block,” she says, “I couldn’t go out into the street.”

Rosa’s visits with the psychologist helped her feel more in control of her own life. “I have recovered excellently in these two years,” she now says confidently.

“When I testified, I was so nervous at first, but I steeled myself and concentrated on what I had to do,” Rosa remembers. When the defense lawyer questioned why she was so interested in giving her testimony, trying to get her to reveal something about her identity, she remained firm, saying simply: “We’re tired of so much death.” The ASJ staff earned permission for Rosa to testify as a protected witness, which meant she could give her testimony draped in long black robes, with a voice distorter to hide her identity.

Rosa is confident that she never would have given this testimony if she didn’t have the support of ASJ’s criminal investigator . “I would be too afraid to give any of this information to the police,” she says, “If someone sees me talking to the police, they’ll kill me!”

In May 2018, two years after Rosa’s husband was murdered, the gunman was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Rosa’s eyewitness testimony was a crucial part of achieving this conviction.

Rosa is still in touch with Mateo, her psychologist, and many of the staff members from ASJ. What’s more, she has joined their network of community informants.

“When I see something that’s not right, I say ’here’s what’s going on,’ so that they can come in. If I see someone committing a crime, or know about a murder. I tell them exactly where it happened,” she says.

With eyes and ears like Rosa, ASJ investigators are able to gather information about criminal networks and sense trends of violence even before they occur. This helps contribute to lower incidences of homicide, which, for Rosa, is reason enough to continue in her support.

How To Solve A Murder In Honduras

Mon, 10 Sep 2018 12:18:14 GMT

It’s Time To Celebrate!

Thu, 02 Aug 2018 14:40:37 GMT

Excavation on the land has already begun (see pictures below), and in the coming months, we will begin to see walls raised, parking spaces leveled, and a roof put on this space that will facilitate the work of our Honduran staff for many years to come.

First and foremost, we give our thanks to God, without whose grace and guidance none of this work would be possible. We are deeply grateful for each one of the 448 people who contributed to our capital campaign.

We also want to thank the people who invested their time and talents, including Peter Baldwin and AMDG architects, who consulted on the building’s design; Keith Winn and Catalyst Partners, who helped us incorporate green elements into the building; and Pete Harkema, who until he passed away in January 2018 served as the volunteer capital campaign director and a major visionary behind the entire process.

With this building, we put down even deeper roots here in Honduras, committing to being a force for justice in the country for many years to come.

We envision our new building as a place where people of all backgrounds can come together around a common vision and work towards a common goal – that of creating a more just society in Honduras.

Check out our first construction progress video!

The Power Of Prayer In Structural Reform

Tue, 31 Jul 2018 14:53:47 GMT

ASJ (formerly known as AJS) believes a brave, independent Attorney General is crucial to justice work. We also believe in the power of prayer. As Honduras faced an Attorney General election process, we partnered with one of Honduras’ largest Christian denominations to host weekly prayer meetings. These meetings were broadcast live to over 19,000 followers on social media and to listeners of three different radio stations. We prayed that Honduras’ next Attorney General would not only be capable and trust-worthy, but also willing to boldly defend human rights.

Onan, an ASJ staff member who led these prayer sessions, reflects,

“As a young adult, it was gratifying to be part of this movement…to pray that our country be rooted in justice. People want to see the corrupt in jail, but they don’t understand that for this to happen, our country needs a good Attorney General.”

When the list of nominees for the position was released, we discovered that several candidates were wrapped in conflicts of interest that could affect their ability to be impartial. We knew that political elites and members of Congress were interested in nominating an Attorney General that would protect their interests, not investigate them.

ASJ’s journalism team stepped forward and released a website that profiled and ranked the candidates by their aptitude for the job, reaching over 133,000 people . Congress responded by eliminating the candidates ASJ had ranked the lowest.

Soon after, we heard worrying reports that Honduras’ major political parties were plotting to undermine corruption investigations by taking over the Attorney General’s office. ASJ declared at a press conference that the Attorney General’s role was to defend society, not the powerful. That afternoon, Onan and over 70 Brave Christians gathered to pray with the committee charged with nominating candidates. Onan laid hands on the President of the Supreme Court, head of the committee, and earnestly prayed , “We want a deep change in our country… a person who responds to our longing for justice.”

When legislators assembled to vote for the next Attorney General, we waited to see how God would answer our prayers. In an unexpected twist, Congress re-elected Oscar Chinchilla, the current Attorney General, to another five-year term.

As the news sunk in, we knew the election was not without concerns. The process used to re-elect the current Attorney General was legally questionable and his office has room to improve on human rights issues. Yet, Chinchilla has been willing to work with ASJ, stating:

“[ASJ] has taught us a lesson – you can point out things that are bad; but you can also work hand in hand to make changes.”

ASJ will continue to hold the Attorney General accountable to be “respectable, competent, diligent, independent, and brave, a person committed to lead the fight to reverse the impunity that has for so long damaged Honduras.”

After months of steadfast prayer, Onan is at peace with the results. But he adds, “Our work is not over yet. We have to continue praying, continue accompanying the process [so that] our country develops a just foundation.”

Jill Stoltzfus (VanBeek): Growing In Justice With ASJ

Tue, 31 Jul 2018 12:13:30 GMT

I grew up in a family that modeled Christ’s love for others as a natural part of life. My parents taught me that God calls us to go out into the world and work to redeem it for his Kingdom. I wanted to join in this work – but I didn’t know exactly how that would manifest itself in my life.

I liked numbers and spreadsheets, but I also had a heart for combating poverty and injustice and experiencing different countries and communities. I found an intersection between these skills and interests studying International Development with a focus in Business at Calvin College.

These interests led me to study abroad in Honduras, on the semester run by Kurt Ver Beek and Jo Ann Van Engen, who also co-founded and lead ASJ. I felt an immediate affinity for Kurt and Jo Ann, who challenged me to think critically about big issues. They taught me that if I really wanted to help the poor and oppressed, I would have to address the root causes of injustice.

Their teaching deeply impacted me, and when I had the opportunity to volunteer for ASJ, I jumped at it. This was 2009, and ASJ was still a small organization – in the U.S., we didn’t even have an office! After I graduated from Calvin College, I joined ASJ as a program assistant, and started a journey that would lead me through many different responsibilities and titles until arriving where I am today. I have grown a great deal in these nine years, and so has ASJ. It has been a truly beautiful experience to be able to grow and professionalize together.

In every position I have held at ASJ , I have been inspired and challenged by both the organization’s Christian mission and its distinctive orientation towards justice. My Honduran colleagues constantly inspire me with their skills, their creativity, their wisdom, and their heart. Their example has taught me that justice work can be both technical and personal, both intellectually rigorous and spiritually faithful.

As ASJ has continually challenged me and helped me to grow in my understanding of justice, I have also been able to share this message with people around the world.

What makes this work possible are the close relationships I have been able to build with my colleagues in Honduras, where I spend up to two months each year.

The closeness of the relationships between our U.S. and Honduran staff are part of what makes ASJ truly unique . I love to tell people that the majority of our staff, programming, and leadership are in Honduras, and that in the U.S. we take our direction from them – it’s a role-reversal from how many nonprofit organizations work.

This ASJ community has shaped me both professionally and personally. Last month, I married Kyle Stoltzfus, became a “mother” to an energetic border collie mix named Dakota, and moved to Clarkston, Michigan where Kyle works as an engineer for General Motors. When Kyle and I celebrated our wedding, it was important to me to have both my ASJ community and my Honduran community present. I was able to share this special day with the Honduran family that has lovingly hosted me on my Honduras trips for over a decade, and with ASJ coworkers, board members, and supporters.

ASJ is more than just a job – it is a community that continues to encourage, shape, and influence me.

This community extends to each one of you receiving this letter, and I look forward to continuing to connect with many of you, and seeing what about ASJ’s work and mission inspires you. If you would like to connect, drop me a message at jill@asj-us.org . I love coffee almost as much as I love sharing ASJ’s story, so let me know if you would like to share both.

I am so excited about the advances we are seeing in Honduras through ASJ, and about the conversations this is sparking around the world. I am eager to continue my justice journey in this new role, led by God, and accompanied by each one of you.

Blessings,

Jill Stoltzfus (VanBeek)

In The Election Of The Attorney General, Christians “Cry Out For Honduras”

Thu, 28 Jun 2018 12:27:04 GMT

“I want to see the church tear down barriers… and be an authoritative influence in society and on political figures to bless this country that so needs it.” –Kenia Flores, member of “Brave Christians”

What does the Attorney General do and why is the election so important?

In order to select an Attorney General, a Nominating Committee made up of politicians and members of civil society reviews everyone who has applied for the position. This committee selects five names and presents them to Congress, which then elects the Attorney General and the deputy Attorney General. This process has been easily corrupted in the past, as both the Nominating Committee and members of Congress have accepted bribes or voted in their own interest, rather than in that of the country.

Brave Christians in Action

However, during this selection process, Hondurans have made their voices heard. Throughout May and June, the group of “Brave Christians” has led weekly prayer sessions on radio shows and has gathered at the Supreme Court and National Congress to publicly pray and worship. Part of this movement included presenting a letter to the Nominating Committee and members of Congress, which outlines their expectations for the new attorney general:

“We believe that the role of the Attorney General is essential in order to confront crime and corruption in Honduras” their letter read, “We want to ensure that the office of the Attorney General complies with its constitutional mandate to represent society’s interests, and to investigate and prosecute those who break the law through illicit actions.

“We demand that the Attorney General selected be the man or woman that the country deserves, someone who pleases God, who is respectable, competent, diligent, independent, and brave, a person committed to lead the fight to reverse the impunity that for so long has damaged the country of Honduras.”

She says that, as Christians, “we believe in the truths of God’s Word that should govern politicians and those who represent us. We should hold these people responsible like the prophets declared the Scriptures to the kings and corrected their actions.”

Within these last weeks, ASJ has seen the power of this advocacy and prayer. God is at work in Honduras through the work of ASJ and Brave Christians. With Him, and through Him, we can work towards a more just society.

This article was written by Allison Bassett, public relations intern for ASJ in Honduras. Allison is studying communications and anthropology at Wheaton College.

Standing Witness: How One Woman’s Testimony Helped ASJ Solve A Murder

Wed, 27 Jun 2018 12:37:14 GMT

Rosa* (name changed) is a bright, cheerful Honduran woman whose smooth face makes it difficult to believe she has great-grandchildren. She’s lived nearly her whole life in Rivera Hernández, a sprawling community of 400,000 people that is one of the most violent regions of Honduras.

“Where I live, it rains bullets, and the police don’t do anything about it,” she says, “The police only come after someone has died. They don’t come during the shoot-out.”

Despite the violence in her neighborhood, Rosa worked hard to carve out a happy space for her family. Against the odds, she raised three sons and two daughters to resist the influence of the five different gangs whose territories crisscrossed through their neighborhood, and ensured they all finished at least primary education.

Rosa’s life changed forever when a young man running from two gang members ran in through her family’s open front door to hide. One of the gang members followed him in, but in confusion, shot at Rosa’s husband while the young man escaped. “Idiot, you got the wrong guy!” the second man called out, but it was too late. Her husband had already been shot eight times.

Rosa was paralyzed. Though she’d managed to hide herself in the next room, she could clearly identify the young men responsible. “I didn’t know whether to cry or to shout or what to do,” she said, “I was so afraid.”

Eventually, police arrived, but only to take Rosa’s husband to the hospital. She rode along with him, gripping his hand as he breathed his last few breaths. They had barely arrived at the hospital when she felt his grip loosen.

Rosa begged the police officers for help, but they said there was not much they could do. “We’ll introduce you to someone,” they promised her, and soon she was sitting across a table dubiously from a gentle-eyed man who promised that he wanted to help her, without asking for anything in exchange. He worked for a Christian organization called ASJ (formerly known as AJS), he told her. He wanted to help her heal and to achieve justice in her case.

“I need to move to a different house,” she told him. She was afraid that her husband’s killers had seen her or her granddaughter, who were both in the house at the time of the murder. “They said they’d help me, and I believed it and didn’t believe it at the same time.

Mostly, I was just afraid.”

But sure enough, the gentle-eyed man, Mateo*, showed up the next day to help her box up her possessions. She felt much calmer in her new house, which was in the same neighborhood, but away from the crossfire of the warring gangs.

Encouraged by Mateo’s kindness, Rosa began attending the therapy sessions he recommended to help her manage her grief and shock. At first, she couldn’t hear a gunshot without becoming paralyzed and locking down her house. “It’s not like my mind shuts down, but there’s sort of a mental block,” she said, “I can’t go out into the street.”

Rosa’s visits with the psychologist helped her process her fear rationally, and feel more in control of her own life. “I have recovered excellently in these two years,” she now says confidently.

For months, ASJ staff checked in regularly with Rosa, and “were always very, very, very excellent with me,” she says. They told her that thanks to the information she had shared, they had tracked down one of the young men responsible, and helped the police make an arrest. If she was willing, they said, her testimony could help put him in jail. Though she was scared, she trusted ASJ to protect her, and said that she would do it.

“They took me to the courts every time,” she said, remembering elaborate alibis they cooked up together so that no one else in her community would become suspicious that she might be collaborating on a case.

Rosa is confident that she never would have given this testimony if she didn’t have the support of ASJ. “I would be too afraid to give any of this information to the police. If someone sees me talking to the police, they would kill me!”

In May, 2018, two years after Rosa’s husband was murdered, the gunman was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Rosa is still in touch with Mateo, her psychologist, and the entire staff of ASJ. She’s joined their network of community informants. “When I see something that’s not right, I tell them what’s going on, so that they can come in. If I see someone committing a crime, or know about a murder. I tell them exactly where it happened,” she says, “It’s not fair for someone else to go for what I went through.”

“If everyone would just agree to let ASJ help them, it would be so good,” she said. “They moved me to another house, they’ve given me food to eat, and they’ve helped me a lot through the psychologist. I wish more people would give them the opportunity to help. They’ve helped me in many things that I didn’t even ask for.”

ASJ’s violence prevention programs helps dozens of people like Rosa every year, and they have been so effective, experts estimate they reduce violence to the point of saving six lives per month . For more about the program that helped Rosa, and how ASJ is responding to violence in Honduras, click here .

Youth Share Prayer And Advocacy Letter With The Honduran National Congress

Thu, 24 May 2018 12:46:42 GMT

Early in the morning, more than seventy youth, pastors, and staff members of ASJ (formerly known as AJS) gathered on the steps of the Honduran Supreme Court to meet with the committee responsible for naming the finalists for Honduras’ Attorney General. After an extended time of prayer, the youth read the following letter, demanding a transparent process and quality candidates.

Esteemed members of parliament,

As pastors, youth, and leaders of diverse Honduran churches who love our country and want to respond to God’s call to be brave Christians and advocate in the important decisions that generate well-being in the country, we express the following regarding the process of the election of the Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General:

We recognize that our beloved Honduras , rich in natural and cultural resources, has suffered from corruption, drug trafficking, and violence. We do not accept that this continues to happen in the future, and so we want to do everything possible to change this regrettable situation so that our country can reflect God’s desires for his people.
The desire of criminal groups and corrupt networks to co-opt the selection process for the next Attorney General worries us enormously. We are well aware that there are strong pressures from groups of political, economic, and criminal power, who intend to name an attorney who is weak, incapable, and easy to manipulate, who will not represent any danger for them and their interest in illicitly enriching themselves. In this sense, we reject this illegal intervention and demand that members of Congress, in this crucial moment for the nation, put first the sacred interests of the country as they designate such an important state official.
We believe that the role of the Attorney General is key in order to confront criminality and corruption in Honduras, and in this way ensure that the office of the Attorney General complies with its constitutional mandate to represent society’s interests and to investigate and prosecute those who break the law through illicit actions. We demand that the Attorney General selected be the man or woman that the country deserves, someone who pleases God, who is respectable, competent, diligent, independent, and brave, a person committed to lead the fight to reverse the impunity that for so long has damaged the country of Honduras.
We ourselves commit to pray without ceasing for a transparent and ethical selection process that does not respond to any external pressure or interest contrary to the mandate of the Attorney General so that whoever is selected can respond to Honduran public’s yearning for justice.
We want a real change for our nation, which is why we feel the obligation to declare and maintain vigilance in this process, which we will accompany through prayer, fasting, intercession, and advocacy, until the selection of the Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General that Hondurans deserve, and that God desires.

“Blessed are those who act justly, who always do what is right.” Psalm 106:3

Three Questions Of Civil Society: What, Why, And How

Tue, 20 Mar 2018 12:56:43 GMT

ASJ-Honduras (formerly known as AJS-Honduras) director Carlos Hernández graces another newspaper front page, the headline calling him a representative, not just of ASJ-Honduras, but of Honduran “Civil Society”. But what exactly does that mean?

WHAT IS CIVIL SOCIETY?

“Civil society is the voice of the people expressed through organizations that dedicate themselves to promoting change.” – Nury Alvarado, director of security and justice initiatives for ASJ-Honduras

“Civil Society is any person or institution that does not pertain to the state, governments, or political parties,” – Blanca Munguía , director of social programs for ASJ-Honduras

“ Civil Society is the collection of independent, organized entities that promote citizen participation and mobilization in order to achieve societal well-being. Civil Society acts in favor of citizens…This includes advocating in government decisions in order to improve citizens’ quality of life and strengthen the democratic system.” – Judy Donaire , director of transparency initiatives for ASJ-Honduras

Sometimes referred to as the “third sector”, as it encompasses all organizations that fall outside of public (government) or private (business) sectors, civil society includes nonprofit organizations, labor unions, churches, community or activism groups, academic institutions, and any other institution made up by citizens for a common goal or purpose.

ASJ was born from the purpose of bringing about justice for the people of Honduras while inspiring and encouraging Christians around the world to participate in doing justice in their own context. We are civil society in Honduras, but we also work with civil society to unite diverse groups around a common conversation of peace and justice.

WHY IS CIVIL SOCIETY IMPORTANT?

“If there is no civil society, there can be no balance. A true democracy is an expression of the will of the people. Political candidates may say that they represent these public interests, but once they are in power, they often do not. Civil society can play the role of the voice of citizens, promoting their rights and assuring that political leaders really meet their functions.” -Nury Alvarado

“A Strong Civil Society strengthens democracy and provides important checks and balances to the state. Frequently, cries for social justice have emerged from civil society. It is one of the actors that demands justice, transparency, efficiency, and effectiveness in the use of public resources by public officials. It can also demand accountability.” –Blanca Munguía

“Civil Society exercises an important role . As civil society is strengthened, so is a country’s democracy. Civil society becomes a sector that advocates for the interests of society, seeks government accountability, and verifies that government actions are going in the direction of the common good. In many occasions, civil society helps to cover empty spaces left by the government, offering services to society, in particular to vulnerable groups, either supporting their development or advocating for their interests.” –Judy Donaire

“Honduras’ network of civil society organizations play an important role in identifying corruption and weakness in government structures and also in supporting change,” says Kurt Ver Beek, co-founder of ASJ-Honduras

HOW CAN WE PARTICIPATE IN CIVIL SOCIETY?

ASJ works to be a leader in this all-important “third sector”, working alongside churches, communities, and groups of passionate citizens in order to reduce violence in Honduras, eliminate impunity, and contribute to an environment where people can flourish and achieve their full potential.

What civil society organizations are you involved in where you live? Do you have a church, a club, or a nonprofit where you invest your time? How do these organizations and spaces allow you to raise up your voice, incite change, and do justice in your own context?

You may feel ill-equipped, uninformed, or uncertain about your abilities – but one lesson that ASJ has learned is that the purpose of civil society is to be made up of ordinary citizens , in order to promote the rights and well-being of ordinary citizens.

As long as we share values like solidarity, integrity, patience , and bravery, each of us – no matter our experience or preparation – can be part of this change.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead

Empowering Communities To Transform Public Schools

Tue, 13 Mar 2018 13:13:35 GMT

But despite improved averages across Honduras, some schools still cancel class much more often than they should, robbing opportunity for education from children like Keybi’s daughter. So ASJ hasn’t stopped our advocacy. In communities across Tegucigalpa, we train young people, parents, and neighbors of public schools in what the law requires and how they can help ensure that schools comply with strong educational standards.

However, the volunteer’s excellent information and documentation allowed them to go to education authorities with a clear demand for change. ASJ facilitated meetings with school principals, and even, when issues were serious, with authorities from the Department of Education.

Community members demanded specific, targeted, measurable change – more hours in the classroom, more days in school, and fewer interruptions to the school day. After a brief period for changes to be implemented, they then measured the final 120 days of school to see if there had been improvement. The transformation has been remarkable.

“Thanks to the constant observation of schools by local auditors, we achieved an improvement in the use of class time, in interruptions during class, number of classes taught, and the length of the school day,” said Dolores Martinez, ASJ staff and director of the community auditing program.

In the first 40 days of observation, 37 out of the 42 schools had missed days of class unnecessarily. In the final 120 days, by contrast, only 16 had missed days – the other 26 had zero lost class days. Overall, nearly 90% of observed schools saw an improvement in attendance and dedication of class time.

When asked what they might suggest changing about auditing this year, the auditors had various ideas, but one common message.

“We should not stop,” said Magda, an outspoken volunteer, “This is our right, and we should not stop.”

ASJ Leads Advocacy Against Legal Reforms That Aid Corruption

Thu, 08 Feb 2018 13:20:39 GMT

“Have you heard about a little reform that the Honduran National Congress approved a few days ago? Article 131 of the Budget Law… Do you know what this change means? It creates conditions of impunity for corruption cases in the past, present, and future.”

The latest video from Revistazo, ASJ’s (formerly known as AJS) independent online news source, breaks down a recent reform and its disastrous consequences.

“The reform refers to the investigation of cash subsidies managed by members of Congress from the years 2006-2018,” the video’s narrator says, “It all started like this: thanks to laws created by themselves in the 1990s, Congressmen receive money from the State as “subsidies” in order to do social projects – funded by your taxes. They distribute this money to nonprofits, agencies, or individuals who often don’t make the investment that they’re supposed to, or divert the funds for other purposes.”

Revistazo has been reporting on the use of “subsidies” by Congress since 2012 when they released an in-depth investigation revealing that instead of funding highways, bridges, or schools, these funds were used for political campaigns, plane tickets, and even men’s underwear.

But the reforms don’t only lead to impunity for past corruption, they interfere with cases currently under investigation.

“In December 2017, the public prosecutor, with the support of the international anti-corruption body MACCIH, began to investigate the case of five Congressmen, members of an alleged network of 60 members of congress who diverted over a billion lempiras (over $55 million) between 2011 and 2015,” Revistazo’s video states, continuing, “After the reform to the Budget Law approved by Congress this January, those five Congressmen who were being investigated were freed by the judge who was managing their case. Will they ever be punished?”

The crux of the Budget Law reform is the power it takes from the public prosecutor’s office. Previously, the office was free to investigate any corruption case as soon as it came to light. These investigations could take place alongside additional investigations by the High Auditing Court, which determined whether the fault was administrative, civil, or criminal.

Now, however, the prosecutor’s office must wait until the Auditing Court completely finishes their investigation and issues a report before they can even begin to investigate.

“That means that a president, congressman, mayor, or minister can rob the funds that you and I pay in taxes and nothing will happen to them until the Auditing Court makes a report. Do you know how long it takes them to finish one of those?” asks Revistazo, “ According to an investigation by ASJ , the average is seven years. The law only gives you 10 years to accuse a person involved in acts of corruption. So if the Auditing Court takes their normal amount of time doing their auditing; when they finish, the time for reporting the case will almost be up.”

“The result? Impunity.”

ASJ is taking action to ensure that Honduran politicians cannot continue to steal money from the Honduran public. On February 2nd, Director Carlos Hernández filed a complaint of unconstitutionality to the Supreme Court, asking them to overturn the reforms.

Meanwhile, Revistazo and ASJ Communications are calling on people to make their voices heard on social media using the hashtags, “Honduras is in mourning” and “No more impunity,” and tagging the National Congress in their complaints.

They’re also encouraging people to share the explanatory video, which after just one day has been shared 524 and has over 18,000 views.

ASJ Mourns Loss Of Board President Pete Harkema

Mon, 05 Feb 2018 13:29:14 GMT

“He was a dear friend, tireless, and loving,” said Carlos Hernández, co-founder and director of ASJ-Honduras, “He truly loved this country and the work we are doing here.”

Pete brought wisdom and a keen mind to the board, and thoughtful leadership during a time where it was much needed.

“Pete was board president during a time of great growth and change on the board,” remembered Rick Bandstra, Volunteer Executive Director of ASJ, “He always handled the process remarkably well, letting every voice be heard, and finding ways to build consensus and move forward.”

This leadership was particularly felt during ASJ’s process of planning and fundraising for a new office in Honduras. Pete volunteered as the Director of the Capital Campaign, dedicating hours to strategy meetings and planning.

“It was a double effort, both as President of the Board and Chair of the Capital Campaign, but he wanted to do it, and he did it so well,” said Rick. “Without his good work, we never would have been able to raise the money we needed.”

ASJ Mourns Loss Of Board Member, Advocate Mark Wagenveld

Mon, 29 Jan 2018 13:34:59 GMT

“He was a quiet, humble voice, but when he spoke it was profound,” says Jill Vanbeek, ASJ-US Director of Operations.

In his own behind-the-scenes way, Mark dedicated his life to this – asking the difficult questions and doing the difficult work of changing the world for the better, seeking always to bring about the Kingdom of God on earth, particularly in the places where God led him.

An avid reader of all news, but in particular news about Honduras, Mark believed strongly in ASJ’s approach to transformation in the country, a country he loved and to which he, his wife Terry Mond, and their daughters Grace and Sarah had a close personal connection.

Mark will be remembered by the ASJ community for his wisdom, his generosity and kindness, and his servant’s heart.

Though selfishly we mourn his absence, we rejoice in the knowledge that he is with his savior, experiencing the peace and justice that he devoted his life to while here on earth.

See Mark Wagenveld’s obituary in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Making Systems Work: Responding To The Political Crisis In Honduras

Fri, 26 Jan 2018 13:43:02 GMT

At ASJ (formerly known as AJS), we believe that part of our calling as Christians is to speak truth to power, whoever is in power, and in this way protect the poor and vulnerable that are so close to God’s heart. Whether or not we personally support Honduras’ new elected leaders, we consider it our job for the next four years to try to make their administration as effective as possible. This is not a partisan position, but a Christian one . We know from experience that when governments fail, those who suffer are the poorest and most vulnerable – widows, orphans, strangers, the young, the old, and the sick.

Making Systems Work: Responding to the Political Crisis in Honduras

By Kurt Ver Beek, ASJ Co-Founder

I seldom cry – over the past couple years, I can think of only two or three occasions that brought me to tears. However, in the days after Honduras’ recent election I found myself standing before the staff of ASJ, weeping.

We have celebrated so much progress in Honduras over the years – new laws, stronger systems, 200 days of class, a declining homicide rate – but in the chaotic moments after the election, in the middle of so much uncertainty and polarization, I questioned if we had really moved forward.

A few weeks ago, we shared details about the deeply irregular election in Honduras . In the protests and unrest after the election, military and police were responsible for over 30 deaths, and hundreds were injured. Polarization reached a new high with deep divisions between political parties, family and friends.

Then, just a few days ago, the Honduran Congress passed an outrageous law which seriously limits the ability of the prosecutor’s office to investigate corruption of government officials, sending a clear message to law-makers that it was still safe to steal from the taxes of the Honduran people.

It has been painful to see the country suffer from these two setbacks one after another. The heart of our work at ASJ is to strengthen government systems so that they provide necessary safety, security, and services to the poorest Hondurans. Though we’ve come a long way, these difficult weeks have been a reminder that a lot of work still needs to be done.

But, thankfully, my wife, Jo Ann and my brave colleagues and friends – Carlos Hernandez, Omar Rivera, and the leadership team at ASJ – have been reminding me that God can take the most broken situations and turn them into opportunities; that looking back over 20 years, God has been faithful every time I felt there was no hope. So, we move forward in faithfulness seeing what we can do to fix what has been broken.

At ASJ, we believe that part of our calling as Christians is to speak truth to power, whoever is in power, and in this way protect the poor and vulnerable that are so close to God’s heart. Whether or not we personally support Honduras’ new elected leaders, we consider it our job for the next four years to try to make their administration as effective as possible. This is not a partisan position, but a Christian one. We know from experience that when governments fail, those who suffer are the poorest and most vulnerable – widows, orphans, strangers, the young, the old, and the sick.

So we haven’t lost any time. Our work over the past 20 years has put us in a strong position to help address the underlying problems that led to this disastrous election and these new disastrous laws.

Together with some of the best minds here in Honduras we are working on specific, detailed proposals for investigating human rights abuses and strengthening Honduran democracy.

We also responded loudly, immediately, and unequivocally to Congress : Revoke the shameful law which guarantees impunity and rewards corruption.

But our mission goes deeper.

Honduras desperately needs a process of national reconciliation, so that the country’s wounds can begin to heal. These injuries go beyond these laws or this election, they reflect systems of injustice and inequality that have plagued the country for decades.

Because of this, we are committed to continuing our work with all sectors of the Honduran government, working always for more transparency, better services, and improved lives for the people of Honduras.

I started this process in tears, but hope is persistent, and I find myself excited about all we have accomplished and all we will accomplish in the coming years. Thank you for your support and prayers. I ask you to continue to pray – for courage and wisdom in our work; and for the country of Honduras – for peace, for reconciliation, for deep healing and a path toward justice.

With gratitude,
Kurt

Kurt VerBeek and Jo Ann Van Engen helped launch, and continue to help lead, the Association for a More Just Society in Honduras.

Nine Ways ASJ Is Doing Justice In Honduras

Mon, 01 Jan 2018 13:58:13 GMT

Here are nine moments where ASJ (formerly known as AJS) saw change in 2017!

ASJ’s work in Honduras is made possible through the generosity of donors from around the world. To learn more about who we are, visit our who we are page , sign up for email updates , or contact us directly . Together we can do justice in Honduras!

Growing In Compassion: How A Former Police Chief Is Working With ASJ To End Homicides

Wed, 20 Dec 2017 14:06:52 GMT

Jaime was initially skeptical. Even if ASJ was able to provide the resources that the National Police were sorely lacking, it was almost impossible to get a conviction without eyewitness testimony.

“We know that,” he remembers the ASJ lawyer saying, “We also have witnesses.”

In a few months of work, ASJ had managed to do what for the police was nearly impossible – gain the trust of victims and witnesses of crime and convince them to testify in court. Later that year, with ASJ’s support and the witnesses they brought, Jaime and his team would win one of their biggest victories in years, the arrest of men who had been terrorizing the community where ASJ founders Carlos Hernández and Kurt Ver Beek lived. The arrest would be the first of many.

“After that first partnership, I saw that everything they had told me was true,” says Jaime, “We didn’t have witnesses, and they brought the witnesses to us. They had access to the community.”

Over the years, Jaime moved up in the police force, eventually reaching the position of Chief of Homicides for Tegucigalpa. In a police force riddled with corruption and inefficiencies, he was an honest, model officer. International organizations sent him to Guatemala, El Salvador, and the United States to receive special investigative training. But in the National Police, he found it difficult to fully implement this training.

On a typical morning, he would be greeted in his office by a stack of files a few inches high – each sheet of paper a different murder that had to be investigated.

Jaime would work his way through the stack, assigning each case to an investigator. As he reviewed the cases, he says, “I didn’t even look at the names. I didn’t know if they were rich or poor, to me, each case was just another number.”

Overwhelmed by the number and difficulty of cases, he continued to rely on his relationship with the ASJ Peace and Justice Project.

“When we heard of a homicide in one of ASJ’s communities, it was enough to just pick up the phone, and we knew they would take on the case and they would do it well” says Jaime. “We had a lot of trust in them.”

Peace and Justice didn’t just offer technical assistant, they also provided resources that the police didn’t have – basic resources like vehicles to drive into communities, cell phones to call witnesses, printers to print arrest warrants.

“I remember in the police we had so few resources that when we delivered case files to the court in a manila folder we would ask for them to return the folders to us so we could reuse them,” says Jaime.

Even simple office supplies were scarce, he says: “Pencils, pens, notebooks, all of that we had to buy ourselves.”

In early 2014, after 20 years in the police force, and over a dozen transfers and job changes, Jaime made one of his biggest transitions yet. After years of working alongside ASJ’s Peace and Justice Project, Jaime became its newest member.

Jaime began at Peace and Justice not as an investigator but as a lawyer – studying on the evenings and weekends, he had earned a law degree while still in the police force. His decades of experience in police investigation helped him argue cases in court that for others would have been too difficult or technical. Along with his team of an investigator and a psychologist, he started to see from the inside the success that he had so long admired from the outside.

He was shocked by how different the environment at ASJ was from any office he had ever worked in before.

On his first day, he remembers, he could hardly believe that his new desk neatly stocked with all the office supplies he needed.

The working environment was different as well. While in the police Jaime had assigned cases without even glancing at names, with Peace and Justice he came to know the cases, and their victims, intimately.

He and his colleagues would drive witnesses and families of victims to and from court, to and from therapy, and listen to their grief and fear. Cases that before had been no more than numbers became faces, became stories.

Jaime, who had always been motivated by his faith to do what was right, began to see the broader reaches of justice. In the hard environment of the police department he had been cynical, skeptical, and mistrusting. With Peace and Justice he began to warm up to people, expressing compassion towards people in communities that for the first time felt like his brothers and his sisters.

Jaime remembers a woman once told his team, crying, “You are angels sent by God to help me.”

“That is the best praise we can get,” he says, “To feel that personal commitment and the satisfaction of being able to help.”

I n 2017, Jaime became the coordinator of the Peace and Justice project, where he supervises six teams in two different cities. The bold, successful work of Peace and Justice has earned Jaime recognition, but what he most values is the knowledge that he is making a difference in the lives of some of Honduras’ poorest and most deserving people.

“I had many victories in my years with the police,” Jaime says, “I earned medals and diplomas, I received many awards. But I don’t remember a single victim or witness ever thanking me for my work. With Peace and Justice, that has become the most important prize I could receive. I would rather receive the gratitude of one family than all the awards in the world.”

Peace And Justice: Planting Seeds

Tue, 05 Dec 2017 14:12:14 GMT

“Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.” –Psalm 126:5-6

Kurt Ver Beek, co-founder of the Association for a More Just Society (ASJ, formerly known as AJS), came back to his home in Honduras to find his two children crying. In the dawn hours that morning, the father of one of their classmates had been killed as he loaded up his truck to buy vegetables to sell at a small stand. The father of their friend had been murdered for just a few dollars, another victim of the high levels of crime and lawlessness in their neighborhood.

A few days later, the wife of the victim came to Kurt and to Carlos Hernández, president of ASJ-Honduras, looking for help. “I know who killed my husband,” she said. Other neighbors had seen the men as they ran around the corner and pulled the masks off their heads.

Kurt and Carlos wanted to do something. They talked to a lawyer they knew, and made some phone calls to the police station, but they didn’t understand how the system worked, and they didn’t make any progress.

Months later, police would finally capture some of the men responsible for the murder of their neighbor, but not before they killed 13 more people – 13 victims who would perhaps have been alive if the murderers had been taken off the street after they killed their first victim.

Kurt and Carlos and their families felt helpless. But despite feeling overwhelmed by the violence in their neighborhood, they felt that they had to do something.

So, not knowing what fruit they would harvest, they began to plant some seeds.

Their community was not the most fertile soil for this work. In order for criminals to face consequences, the first thing ASJ would have to do was get witnesses to testify against them. But how could they earn the confidence of a population who feared even reporting crimes? Members of their community preferred to stay silent, knowing that police could be in league with the same criminals who had hurt them.

ASJ began confronting community violence with a single investigator and a single lawyer, both of whom acted as trusted bridges between victims of violence and the judicial system, helping victims navigate the complicated path to justice. Individuals may not have trusted the police, but they grew to trust ASJ, who knew them personally, supported them with emergency needs, and even prayed alongside them.

This trust would be instrumental in obtaining reports and witness testimony, and in earning convictions in case after case in the neighborhood.

This new project was called “Peace and Justice,” what ASJ hoped the project would bring to the struggling community.

And it worked. In 2005, the homicide rate in Kurt and Carlos’ neighborhood was a staggering 117 per 100,000. Just three years later, after Peace and Justice had earned multiple convictions, it had dropped to 40 per 100,000 – a 65% drop, even as homicides in the rest of the country nearly doubled.

In 2005, ASJ began working on an issue that everyone said was too big, too difficult, too complicated to solve. But they stepped forward fearlessly to seek justice, and saw the results promised by the Psalmists:

Seeds that had been sown with tears were reaped with songs of joy.

ASJ Publication Will Share Information On Slain Activist’s Life

Wed, 18 Oct 2017 14:18:26 GMT

There is a belief in Lenca culture, a Honduran indigenous community, that girls are the guardians of rivers. For the Lenca people, activist Berta Cáceres embodied that belief.

Berta’s life was dedicated to defending the vulnerable of Honduras against exploitation.

She fought for the recognition and protection of indigenous rights in Honduras and around the world, including the right to land, natural resources, development, education and representation, particularly for indigenous women. In 2015, she gained international recognition when she won the Goldman Prize for her environmental activism.

The renowned figure came by her passion and courage naturally. Her mother, Austra Berta, was the first female mayor in Honduras and later became a congress representative. A midwife by trade, Austra Berta assisted in over 5,000 births in the rural communities around their home town. Although she was raising 12 children on her own, she did not demand pay from the poor families.

From a young age, Berta went with her mother to care for communities. Struck by the poverty and poor treatment of the Lenca people, she joined a group of activists to advocate for indigenous rights when she was still in high school. Shortly after, Berta married a fellow activist and the two united different indigenous organization to form the Civic Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH).

COPINH quickly made waves in the nation. Soon after it began, a group of indigenous women from COPINH marched 118 miles from Berta’s home town of La Esperanza to Tegucigalpa, the capital city, to show the nation that the Lenca people were there and they had a voice.

In 2009, COPINH became involved with indigenous communities around the country to defend their rivers against the onslaught of hydroelectric dams. In 2014, Berta filed a report against 49 of the projects, claiming the indigenous communities had not been consulted before the projects were built as is legally required.

In the midst of the heated case, ASJ (formerly known as AJS) is working with Berta’s family to ensure that they have the protection they need.

Next month, ASJ’s investigative journalism website Revistazo will be launching a Microsite dedicated to Berta. The site, in Spanish and English, will provide accurate and up-to-date information on Berta’s life, her activism and the legal case surrounding her death.

For the indigenous community and other activists in Honduras, their river guardian did not die. She multiplied. Berta’s legacy continues to empower many to bravely seek justice for the vulnerable.

Facing The Goliath Of Corruption In Community Schools

Mon, 18 Sep 2017 14:34:18 GMT

Each community auditing training begins in prayer, then with a story already familiar to most of the participants.

“Who knows the story of David and Goliath?” asks Dolores Martinez, who coordinates ASJ’s (formerly known as AJS) community engagement and auditing project. All twenty of the participants in plastic chairs arranged in a circle raise their hands.

“We are fighting against such a big system that many of us feel like David,” says Dolores, after reading the passage from a well-worn Bible, “But we know that we have God on our side.”

What is a social audit? It’s when citizens come together to review official records and make sure that they reflect reality. If the government says it’s paying ten teachers in a community school, social auditors verify that ten teachers are actually there working, that they’re getting paid, and that they have the support that they need.

Participants in the training easily identify with David. They are all residents of one of the capital city’s most violent neighborhoods. Most are parents with children in the schools they have volunteered to audit; many of them report feeling minimized or ignored by school administration.

“Your children are not any less because they go to a public school,” Martinez tells the parents. What’s more, she tells parents that with the few small stones of advocacy, oversight, and accountability, they can bring down the giant of corruption that is limiting the public education system in Honduras.

Twenty volunteers, ranging in age from teens to great-grandmothers, gather in a cinderblock house that functions as an office for their neighborhood board. Many of them also participated in the “Hours in Class” audit, in which they visited their local public schools to document how many hours each day were dedicated to teaching children, and how much time was lost or wasted.

Before discussing their next audit, the group reflected on what had gone well in the last one. As toddlers run in circles, weaving in and out of the circle of chairs, their parents launch a lively discussion.

“For the first time, we have permission to be in the classrooms,” notes Yovani Obando Troches, president of the neighborhood board.

Others recognize the commitment of some teachers to work towards improvement, the persistence of parents like themselves, and the change in attitude they saw in some schools when they realized that they were being observed.

Though some results were positive, the group also observed teachers that did not pay sufficient attention to their students, or shouted at them until they were terrified to go to school. One mother told about a daughter beaten with a ruler, another shared about her son smacked over the head with his own notebook.

Dolores Martinez listened, taking careful notes. In cases like this, she told them, “We have the right and the responsibility to intervene.”

It’s a responsibility that the participants take seriously. One mother said, “Now that this program exists, it gives us the authority to make reports.”

The purpose of these community audits is not just to lay blame. Parents admit that most teachers in public schools are good, and face many challenging students while receiving very little support. Volunteers emphasize the importance of being both analytic and realistic, of balancing observations with offers of support.

Thanks to the participation of groups like this one, issues of corruption, absenteeism, and abuse of power have been reported and addressed, and community schools are becoming safer and more effective.

“We’ll use the stones God has given us,” ASJ leaders say as they hand each participant a packet of tools to carry out their audits, “Let’s go take on Goliath.”

Young People Lead Advocacy For Transparent Elections In Honduras

Mon, 18 Sep 2017 14:28:51 GMT

If the playbook for Honduran political campaigns is changing, the younger generation is a big part of the explanation.

Hondurans under the age of 30 are increasingly educated, connected, and unimpressed by the party politics of the Central American country’s checkered past. They’re less likely to be swayed by catchy campaign jingles or the promise of a few dollars or a bag of food supplies before Election Day.

“We know what we want,” said Jorge Aroca, leader of Buenas Acciones Honduras, a local youth organization, “We want politicians to work with us and not just disappoint us.”

Young Hondurans – Victims and Protagonists

Young people have the potential to dramatically shift the politics of the country. A quarter of Honduras’ population is between the ages of 18 and 30, and the demographic makes up 43% of the electorate.

This same demographic also suffers most from social problems like unemployment, violence, and limited opportunities. Only 4% of Honduras’ young people will graduate from universities, and 60% of adults under the age of 30 are left out of the formal labor market. Young people are also most likely to be victims of violence – 35% of homicide victims in Honduras are between the ages of 20 and 30. Young Honduran men are more likely to die by murder than by suicide, traffic accident, or the ingestion of poison – the three leading causes of death in the United States.

In the midst of these serious social problems, the majority of young Hondurans find themselves disillusioned with politics and government. Over 93% perceive a “great deal of corruption” in the country, and 71% report no interest in participating in politics.

This is in part because, “We have we have been taught and modeled a profile of politicians who are not interested in actually changing our reality,” said Magdalena Dolmo, a teacher.

Her demands are different: “We are asking for results,” she says, “We young people should take on responsibility and become agents of change.”

Dolmo, Aroca, and other young leaders representing more than 20 different organizations are coming together to demand transparency from candidates in Honduras’ November general elections. Through an initiative led by the Association for a More Just Society called “3de3Hn”, they hope to make their voices heard and see their demands answered.

“We Hondurans are fed up with corruption. But to ask politicians to resolve the problem is like asking a football player to be the referee of his own team,” says the 3de3Hn promotional video, “The solution has to come from us.”

Transparency in Elections for Public Office

The initiative “3de3Hn”, or “3 out of 3” began in Mexico, with similar programs launched in countries including Peru, Argentina, and Chile.

The initiative centers around an online portal that asks political candidates to disclose three important documents, with the purpose of allowing citizens to make an informed decision about which candidate deserves their vote. The three documents, summarized on the 3de3hn website, are as follows:

Statement of Assets – how much do the candidates have?
Conflict of Interest Statement – where have the candidates worked, and with whom? Who are their friends? To whom do they owe money?
Tax Return – “To ensure they don’t just spend our taxes, but also contribute to paying them”

“We want young people to really know how these candidates are being financed, what interests they might have in the private sector, or even interests with organized crime, and also whether they have paid their taxes,” said Lester Ramírez, director of investigations for the Association for a More Just Society.

“We want our representatives for public office to have the highest morals and transparency to comply with the law,” said Ramírez.

The 3de3Hn website provides a portal for politicians to upload their three statements, in addition to their CVs, government proposals, and links to their website and social media accounts. Citizens can search the names of all candidates for public office, accessing the information of those who have uploaded their “3de3”, and using the database to demand information from candidates who have not yet disclosed. The website generates short messages for social media, tagging candidates and political parties with the hashtag #3de3hn.

The use of social media in Honduras has been growing rapidly. Despite high levels of poverty in the country, over 3 million Hondurans have access to internet, and nearly all of these internet users regularly access social media sites like Facebook. Coordinators of 3de3 hope to harness social media to spread their message – “You can do more than just make funny memes,” they tell young people, encouraging them to use their networks to call out leaders and advocate for transparency.

“As citizens, we have the right to access the information of our candidates, and candidates have the moral obligation to disclose it,” said Denise Zelaya, sub-coordinator of investigations for the Association for a More Just Society (ASJ, formerly known as AJS), and one of the leaders behind the 3de3 movement, “It is crucial for citizens to be empowered and to actively demand candidates’ transparency.”

Merit-Based Elections

“In November, we are not only voting, we are choosing the leaders that will determine the country’s future,” said Zelaya.

One cultural shift that 3de3 coordinators hope to see is an increase in informed votes that prioritize qualified political candidates, evaluating their fitness for public office in the way businesses make hiring decisions for any other job.

“In Honduras in the 21st century, it’s no longer about just asking for the vote, it’s about the candidates demonstrating who they are, and what they have done to deserve this public position, who finances them, and what they intend to do with the power that we as citizens are delegating to them,” said Ramirez.

For many young people, this mindset means a break from family party loyalty that may go back decades.

“I will not as a citizen give my vote to someone I do not know, someone who is requesting my vote just because there is a family tradition of supporting that party,” said Naama López, a lawyer and investigator for ASJ, as well as an advocate for the Afro-Caribbean Garífuna people group.

“We have to demand more – we are citizens and also shareholders of the state,” said López.

López and colleagues Denise Zelaya and Melissa Eguigure are the driving force behind 3de3 at ASJ, coordinating events to teach both politicians and citizens, especially young people, about the initiative and invite them to participate. For them, the topic of youth participation is personal – all three are 26 years old.

López, Zelaya, and Eguigure represent a group of educated, professional young people who not only can clearly identify ways that corruption and government mismanagement has hurt them and their communities, but also specific measures they want the government to take to promote change.

“Youth is a synonym for strength, vitality, and innovation. To be part of 3de3Hn is to seek to have a positive impact in Honduran society, collaborating to create transparent policies,” said Eguigure.

The 3de3 initiative has generated substantial press attention, and leaders have held meetings to present the platform to all 10 political parties, including dozens of mayoral and Congressional candidates and all but one presidential candidate.

The coalition plans to keep on working to get the message out, visiting different cities across the country to involve more citizens, especially young people, and show politicians that there are people who value transparency and accountability.

It’s a message they hope will last up to and even beyond the November elections.

“This electoral process does not end in November,” said López. “This is the beginning of the electoral process – after this, we will see politicians carrying out positions that we decided to place them in. For us as young people, it’s important that we advocate beforehand, but also after these candidates are placed in their positions.”

To learn more about the platform, visit www.3de3hn.com .

ASJ Hosts International Experts In Anti-Corruption

Wed, 16 Aug 2017 18:03:17 GMT

“Communities of Learning,” an Association for a More Just Society initiative, reminded Honduras that corruption is still a problem worth fighting against and encouraged its citizens to “Know, Learn, Act, and Change.”

The three-conference series was hosted by ASJ (formerly known as AJS) and Impactos, a Counterpart International and USAID program, and was designed to create a space for key leaders in the fight against corruption to gather new information, reflect together, and mobilize for change. Ivan Velasquez, commissioner for the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), inaugurated the series as the keynote speaker for the conference, “Fighting Grand Corruption: the Experience of the CICIG”.

Velasquez has an extensive record in the fight against corruption in his native Colombia. In 2011 he was granted the International Bar Association Human Rights Award, and in 2012 the German Association of Judges recognized his work in the fight against impunity and the protection of fundamental rights. Today Velasquez continues that fight with the CICIG, a United Nations (UN)-appointed commission that investigated and incarcerated Guatemala’s former president, Otto Perez Molina, and several members of his cabinet for their involvement in a corruption scandal.

“It is not possible to advance successful work in the fight against corruption if a reaction from the citizens is lacking,” Velasquez said as he emphasized the importance of citizen participation in the justice system – a factor he believes was key in the success of the CICIG in Guatemala.

During the forum, Velasquez addressed the attendees alongside Juan Jiménez Mayor, spokesperson for the Mission to Support the Fight against Corruption and Impunity in Honduras (MACCIH); Oscar Chinchilla, Honduras’ Attorney General; and Carlos Hernández, ASJ-Honduras Director and representative for Transparency International (TI), one of the world’s largest anti-corruption organizations.

This conference was the first public meeting between representatives of the CICIG, a commission with more than 10 years of experience, and the MACCIH, created a year ago by the Organization of American States (OAS) to aid the justice system in Honduras.

In other conferences, ASJ brought experts from across Latin America together to share their perspectives.

“There cannot be a space for our biggest enemy, organized crime, to infiltrate our institutionality, our democracy and ultimately destroy our Rule of Law. We cannot allow that.” remarked Alberto Precht, representative for Transparency International’s chapter in Chile.

Precht encouraged the attendants, including prominent political figures and candidates, to “maintain a direct, frontal combat against corruption” and treat the Honduran electorate with dignity. He also pointed out that a responsible and transparent management of political finances is key in a healthy democracy.

Eduardo Bohórquez, director of the TI chapter in Mexico highlighted the success of “Tres de Tres” (“three out of three”), an initiative that calls Mexican political candidates and public functionaries to publish their tax returns, assets and conflict of interest declarations. ASJ is currently implementing “Tres de Tres” in Honduras, securing commitments from Presidential, Congressional, and mayoral candidates to self-disclose this information.

“If we want the next electoral process to be performed within the legal framework, it requires at least three essential conditions: clean campaign financing, unimpeachable candidates and an honest vote counting process.” Carlos Hernández said as he addressed an audience that is preparing to choose their authorities in voting booths later this year.

The intensity of wanting to see a stronger and more transparent Honduras remained until the final “Communities of Learning” forum. Ana Garrido, former functionary with the government of Spain and whistleblower in one of the country’s greatest corruption scandals, addressed the audience via videoconference in the conference, “The Role of the Whistleblower in the Fight against Corruption”.

“Every day more public employees say no to corruption. The fruit of their accusations entails numerous imputations and condemnations of white collar criminals. Those results make risking their future and lives for the sake of common good worth something,” Garrido said.

Garrido was joined by José Agüero Echenique, former judge and whistleblower in a case of influence peddling in Honduras’ judiciary system; Beatriz Otero, from the MACCIH; and Lester Ramírez, Investigations coordinator for ASJ-Honduras.

Both Echenique and Garrido agreed that the role of the whistleblower is not easy, but it is extremely necessary. Otherwise whoever is aware of corruption but doesn’t report it becomes a contributor to the corrupt system.

Otero and Ramirez shared the facts and benefits of supporting and protecting whistleblowers from political and social retaliation. Ramirez also reminded the audience that ASJ in collaboration with the Public Prosecutors’ Office developed a mobile app that allows citizens to report abuse and corruption of any kind.

Through its three conferences, “Communities of Learning” brought civil society leaders of international prominence together to discuss topics important to Honduran society. Experts in the fight against corruption and impunity encouraged Honduran citizens to be involved and committed in the justice process of their country by supporting the justice system, demanding transparency from politicians and denouncing corruption.

In this and many other ways, ASJ is leading essential conversations about transparency and accountability in Honduras, working to promote functioning government systems that contribute to a more just society for all of the country’s inhabitants.

This blog was written by José Ricardo Salinas, a communications intern with ASJ.

ASJ Partners With Secretary Of Education To Address Sexual Abuse In Schools

Thu, 10 Aug 2017 18:06:36 GMT

ASJ (formerly known as AJS) has spent nearly a decade working to protect children from sexual abuse, and seven years on making the public education system in Honduras more effective and transparent. Now a new initiative combines these goals, helping to strengthen the education system’s methods of receiving, processing, and responding to cases of sexual abuse in schools.

The call came in over the Ministry of Education’s anonymous hotline. The mother of a sixth-grade girl said that a teacher had abused her daughter. The report bounced from person to person in the government agency, and the school opened a disciplinary investigation into the teacher’s behaviour – but no one reported the crime to the police, and the teacher continued to teach at the elementary school. As the investigation crawled forward, the girl’s parents pulled her and her younger sister out of school. For their own protection, their academic studies were cut short.

Their investigation not advancing, the Ministry of Education reached out to ASJ for help. Immediately ASJ involved the Public Prosecutor’s office, who began to investigate the abuse as a crime.

ASJ sees the participation of the courts as an important piece in making schools safer for children. Crucially, within days of being accused of the crime, the accused teacher was placed into detention to await trial, removing him from the school and from other children.

These efforts are part of ASJ’s ongoing collaboration with the Ministry of Education to create a National Strategy for the Prevention of Violence.

Currently, says Diana Medina, coordinator of the ASJ Rescue Project , disciplinary investigations by the school are carried out before the case is ever taken to the courts.

This puts the aggressor on the alert, and gives time to hide evidence, intimidate witnesses, or simply confuse the story after months of slow investigation. Furthermore, such slow investigations means that children who have been victims of abuse don’t get the immediate medical and psychological attention that they need.

“With the new protocol, we hope to find a balance, because there exists both administrative and criminal responsibility in these cases,” said Medina.

Another current flaw Medina identifies is that even when teachers are sanctioned by their schools, punishment is frequently transfer to a different school. Serial abusers in new environments, says Medina, are “a ticking time bomb.”

Where evidence of child abuse exists, ASJ pushes for teachers to be fired permanently.

Otherwise, “All they are doing is transferring the problem,” said Medina.

While ASJ works to support criminal investigations into abuse, they also lead trainings for school administrators and parents about how to recognize and report abuse. One persistent myth they’ve found is that charismatic, well-loved community leaders “would never do such a thing”.

Tragically, when the sixth-grader in the rural village reported her abuse, “the response of the [other] parents was, ‘we don’t believe it’,” Medina continued. When people don’t fit stereotypes of an abuser, “People are not attentive and lower their defense mechanisms, because we don’t believe some people are capable of doing this.”

Protecting children in Honduran schools requires a coordination between parents, teachers, school administrators, and law enforcement. Case by case, training by training, ASJ is helping build a society where abuse is identified, treated, and eliminated.

Thanks to ASJ’s attention and close relationship with the sixth-grade girl and her younger sister, they were able to bring them to Honduras’ capital city to testify in the criminal case against the teacher. The girls bravely shared their experience which, along with evidence collected by ASJ investigtors, was enough to earn a guilty sentence against the teacher.

Now the girls are back in school, reports their psychologist, learning, growing, and healing.

With Legal Support, ASJ Defends Children’s Right To Free Education

Wed, 12 Jul 2017 14:15:05 GMT

Every year in Honduras, thousands of children drop out of school – many for economic reasons. When parents can’t afford to buy school uniforms, pencils, notebooks, or pay other school fees, it can end a child’s school career. For many, free, public education is simply too expensive.

Parents of students in one school in Honduras came to ASJ (formerly known as AJS) to report that their school principal was demanding undue payments and fees from parents. Among other fees, school administration demanded about $20 per student to pay for school security, regardless of the students’ families’ economic status, and refused to deliver grades until the payment had been made. This $20 may not seem like a lot, but for a family living in extreme poverty, it could represent a week’s income, or the difference between children eating supper or going to bed hungry.

ASJ attended a meeting where the school administration explained the extra fees to parents, and observed abusive and demeaning language. The administration also refused to share receipts for the expenses they claimed.

Immediately, ASJ got involved through our Anti-Corruption Legal Assistance program , and informed the school that they were violating children’s right to free education, as well as misusing funds. ASJ helped the parents file a formal complaint, and accompanied inspectors from the Ministry of Education as they investigated. The Ministry of Education found sufficient evidence to suspend both the principal and the vice-principal, and name new authorities for the school. The parents are content, not only that they are no longer being asked to pay unnecessary costs, but also that their voices were heard, and that they could make a positive difference in the lives of their children.

ASJ Sheds Light On Violence In Chicago

Mon, 10 Jul 2017 18:09:12 GMT

In 2016, Chicago suffered a record-breaking 764 homicides, becoming the eighth-most violent city in the United States. In certain neighborhoods, the homicide rate soared past 130 per 100,000 – more than Caracas, Venezuela; more than Acapulco, Mexico; more than Tegucigalpa, Honduras, where ASJ (formerly known as AJS) works.

“Honduras is a country of 8 million people; Chicago is a city of 8 million people,” noted Pastor Ray Carter, who serves with the Chicago Fellowship, a nonprofit organization and Bible study designed for business leaders in the city. “If you looked at the problems and challenges there and compared them to the problems and challenges we face in our city, there are a lot of similarities.”

These similarities have led to a partnership between the Chicago Fellowship and ASJ. “The minute I met Kurt and saw what ASJ was doing,” said Carter, “I saw that doing justice was going to be facilitated and made possible through the experience and partnership with ASJ.”

Several years ago, the two groups began to share their experience and expertise. On a trip to Chicago, Ver Beek spoke at a meeting of the business leaders. The following year, several members of the fellowship visited the ASJ office to consult about expansion and learn more details about ASJ programs.

During both visits, Ver Beek encouraged the group to think more systemically about violence in their own neighborhoods.

This past April, the Chicago Fellowship and ASJ came together in Chicago for an Anti-Violence Summit where leaders from Honduras and Chicago could brainstorm and dream together. Kurt Ver Beek, along with member of the police reform commission Omar Rivera, presented ASJ’s justice theory and framework to a room of leaders from Chicago nonprofits, churches, foundations, and activism groups.

“It was a fruitful discussion,” said Carter. “We talked about these broad principles – speaking truth to power, building consensus, getting more people to understand that this is a problem.”

“There were fundamental principles that ASJ was discovering to be critical and important in combating violence,” said Carter , pointing in particular to “breakdowns of trust in government and law enforcement.”

Kurt Ver Beek also saw a clear parallel between Honduras’ high homicide rates, and Chicago’s alarming violence. “Nobody trusts the police,” he says, “but also the police don’t trust the community. Police don’t know the community”.

The exact reasons for this breakdown in trust may differ – for example, Honduras doesn’t have the same fraught history of racial discrimination as Chicago – but the results are the same. Fewer people report crimes. Impunity leads to greater numbers of crimes. And cycles of violence continue.

For Ver Beek, a big part of the meeting was helping the group believe that this sort of change was possible.

“That was the message that kept coming through,” he said: “You can do this. If this can happen in Honduras, it can happen in Chicago. If we can bring organizations together around these issues in Honduras, you certainly can in Chicago. If we can see change on a community level, you certainly can in Chicago.”

Beyond specific strategies to respond to violence, ASJ staff laid down a challenge.

“Maybe at some point it was okay for society to hand over these topics to our mayors and our police, but now many of us are learning that we can’t do that. It’s not enough to elect people every four years and then sit back and go about our business,” says Ver Beek.

“Many people just complain – it’s too big of a problem, it’s too complicated,” he said,

“But we need to engage around topics like violence, education, and health care, we need to get involved. And if the message from Honduras is anything, it’s that we can learn about these things, we can change these things. It’s not as hard as we think.”

“After this meeting we can say, ‘look at where Honduras was when ASJ started, the level of corruption in the government and the total breakdown in trust” said Carter, “You can think that Chicago is hopeless, but you also would have said that Honduras is hopeless, and look at the change we are seeing today.”

Saying “Yes” To The Call: Brave Christians Reforming The Police In Honduras

Thu, 22 Jun 2017 14:47:44 GMT

By Omar Rivera

I am one of the eight million people in Honduras who has watched my country suffer from what seems like every problem that a country could possibly face. Honduras is one of the most corrupt countries in the world. Three-quarters of the country’s population lives in poverty, and many do not have jobs. Furthermore, Honduras has one of the highest homicide rates in the world. In the past three years, we have managed to reduce the homicide rate from 90 per 100,000 to 60 per 100,000 – but this is still ten times higher than the global average. Our problems are enormous, and seem overwhelming.

Do More than Criticize

There are many problems in Honduras, but we at ASJ (formerly known as AJS) have focused most of our attention on one – impunity. In Honduras, only 4% of homicides ever go to trial . This is largely because of corruption and incompetence in the police and in the judicial authorities, which results in few citizens trusting enough to file a report, or testify as a witness or victim of crime.

For the majority of Hondurans, the face of the government is represented by two different groups – teachers and police officers. These are two groups of people who can do a great deal of good if they do their jobs well. On the other hand, if they do not do their jobs, the damage can be incredible.

Imagine the power and influence of these two groups, but then realize that as opposed to teachers, police officers have a gun, they have a uniform, they have other police under their control. The impact of corrupt police is that much greater. And we have observed, sadly, that many police chose the path of corruption. Many police, instead of serving their community, were actually damaging their community, serving the interests of gangs or drug trafficking rings. In order to confront impunity and violence in Honduras, we realized, we had to start by cleaning up the police.

Five Years of Advocacy

In our advocacy, we emphasized a few key points. We said that however you clean up the police force, reform has to start from the top, and work its way down. We also said this process had to go fast so no one has the chance to react and push back. We said that all corruption that was documented had to go to the prosecutor’s office to be investigated and tried. And finally, we said everything that was discovered had to be made public, shared with journalists and the citizenry in general so that the population as a whole would understand just how bad the police had gotten.

For five years we shared this message with the president. We still don’t exactly know why for all these years no one wanted to do anything. Maybe they didn’t know how to start. Maybe they were afraid. Maybe the president felt alone in this topic. What was clear is that none of the presidents and none of the political leaders wanted to touch the issue.

Saying “Yes” to the Call

T his all changed one day when a Honduran newspaper published a series detailing corruption and crime within the police – in particular a case where high-ranking police officers had commanded and executed a hit against the head of the drug enforcement agency. The Honduran population finally saw the extent of this problem. When more details about police corruption were leaked to the New York Times, not just the Honduran population but the whole world could read about how corrupt the Honduran police was. Pressure from both within and outside of the country began to increase. It was no longer a matter of whether the president wanted to or didn’t want to clean up the police – now the president had to clean up the police.

The president named an independent commission to clean up the police, and of the seven people he called, four of us were representatives from ASJ. Four of us were brave Christians, testing for ourselves whether God could really lead us by the hand throughout this process, whether our courageous and committed work could produce great things through God’s guidance.

Cleaning up the Police

These good police no longer have to be worried as they sit in their squad car whether the man sitting in the seat next to him is corrupt. Every police officer has been certified and have demonstrated that they are trustworthy and capable.

So now, after a year, we are starting a new phase. We are doing more than getting rid of the bad apples, we are fully reforming the police, reforming the laws, creating an institutional strategic plan of the sort that has never existed before. Now that we’re sure of the qualifications of the officers, we’re working to get them better guns, better materials, better training, and technology so that they can be more effective.

See, corrupt police and ineffective police are two sides of the same coin. Both do damage to the people they are supposed to serve . We need to have a force that is both honest and effective. And that is what we are working towards.

Demonstrating that it’s Possible

Through this process, we are demonstrating to the President and the population that not only can we observe and identify problems and propose solutions, we can also work with the government to solve those problems. This has been a great satisfaction for us. But it has not come without a cost.

Many of the cops we have fired want to hurt us. They’ve been watching our houses, following our family, threatening our children, and threatening our lives. One of our members was attacked in his house and one of his bodyguards was killed. All of us had to pull our children out of their schools, and move into new, safer homes. While we moved to safer homes, we had to send our families out of the country for nearly two months, time that we were forced to spend apart from our loved ones.

We were afraid. We were afraid for ourselves and for our families; however, that fear was also a challenge. It was a challenge we were able to overcome for three reasons.

First, God was with us. God gave us the strength to continue.

As we in the Commission and at ASJ continue in this work, we hope that people around the world will be encouraged and challenged to get close to the problems in their own environments.

Brave Christians are called to bring about transformation. When institutions are cleaned up, reformed, and strengthened, we see God’s work being done – and we draw closer to the day where the system will finally work and work for everyone, especially for the most vulnerable.

Omar Rivera is ASJ-Honduras’s Director of Advocacy and a Member of the Commission for Police Reform and Restructuring in Honduras. Rivera has years of experience leading civil society in government advocacy, particularly in the areas of public security and anti-corruption efforts. Despite threats against his life, Rivera continues to work bravely for justice in Honduras, where he lives with his wife and three children.

Honduran Lawmakers Approve New Law For The National Police

Tue, 30 May 2017 14:53:15 GMT

The approval of the new Organic Law of the National Police is a momentous step in the institutional life of the public security system of the country.

Honduras’ National Congress approved a new Organic Law of the National Police this morning with support from all political parties. The legislative consensus around the new law is “historic” says civil society leader Omar Rivera.

“On behalf of nongovernmental organizations, we express our joy at this momentous step in the institutional life of the public security system in Honduras,” he said.

Rivera praised the “willingness of lawmakers from different political parties in the National Congress to approve this law that defines the new organizational structure of the entity.”

“Now the National Police will operate with a new structure that is much more versatile, harmonized, simpler and much less onerous,” Rivera said.

Omar Rivera, along with former Supreme Court justice Vilma Morales and civil society leader Alberto Solórzano, was appointed by the Honduran president in April of 2016 to form a Special Commission for the Reform and Restructuring of the National Police force. This appointment followed scandals where high-ranking police officers were demonstrated to be linked to gang activity, drug trafficking, and assassinations.

In the past year, the Special Commission has removed over 4,000 National Police officers, and has drafted new laws that will increase accountability for the National Police.

“We also applaud the commitment of lawmakers to immediately approve the new Police Career Law that will offer valuable tools for authorities to efficiently administrate the human resources of different police agencies and prioritize merit and good management when granting promotions and making appointments to senior ranks within the institution,” said Rivera.

“The updating of the legal framework of the National Police will grant sustainability to many of the achievements of the reform and transformation process led by the Special Commission,” Rivera concluded.

Advocacy Results In A Stronger Property Institute

Fri, 19 May 2017 15:21:09 GMT

The Honduran Property Institute has historically been one of the most corrupt and mismanaged government institutions. This mismanagement hurts thousands of Honduran families, who, because of weaknesses in the system are not able to register their homes and land as theirs . Without the legal title to their property, they live with the fear that everything they worked so hard to build could be taken from them.

In 2015, ASJ (formerly known as AJS) presented a baseline study evaluating the management and transparency of the Property Institute. The government institution scored a dismal 19%. But ASJ staff did more than criticize the poor management, they offered clear, detailed proposals about how the institution could improve. Now, two years later, ASJ has reevaluated the Property Institute and has found dramatic improvement. For the 2015-2016 period, the institute earned a score of 69%.

While there continues to be room for further reforms, a 50-point improvement is unprecedented and worthy of recognition.

One of ASJ’s proposals for the Property Institute was to keep detailed account of its budget, tracking how much the institution spent on different key processes. Prior to ASJ intervention, the institute had no record of how much it cost, on average to register a home or a vehicle, or to survey a plot of land.

After a year of consistently tracking this information, ASJ was able to demonstrate that the Property Institute had reduced the cost per land registration process by 53%. This tracking also provided valuable information into personnel needs. In the land surveying department, for example, personnel decreased by 31%, but production increased by 74% – a 150% total increase in productivity.

This information is essential for reforms. “With this process, both institutions seek to make the administration of the institution more efficient and transparent,” said José Noé Cortés, executive secretary of the Property Institute (IP).

“What we do not measure, we cannot improve,” added Ebal Díaz, who sits on the IP’s directors’ council.

Beyond more careful management within the Property Institute, ASJ also presented advancement in the services it offers. After years of land titles being sporadically delivered, if they were delivered at all, 10,000 titles were delivered in 2016 , granting security to thousands of Honduran families.

“This report reflects the efforts carried by the Property Institute as well as the challenges to overcome in the system,” said Carlos Hernández, president of ASJ-Honduras,

“Nonetheless, we consider this the first step towards the construction of a more solid and efficient system in favor of the most vulnerable.”

A group of U.S. lawyers have been involved in reforms in the Property Institute for years. Find an interview on their view on advocacy and the substantive change they’ve seen.

U.S. Lawyers Contribute To Systemic Change

Fri, 19 May 2017 15:15:39 GMT

“Great things can happen through what seem like crazy ideas,” said Perrin Rynders, a Michigan lawyer and partner at Varnum law.

For the past four years, Rynders, along with James Oppenhuizen, founder of Oppenhuizen Law; Eric Van Vugt, partner at Quarles & Brady; Jennifer Tello, attorney at Legal Aid of West Michigan; and Richard Bandstra, former Michigan state representative and judge for the Michigan Court of Appeals, have been part of the “International Oversight” commission for the Honduran Property Institute.

Members of the group, called “VIIP” by its Spanish initials, have visited Honduras six times to support ASJ’s (formerly known as AJS) advocacy, in trips coordinated by Partners Worldwide .

Over the course of their trips, they say, the change they have seen in the Property Institute has been remarkable. Not only have the number of titles issued increased , but the number of significant errors in these titles has decreased .

While they contribute part of this major change in the Property Institute to new leadership who have demonstrated a willingness and commitment to reform, they say none of this would have been possible without ASJ’s constant presence.

“I see ASJ doggedly, day after day, working with the government, involved in advocacy, not giving in,” said Rynders.

“We see this in the relationship between ASJ staff and folks in the Property Institute,” added James Oppenhuizen, “ASJ is in such an interesting position where they are able to both criticize and support. They critique, but then turn around and say ‘our intention is to lift you up and help you to better.’”

As foreigners in Honduras, the VIIP’s presence reinforces and legitimizes ASJ advocacy, and brings extra attention to press conferences and calls for improvement in the Property Institute.

However, the lawyers recognize that ultimately, the people carrying out change are the staff on the ground in Honduras.

“None of us has made the mistake of thinking that we had the answers,” said Oppenhuizen, “Our role is something that’s constantly evolving. At first it was to get the lay of the land and make it clear that somebody’s paying attention. The main strategy has been to show interest, to try to be constructive, but honest – really just reflecting the approach that ASJ was already taking.”

“The most difficult part is being both sensitive to cultural differences and understanding that whatever the solution is it has to be a Honduran solution,” Oppenhuizen continued.

For all the members of the VIIP, consistency has been key to their advocacy. “It’s important to build trust in the institutions you’ll be overseeing,” said Oppenhuizen, “You can’t just be some foreigner. By coming back regularly, we’ve been able to build those relationships with people at the Property Institute. Now we have the credibility that we can talk about specific issues and raise specific concerns.”

On their most recent trip in May, the VIIP spoke at a press conference for the Property Institute’s new baseline report , met with the executive secretary of the Property Institute, and even appeared on a morning talk show to discuss suggested reforms. But their takeaways from the visit encompassed more than just property reform.

“This is quintessential justice work,” said Oppenhuizen.

“There are no rights more fundamental than to own the property that you’ve purchased, or the right to live free from violence – you can’t come up with more fundamental rights than the areas where ASJ is working,” he said.

“ASJ’s work is building this foundation, and it’s doing it the right way because they are looking at the systems that are most impacting the poor,” he said, “All other work that’s happening in Honduras, everything else is possible because of this work.”

Reflecting on their trip as well as their years of partnership, Rynders was struck by something else: “I’m astonished sometimes at how God’s plan works.”

Can Homicides In Latin America Be Reduced By Half? These Organizations Believe So

Fri, 19 May 2017 15:10:04 GMT

Latin America is one of the most violent regions in the world. The seven most violent countries – Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Venezuela – represent less than 6% of the world’s population, but 34% of the world’s homicides.

A campaign funded by Open Society Foundations is looking to reduce this number by half in the next ten years, an ambitious goal, but one that partner organizations believe is possible. Over twenty organization in these seven countries have come together through the campaign “Instinto de Vida”, or “Instinct for Life”. ASJ (formerly known as AJS) is spearheading the campaign in Honduras, developing messages and communications materials to raise awareness and promote change in Honduras.

ASJ-Honduras’ first video was launched on Mother’s Day, and addresses the 48,000 mothers who have lost their children as a result of violence in Honduras. From Rosa Reyes, whose daughter was brutally attacked in front of her home, to Julieta Castellanos, the director of the National University, whose son was shot by corrupt police, these mothers call on Honduras to end impunity.

For the second video, “Does Violence Affect You?” ASJ’s communications team invited dozens of Hondurans to tell them whether or not they were affected by violence. “If we are all affected,” they ask, “Why are we indifferent?”

Though Honduras’ homicide rate has dropped by a third in the last five years, it remains one of the most violent countries in the world. Someone dies because of violence every two hours in the country – over 5,000 people per year.

Campaigns like this focus on engaging more Hondurans in advocacy to halt this epidemic of violence.

“It’s time to put a face on these figures,” said Carlos Hernández. “We cannot continue normalizing homicides in Honduras.”

US Ambassador To Honduras Praises ASJ’s Work

Wed, 10 May 2017 15:26:11 GMT

U.S. ambassador to Honduras James Nealon has worked closely alongside ASJ (formerly known as AJS) for years, as he oversees U.S. efforts to strengthen Honduran rule of law, while fighting violence, gang activity, and drug trafficking in the country. In a recent video he recorded for ASJ’s Celebration of Justice event, he congratulates supporters of what he calls, “the most important civil society organization in Honduras.” Watch the video, or read the transcript below.

“As you know very well, ASJ is probably the most important civil society organization currently operating here [in Honduras]. It’s an organization that we in the United States embassy and the United States government partner with in many very important ways.

“I know you’re very aware the work that ASJ does here in Honduras, but let me just talk about a couple of elements that are of particular importance to us and to me.

“You know, we’re working together right now very closely on the reform of the Honduran National Police. I think we can all agree that democratic countries need to have functioning civilian police forces that are at the service of the people. That’s been a historic challenge here in Honduras. But through the leadership of many people, many Hondurans, and many members of civil society as well, including ASJ, that’s now changing .

“ASJ and Carlos Hernández, Omar Rivera, Kurt Ver Beek and others have been right at the very forefront of that process of changing the culture of the Honduran National Police so that it does serve the interest of the citizenry. That has been a challenging and difficult process. It’s not going to happen overnight. It takes long-term commitment. It takes big brainpower. It takes creative ideas and it also takes a lot of personal courage.

It’s not going to happen overnight. It takes long-term commitment. It takes big brainpower. It takes creative ideas and it also takes a lot of personal courage.

“ You may have heard the stories of the direct threats that have been made against the lives of the Police Purge Commission including against Carlos and Omar. But I can tell you from personal experience that they’ve never wavered. Their commitment to this process and their commitment to this country is unwavering. I’m just very privileged to have the opportunity to work with them and to be able to support them as they lead this very important process.”

Their commitment to this process and their commitment to this country is unwavering.

ASJ Launches Capital Campaign For New Building

Fri, 21 Apr 2017 15:38:00 GMT

We are so excited to announce that we have begun the fundraising process for a new home for ASJ (formerly known as AJS).

We’ve occupied the same cramped quarters for the past 15 years, even as our staff has grown from around 30 to over 130. Our current space hinders our ability to do our work and facilitate collaboration with others. After a substantial time of prayer, deliberation, and consultation with expert advisors, we believe that the time is right to build a new space that more adequately supports the work, partnerships, and influence of ASJ.

You have been an essential part in bringing us to this point, and we invite you to continue your journey with us by visiting the website below. There, you can learn more about o ur vision for the new building , read stories that illustrate our need , and consider a donation to help make our dreams for peace and justice in Honduras a reality.

Visit www.AJSbuildinghope.org

T hank you in advance for your support of continuing to build hope and grow justice in Honduras!

When A Victim Of Abuse Was Expelled From Third Grade, ASJ Stepped In

Fri, 21 Apr 2017 15:32:27 GMT

Luis was in third grade when his teachers started to punish him for his unusual behavior in class.

The eight-year-old was considered a “difficult case”, due to his impulsive misbehavior, aggression, and lack of concentration. The behavior escalated until, one day, the little boy climbed onto a water tank above the school and threatened to throw himself off.

Worried, the teacher and school authorities asked Luis’ mother, Ana, to look for another school for the boy the following year, one that offered special education.

Ana was suffering from an irreparable loss – her oldest son, José, had been killed the year before. Luis’ problems seemed minor in comparison – something that could be fixed by transferring him to a different school.

However, in the new school, Luis began to act up again.

After punishing the eight-year-old repeatedly, the second school expelled him; and the following year, Luis stayed at home, without a school that was willing or able to teach him.

Staff from ASJ (formerly known as AJS) heard of the case, and, after meeting with the boy and his family, discovered the cause of the boy’s behavior.

Luis came from a dysfunctional family. His father was addicted to drugs, while his mother was lost in her grief at her older son’s violent death.

“No school wanted to accept him because of his bad behavior,” Luis’ psychologist said. “He was in school until second grade, and they transferred him because he couldn’t meet the school’s behavioral requirements. They said he needed special education.”

Nonetheless, according to the expert, Luis’ attitude corresponded to a greater problem that no one had detected.

Luis had been a victim of child sexual abuse, which often shows up in behavioral, social, and emotional indicators. These indicators were detected by ASJ in their treatment of Luis, and confirmed after interviews with his mother and teachers.

“In psychology, these indicators are important to be able to detect suspected sexual abuse, because sometimes children, and even adults, don’t have the social ability to be able to tell what happened to them, or be able to express their emotions adequately,” ASJ’s psychologist said. “The emotional difficulties that the child internalizes manifest themselves in behavior that labels the child as bad or disobedient, and we’re unable to see the great need that the child is trying to externalize.”

“When we visited the school,” she continued, “they told us that the boy had some difficult behaviors, and that they had called his mother while he was in school, and because she wasn’t able to support him, that they had requested the transfer. We explained that we did not find any reason for the exclusion of the boy; on the contrary, it was important that he feel included.”

ASJ was able to present a new psychological report to the school authorities, facilitating the process for Luis to return to class.

“When we came back from the evaluation,” the psychologist said, “the authorities of the school were surprised because in no moment had they detected that the boy had been abused. Because of the lack of knowledge on the topic, they couldn’t connect his behavior with signs of abuse, but with signs of mental and behavioral disabilities.”

With a new understanding of Luis’ situation, the school opened a space for Luis to attend fourth grade. ASJ gave Luis a school kit and uniform so that he could attend class, and continued giving psychological attention to both him and his mother.

After a few months of treatment, Luis is now able to sit well in class, and his teacher reports that he is an active participant.

In this case, and in advocacy throughout the Education system, ASJ is working to ensure that all children are granted their right to education and protection.

*This story appeared first, in Spanish, on the ASJ-Honduras website

ASJ Presents Report On Honduras’ Superior Auditing Court

Wed, 05 Apr 2017 15:47:50 GMT

With politicians in the pockets of drug traffickers and hundreds of millions of dollars robbed from government coffers, Honduras has been racked by accusations of grand corruption, illicit enrichment, and organized crime.

But if the Honduran government had been working as it should, none of these scandals would have happened. According to a definitive report into Honduras’ Superior Auditing Court, published by ASJ (formerly known as AJS) this March:

“These corruption scandals and institutional crises could have been prevented, detected and corrected if there were an independent Superior Auditing Court with sufficient budget and the technical-juridical capacity and institutional coverage to comply with its constitutional mandate…”

Though it’s not an institution many, even in Honduras, are familiar with, the Superior Auditing Court is one of the most important tools in the fight against government corruption.

Across the world, Superior Auditing Courts are government institutions that perform internal audits, looking for corruption and inefficiencies within the government and issuing recommendations for change. In the United States, this court is called the “Government Accountability Office”. In Honduras, it is the Tribunal Superior de Cuentas, or TSC. The three magistrates who make up the TSC serve in seven-year terms, and act as the “first link in the fight against corruption”.

Unfortunately, in Honduras, this link can act more like a roadblock. Honduran courts cannot proceed with a case of illicit enrichment until the TSC determines that the incident should be taken to trial. No other judicial body is allowed to perform an independent investigation of the case.

Illicit Enrichment, also called Unjust Enrichment is any instance in which someone misuses their power to make themselves rich at the expense of someone else. It could be direct theft, or indirect abuse of power such as granting your own companies lucrative contracts.

Honduras’ TSC has long come under scrutiny for institutional weakness and lack of response to serious accusations of corruption. ASJ, in turn, has long called on the Honduran government to reform the way the court functions, allowing it to investigate and intercept corruption more swiftly and readily.

ASJ’s report, “Citizen Oversight of the Superior Auditing Court 2009-2016” an in-depth study into the organization and management of the court, is the culmination of these years of advocacy. The report analyzes and evaluates key management indicators for the TSC’s previous term and lays out clear suggestions for improvement. As a new court of magistrates begins their seven-year tenure this year, ASJ hopes that lessons learned from past mistakes will strengthen the institution in the future.

Illicit enrichment is one of the most controversial acts of corruption not just because of its frequent links to organized crime, but also because it is one of the crimes that is least investigated, least often sent to trial, and carries the least punishment, the Citizen Oversight Report noted.

In some cases, the accused were ordered by the TSC to pay a fine to restitute the money they had stolen or mismanaged. However, though the majority of thefts were of quantities of $43,000 and above, the majority of fines were levied in cases of thefts of $2,000 or less.

Besides slow, inefficient processes that tended to ignore the biggest offenders, the study also revealed a limited scope for the court’s investigations. The TSC audited less than 50% of public spending, and their investigations did not reach all municipalities.

Some of the TSC’s institutional weaknesses can be attributed to its limited budget. Unlike most public ministries that dedicate 60-70% of their budget to salaries, the TSC designates well over 90% of its budget just to pay its 649 employees, leaving very little space for operating expenses, technological advances, and other tools. Honduras spends far less on its Superior Auditing Court than other Central American countries – Panama spends 20 times more per capita on investigating government corruption.

“We hope that the findings, results, and recommendations that are presented in this report will not only be a challenge for the new court, but also a contribution” said Lester Ramirez, ASJ’s director of investigations and the author of the report, “We hope it orients them to focus their efforts and resources in impactful actions that will help to construct social legitimacy and institutional credibility.”

ASJ Partners With Catholic Church To Teach “Love And Limits” To Honduran Families

Wed, 29 Mar 2017 15:58:11 GMT

Last week, in a brief, joyful graduation ceremony, sixty participants received diplomas saying they had completed “Love and Limits,” a session led by ASJ (formerly known as AJS) that teaches practical strategies for working with children and families.

Stronger families make stronger communities, ASJ knows, and many parents in Honduras struggle with listening and understanding their children, while also lovingly placing and enforcing limits.

These representatives will be able to take these lessons not just to their own families, but to the dozens of children going through catechism in each church, and to other families in their parish.

“My experience was very good, in that I could apply it to my own life. I have a daughter, and I learned how to improve my communication with her,” said Nora, a participant who also leads child ministries in her church. “We as mothers don’t know everything, but we learn along the way,” she added, smiling.

“I work with some difficult families where there is irresponsible parenting, and many different life situations, but we are going to work as a team to address that and to see what we can do with the families,” she added.

All attendees emphasized this commitment – they wanted to “scatter the seed”, sharing the lessons they learned with other families.

“I’ve learned a lot – these reflections allow us to learn so we can later teach,” said another participant, “What I most liked was to discover the values and talents that are in our church… It encourages me to continue firmly in my commitment of working in the church.”

“May God continue to bless the work of ASJ,” he closed in prayer.

In this and other projects throughout Honduras, ASJ facilitates trainings that give new skills and knowledge to leaders who can then spread the information within their own churches, organizations, and communities. In this way, ASJ’s work can be a catalyst for justice everywhere from the Supreme Court to the family dinner table.

Citizens Help Uncover Corruption In The Police

Tue, 28 Mar 2017 16:06:55 GMT

“Report Police hotline, how can I help you?” Milton Fonseca answers the phone in the office of ASJ’s (formerly known as AJS) Anti-Corruption Legal Assistance (ALAC) program.

“Mm-hmm,” he says, opening a document and beginning to type. “Where did this happen?”

The caller had suffered from an injustice all too common in Honduras – during a routine traffic stop, a police officer had demanded an arbitrary payment, despite the fact that the caller had not broken any traffic regulations. When the caller said no, the officer refused to return the caller’s driver’s license.

Thankfully, the caller, who asked not to be identified, had seen a news report about a new way to report corrupt police officers. A quick google search turned up the number, and within minutes, Milton was finalizing the report to share with Carlos Pego, ASJ’s lawyer in charge of police corruption.

“This is a very important tool to compile information related to members of the police who are being evaluated by the Commission, but also for those who were already approved,” said Omar Rivera, a member of the Police Reform Commission.

“We’ve said this many times, those who are being approved to continue in police service are not being given a “blank check”, he continued, “they can be reported if anyone identifies that their actions are outside of the law or if they are linked with corrupt networks or bands of organized crime.”

As the Commission strengthens internal reporting structures, it’s also important that citizens across Honduras have their own methods of reporting police corruption. In an institution where police leaders have been accused of assassination and cooperation with drug traffickers, a bribe requested at a traffic stop may seem like a relatively minor crime.

But it’s these day-to-day interactions that most affect Hondurans’ trust in the police. As these police face investigation and consequences for their actions, Honduras will continue to move towards a country where justice, and not impunity, reigns.

Crossing A Continent In Support Of ASJ

Wed, 22 Mar 2017 16:10:44 GMT

Jim Beezhold is no quitter.

It’s what pushed him through almost two dozen marathons in his younger days, and many competitive triathlons. When he started to experience joint pain in his 70s, it’s what led him not to quit, but to switch from running to biking. It’s what pushed him, at age 72, to bike from Seattle to New York City with the fundraising bike race Sea to Sea .

Now 81, Jim pushes himself just as hard. This June, he will be the oldest participant in Sea to Sea’s annual bike race, this time from Vancouver, Canada to Nova Scotia. He’ll ride the ten-week course, which covers over 4,200 miles, alongside approximately 100 other cyclists, biking all day and making camp in pup tents each night.

Sea to Sea is an annual bike race co-sponsored by Christian development organization World Renew , and Partners Woldwide , a global Christian network that uses business to fight poverty. Since its founding in 2002, Sea to Sea has raised $5.5 million for hundreds of different poverty-fighting organizations.

“I really identified with the recipients, World Renew and Partners Worldwide,” said Beezhold. “When they announced that we could identify with a third charity, I immediately thought of ASJ,” he said. Now a certain percentage of every dollar he raises will go to ASJ’s (formerly known as AJS) work doing justice in Honduras.

Beezhold became involved with ASJ through his church, Crossroads Christian Reformed Church , in San Marcos, California.

He says he has a lot of respect for ASJ’s lawyers who protect witnesses and victims of violence, “ASJ lawyers take on very dangerous work representing ordinary citizens,” he said.

He sees this work as something that could be a model for the rest of the region, or even in the United States.

“At ASJ, they’re doing a job that no one else is doing in the world, I think,” he added.

For Jim Beezhold, the opportunity to combine one of his favorite activities with some of his favorite missions wasn’t to be missed. “I love to bike,” he said, “It’s the best way to see God’s country since you’re not going 75 miles an hour”.

But more than that, he says, “I regard this trip a mission which in the past has been the most physical, mental, and spiritual experience of my life.”

Donations to Jim Beezhold’s ride can be made at seatosea.org with his name in the memo. If you are interested in biking or racing in support of ASJ, you can find more information here . If you’re looking for a biking opportunity in Honduras, contact us to see how you can participate in Coast to Coast 2018 !

Interrupting Corruption In Honduras’ Education System

Wed, 15 Mar 2017 16:39:42 GMT

How ASJ Involvement Revealed Political Favoritism in the Appointment of Education Employees

*beep beep*

This message wasn’t intended for her. It had originally been sent out to select applicants for high-ranking government jobs in the Ministry of Education, applicants in a process that Munguía, with the rest of the staff of TH and the Association for a More Just Society (ASJ, formerly known as AJS), had spent the past few months trying to ensure was transparent.

Up until now, the hiring process had been near-disastrous, filled with stops and starts and evidence of corruption. In just a few days, all candidates would take an evaluation test. Now this text message looked like an invitation to cheat on the application test – helping to ensure that political favorites, not the truly qualified, would be in charge of key decisions in Honduras’ already-struggling education system.

She scrolled down, reading more details about the time and location of the meeting. “Always drive with discretion” the message said.

Munguía screenshotted the text message and showed it to her boss, Carlos Hernández, the co-founder and president of ASJ. They had the time, date, and address of the secret meeting. The only thing they had to do, they agreed, was show up.

***

Ending corruption in Honduras’ education system is crucial. In a country where fewer than 30% of children read at or above their grade level, and only 27% are at grade level in mathematics, corruption robs funding from a government institution that already fails to meet children’s needs.

Even these dismal scores are an improvement over past years, improvements based largely on civil society and nonprofit organizations’ intervention in government corruption.

Since ASJ began to work against corruption in the Education sector in 2010, they have pushed strongly to monitor teachers’ attendance and the number of days that schools are open for children . Just this external auditing has resulted in the discovery and firing of thousands of “ ghost teachers ” – those who were receiving a paycheck but never teaching classes – and has increased public schools’ average number of school days from 125 per year to over 200 .

These important advances notwithstanding, the Ministry of Education continues to struggle. In 2015, ASJ published a baseline study evaluating the Ministry of Education’s compliance with transparency and management standards. They scored just 42%.

Besides issues with purchasing school materials and evaluating teachers, ASJ uncovered serious problems with Department Directors of Education – administrators who served at the highest level of each of Honduras’ 18 geographic departments.

Department Directors manage school budgets, personnel, curriculum, and standardized testing for their region. They are responsible for implementing all education policies and for managing financial, technical, and logistical resources.

Unfortunately, until recently, these directors were political appointments whose work had little citizen oversight. What’s more, the laws regulating the way they were hired hadn’t been updated since 1966.

ASJ had already been working to change this. In 2011, ASJ helped push the Secretary of Education and Congress to pass a new law that would update and improve education in Honduras. One of the many recommendations ASJ made for this law was to make the hiring of Department Directors more transparent and with more external controls, avoiding corruption and political favors in their hiring process.

However, in 2016, despite increasing openness by the Ministry of Education to citizen oversight, the new law still wasn’t being implemented.

***

In early 2016, several months before Munguía received the text message, Honduras’ Department of Education began working with the “General Office of Civil Service” (which hires and oversees government personnel) to hire 78 new government employees – Department Directors of Education, and secretaries and support staff for their offices.

ASJ would only participate, they said, under the following conditions: they would be given access to all information about applicants, participate in all stages of the hiring process, invite other organizations to join them, and be free to withdraw from the process in case of noncompliance.

Weeks of uncertainty had already passed, and tensions were rising. Under pressure from civil society, Civil Service agreed to ASJ’s conditions.

Almost immediately after the process began, internal disagreements between the Ministry of Education and Civil Service caused the Ministry of Education to withdraw from the hiring process.

Recognizing that it was essential that the Ministry of Education be a part of hiring its own administrators, ASJ brought the two parties together to a meeting. Playing peacemaker, ASJ asked that the Ministry of Education join the hiring committee again, threatening to withdraw from the process themselves if this demand wasn’t met.

ASJ’s vocal signaling of errors was making the Civil Service look bad, but if ASJ withdrew from the process, it would look even worse. Reluctantly, Civil Service agreed to start the whole process over again.

***

The second effort to hire Department Directors gave Civil Service a fresh slate, but it soon became apparent that there were few improvements over the first process. Despite the oversight of multiple anti-corruption organizations, the process was still not transparent. Over protests of the anti-corruption organizations, the hiring committee pressed forward with their evaluations.

In May of 2016, 124 applicants took a written aptitude test. But, as their responses were scored and tabulated, it became clear that something was wrong. Only 17% of applicants had scored above 70%. The rest – the vast majority – had failed.

The Ministry of Education looked over the test and quickly determined that the test was not properly evaluating candidates, instead asking questions that were completely irrelevant to the positions they were applying for. They decided to nullify all test results.

But the problems with the hiring process went deeper – the poorly-written aptitude test was just scratching the surface. Calls for applicants were poorly publicized, and applicants weren’t given much time to put their applications together. Hiring manuals were being disregarded; important information wasn’t being published.

In light of all this, ASJ suggested that the Ministry of Education and Civil Service nullify not just the aptitude test, but the entire process up to that point, and start the process for a third time.

The Minister of Education, Marlon Escoto, agreed with ASJ, and voiced his support for an entirely new process. Civil Service didn’t reply to the request, though they did reschedule the test for a later date.

Three days before the rescheduled test would take place, the text message would find its way to Munguía’s phone.

***

On the day of the secret review session, members of ASJ’s security detail drove to the location included in the text message, a quiet hotel far outside the city.

Under the guise of planning an event on the property, the security guards toured the hotel, snapping pictures on their phones. They lingered near the main meeting room, surreptitiously snapping photos of a group of people bent over sheets of paper, studying.

“Hey,” one of them said, catching sight of them, “What are you doing here? Why are you taking photos?”

A swarm of 15 people soon surrounded the two guards, preventing them from leaving. In aggressive tones, they demanded that the guards delete the photos from their phones.

Cornered, the guards obliged, and only once the group of people saw the photos disappear did they let them leave.

But they already had the information they needed. The two men returned to the office, recovered the deleted images from their phones, and showed them to their colleagues.

“I know who that is,” one said. It was a familiar face – an employee from the office of the Vice-Minister of Education. This same employee had been linked to the illegal sale of government positions years before, but nothing was ever proven.

Things began to fall into place. This employee had ties to two anti-corruption groups who had been specifically named to review the test the applicants would take. Now, it seemed, he was using that special access to ensure that the next administrators would be the people that he wanted them to be – not coincidentally, all applicants invited to the review session were from a particular political party.

Armed with the message, incriminating photos, and binders full of information about irregularities in the hiring process, ASJ took their findings to the Ministry of Education and other partner organizations.

The false starts, repeated irregularities, and secret meetings left Munguía, Hernández, and Escoto deeply skeptical about the legitimacy of the hiring process. After deliberating together, the Ministry of Education, accompanied by ASJ and the other major anti-corruption organizations, all decided to withdraw from the hiring process just one day before the test was to have been given.

Undeterred, Civil Service planned to continue with the evaluation.

Frustrated, ASJ President Carlos Hernández decided to go straight to the President.

Carlos Hernández is a familiar face to Honduras’ President Juan Orlando Hernández. They meet frequently, as Carlos Hernández makes demands for more efficient and transparent government systems in Education, Health, Security, and the many other areas where ASJ works.

He called the President and left a message. A few hours later, the President returned his call. He agreed, he told Hernández, what they had uncovered was unacceptable. He would see about stopping the process.

***

The next day dawned sunny and hot. Over one hundred applicants arrived at the testing location, as did ASJ and their colleague organizations.

Thanks to the tireless work of ASJ and their colleagues, corruption had been interrupted once again.

***

In September 2016, after nearly seven months of false starts and errors, Civil Service and the Ministry of Education finally selected the Department Directors who would help shape Honduran Educational Policy for the next three years.

After nearly seven months of diligent supervision, ASJ and their colleagues could certify that these 15 new administrators were qualified, and that for the first time, they had been selected in an open and transparent process.

“We hope this generation of Directors acts and performs their work responsibly,” Blanca Munguía said, “and that they feel the pressure to develop a different management with better results”.

She knew her team would be part of that pressure – but in meetings with the new directors and detailed recommendations for improvements, they would also be part of the results.

Building Hope In Honduras’ Judicial System One Case At A Time

Wed, 15 Mar 2017 16:21:32 GMT

Martha Lopez* climbs the three flights of stairs with the corner of her robe clutched in her hand, barely able to see through the black mesh hood that covers her head. She leans heavily on Daniel*, a criminal investigator whose heavy build would be more intimidating were it not for his kind eyes.

Only once Martha is in the upper room and she hears the door click shut behind her does she dare to pull the covering off of her head, revealing a woman in her early forties with carefully-done makeup around her weary eyes. She looks around at a small group of familiar, smiling faces, her hands still shaking with fear.

Martha’s black robes, head covering, secret visit, and shaking hands – all are part of her life as a protected witnesses, preparing to give testimony in the case of her nephew’s murder.

In a country where impunity is staggering, and where witnesses often have more to fear than criminals, it takes an enormous amount of bravery to be standing in this upper room this morning. It also takes an enormous amount of trust.

Martha lives in one of Honduras’ most dangerous neighborhoods, where gangs scuffle over the right to extort small businesses and gunshots ring out in the night. Martha has lost two family members to this violence. Several years ago, she was the one to force down the door of her brother’s apartment, finding him slumped across the floor, signs of a struggle and a gun on the floor.

When Daniel met Martha by chance in the police station, he told her first about the psychological counseling that ASJ (formerly known as AJS) offered to families of homicide victims. Then he told her that he and his colleague could help with the investigation and trial of the case.

From that day, Daniel, Julio*, a criminal lawyer, and Elisa*, a psychologist became a regular presence in Martha’s life. Elisa helped Martha process her feelings of guilt and fear. Daniel and Julio worked on demanding an autopsy that would contest the police’s ruling of suicide.

When tragedy struck again, a year later, Daniel was the first person Martha called.

Martha had been in the kitchen when gang members barged into her house looking for her nephew. She had watched her nephew’s hands tremble as he slipped off his necklace and gave it to his brother, then took his phone out of his pocket and gave it to his mother.

She had watched the gang members, who didn’t bother to hide their faces, grab him roughly and take him away.

It was the last she saw of him.

Others saw more.

A neighbor was walking by the soccer field where the group of gang members surrounded the man, raining blows on him for challenging the “war tax” they extorted from local businesses.

Another neighbor saw them push his limp body into a sack, and throw it into the back of a car. Police would find the body the next day, thrown off the side of a steep hill. They would look for witnesses – the murder had occurred at noon in the middle of a busy community – but no one would come forward.

The case didn’t advance until Martha told Daniel, Julio, and Elisa that she would testify. Through her influence, the first neighbor also agreed to testify, but only if the team helped to protect her.

ASJ’s team does everything to keep the witnesses safe. They know through experience that powerful or well-connected individuals seek revenge against people who dare to speak out against them, and that the men who killed Martha’s nephew could have informants in her neighborhood. They know that protecting a witness’ identity is the same as protecting her life.

So ASJ staff work to prepare Martha for her day in court. She begins to casually mention to her neighbors an upcoming trip to visit family. She buys a bus ticket to a distant city – she boards the bus, then gets out secretly just across the city limits, where an ASJ car is waiting for her. In the unmarked car, she dons the dark robes: a hood over her head, gloves over her hands, slippers covering her sandals and red-painted toenails.

On the day of the trial, Martha stands in front of the court knowing that she isn’t alone. She finishes her testimony in a full, clear voice – she knows the evidence in the case is strong, that her eyewitness testimony is powerful, that her lawyer is smart and well-prepared.

Justice can win, she dares to believe. For the first time in a long time, she feels a flutter of hope.

Guilty.

In a country where impunity is staggering, and where witnesses often have more to fear than criminals, Martha almost cries to hear the sentences against two of the men responsible for her nephew’s death. Their crime carries a 20 to 30 year sentence. The two men won’t be responsible for the pain and loss of any other mothers, fathers, and aunts.

Daniel, Julio, and Elisa help her back into the car. They’ll stay with her until it’s time to go back to the bus station, time to return to her everyday life. They’ll visit again in a few days, just to check in, and to share advances on the still-ongoing case of her brother.

As case after case in her neighborhood end in conviction, Martha’s fragile hope will take root somewhere inside her. She will begin to believe that a different Honduras is possible, and know that she herself has been part of that transformation.

*Names and some identifying details about this case have been changed.

Bianka Cabrera: Deciding To Be Part Of The Solution

Wed, 08 Mar 2017 16:49:13 GMT

*This story was first published, in Spanish, on APJ’s website . APJ is a Honduran civil society coalition led by ASJ (formerly known as AJS). The Evangelical Church, Catholic Church, National University, and dozens of other NGOs are also members. APJ was founded in response to weak security institutions in Honduras, and advocates for improvements in Honduras’ police, security forces, and courts.*

“I knew that there were problems with insecurity in our country, but thanks to this training I now have greater clarity about the challenges that we have in the Honduran security system,” she said.

In 2015, Alliance for Peace and Justice started the training program “Security 101”, designed to equip leaders of nonprofits, schools, and churches across Honduras to carry out effective social auditing and advocacy to decision-makers within the security and justice system in the country.

“In front of so many problems that affect us, Hondurans should realize that it is possible to be part of the solution and make a difference. It’s true that young people are the future, but our work should start now. This is the moment to do something, and through APJ they teach us how.”

Read more about APJ’s Security 101 trainings.

Call To Fight For Justice In Honduras Is Echoed In The United States And Canada

Wed, 08 Mar 2017 11:03:20 GMT

*This article is translated from Spanish. It was originally published by ASJ-Honduras after the joint board meeting between ASJ-Honduras, ASJ-US, and ASJ-Canada.* (ASJ was formerly known as AJS).

Tegucigalpa. Seventeen years ago, a group of brave Christians from the United States and Canada decided to work for justice in favor of thousands of vulnerable Hondurans, and founded “the Association for a More Just Society” (ASJ-US), the U.S. counterpart of la Asociación para una Sociedad más Justa (ASJ-Honduras) in Honduras.

“It is one of the most important works that I have done in my life. It is a privilege to be here, side by side with Hondurans. For us, the board of directors of ASJ in the United States, it is a great privilege to have the tangible opportunity to work for justice,” said Peter Harkema, president of the board of directors of ASJ in the United States.

Harkema recently visited Honduras with a group of 15 U.S. Americans and two Canadians to hear about advances in the work that ASJ-Honduras started over 20 years ago, and share experiences with the directors and collaborators of the independent civil society organization.

“ASJ is a Honduran organization that teaches us a lot, that motivates us to tell the whole world that justice is possible, said Russ Jacobs, from ASJ-US.

“You should know that many people are receiving information about your work and have committed to pray for you,” added Maureen Hodge, also from ASJ-US.

The North American board members visited communities in Honduras’ capital city where ASJ has projects, and met with the coordinators and collaborators of different programs of the organization.

ASJ-US was founded in the year 2000 with the goal of supporting the creation of a more just society in Honduras and around the world through the promotion of ASJ’s work, inspiring other individuals to promote justice and mercy as God has called us.

*ASJ is proud to work alongside our colleagues in Honduras. Read more here about our history of partnership.*

Graduation Ceremony Celebrates The Impact Of Youth Clubs In Honduran Communities

Mon, 27 Feb 2017 19:43:14 GMT

It was an afternoon of jokes, laughter, and creativity – not unlike the weekly Impact Clubs that these children had been attending for the past three years. But this afternoon, twenty young teenagers were celebrating their graduation from the youth program, and their entrance into community programs for young adults.

ASJ (formerly known as AJS) works in four communities in Tegucigalpa where children are at particularly high risk of violence, gang recruitment, and dropping out of school. Weekly clubs are a stabilizing force in these children’s lives, offering them a safe place to play, trusted leaders to look up to, and teaching on values and responsibility that many of them carry with them into adulthood.

As part of the graduation ceremony, each child wrote one thing that they had learned on a paper leaf, then stuck it to a tree to symbolize ongoing growth. “Responsibility”, “solidarity”, “caring for others” the leaves read.

“They teach you values, they teach you love, friendship, coexistence, they teach you to respect your elders. And it’s fun! You get to socialize, instead of being in the street doing who knows what.”

Cesar has been part of the community projects for ten years, attending youth clubs, then serving as a volunteer and mentor. For the graduation ceremony, he participated in a community dance troupe performing to worship music.

“Any time they need us, here we are,” he laughed.

In a neighborhood where many parents worry about crime, gangs, or drugs influencing their children, Cesar stands out as an example. He graduated from high school, and has plans to continue studying and working. He volunteers in his church and in community service projects.

“The (impact club leaders) have been a part of my life for 10 years,” he said, “I am the person I am today thanks to them.”

“Children all should have a right to play,” she continued, “but here it’s almost not respected because at a young age children start to work.”

Linsey now studies radiology at the local university, and spends her evenings working at her church. She also says the clubs helped bring her to where she is today. “In addition to values, they teach you how to treat others,” she said.

Now graduated from high school, he hopes to one day become a doctor.

“I dream big things, giant things,” he says, “I study and work a lot, and the rest I leave in God’s hands.”

In D.C., ASJ President And Staff Present Their Progress In Honduran Police Reform

Mon, 27 Feb 2017 19:34:42 GMT

On February 19th, the members of Honduras’ Police Reform Commission left for Washington D.C. to share their vision for a new, transformed Honduran police force.

During their five-day trip, Commissioners, including ASJ (formerly known as AJS) staff and board members, met with representatives from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the Congressional Central American caucus, and various other representatives from the U.S. Department of State, think tanks, and organizations focused on public security in Latin America.

A central part of the trip was a presentation the Commissioners gave at the Wilson Cente r , where they shared successes and challenges from their ten months working to remove corrupt officers and transform the National Police force.

Over 100 government officers, diplomats, journalists, and members of civil society attended the presentation, presented by the Wilson Center’s Latin American Program. In the presentation, which can be viewed in full here , members of the Commission gave context of Honduras’ difficult past with the National Police. Despite the country’s homicide rate being one of the highest in the world, Honduras currently has just 14,000 police officers, a little more than half the number international experts recommend.

Furthermore, police officers have been involved in many emblematic cases of drug trafficking, extortion, murder, and assassination of public figures, leading to a nation where nearly two-thirds of people distrust the police.

Unlike previous fruitless attempts to change these statistics, however, the Reform Commission’s efforts in the past ten months have seen substantial results.

Police Reform Commission is Seeing Results

Transforming the Police with New Officers

Perhaps more encouraging than the firing of 2,959 corrupt or ineffective officers is the hiring of the same number of trustworthy, well-trained officers to replace them. In 2016, 2,577 new officers graduated from revamped police academies, after completing a newly-rigorous application and year-long training process. In 2017, 3,580 more will join their ranks.

The number of Honduran police officers will nearly double in the next five years, Commission members said in their Wilson Center presentation, bringing the force up 26,000 officers, and each officer will go through ongoing vetting and training.

Furthermore, the Commission will make efforts to address lack of leadership and weak institutions – to transform the institution from the inside out.

As the commission finishes with evaluating all 14,000 current officers, they will also evaluate officers due for promotions to ensure that every role is filled not by someone who “put in the time,” but by someone who truly merits it.

Looking out for the Police

The Reform Commission is not only looking to remove bad police and hire new ones – they want to fundamentally change the institution to take care of the officers who are joining the force, as well as those who have remained. For every officer who abused his position to make himself rich, Commission members found, many more officers were struggling at or barely above the poverty line.

Low wages make bribes and payoffs tempting, and also threaten health and well-being. Instead, said Carlos Hernández, president of ASJ, police officers should receive a dignified salary and benefits.

When the officers charged with protecting the country are barely making a living wage, “How can I as a citizen not demand better for them?” Hernández asked.

Well-compensated police officers are only one piece of the Commission’s dream for Honduras. They have laid out other ambitious, but feasible, goals. The Commission would like to see Honduras’ homicide rate continue to drop from 60, to 28 per 100,000. They want to see 50% of homicides investigated completely (in 2015, only 20% were investigated). Finally, they hope for a 50% reduction of incidences of extortion, kidnapping and drug trafficking. Previously, these goals may have seemed impossible, but with radical changes in police enforcement, they seem in reach.

The Responsibility of Everyone

The Commission recognized the difficult trail ahead of them, particularly in empowering the courts to process the hundreds of legal cases that have been brought against corrupt officers.

But “with political will, decisiveness and clarity of objectives, you can achieve a great deal,” said Omar Rivera, “This successful reform can incite other institutions to do the same.”

Hernández saw the last successful months as a chance to “change the story” of what is happening in Honduras, showing that, “where there’s political will and a vigilant civil society, things can change.”

Commission member Jorge Machado reminded the audience that the task rested on the participation not only of the government, but on citizens, organizations, and international support.

“The responsibility to transform and make sure we do not make the same mistakes again is not just a political responsibility,” said Machado, “It is everyone’s responsibility.”

ASJ Advocacy Leads To Thousands Of New, Accurate Land Titles

Wed, 22 Feb 2017 19:47:02 GMT

Margarita Zúniga has lived in her community of Tegucigalpa, Honduras for 32 years, raising five children, and now many grandchildren in her cement-block home.

Years after she had moved into the land and constructed a house, government officials came to her saying she had to pay for her property. Though she only made a few dollars a day washing and ironing clothes, she began to make small but regular payments. After years, she had paid off her land – but never got the promised title.

“That was 15 years ago,” she said. “They said I had to pay a lawyers, I had to go here, I had to go there, and I went and I went.” After so many dead ends, however, she had almost given up.

In Honduras, over the last few decades, a slow internal migration has seen hundreds of thousands of people move from their rural lives as subsistence farmers, to the cities. In the 1980s, thousands moved to informal settlements, building their homes on hills with no roads, no water, and no legal recognition. As the communities grew, so did land conflicts.

Though Honduran law allows for the legalization and registration of settlements where individuals have lived for over ten years, few people were aware of this, or of how to do carry out that process. This left many thousands of Hondurans vulnerable to losing their land in a legal battle they could neither understand nor afford.

In 1998, the Association for a More Just Society (ASJ, formerly known as AJS) began with a land rights project, working in communities to help people register their land. They walked alongside people through the labyrinthine processes, through multiple agencies, with multiple people, processes that could take years.

The more they became involved with the Property Institute, the government institution which manages land registration and titling, the more ASJ believed that the institution could, and should be better.

Focusing on individual cases, they found, can win individual victories – but it doesn’t help to rewrite a broken system.

“We had been focused at the community level, making sure that people got their titles, but we weren’t looking at the titles themselves,” said Anajansi Alvarado, a land titling expert with ASJ. “We were seeing titles with names misspelled, or with missing information that invalidated the titles.”

ASJ was making progress in teaching communities how the land titling process should work – but found that weakness within the Property Institute meant that reality looked much different.

“The population can know all the laws,” said Alvarado, “But if the laws aren’t followed, it doesn’t do any good.”

The Honduran Property Institute has long suffered from a combination of corruption and incompetence. Bureaucrats with no legal or property-related experience mismanaged processes, leaving ample opportunity for corruption and bribery.

So ASJ shifted their focus, advocating directly to the government for reforms in the way land titles were registered and delivered.

ASJ’s land rights team audited thousands of titles prepared in 2014, and found that every single one contained an errors. Furthermore, they revealed a lack of digital backup of land titles, meaning that if the paper title was lost, individuals may be forced to re-start the entire titling process.

The next year, despite some improvements, a third of titles were still flawed. On top of this, land registration was so backed up that a process that should have taken ten months was taking, on average, six years.

But ASJ’s constant advocacy is beginning to see results. After a 2015 baseline study showed the Property Institute scoring a dismal 19% in compliance with transparency standards, the director of the Institute sat down with ASJ to create a measurable improvement plan.

With the support of ASJ, the Property Institute has defined specific, measurable goals, something they have never before tracked. Now they will be held accountable to process 10,000 titles every year – a small dent in the estimated 80% of Honduran land that lacks titles, but a significant one nonetheless.

By the end of 2016, it became clear that for the first time the Property Institute had met their goal, processing 10,005 land titles. Even better, at the beginning of November, ASJ audited nearly 1,000 titles and found zero errors.

Now, in public events across Honduras, titles are being given out that ASJ trusts are well-prepared and accurate.

What’s more, things are beginning to change within the institution itself.

“When we look from last year to this year, we see significant changes,” said Alvarado, “Now, employees start each day with a stack of titles – they have to have these done by the end of the day or explain why not. Before, there was no control, no one was monitored, documents could easily be lost. Now we’re using a manual that institutionalizes processes.”

“We have received a great deal of support from them (ASJ),” said Marcela Maldonado, director of property registration at the Property Institute. “We have implemented quality controls, and they also accompanied us with the creation of our first process manual for property regularization, and this has helped us to be able to deliver legal and quality titles.”

At a public event delivering land titles, the President of Honduras phoned in with his own words of recognition.

“It is very important to secure the property you have through a title, because that permits a series of opportunities, such as, for example credit, or to have the peace and calmness of something that is yours,” said President Juan Orlando Hernández.

“I want to congratulate the Property Institute, and the people of ASJ for their support so this process could be transparent as it should be.”

The changes over the last few years are making a real difference for thousands of Hondurans still waiting for title to their land.

Julian Castro was born in his community, but until he received his land title, he had no proof that the house where his parents had raised him belonged to his family. He worked for two years alongside the community board to apply for his property.

“For me it means everything,” he said, “There’s a great joy that we have something that’s ours, that we can give to our children, and that no one can take away from us.”

Eusedia López has lived in her home for 20 years, “We give thanks to God,” she said, “We have been waiting for so long, this is an old community. This is proof that something belongs to us,”

And Margarita Zúniga, who had paid for her home 15 years ago, was relieved and proud to finally hold proof in her hands, knowing that she would have something concrete to leave for her daughters.

To her, the title is proof that she is the owner of her home. “I know that I have it there,” she continued, “that I worked hard for it, and that it’s mine.”

Biblical Justice With Kurt Ver Beek

Sun, 22 Jan 2017 19:48:33 GMT

ASJ (formerly known as AJS) Co-Founder Dr. Kurt Ver Beek lectures on the real meaning of doing justice, and gives practical examples of how to do justice in our own communities. In all of ASJ’s work, but particularly police reform, he sees change and transformation that is exciting, but also scary. In this, and in everything we do, God’s perfect love helps to drive out fear.

Coast To Coast 2017 Tackles New Advocacy Issue: Hours In Class

Thu, 19 Jan 2017 12:28:23 GMT

With ASJ (formerly known as AJS) coalition “Transformemos Honduras”, over 130 cyclists biked 271 miles across Honduras to raise awareness for public education.
Cyclists stopped at eight cities in seven days to recognize Honduras’ best public school students.
At each event, ASJ announced new advocacy efforts to improve public education in Honduras.

From Honduras’ rainy Atlantic coast to its sunbaked Pacific shore, over 130 cyclists shared a simple message – for public education to improve in Honduras, all must do their part.

This is civil society coalition Transformemos Honduras ’ seventh year hosting the annual bike race “ Costa a Costa ” or Coast to Coast. The event has grown to become not only a beloved tradition but also an important advocacy tool.

As the race threads through eight of Honduras’ biggest cities, Transformemos Honduras (TH) hosts public events recognizing Honduras’ best public school students, and calling on the government, on nonprofit organizations, on parents, teachers, and school administrators to work together to improve education in Honduras.

“We can’t just demand change from the government, we all need to join the work,” said Carlos Hernández, president of the Association for a More Just Society , a central member of Transformemos Honduras (TH).

Transformemos Honduras works to train and mobilize citizens to audit corruption and inefficiencies in public systems like health and education. TH then holds the government accountable with detailed diagnostic reports, as well as clear plans for improvement. This aligns with the coalition’s shared motto – “Pray. Dream. Work.”

“Sometimes as Christians, all we do is pray that things will change,” Carlos Hernández said, “We have to do more than that. We have to dream that things can actually be better. And then we have to work.”

This work has already seen clear results. When Transformemos Honduras started working with education, schools met for fewer than 125 days of class per year (students met just 88 days in 2009); teachers showed up to class sporadically, or not at all; and Honduras’ test scores ranked dead last in Latin America, a place they had kept since 2000.

Transformemos Honduras organized parents and concerned community members to record exactly how often schools met, bringing their findings before the government, the media, and the Honduran public. As a result , thousands mobilized around education reform, the Minister of Education was fired, and education in Honduras began to change . After just five years, days in class had jumped from an average of 125 to well over 200, teachers skipping class dropped from 26% to 1%, and test scores jumped from last place in Latin America to 10th out of 15th.

“I think we have to be optimistic and say that though grave challenges remain, we have achieved important things in education,” said Carlos Hernández, “This is thanks to the efforts of teachers, of students, of parents, but also civil society, which we are honored to be part of.”

Working with Honduras’ public education system means holding it accountable where it fails, but it also means recognizing where it has succeeded. Over the course of the Coast to Coast bike race, Transformemos Honduras awarded 40 children, five from each city, who had achieved academic excellence in their public schools.

These children, deep thinkers, eager learners, and big dreamers, serve as examples of what is possible.

During the event in San Pedro Sula, seven-year-old Genesis Amaya thanked Transformemos Honduras and the cyclists for the prizes, which included medals and shiny new bicycles. “It encourages us to continue learning,” she said, smiling through missing teeth.

“I feel really good and happy,” she added later, “Everyone in my house was so happy for me.”

“I really like numbers and accounting,” said twelve-year-old Efrain Lopez, who finished sixth grade with 100% in all subjects. “I think one day I would like to work in a bank or a business.”

When asked what she hoped for from the future, seven-year-old Alexa Calix thought differently: “I want to be happy!”

In our work to improve education for the more than two million students in Honduras’ public schools, ASJ is working so that all these dreams – especially Alexa’s – can come true.

In its seventh annual year, Coast to Coast drew cyclists from seven different countries, from honeymooning Danish couple Hanna and Carsten to Honduran Supreme Court Justice Rafael Bustillo.

At the event in the city of Comayagua, his hometown, Bustillo thanked Transformemos Honduras for organizing the event, adding, “Children like this are our future, and we must continue to support them – young people, prepare yourselves, study, that is how our country will move forward.”

“Education is a very fundamental theme,” said Roman Canales, a representative from World Vision, “Education changes your life, it can cut the cycle of poverty . Without education, it is very difficult for us to develop our country. That is why we want a quality education for all children in Honduras.”

Since Transformemos Honduras began advocating for 200 days of class per year, the standard has been met for four years in a row. Now, says Transformemos Honduras coordinator Blanca Munguía, it is time to go farther.

“We have another goal in 2017,” said Munguía. “We want to go beyond the 200 days of class and ensure that each of those class days is effective. We want to push for continued changes so that in 2017 we ensure that each hour provides learning for the children.”

Transformemos Honduras published a study in December 2016 that found that just 74% of a typical school day was focused on academic content, below international standards.

In other words, though Honduran schools were now meeting over 200 days per year, some students still weren’t getting the full amount of education.

“Each hour should have content, it should have results,” said Munguía “The government should oversee this, and ensure that teachers that they hire are professional and come in through a clear and transparent hiring system. In that way, Honduras will have teachers who know how to best use class time and are able to teach students well.”

Over 130 cyclists biked across 270 miles of rough roads and mountains, through sun and rain, to add their voices to this message.

“We are finishing a week where these cyclists put forth a great deal of effort, and at the end, were able to say, ‘we did it!’” said Munguía, “I hope that at the end of 2017, in our fight for quality education we will also be able to say, ‘we did it!’.”

Two Burials And One Exhumation: The Fall Of A Gang In Rivera Hernández

Sun, 01 Jan 2017 13:33:29 GMT

This story was originally published in Spanish by ASJ online magazine Revistazo on September 8, 2016. It details ASJ's (formerly known as AJS) involvement in investigating the murder of a young girl. Content warning: language, descriptions of physical and sexual assault.

Chapter 1: Where are you taking me?

Thursday June 26, 2014 12:40pm

The heat is intense here in the Sinai neighborhood, in the sector of San Pedro Sula called Rivera Hernández, in northern Honduras. Andrea Abigail Argeñal Hernandez leaves the gates of the Carlos Alberto Hernandez Ramos School and lifts her hand to protect herself from the scorching sun, her small eyes squinting even more in the bright light. The 13-year-old smiles, as she usually does. Her clear skin and black curly hair make a nice contrast against her orange shirt, blue jeans, and white sandals, a recent gift from her mother.

Her cousins Jefferson José and Skarlet Michell have already given her a kiss on the cheek and left for their classrooms. Her aunt, who lives close, had woken up sick and asked Andrea to do her a favor and walk her cousins to school. Abigail starts to walk the block and a half between the school and her house, wondering what she will do with her free time until she returns for her cousins in the afternoon.

She doesn’t notice two skinny boys with hard eyes standing to the side of the small black gate of the school. But after only three steps they grab her.

Startled, she shouts.

She turns her head and, when she sees who they are, is filled with fear.

They don’t look like thugs. “El Pelón” (Baldy) is 21 years old, short, and so thin he almost looks malnourished, with a long face and hair cut short. “Pacheco” is similar, 20 years old, of medium height, with slanted eyes and normal hair: they say he even shaves his eyebrows.

But Andrea, like everyone who lives in the Sinai, Cerrito Lindo and Central neighborhoods, knows too well who these two are: members of the frightening criminal gang, “los Ponce,” responsible for countless rapes, assaults, extortions, and murders.

Andrea’s mind goes into shock. Three weeks ago these boys had threatened her. Nothing good awaits her.

“What’s wrong with you?” implores Andrea Abigail.

“Walk, you bitch,” one of them responds.

“Where are you taking me?” the girl shouts, trying to catch the attention of the people walking up and down the street. There are dozens of parents walking, holding their children’s hands to take them to school. But no one turns to look. If a child starts to turn curiously, their father or mother pulls their hand and hisses, “look away”. In Rivera Hernandez, everyone is threatened, afraid of their own shadow. The criminals – who form a half dozen criminal gangs – are everywhere, and there are those who say that even in the police, there are agents and officials related to these groups.

No one wants to end up dead for having seen something they shouldn’t have.

“You already know. We warned you that we didn’t want to see you here, now we’re going to break you,” says one of Andrea Abigail’s captors.

“No! Please don’t hurt me!” the young girl begs, her voice racked by sobs.

They take her, almost dragging her through the dusty street, to a small car that waits a block and a half from the school.

They force her to climb in, the car starts up, and speeds away towards the South and the neighborhood Planeta.

Chapter 2: Days of Anguish

Andrea Abigail was born the second of three children in a hardworking family from the neighborhood Cerrito Lindo, a community as poor and violent as the rest of the neighborhoods that that make up the region of Rivera Hernandez. Rivera Hernandez is made up of 39 neighborhoods in southeast San Pedro Sula, the “industry capital” of Honduras. Andrea Abigail and her family lived in the second street of the Cerrito Lindo neighborhood, almost on top of the border between that and the Sinai neighborhood, a half-block from the school where her cousins attended. A few blocks away is also the Rivera Hernandez police post.

Andrea’s father, Emerson Berthony Argeñal, is a construction worker who earns an honest living, and her mother, Karen Suyapa Martinez, is a housewife. At thirteen, Andrea was usually happy, like any teenager who hopes to make the most of the changes that come in the prime of her life. She was at the age of making friends and of meeting your first love. She was in 8th grade at the Copantl Institute, and punctuated her studies with laughter and jokes with her friends and classmates.

Thursday June 26, 2014 5:40pm

Five hours have passed since they took Andrea, and no one from her family knows. Karen Martinez, Andrea Abigail’s mother, is asleep. She had spent the morning running errands in San Pedro Sula’s downtown; the intense heat caused a strong headache and so she went to bed. Suddenly, the shouts and laughter of her nephews, Jefferson and Skarlet, who appear in the door to visit her having left their classes, wake her up.

“Abigail,” says Karen from her bed, massaging her temples from the pain “Bring me a glass of water to take a pill, please”.

“Aunty, Andrea isn’t here,” says Skarlet from the living room.”

“What did she do?”

“I don’t know. We came alone because she never came to pick us up,” replies the girl.

Fear seizes Karen. Immediately she recalls an incident that happened three weeks prior, when Andrea Abigail came home crying because of death threats she received from two heavily armed men who stopped her outside her school moments after she left class.

They warned the girl that they didn’t want to see her there, and that they would kill her.

Since that day, she had stopped going to school.

Without thinking twice, Karen throws herself out of bed and begins an unsuccessful search for her daughter. She visits several relatives who live in the area but none of them know the whereabouts of Andrea Abigail. She goes to the school, but finds it closed. Every few minutes, she calls her daughter’s cell phone but it’s turned off. Time flies. Now night, Ms. Karen walks desperately from street to street throughout the community without hearing any information about her daughter.

9:30pm

Karen is tired, and feels she could die from anguish. She does not know what to do. She returns to the house where her husband, Emerson, has just come home from work. She can’t keep herself from crying. She tells everything to her husband who only now realizes that his daughter has disappeared. Emerson cries and hugs her. After a minute they wipe their eyes.

“Well, we have to make the report,” says Emerson.

* * *

“Good evening,” say Emerson and Karen as they enter the station of the Rivera Hernandez Preventative Police.

“How can we help you?” answers the police agent on watch that night.

The parents explain that their daughter has been missing for several hours and that they haven’t heard anything from her. The station of these officials dedicated to “Serve and Protect” is located just a few meters from the place where they had taken girl, but the police know nothing about it.

“Did you already look for her well?” asks the police.

“Yes, we already went to several places and no one gave us any information” – answer the parents.

But the police officer, bound by the law to prevent the difficult situations of the neighbors in the community, laughs sarcastically, and instead of assisting the concerned parents, says:

“Ah, people come here every day to make reports, and then they come back saying that the girls had run off with their boyfriends. She must be with her boyfriend,” he insists.

Andrea Abigail’s distraught parents see the attitude of this agent and grow even more worried. Feeling helpless, they burst into tears.

Uncomfortable with their tears, the officer insists – “don’t worry, she’s surely safe and you here suffering.” He takes a few notes and asks them to come back the next day.

“I’ll let you know if something comes up,” he says.

11:30pm

Already almost midnight, Andrea Abigail’s parents arrive at the First Station, the primary office of the National Police in San Pedro Sula. If the officers at the local station didn’t take them seriously, maybe the ones here would.

The officers take the report, but they do nothing either to recover the girl.

Emerson and Karen return home despairingly, filled with concern, and lay down to toss and turn, toss and turn, unable to sleep.

June 26 – July 4, 2014

In the days after the disappearance, with the hope of finding their daughter alive, Andrea Abigail’s parents print out photos to show people when they ask if anyone has seen her.

They cover the entire area, street by street, stopping and questing everyone they find.

“Sir, by any chance have you seen this girl…?”

“Ma’am, is there any chance..?”

“Young man, have you…?”

But no one gives them the response they are looking for.

“I was going around looking by my own means, but I didn’t find any information,” the inconsolable mother remembers, afterwards.

“People told us, ‘I heard shouts over there,’ others said they had heard them in a different place, but we alone couldn’t go there. Others said she could be buried and gave us directions to the house,” – recounts Emerson, sorrowfully.

Finally, they found someone who gave them a clue about the terrible truth, but just a clue.

“Some 20-year-old pale guy took the girl, they call him Pacheco,” one of the neighbors told Emerson and Karen.

“For a while now, he’s been wanting that girl, see, he would always watch her when she came out of the school and would say to the others, “That girl’s really fine, I’m going to have her,” the neighbor said.

Now, Emerson remembers, “We asked for help from the police and they said that they needed to talk with him about what he had told us, but we never told them, they didn’t help us and we continued to look for the girl until Saturday, July 5 when my wife Karen received the call…”

Saturday July 5, 2014 7:00pm

Karen, Andrea Abigail’s mother, rests in the living room of their house. Sitting on the sofa, she gazes at a picture of her daughter saved on her phone. All that day and the previous nine have been an intense search for her daughter but without results. She feels anxious and weighed-down by the uncertainty. No one has given real answers about the disappearance of her daughter, only speculation. Her mind can’t stop racing, while from her eyes flow rivers of tears.

Suddenly her phone rings and her display changes from the smiling image of Andrea Abigail to that of an unknown number: 9946-2836.

Karen answers but the call had already been ended. Her heart beats faster. Could it be someone who has information about her beloved Abigail?

She returns the call. On the other side she only hears noise.

It cuts out and she calls again. Again, she only hears noise.

On the third time someone answers her. A young male voice says:

“Stop fucking around. She’s buried in Melvin’s house.”

Chapter 3: There are many criminals here

The Rivera Hernandez sector is an urban settlement established in the 1970s by families displaced by Hurricane Fifi. Since the beginning, the area has been marked by violence. Today, the 150,000 inhabitants of the area confront daily the challenges that come with living in a place where half a dozen gangs fight for territory.

Rivera Hernandez is filled with gangs and criminal groups, the majority teenagers with low levels of schooling and a lot of energy to carry out any “little job”, as difficult as it may be.

Many who live in the area believe that the police officers assigned to the Rivera Hernández station keep close links with gang members and members of other criminal gangs. The lack of trust in the authorities has provoked in the population a custom of living terrified by the blood and fire of guns.

In November 2014, Revistazo published that the criminal operations of six criminal gangs resulted in the displacement of many families who had to abandon their homes in order to save their lives. The desolation is immediately apparent; upon entering the sector you can see how houses in ruins, their roofs, windows and doors ripped off by the thugs that claimed them. The situation is also compounded by commercial buildings that suffered the same fate.

The author of this report, after traveling through the area, finds himself with a local neighbor and asks about their life here.

“Look, I’ll tell you, but come over here a little bit,” he said.

He moves behind a concrete wall, as if to prevent someone seeing him talking with a stranger, and in a low voice says:

“Here, there are many criminals, in all of the Rivera – shoot, already in the afternoon you can’t walk confidently because even the police are paid off,” he said, talking in secret.

In recent years one of the most feared gangs in the Rivera Hernandez were “los Ponce”.

This was a criminal gang made up of drop-outs from the Mara Salvatrucha or MS-13 gang, and created by Cristian Ponce, who was born and raised in the area. They say that Cristian wanted to be chief of the MS but couldn’t, so he formed his own criminal group decided to operate in the communities of Sinai, Cerrito Lindo and the Central. He marked his territory and competed with five other criminal organizations: The Olanchanos (“From Olancho”), The Tercerenos (“13s”), Pandilla 18 (“18 Gang”), Los Vatos Locos (“Crazy Guys”) and the MS-13 all with representation in various points of the Rivera Hernandez area and competing openly with actions of contract killings, selling drugs, extortion, theft of vehicles and arms trafficking among other crimes.

Among the most notorious members of the Ponce, almost all are young people under the age of 25: Víctor Manuel Pavón, alias “El Pelón”; Luis Gerardo Fuentes, alias “Kevin Pacheco”; Moisés Ramírez Castellanos, alias “The Moisa”; Ronald Chávez, alias “Little Roland”; Samuel Jorlin Salazar, alias “The Barber”; Javier, alias “The Longe”; Jonatán Cecilio Sánchez Hernández, alias “Cleaford”; and Roller Miguel.

The group is involved in a long list of crimes. “Pacheco” is accused of killing Jorge Alberto Gevara Amador on June 9, 2014 in the Sinai neighborhood. “Cleaford” is accused of the murder of Sandy Marisol Rios Zabala, in April of 2014. Even the mother of “Baldy”, Claudia Patricia Prieto, was arrested on July 8, 2014 for illegal possession of weapons because they found a Armscor 30 caliber revolver buried in her yard along with a Noringo 9 mm caliber and a 9 millimeter Smith & Wesson gun, all used by the Ponce to commit their misdeeds.

The mother of “Baldy,” Claudia Patricia Prieto, was arrested for illegal possession of weapons found in her yard, all used by the Ponce to commit their misdeeds.

In the community there are those who say that Cristian Ponce and the Moisa worked really closely with the preventative police of the area.

Perhaps one of the most notorious acts of the Ponce gang – at least before the kidnapping of Andrea Abigail – was the murder of Melvin Ely Carnation Escobar in March of 2013 by “Baldy” and “Cleaford”.

Melvin, like Cristian Ponce, was born and grew up in the Sinai area. He was a neighbor and knew Cristian Ponce. During several years of hard work as a fisherman, he managed to save a good amount of money and invested in a grocery shop. The Ponce gang wanted Melvin’s money. When Melvin refused to pay the required “war tax”, the Ponce shot him three times in the head. Melvin’s family moved away, and the house was abandoned, the gangsters looted his shop and took over his house, which soon became a “casa loca” (crazy house): a home abandoned by their owners, used by gang members for the implementation of crimes, ranging from rape to murder and dismemberment.

It was in this house, Melvin’s house converted into a “casa loca”, that they buried Andrea Abigail.

Chapter 4: Two burials and one exhumation

Monday July 7, 2014, 11:15am

It has been eleven days since Abigail disappeared and her parents filed the complaint, and two days since they received a call saying their daughter was dead and buried in the yard of a neighboring house. No one has helped them. They realized later that Abigail was alive for at least a week in the hands of her kidnappers, who tortured and likely raped her. She could have been rescued if the neighbors who heard her screams had overcome their fear. She could have been rescued if the authorities had acted with diligence.

But it was not so. her parents, Emerson and Karen, were asked to bring the person who had given them evidence as to the potential whereabouts of the girl into the police station, but they could not do so. The informant was too afraid. The National Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DNIC) argued that they had no vehicle or researchers available to investigate.

Abigail’s parents

Today, in the Prosecutor’s office, they argue again with the desperate parents over the need for a report from the criminal investigations office.

Just steps away, a private investigator, who for the sake of this story will be known as “Ramón Rivera”, notices this man and woman in the Prosecutor’s office crying out for help to find their young daughter.

With his notebook tucked under his arm, Ramón approaches, observing them closely. After greeting the couple, Ramon earns their trust before asking them about their case.

The sobs from Abigail’s mother are uncontainable, but with great effort, she and her husband recount the details of their situation. Sharing their experience is a difficult thing to do, though their story has almost become a norm in a country that is considered to be among the most dangerous nations not at war.

The investigator, dressed in a blue long-sleeved shirt, beige trousers and almost-spotless black shoes, takes down every detail of the case in his notebook with his black pen. Five minutes later, Abigail’s parents seem calmer than they were when they started the conversation. At that point Ramón explains that he works for a human rights organization, and he is ready to help them.

After hearing about the house where they have heard Andrea Abigail is buried, Ramón asks them, “Do you want to go?”Their eyes, aching from tears and lack of sleep, light up, and for the first time in almost two weeks, they shine with hope.

“Blessed be to God who placed him in our path,” says the woman realizing that at last she is on the brink of finding out the truth

The three agree on a time and place, and an hour later, they meet.

They arrive at Melvin’s house, closed-up and abandoned since its owner was shot to death in March of 2013. The gate is open, and Ramón and Emerson, the girl’s father, cautiously walk into a huge courtyard filled with weeds.

Melvin’s House

The brush is over a meter and half high, but just a few steps inside of black metal gate, they see a white sandal. Emerson takes a photo with his cell phone and sends it to his wife Karen, who stayed behind.

“She was very upset because the girl was wearing those when she left the house,” the father of the girl recalled, in his statement for the judicial record.

Breaking through the brush with their feet, Emerson and Ramon arrive in the backyard of the immense house built on a 650 square meter property. In the middle of the brush, they notice a lump of loose soil covered with debris from freshly cut weeds. Close by are two pieces of wood. They pick up the wood and begin to dig. The earth is loose and easy to move. A meter down they discovered the body.

A meter down they discovered the body

“We saw a person’s leg, covered it up and decided to go to the police investigation office and do the paperwork for the exhumation,” recalls Ramón

That same day, at the request of the Abigail’s parents, Police Inspector Elmer Sabillón orders a group of investigators to go the location and begin an investigation.

Thursday July 10, 2014

Fourteen days after she disappeared, five days after they received the call saying that she is dead, three days after the investigators visited Melvin’s abandoned house, Abigail’s body is finally exhumed. She is dressed in an orange blouse, blue jeans, a black bra and blue underwear, the same clothes she wore when she left the house two weeks ago. She’s wearing two metal rings, one green and one gray. Her face is wrapped in a yellow cloth and her body shows signs of torture.

Forensic Medicine takes the body to perform the autopsy. The authorities detect several fractures and assumed that before dying she was a victim of rape, a conclusion that could not be proved due the state of decomposition of the body.

Autopsy Report 1514-2014 performed by forensic specialists indicates that the body is that of Abigail. The body shows three blunt wounds, located on the left region of the neck, the left parietal region of the head and the left forearm along with a flesh wound and a bone fracture. In scientific terms, it means that she was killed by a blow to the head and neck from a hard object – it could have been a stick, a stone, or a pipe. She had the will to live until the end, trying to protect herself with her arm, which was also cruelly shattered by the blows.

Saturday July 12, 2014

Forensic specialists delivered the body to Abigail’s parents, who immediately took it to the public cemetery in Calpules, a neighborhood in San Pedro Sula, to give her a Christian burial. Due to the state of decomposition, she could not have an open-casket funeral in a church as is the usual Christian custom.

“We hoped to find her alive, but she is no longer suffering, she is not being tortured and we have a grave where we can visit her and remember,” exclaims her father Emerson through tears. His heart is broken, his face flooded with drops of water pouring from his eyes on the sunny July afternoon.

Chapter 5: A small blow against impunity

July 12-20, 2014

Meanwhile, Ramón and an investigator from the Public Prosecutor’s Office were working together to find the whereabouts of the criminals. In the process they identified two witnesses were would be instrumental to the resolution of the case. They discovered patterns through photographs and made further inquiries.

One of the witnesses, identified as “M-09” for his/her protection, said that at 12:45 in the afternoon on June 26, 2014, Victor Manuel Pavón, known as “El Pelón” and Luis Gerardo Fuentes, known as “Kevin Pacheco,” took Abigail by force. M-09 also recognized the gang members from the photographs taken by Ramón and the other investigative police agents.

The other witness, known as “2610-2014,” claims to have seen Pacheco and Pelón put the girl in a vehicle that was waiting in the street and take off in the direction of the neighborhood Planeta. Hours later at the Melvin house, the same witness observed various people coming and going, including known criminals in the community, like El Pelón, Kevin Pacheco, El Bote, Samuel and El Aguila.

“I was walking through the street and heard someone shouting inside and there was always someone keeping watch,” said the witness in his statement before the judge, as anticipated evidence.

The investigations moved forward, and in a short time they submitted the case to the Public Prosecutor.

“You are asked to concede to the request for the pretrial detention of Victor Manuel Pavón Prieto, known as El Pelón and Luis Gerardo Hernandez Fuentes, known as Kevin Pacheco, for the crimes of unjust deprivation of freedom, and murder,” – states the report the Investigative Police Department sent on July 20, 2014 to the then-Coordinator of the Prosecutor of Crimes against Life, Marlene Banegas. Just months later Benegas, a dedicated official, would be shot in circumstances which are still unclear but that clearly show the power and audacity of the criminal gangs in Honduras.

On the same day that the Public Prosecutor received the investigative report, a criminal judge in San Pedro Sula ordered the capture of Pacheco and El Pelón. Hours later, in an operation in the Rivera Hernandez area organized for that purpose, agents of the Investigative Police Department with the help of Ramon, captured both suspects. The young men were handcuffed and placed in the patrol car that drove them to First Station on Third Avenue in San Pedro Sula.

Later they were brought before the judge, who after dictating the formal prosecution order, sent them, with pretrial detention, to the cells of the National Penitentiary.

The capture of Victor Manuel Pavon Prieto, known as El Pelón and Luis Gerardo Hernandez Fuentes, known as Kevin

July 23, 2016

Two years later, in a public oral judicial hearing on July 23, a sentencing court declared that El Pelón and Pacheco were responsible for the murder of Abigail Andrea. To prove the guilt of the accused, they presented documentary, circumstantial, expert and scientific evidence. Although the punishment has not been dictated, the Penal code dictates between 20-30 years for homicide.

In a country where barely four out of every one hundred homicides are punished, this counts as a small victory for justice and decency.

Chapter 6: Power Vacuum or Ray of Light?

While finding the body of their daughter, burying her and seeing her assailants captured may have led to a sense of peace and closure for Abigail’s parents, it also forced open a new chapter filled with challenges. After their daughter was exhumed, they received death threats and like hundreds of thousands of countrymen, they fled to the United States.

In a community where Los Ponce operated, many are of the opinion that the downfall of this gang was to have killed Abigail, a view shared by investigator Ramón. Before that crime, he says, Los Ponce committed crimes right and left in total impunity.

“And there (with the death of Abigail) was where the investigations started that now have several of the gang’s members in jail,” –states Ramón- “now some are in prison and others are dead.”

Besides Pelón and Pacheco, Cleaford is also in prison for another murder perpetrated by the gang. Cristian Ponce, the group founder, was killed at the hands of suspected members of the Olanchanos Gang in the beginning of 2013. They say his own brother handed him over and paved the way for the gunmen to enter his home and gun him down. At the time of Abigail’s abduction, he had taken the command of “El Moisa,” but his leadership was not respected. The situation led to betrayal, and the gang members started to kill each other. Moisa was found dead, buried in a vacant lot near the border of the neighborhood of Asentamientos Humanos on July 29, 2014, 24 days after the gang killed Abigail and 34 days after the kidnapping.

According to the Coordinator of the Prosecutor for Crimes against Life in San Pedro Sula, Eduardo Figueroa, the conviction obtained against the Abigail’s murderers caused a ripple effect throughout the city.

“In the first place, it allows for justice for the victim and her family, then it develops trust in the institutions, and ultimately it prevents the criminal from continuing to kill people in the streets of this country,” he tells Revistazo

The prosecutor recognizes that there are significant challenges to achieving more of these sentences, the main challenge being a lack of investigation.

“Investigations are not conducted for various reasons: Institutional factors, availability of agents, the trust factor amongst citizens,” he expressed,“In many cases people refuse to provide information because they do not trust the justice system.”

The Christian organization where Ramon works is helping victims, witnesses and the authorities to overcome these challenges, little by little, at least with regard to a number of crimes committed in the Rivera Hernandez area, managing to nail down serious investigations that led to the capture and conviction of the perpetrators. This organization helps investigate the facts, gives required psychological care to victims and witnesses, and includes a group of lawyers who support the prosecutors throughout the judicial process.

With the support of this organization, the authorities have been able to fully investigate the homicide of Melvin Clavel, the owner of the house where Abigail was assassinated and buried. This house, that for a time was the scene of horrific crimes, is now in the hands of an evangelical pastor, Daniel Pacheco, who organizes several programs for at-risk youth and other community events.

In a recent report written for the New York Times, journalist Sonia Nazario mentions that in the past two years the number of homicides has been reduced by 62 percent in Rivera Hernandez, and now the area is safer for children who once again can go out and play in the streets.

However, the fall of one gang paved the way for another. A reliable source told Revistazo that the void left by Los Ponce in the Sinai, Cerrito Lindo and La Central areas is now being filled by the MS-13, under the command of the gang member known as “El Piojo” (the Louse).

“They have established rules, like do not cause trouble, do not file complaints with the police, do not abuse children and zero gossiping,” he stated. He said that if one of the community members steps out of line, they will call them out; if the person continues to do so, that warning will be followed by “a little heat” or torture. If the disobedience affects one of the gang members or the criminal organization, it can lead to death.

There will be more work for the authorities in Rivera Hernandez. However, there is hope that the captures and sentences that have recently been obtained, like in the case of Abigail’s murderers, will inspire courage within the community not to remain silent but to report the criminals who have kidnapped their communities.

Hope In The Midst Of Pain

Thu, 29 Dec 2016 13:38:15 GMT

A Letter from ASJ Co-Founder, Kurt Ver Beek

“The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” – Luke 2:10-11

The story of Jesus is a strange mix of hope and pain.

When we think of the Christmas story, we often think of nativity scenes, of a tiny baby, cute animals, and angels in the Heavens proclaiming peace and joy. But anyone who has read the Bible knows that while we celebrate the birth of this baby at Christmas; just a few months later at Easter, we remember his death.

I don’t know how many of us think that when we see a manger scene – this baby would grow up to be killed.

Today we are finishing the Christmas season, a time where we celebrate Christ’s coming. But today is also a day full of pain, because ten years ago they killed one of our ASJ (formerly known as AJS) lawyers, Dionisio , on a Monday just like this one.

I led that day’s devotions, and I remember Dionisio had to leave a little early to go to the court, and shortly after they were calling us with the news.

For months afterwards, it was almost too much. We didn’t know what to do; I didn’t know what to do. That Christmas it was hard to believe in good news. It was hard to remember great joy. After these years and this pain, why are we still here? Why do we continue this work?

I believe that Dionisio’s death marked us, and continues marking us – it created in our organization a before and after. Before, we were working; now we are committed. Before, we weren’t completely sure of our place; now, we are confident that our work is a call from God.

We recognize that the same thing that happened to Dionisio could also happen to us. It could happen to those who work in some of Honduras’ most violent communities. It could happen to those who are putting gang members in jail. It could happen to those on the police purging commission – just a few weeks ago, one suffered a threat against his life, and one of his bodyguards lost his .

But stronger than any fear or pain or doubt is the hope that we have.

As we wait for Christmas day, we remember that Jesus came to earth knowing that he would die for us. And that from the tragedy of Jesus’ death came the hope of the world. In the same way, in this time of Advent, we acknowledge our pain for what has been lost. But we also know that out of this pain comes hope.

We continue in our work here for the same reasons that Dionisio continued in his – because we hope to someday see a different, more just Honduras for ourselves and for our children.

Dionisio died with that dream. We are called to live with it, working every day to bring it closer to reality.

Blessings,

Kurt Ver Beek
ASJ Co-Founder

Stepping Forward In Hope: A Timeline

Mon, 19 Dec 2016 14:02:22 GMT

Year after year, God has blessed our decision to continue to work towards his justice. Below are just a few of the key moments in the past ten years where we have seen the fruit of this hope.

2008

Homicides drop by a third after one year of ASJ (formerly knows as AJS) intervention in a violent neighborhood. In the next 10 years, homicides will drop over 80%, saving an estimated 600 lives just in that community.

2009

ASJ founds a coalition to support transparency in the vulnerable Health and Education sectors. Over the next seven years, this coalition will eliminate thousands of ghost teachers, increase days of class, and transform the way medicines are purchased throughout Honduras, improving education and health for millions.

2012

ASJ comes together with Honduran universities, churches, and dozens of other organizations to form an alliance to speak out against violence and insecurity in the country. Over the next four years, this alliance will bring the theme of public security to a national stage, leading the call for reform in the police and justice systems.

2013

The Youth and Family Project expands their community work to serve not only vulnerable children, but also their families, making entire communities stronger. In the next four years, over 700 children and thousands of family members will benefit from these programs.

2014

ASJ, invited by Transparency International to be their representative in Honduras, signs an agreement with the Honduran government to oversee five of the most vulnerable government sectors. This agreement will bring corruption and mismanagement to light, and achieve commitments from the Ministers of the sectors to implement in-depth reforms.

2015

The work of ASJ expands to Honduras’ second-biggest city to continue investigating homicides in the country’s most dangerous neighborhoods. In one year, this work will contribute to a 50% reduction of homicides in the area, and the success and bravery of ASJ staff will draw international attention.

2016

ASJ staff members are appointed by the president of Honduras to a Commission that will restructure and reform the Honduran police. In seven months, they will remove over 1,700 corrupt and criminal officers from the force, including hitmen and gang leaders who had masqueraded in police uniforms. They will lead the development of a new, reformed police that can finally serve and protect the Honduran people.

2017

ASJ steps forward in hope into this New Year, believing that God has called us to continue to bring about his vision of a more just society through the decades that are to come.

ASJ Staff On What Gives Them Hope

Mon, 19 Dec 2016 13:54:55 GMT

ASJ Condemns Assassination Attempt Against ASJ-Honduras Board Member Jorge Machado That Resulted In Death Of Bodyguard

Fri, 16 Dec 2016 14:07:20 GMT

The Association for a More Just Society (ASJ, formerly known as AJS) condemns the attack on Thursday evening against Pastor Jorge Machado, member of the board of directors of ASJ-Honduras, executive director of the Evangelical Fellowship of churches in Honduras, and member of the Special Commission for Police Purging.

Unknown individuals opened fire on Machado and his wife as they arrived at their home in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, severely wounding two of the military police officers who had been assigned to protect them. Officer Geovany Rolando Calderón died of his wounds as he was transported to the hospital. Ricardo Chavarría Mendoza, who was shot four times, remains in critical condition.

This attack comes after many threats against the Special Commission. In the seven months since they were named by President Juan Orlando Hernández, the Special Commission has fired 2,070 members of the National Police as part of a complete transformation and restructuring of the institution. The majority of these were high-ranking officers, including six of the nine police generals.

“We do not doubt that this attempt is the result of the work we have been carrying out,” said Pastor Alberto Solórzano, member of the Police Purging Commission.

Nonetheless, the Commission confirms that this attempt will only increase their dedication to the process of reforming the police. “To those who intended to frighten us: you will not intimidate us,” said Commission member and ASJ director of advocacy Omar Rivera, “Honduras deserves an honest and capable National Police. This process will not be stopped – there is no point of return.”

In response to this despicable attack, ASJ declares the following:

We condemn this cowardly act directed against Jorge Machado, which resulted in the death of Officer Geovany Rolando Calderón, and the severe injury of Ricardo Mendoza Chavarría
We mourn the death of agent Calderón who gave his life in the line of duty, and the irreplaceable loss which his family suffered; we also hope for a prompt and full recovery for agent Chavarría
We continue our commitment to work for a more just Honduras in which systems such as the National Police function in defense of the most vulnerable. Rather than being intimidated by these cowardly acts, we redouble our efforts to promote a transformed and trustworthy Honduran police force
We call on Honduran authorities to investigate this case, to arrest both the intellectual and material authors of this crime, and to obtain convictions
We call on the Special Commission, now more than ever, to continue their brave and difficult task
We call on our colleagues and partners, both national and international, to demand justice in this case, protection for human rights defenders, and support for the essential and ongoing work of police reform in Honduras

Association for a More Just Society (ASJ-US)

Honduran Police Reform Commission Fires Two-Thirds Of Corrupt Officials

Thu, 15 Dec 2016 19:59:11 GMT

As of December 14th, 2016, they have evaluated over 2,500 members of the force, including every high-ranking official, and fired 1,678 for corruption or failure to meet institutional standards. Of those fired, 364 were high-ranking officials, including six of the nine police generals.

When Sandra’s husband was killed in front of her, she was too afraid to go to the police. She didn’t trust them. Few Hondurans did.

Frontline Report: Civil Society Essential To Institutional Strengthening In Honduras

Sun, 11 Dec 2016 19:31:22 GMT

An “on-the-ground” perspective from Honduras’ leading civil society organization working on matters of anti-corruption and citizen security

DECEMBER 2016

Honduras saw measurable advances in security and transparency in 2016, giving the country reasons for hope.

PUBLIC SECURITY:

After peaking at 86.5 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2011, Honduras’ homicide rate decreased to under 60 per 100,000 in 2016. In the past year, crime victimization has also decreased from 20.5% to 16.4%.
17 drug-traffickers involved in organized crime were arrested and extradited to the United States in 2016. Five of these individuals were former police officers.

EDUCATION:

Honduran schools met for 200 days for the fourth consecutive year after ten years of averaging only 120 days of school per year.
A 2014 UNESCO study showed Honduran children’s mathematics scores improved by five places in Latin American standardized test rankings [i].

HEALTH:

The Honduran government invited the United Nations to purchase medicines on its behalf, significantly reducing opportunities for corruption and ensuring more medicines are available in Honduran hospitals.

POLICE REFORM:

1,678 corrupt police officers have been removed from the Honduran National Police, including two-thirds of the highest-ranking officers.

As significant as these developments are, they have been overshadowed by emblematic cases of corruption and violence:

Renowned environmental activist Berta Cáceres was murdered in March. While six arrests have been made in the case, the intellectual authors of the crime remain at large.
The pilfering of hundreds of millions of dollars from the Honduran Social Security Institute has resulted in multiple arrests, but just one guilty sentence. The majority of suspects are still awaiting trial.
The President’s push to run for re-election under a new Constitutional Amendment has raised questions about the legality of the move and the intentions of the party in power.

These emblematic cases illustrate a history of weakness in Honduran public institutions. International aid packages tend to respond to this weakness by overemphasizing the role that governments and international cooperation play in strengthening Honduran institutions. However, recent achievements in Honduras have largely been due to an increasingly active civil society that is working to strengthen Honduran institutions and transform Honduran society. The US should increase support for civil society’s work in these areas. In doing so, the benefit will be felt not only in Honduras, but also throughout the complex chain of commerce, drugs, and migrants that tie the two countries together.

CIVIL SOCIETY EFFORTS COMBAT CORRUPTION IN HONDURAS

Civil society coalition Transformemos Honduras has led investigations into the Department of Education and the Department of Health since 2010, prompting significant improvements in the sectors’ transparency and effectiveness
Civil society’s pressure, underscored by thousands of Hondurans taking to the streets to protest corruption, resulted in an independent, international oversight body that will investigate high-level cases of corruption

EDUCATION

HEALTH

In Honduras’ weak public health sector, investigation by civil society coalition Transformemos Honduras , alongside member organization Association for a More Just Society (ASJ, formerly known as AJS), revealed falsified medicine orders, ransacked medicine warehouses, and elites illegally peddling influence to win lucrative government contracts. Transformemos Honduras and ASJ recommended detailed improvements, and the department has responded with a marked increase in transparency and accountability.

The health sector has adopted a fiduciary trust overseen by the United Nations Office for Project Services and monitored by ASJ to manage medicine purchasing. This trust increases transparency and social oversight and assures lower-cost and higher-quality medicine.
Fifty-nine people, including the former minister of health, are facing criminal charges related to corruption in the public health sector.
The government has increased its investment in medicines and health care equipment by 50%, allowing for greater coverage of care.

TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENT

Since 2013, the Transparency International chapter in Honduras, the Association for a More Just Society (ASJ), has pressed the Honduran government to commit to a comprehensive audit of its most corruptible institutions. Immediately after his inauguration on January 28, 2014, President Hernandez signed a document committing his government to ASJ’s external evaluation and monitoring [iv]. Benchmark performance and transparency scores have already been delivered for the departments of Education, Security, Health, Infrastructure, and Property Registration, summarized below:

These scores represent the percentage of compliance with transparency and management standards laid out in Honduran law. In other words, the Infrastructure Sector was only complying with 25.7% of legislation regarding purchasing, human resources, access to information, and other indicators.

Each institution, in response to the benchmark score, has created a detailed plan for improvement under the supervision of ASJ, who tracks the institutions’ advancement along selected metrics. This public accountability has led to the removal of “ghost” employees, increased vigilance in purchasing and contracts, and improved data collection and management.

MACCIH

The MACCIH was born out of citizen outrage at the embezzlement of $200 million from Honduras’ Social Security Institute. Thousands of Hondurans marched in the streets demanding an independent, international investigative body similar to Guatemala’s lauded CICIG, and ASJ and other members of civil society offered detailed proposals for the institution. In April 2016, the Honduran government and the Organization of American States (OAS) responded with the “Support Mission against Corruption and Impunity in Honduras” or MACCIH.

Though still in its infancy, MACCIH shows promise in investigating and prosecuting corruption and pushing for institutional reforms [v]. It has partnered with ASJ to create independent anti-corruption courts, intended to insulate high-profile cases from political influence. In addition, in the past few months, MACCIH has successfully advocated for political campaign finance reform, and has offered support and expertise to initiatives such as the selection of judges and ongoing police purging and restructuring.

TOP-DOWN REFORM GENERATES A MORE TRUSTWORTHY HONDURAN POLICE

The President of Honduras has appointed a seven-member Commission (including four civil society leaders) to purge and restructure the Honduran National Police Force
In seven months, 1,678 officers, two-thirds of the 2,500 evaluated, have been removed from the force
The Police Reform Commission has begun laying the groundwork for widespread institutional reform

On April 5, 2016, Honduran newspaper El Heraldo revealed that top-ranking generals of the Honduran National Police Force had planned the assassinations of two anti-drug officials in 2009 and 2011, financed by drug kingpin Wilter Blanco [vi]. Days later, the New York Times published the names of all 27 police officers involved, most of whom were still serving in active leadership roles in the police [vii]. The revelations sparked public outrage, and added fuel to the fire of civil society’s long-term advocacy for police reform.

In response to the public outcry, President Hernandez appointed seven individuals to a special commission for the purging and restructuring of the Honduran National Police force. Four of the seven are members of civil society, and all are volunteers. The Commission operates without a budget from the state but receives aid from international and local backers, including the US embassy and ASJ.

This is not the Honduran government’s first effort to clean up the National Police. Several police reforms have been attempted, but have been characterized by gross overspending and little

Previous attempts to purge the police managed the removal of just 227 officers at a cost of $9.5 million.
By contrast, with no additional budget from the state, the current Police Reform Commission has evaluated over 2,500 members of the force, including every high-ranking official, and has fired 1,678 for corruption or failure to meet institutional standards. Of those fired, 364 were high-ranking officials, including six of the nine police generals . Each officer has been removed in strict compliance with labor laws to avoid the potential of any officer suing to be reinstated.

NEXT STEPS

The firing of corrupt police is just the beginning of the Commission’s work. In addition to evaluating the remaining 9,000 entry-level officers, the reformers will begin to shift their focus towards creating a new and more transparent police force.

The police force will be restructured, removing redundant or vague positions
All remaining officers will be re-trained and recertified
Over the next five years, the force will be doubled in size, bringing the number of police officers in line with standards recommended by the UN
All new officers will be hired competitively and trained at revamped police academies
Improved compensation will help incentivize high-quality applicants, and reduce the temptation for extortion and bribery
The restructuring process will also address the administration of legal, financial, and human resources sectors within the police, implementing new structures of accountability

The continued implementation of police reforms in Honduras will require sustained political will, an increased budget, and substantial international mentoring and cooperation; however, advances to date give much reason for hope. In seven months, the Police Reform Commission has removed more high-ranking officers than 16 years of previous efforts, and have proposed reforms that, if implemented, will turn the National Police into a stable and trustworthy institution.

ALLIANCE FOR PROSPERITY ENCOURAGES INSTITUTIONAL STRENGTHENING

$750 million in aid through the Alliance for Prosperity (A4P) could significantly reduce violence, corruption, and undocumented migration in Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador
Civil society’s involvement in the implementation of A4P will help ensure the effectiveness and transparency of aid to Honduras

The Alliance for Prosperity bill is a unique opportunity to incentivize change in key challenge areas in vulnerable Central American countries through targeted conditional aid. Last month, the US State Department certified that Honduras had demonstrated sufficient advances in meeting these conditions, citing examples such as the following:

Combatting Corruption : Honduras’ Attorney General’s office convicted 19 former government officials of corruption in 2016, twice as many as the previous eight years combined.
Strengthening Institutions : The government increased investment in the AG’s office by 25% from 2015 to 2016. In addition, a collaboration with MACCIH will create a “new, insulated court system with vetted personnel to prosecute public corruption cases.”
Countering Criminal Activities : In the past year, Honduras has extradited to the United States 17 high-profile individuals involved in drug trafficking or organized crime. Investigative bodies have also seized millions of dollars in assets from major drug-traffickers and transnational gangs.
Establishing Oversight Entity: The Honduran government created the A4P Consultative Council to encourage public participation in the execution of A4P programs, especially from civil society organizations. ASJ is a part of this council, which will help ensure that US funds reach the most vulnerable populations in Honduras in a transparent manner.

Measureable successes such as these are indications that further conditional aid can continue to strengthen Honduran public institutions, reducing violence and corruption. However, Honduran civil society will be key to the successful delivery of this aid.

A4P requires effective evaluation and monitoring mechanisms at both national and regional levels to ensure that its implementation is transparent, accountable, and responsive to the real needs of the population. This task is uniquely suited for nongovernmental organizations and civil society coalitions who have been supporting Honduran government institutions and holding them accountable for many years.

In the future, the US Congress and State Department should coordinate with civil society organizations, providing funds through A4P as well as incorporating them into government oversight. Worthy institutions include:

The National Autonomous University of Honduras (UNAH), particularly their independent violence observatory
The Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA)’s Central American aid monitoring program
Chapters of anti-corruption organization Transparency International in the three countries:
Association for a More Just Society in Honduras
Acción Ciudadana in Guatemala
Fundación Nacional para el Desarrollo (FUNDE) in El Salvador

As a member of the A4P Consultative Council in Honduras, ASJ is well aware of the potential for transformation that this alliance offers. The $750 million represents more than aid to this region; with its potential to reduce crime and violence and revitalize economies, it is also an investment in a safer and more stable continent. For this investment to reap its full benefits, the US Congress should push the State Department to look beyond traditional partners within governments and international organizations and look to the local leaders who have been leading the charge on security and transparency for decades.

The Association for a More Just Society (Asociación para una Sociedad más Justa) is a Honduran NGO with more than 18 years of experience working on issues of violence and corruption in Honduras; ASJ is a leader in national Honduran coalitions, including the influential Alliance for Peace and Justice and Transformemos Honduras.

[i] http://www.unesco.org/new/en/santiago/education/education-assessment-llece/third-regional-comparative-and-explanatory-study-terce/

[ii] http://asjhonduras.com/ti-asj/resultados-secretaria-de-educacion-2/english-version/

[iii] http://transformemoshonduras.com/org/2016/08/31/usaid-destaca-mejoras-implementadas-en-educacion-con-apoyo-de-asj-th/

[iv] http://asjhonduras.com/webhn/convenio-asj-ti/

[v] http://www.oas.org/es/sap/dsdme/maccih/new/reformas.asp

[vi] http://www.elheraldo.hn/pais/946201-466/c%C3%BApula-policial-planific%C3%B3-y-asesin%C3%B3-al-zar-antidrogas

[vii] http://www.nytimes.com/es/2016/04/15/tres-generales-y-un-cartel-violencia-policial-e-impunidad-en-honduras/

Sharing Hope Like Drops In The Ocean

Tue, 06 Dec 2016 19:40:57 GMT

By Natalie Acosta

Every time I open my news feed on Facebook I read hopelessness everywhere. Publications from the most popular newspapers and the comments people make on them all reflect a very common sense of despair about the situation in Honduras.

Whenever I talk with a taxi driver, or the lady that sells groceries at her “pulperia” (Honduran word for mini market), I get a feeling of how much they’ve lost their faith in change. And I don´t blame them. Despite the fact that statistics show that corruption and homicide levels have decreased in Honduras, people don´t feel like it´s actually happening.

Turning on the radio station to listen to politicians while they promise “Honduras is changing” seems quite discouraging when you don’t feel safe while you walk on the streets or whenever you still hear about small businesses forced to close their doors due to extortion from gangs.

Often this hopelessness is based on the reality that people are living.

How can we call a woman hopeless when she’s a single mother with five children to feed and can’t find a job anywhere? How can we call a young migrant hopeless when he leaves the country to save his life from gangs who threaten to kill him? We should ask ourselves, am I just preaching hope, or am I doing something to bring hope to people? What am I doing to bring hope to their hearts?

Whenever people ask me what do I do for a living and I tell them I´m part of a Christian NGO called the Association for a more Just Society (ASJ, formerly known as AJS), I receive many different reactions. With all the difficulties in the country, some think our cause is very unrealistic.

Working for a more just society in a country with so many inequalities must be tough, crazy or impractical. But my favorite part of my job is telling people that it’s possible.

O nce I start giving details about our programs and the impact they’ve had in thousands of lives around the country, people’s perspectives slowly start to shift. Suddenly, our “unrealistic mission” as brave Christians leading changes to make Honduran government systems work becomes appealing. I bet there´s not a single Honduran who despite their personal experience or distrust in government systems, wouldn’t feel more optimistic once they hear our stories.

Patients died because they did not get the medicines they need. In other cases they were forced to pay for treatment at private clinics because the system wasn’t able to help them, endangering the lives of untold numbers of poor Hondurans and others who needed medicine the most.

But after ASJ revealed the extent of this corruption, changes started to happen . Thirteen people were charged with crimes and the Director of the Central Medicines Warehouse was arrested. Now, medicine purchasing is done through the United Nations Office of Project Services, which helps to make the process more transparent. There is still a lot of work to be done in the Honduran healthcare system, but we are seeing that change is possible.

Through investigations, we found out at least one of the reasons why: some 15,000 of those teachers weren’t actually working in the schools they were assigned to. Some had died, and their kids were still cashing their paychecks. Some had moved to the United States. Some were collecting pay for working in rural areas even though they had taken other jobs in cities, leaving rural kids with no teachers. That revelation came courtesy of a coalition of civil society organizations led by ASJ, called Transformemos Honduras, or Let’s Transform Honduras (TH).

We published this information on our website, encouraged parents, and volunteers to check up on whether teachers were at their jobs or not. As a result, for four years in a row we have celebrated more than 200 days of class and now estimate that less than 1% of “ghost teachers” remain in public schools.

These examples are more than statistics, they represent real people with real stories.

One of these stories is my own: in 2009, my own family suffered a tragedy. In March of that year, two of my uncles, both brothers of my mom, were killed because of an alleged attempt to rob them. I can remember perfectly the terrible pain my grandmother went through and the fact that the corresponding authorities did nothing to investigate the crimes. My family is still outraged about this. Because I have experienced personally how much violence can affect the lives of the people around us, I feel very touched whenever I think about how many families in my country suffer this sort of loss and the impotence of not having enough trust to do something as simple as calling the police to receive their assistance.

But we have been working hard to reform security in Honduras. Recently, Honduras has witnessed an unprecedented reform via the much-lauded police purge and reform commission , led by four members of our ASJ Board. In only seven months, the commission has dismissed more than 1,651 officers and referred more than 600 of them to the Attorney General’s Office for possible criminal prosecution. Our country has spent years with sky-high homicide, corruption, and impunity rates. But the trends are beginning to turn. Bold initiatives like this one give hope for a different future, one where citizens trust the police, where criminals face justice, and where all can live in peace.

Tragedies have a way of going viral; good news, not so much.

S haring hope means working to improve the lives of our neighbors, but it also means sharing these stories so others can understand why we’re hopeful. Just as the example of the single sheep that got lost (Matthew 18:12), each person who feels safer and more hopeful is worth the effort we put in our work.

“Sometimes we feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop” said Mother Theresa. Even as we feel that what we do won´t make much difference, it does. I see it in the faces of people who, after hearing our stories, feel that there really is hope for Honduras. Then together, we can leap from hope into action.

English Translation Launched Of Danish Novel Inspired By Dionisio Diaz Garcia

Tue, 06 Dec 2016 19:36:45 GMT

”Best crime fiction of the summer,” wrote Hanne Pedersen in Danish crime-fiction magazine Krimi-Cirklen

”The reader is transported to Honduras, sees and experiences the locations in an engaging story,” wrote Jesper Løvenbalk in the Danish Church Aid magazine.

Last week Larsen released an English translation of the book as “Piece of a Volunteer,” an e-book on Amazon .

“The book got good reviews in Denmark and I had a feeling it would be interesting for a bigger audience,” he said, “For me it was partly also a calling to use my skills to advocate for the work and sacrifice I got to see through reading hundreds of pages of case material and talking to all involved. After spending so much time and energy in a project and getting so much help along the way, you want it to make some kind of difference.”

With Larsen’s permission, the Epilogue of “Piece of a Volunteer” is below.

Epilogue of “Piece of a Volunteer”

by Jonatan Tylsgaard Larsen

Public prosecutor Juan Carlos Griffin: “Do you recognize the men who killed the lawyer Dionisio?” Protected witness Z: “Yes”

[Excerpts from the trial record for the preliminary hearing on February 5, 2008 concerning the murder of Dionisio Díaz García].

Dionisio Díaz García, known in Honduras as “Lawyer of the Poor”, was gunned down in his car on Boulevard Fuerzas Armadas in Tegucigalpa, Honduras on Monday, December 4th, 2006. He was on his way to court. He and the organization ASJ (Association for a more Just Society, The Honduran Chapter of Transparency International) were leading a court case against a national security company for abusing the labor rights of a group of security guards. Both sides accused each other in the media. ASJ reported threats and persecution against them, and finally, on that December day, a motorcycle with two riders drove up next to Dionisio’s car, and fired their gun, killing him.

Although Honduras is one of the most violent countries, the murder got national attention. The investigation, though, led nowhere, affected by errors and distortions, until it was given new life through a combination of ASJ’s tireless investigative work and an Amnesty International prize for Dionisio’s journalist colleague Dina Meza on July 5th, 2007. The most influential embassies in Honduras started pressing then-President Mel Zelaya to reopen the case. A new public prosecutor, in cooperation with ASJ and a dedicated police team, found the two suspected killers.

The decisive turning point in the following trial was the testimony of protected witness “Z”, who had witnessed the shooting and could identify the killers.

After a profiled court case the leading national media on March 19th, 2009, could report the final outcome of the case. A contract killer and a police officer were found guilty in the killing of Dionisio and sentenced to 21 years in prison. No charges were pressed against the alleged intellectual masterminds of the murder. In the summer of 2012, Honduras’ Supreme Court unexpectedly acquitted the two killers. The process and verdict was publicly questioned and criticized for its legal problems.

—

I have a penchant for Latin America and have visited the area several times. In 2008, my wife Signe and I were in Honduras as leaders of a group of international volunteers. I had just finished my first novel and searched for a new subject, when my friend Arne, Director of the NGO Viva Denmark, told me one of the last days: “I have an important story for you.” We visited the organization ASJ, where I was introduced to the story of Dionisio Díaz García by his former colleagues. After the meeting, I agreed with Arne.

A year later, my wife and I were back in Honduras with the support of Amnesty International to research the murder case. We stayed with local friends in the marginalized neighborhood of Nueva Suyapa. I still remember the unusual mix of heartwarming Latin American hospitality and a basic uncertainty to the environment. They told us that someone had been killed in front of the house a few days earlier and that even small kids from the neighborhood frequently became first hand witnesses to such events. At night we heard gunfire.

Even more than the raw violence and overt poverty, we were affected by the many different reactions to the Dionisio murder case. There were critical ones, such as an upper-class business director who had invited us for dinner and said that human rights defenders only protected criminals and made the work for police harder. Some who worked in a childrens’ home called it a “guerra perdida”, a lost battle, and preferred to help the poor with their physical needs. A suspicious director of a security company had researched my background and several times tried to catch me off-guard to reveal who had sent me.

But there were also others, such as security guards, nervously trying to understand their rights or the former editor of the leading newspaper Tribuna, who had lost his job because of his criticism of the newspaper’s new owner. There was the police woman who spoke of the constant battle between the good and bad cops, and the judge who convicted the accused ones in the case in spite of threatening phone calls the night before. Secretly, I met one of the police investigators in a burger restaurant and asked him, among other things, why he kept a job that had cost the life of so many other investigators. He was an average family man in his fifties, and I still remember his answer: “If not me, who else?”

I met many who fought for justice – it may sound superficial in a Western context, but in Honduras it is a very present struggle. In 2013 the country was one of the most violent in the world with a murder rate of 82.3 per 100,000. By comparison the US had one of 5 per 100,000. According to the violence observatory of one of Honduras’ universities around 34% of murder cases were gang related.

At present time, some positive changes give hope for the future of Honduras, though there is still a long road ahead. In the summer of 2015 historical peaceful demonstrations filled the streets of all major Honduran cities, demanding an end to the corruption within the political and financial elite. These events made observers talk of a possible “Central American Spring”, as similar events had led to radical changes in neighboring Guatemala. In Honduras violence and homicide rates are slowly falling, and an effective police purification commission is transforming the police force. Finally the Honduran government gave a mandate to an international anti-corruption commission (MACCIH) under the Organization of American States to examine some of the country’s large corruption cases.

However Honduras remains one of the world’s most dangerous countries for human rights defenders and investigative journalists. Those who enter into the fight for justice in Honduras, live with the knowledge that it may cost them their lives.

Dionisio lived such a life, and it is my understanding that he was in this fight even though he knew of the fear and uncertainty. Therefore, I humbly dedicated this novel to him.

—

Piece of a Volunteer is a novel, which means that the characters are fictitious, except for the obvious historical ones, such as President Zelaya. Although some of their roles can be found in reality, I have let my imagination create their personality, and any resemblance to real persons is coincidental and unintentional. This also applies to the two fictitious organizations involved, Todos and Hondusec.

Although the novel is fictional, it is based on the aforementioned events, however, in simplified form for the sake of readability.

A novel like this does not come to life without the help of numerous people, and I should like to mention the most important: Signe, for her continuous support of the project and the meticulous examination with red ink; Arne Kristensen, for inspiration, sparring and encouragement throughout the process; Amnesty, for financial support for my research journey; the staff of ASJ for their time, hospitality and knowledge-sharing, especially Carlos and Bernarda for shelter and Abram for countless shipments of documents; all who would talk to me about the novel, both in Honduras and in Denmark; and finally everyone who has commented on the book or given ideas for its distribution.

—

The novel was originally published in Denmark in 2013. The English translation was released on December 6th, 2016, at an event commemorating the 10-year anniversary of Dionisio’s death.

Dionisio’s case still remains an example of impunity, and an appeal sent to the Inter-American Human Rights Court is stalled in the review process. Nonetheless, his death has not been forgotten. In many ways, it marked a turning point for ASJ, which has continued over the past 10 years to defend the rights of the poor and vulnerable in Honduras. The struggle for human rights is a relentless one and the Dionisio case shines a light on the people who, after many a setback, get up again and start on the next case.

I hope that you as a reader found Piece of a Volunteer both a good read and an authentic window into the world of volunteering and human rights.

Thank you for engaging!

Jonatan Tylsgaard Larsen

December 6, 2016

“Rights, We Don’t Have” A Cleaning Woman’s Story

Mon, 05 Dec 2016 18:44:26 GMT

It’s not the cleaning work itself that is difficult for Mari and Julissa*, two cleaning women who are contracted to clean a state institution in Honduras. The work is tiring, but both are used to working with their hands.

Mari and Julissa only complain about their salary, just $295 per month, that comes as long as three months late. It’s mid-November, but they haven’t been paid since August.

Julissa is a single mother with two children, 12 and 6 years old. They’re good, smart children, she says, and she wants to make every sacrifice so that they can have the opportunities that she didn’t have. But in stretching this $295 across three months, there’s not enough money to buy the nice clothes she wants to give them or the gifts that they see their friends playing with.

“We can’t buy basic things because we don’t have the money,” says Julissa, who’s not yet 30.

Both Julissa and Mari have had to ask for money from their neighbors and coworkers just to get by. This isn’t money for luxuries.

“It’s to pay the bus fare,” says Mari, “or make rent.”

Other coworkers have suffered even more for the delay in payment. “Those who rent a room, when the end of the month comes and they don’t have the money, the owner kicks them out,” says Mari. “This has happened to a couple of our coworkers.”

It’s stressful for both of them to live on borrowed money, waiting for the day they’ll get paid for their work. They wait so long that even payday isn’t a cause for celebration.

“We pay out debts and go back into debt that first day,” says Julissa, “Day two we have to be borrowing again.”

Mari is 56, and her children are grown, but she still wants to give to help them with their studies or support them in emergencies. Her oldest daughter, she says proudly, is finishing her associate’s degree.

Mari has worked as a cleaning woman her whole life, jumping from contract to contract, and feels that every time she changes companies, her conditions get worse. After six months in this new job, the lateness of the paycheck worries her. But she doesn’t even think of looking for other work. “At my age, no one wants to give me work,” she says, looking down at her hands.

Julissa has been with this company for 14 months. She laughs when asked about her contract.

“It talks about rights, I guess,” she says, “Well, rights, we don’t have.”

“Just our little paycheck,” adds Mari, “and not even that, so much.”

Neither of them has been registered for insurance as required by law, nor do they get vacation days or holidays. If they get sick, Julissa says, “You have to work anyway.”

Last year, Julissa came down with a bad flu. She went to the doctor, who told her to rest for a week. Her job wouldn’t let her stay home, however, and even reduced her paycheck for the day she went to the doctor.

For Mari and Julissa, working with pain, fever, coughing or sneezing has become something normal, expected, but not accepted.

Julissa has a message that she wants to give the companies that contract her and her coworkers.

“If you’re looking for work, it’s because there’s a need,” she says, “We need the money,

and they need us. These businesses are succeeding because of us, and just as they demand good work from us, I hope that they also demand that they pay us on time.”

“We don’t eat every three months,” she says in frustration, “In my house, we eat every day.”

*names changed for security

“Empty Hands,” A Cleaning Woman’s Story

Mon, 05 Dec 2016 18:42:38 GMT

At 5 pm, Suyapa Martinez* kisses her 11-year-old daughter and flags down a bus to start her long evening cleaning a public hospital. She works all night, from 6 pm to 6 am.

Suyapa is a single mother, and works so that her two daughters can improve their situation. The older has already graduated from high school and is studying for the university admission exam. The second is in 6th grade. It’s hard for Suyapa to leave at night, leaving her daughters alone in the house. But she doesn’t see any other option.

Suyapa has worked the majority of her adult life in cleaning companies, living from year-long contract to contract. She’s been working with this company for two and a half years, but doesn’t see it as a stable position, knowing that in any moment they could change or fire her from her position.

She’s lived through many difficulties. Eight months ago, Suyapa needed cataract surgery on one eye. Though every month, they deducted insurance money from her paycheck, the company that contracted her had never registered her with any insurance company. Suyapa had to go to a public clinic, though at least she was given a few days of paid sick leave.

Six months later, Suyapa needed surgery on her other eye, but the company refused to allow her to take more leave. When she stayed home a few days recovering from surgery, they reduced the days from her already-small monthly paycheck. When she complained, things started to change for her.

“They were angry with me because I fight for my rights,” said Suyapa.

With no warning, they changed her hours from 6 am to 3 pm to night shifts from 6 pm to 6 am. Though Honduran law requires a premium on night shifts, her pay didn’t change.

Suyapa feels it was retaliation for needing two operations in six months. “When I came back from leave, that’s when they made the change,” she said. “It felt like a punishment.”

She feels that they shouldn’t be able to change her hours, but she isn’t sure, because she didn’t understand the contract they gave her to sign two and a half years ago. “They don’t give it to us to read,” she said. “They say, “read and sign the contract,” but you know, you don’t understand that much of it, so you just sign.”

This change hasn’t been easy. She doesn’t sleep well during the day. And if her eyes flutter close for a few hours at work, her supervisor berates her in front of her colleagues. She also hates to leave her daughters alone all night, knowing that the region where they live isn’t very safe. Just mentioning them, tears appear at the corner of her eyes.

“It isn’t just,” she says, “I have no rights to anything.”

Suyapa’s hands are tough and stained from her daily work. She works all night for only $295 per month, which, after the insurance deductions is closer to $278.

“The money doesn’t go far enough,” she said, tallying her monthly costs. The government of Honduras makes an estimate of basic food needs for a family – this just includes simple foods like beans, tortillas, eggs, and oil. For 2016, this estimate was $343. Suyapa has $278 to buy the food she can, leaving aside enough money to pay rent, the bus, light, water, telephone. She also wants to buy things for her daughters – school notebooks and pens, Christmas gifts.

If they paid her on time, it would be difficult – but when payments run late, it’s almost impossible.

It’s been three months since Suyapa saw a salary. Right now, she’s living on borrowed money, from coworkers, neighbors, any person she can while she waits the money she’s owed. The money that barely stretches through one month certainly doesn’t see her through three.

“It’s difficult,” she says. She feels alone, abandoned, especially when neighbors and friends turn away, not wanting to lend her any more money.

But what other option does she have? If she complains too much, she could lose more than the hours she wants to work, she could lose her job. “If I could change it, I would,” she said, but she doesn’t believe it’s possible.

So every afternoon at 5 pm, she puts on the same threadbare uniform that she bought two and a half years ago (she can’t afford the $20 they would charge her to replace it). She puts on the shoes that are cracked and ruined. She readies her things and steps onto the bus, hoping that today will be the day that she’s paid what she’s owed, but read to come home again with empty hands.

*Name changed for security

“No Other Choice”, A Security Guard’s Story

Sun, 04 Dec 2016 20:31:17 GMT

She walks the hallways of the government institution, her face blank. As a security guard, it’s her responsibility to ensure that people don’t sit on the floor, that they don’t go through closed doors, or throw trash.

For 12 hours a day without a break, six days a week, she paces the same corner of the building.

“No one really sees me,” she says. She feels invisible.

Érika Sánchez* was born in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, the second of four children. Her older brother has special needs, and so it was always her who cared for her younger siblings and helped her mother with her small sewing business.

Because of the needs of her family, Érika, like so many young Hondurans are forced to do, left school after sixth grade to look for work.

When she turned 18, she was hired by a cleaning company contracted to clean the public teaching hospital. After a few months, she started to feel a strong pain in her back that made it difficult to stay standing all day. She went to the doctor, who told her she should get an X-ray, but appointments were only available during work hours.

She asked her supervisor for permission, who told her she could have three days off, but he wouldn’t pay her for the days. Looking at how little she made each month, Érika decided not to go and kept working through the pain.

Two months later, when they said they would renew her contract, they fired her instead.

“For me, it wasn’t just,” she said, but she didn’t know who to bring the case to, so she started looking for other work.

Érika was desperate. Her wages had helped take care of her three siblings as well as her mother, who had fallen sick. She looked for work for almost a year, getting by on odd jobs and a weekend waitressing gig.

“You can’t find work here,” she said, “You can look and look and look and not find anything.”

Desperate, she went to a public university to see if they needed cleaning women. They didn’t, but a security guard heard her asking and told her they were looking for more guards.

“After the interview, they called me that Monday to start a two-month trial period,” Érika said.

She went into to sign a contract, but when she started to read through it, the supervisor lost her patience. “The women gave me the contract and said, if I really needed work, I had to sign.”

So Érika signed.

She started the next day, the 27th of the month, though they told her she wouldn’t make it onto the payroll until the first of the next month, essentially working those four days for free.

When she was on the payroll, it was as a “trial employee”, which earned her a monthly wage of $260, over $100 below the legal minimum wage. They promised her that after two months, she would be signed for a six-month contract, and her salary would be raised to $347. After six months at this wage, though, employees had to return to the “trial period” at the lower salary, getting around legal restrictions that required re-contracted employees to be granted the right of permanent employees.

Érika knew her salary was too low, but she was excited to have a stable income. That was before the reductions started.

“First they send you to a life insurance and medical insurance company,” she said. These payments were $17 a month, about two days’ wages. They took money out of her paycheck for her uniform, her ID card, and even the baton she was given.

Then after two weeks of work, her supervisor called a meeting.

The weekend before, a projector had gone missing in one of the buildings. He accused the guards of having stolen it, and when no one admitted to the theft, “He took $35 out of all of our salaries,” said Érika. “They never showed us a receipt or anything about how much it cost, I don’t think it could have cost as much as that.”

“I don’t think it’s just,” she said, “I didn’t have anything to do with it.”

Her work is tiring. She works 12 hours a day, from Monday to Friday, and 11 hours on Saturday. Only on Sundays can she rest a little.

“We as guards don’t have time to rest,” she said. “If we want to relax a little, all we can do is walk to stretch our legs.”

“My second day of work I didn’t even want to get up,” she said, “the first day takes it out of you.”

If a supervisor sees a guard leaning against a wall or, worse, sitting to eat something, they yell at them and call them out in front of all the guards at all-staff meetings.

Everyone’s afraid of the supervisor. Once, Érika says, he found a coworker eating tacos at the students’ food court. He grabbed the guard by the collar and shouted, “Stand up!” taunting the guard in front of the students, who began to laugh.

“They don’t respect employees,” says Érika, “They just tell us, “our office is full of people who want to work.” But we’re not slaves either, we have our rights.”

Érika calculates her salary like someone who’s used to counting every cent. After two weeks, plus four extra days of work, “My first paycheck was for $105.52,” she says, “I know that’s not even minimum wage. We know the university pays about $900 for each guard each month, and we’re not even getting our full $350.

“This month I was supposed to get $260, but because of the projector and the reductions I went home with only $208, and that’s barely enough for food.”

“I told one of my friends, I don’t know who should feel more ashamed – them for depositing so little into my account or me for going to get it.”

When money is only enough for necessities, it’s serious when companies don’t pay on time. Last week’s paycheck was one day late. “Everyone was angry,” she says, “My coworker had to borrow money because she didn’t have the 50 cent fare to get home.”

This young security guard has almost given up on her dreams. Although she only finished elementary school, she thinks she would like to study nursing someday. But when she only has Sunday free to rest or study, she says it’s not possible. Now, she’s put her hope in her younger sister, the only one in her family who has made it to high school.

Maybe Érika’s sacrifices will make her sister’s dreams come true. Maybe this tiring work will be worth it. Érika still dreams of a day where she could work only eight hours a day, spending more time with her family and friends. But she isn’t looking for a new job.

“Just think about how long it took me to find this job!” she says. “It’s hard sometimes,” she says, “but there really isn’t any other choice.”

*Name changed for security

Calling Out Injustice Against Security Guards And Cleaning Women In Honduras

Sun, 04 Dec 2016 19:43:25 GMT

Cleaning and security companies in Honduras are notorious for not respecting the rights of their workers. Despite contracts with major state institutions, most get away with paying their workers less than the legal minimum wage, and working them as many as 96 hours per week without any extra pay or overtime. ASJ (formerly known as AJS) has put together a study of the current state of security guards and cleaning women in state institutions in Honduras, pressuring the government to guarantee the labor rights of these workers.

“They talk about our rights, well, rights, we don’t have.”

Hundreds of cleaning women are contracted to work in government institutions in Honduras. They’re not government employees – the institutions pay a cleaning company, who provides the workers. Hundreds of security guards are contracted in the same way. From sunup to sundown they stand at entries or walk through hallways, looking out for the people in the building.

These are the companies that ASJ lawyer Dionisio Diaz Garcia was up against when he was defending the rights of security guards ten years ago. These are the companies that sent someone to kill him, rather than accept the consequences of their exploitation.

Now, ten years later, ASJ has put together a study of the current state of security guards and cleaning women in state institutions in Honduras. The study used over 300 surveys to gather data, which showed that for most workers, situations have not improved. ASJ will use this study to pressure the government to guarantee the labor rights of all workers, but especially those who work in their buildings, who clean their floors and guard their gates.

Many of the stories that emerged in these studies are powerful – here three brave workers share their experiences and their desire for justice.

“Rights, we don’t have”, a Cleaning Woman’s Story

“No other Choice,” a Security Guard’s Story

“Empty Hands,” a Cleaning Woman’s Story

I Believe In Hope

Mon, 21 Nov 2016 19:50:04 GMT

By Kate Parsons, ASJ-US Director of Communications

I wake up every morning in Honduras, a country that’s beautiful and complicated, and go to work in an office full of indomitable people doing beautiful and complicated work.

I sit in that office and look at data all day.

So I know the facts: that the homicide rate in Honduras is the third-highest in the world—about thirteen times higher than the States. I know that in over ninety-six percent of these homicides the murderer will never go to jail. I know about the drug trafficking here.

I know about the murder of activists. I know about deeply-entrenched government corruption, and that two-thirds of this country lives in poverty, on less than ten dollars per day.

Any one of these facts is so big, complicated, and scary that it becomes paralyzing. How do you end violence and corruption in an entire country, especially when it seems to have spread like rot through everything? How do you continue when you see people giving their lives for the causes you’re defending?

I’m an outsider to many of these fears. Meanwhile, my coworkers have been working on not one, but all of these issues together for almost two decades—sometimes losing battles, but never losing hope .

This hope doesn’t always seem to make sense. When we interact with foundations or international donors, the UN, or USAID, they don’t always seem to share it. If you read the news about Honduras, you’ll read nothing but hopelessness—everything here is violent and broken and it’s only getting worse.

If you ask my coworkers, they have a different outlook. They point out reasons to be optimistic—the homicide rate in Honduras has dropped by a third in four years. Some communities are notably safer. A handful of important and powerful people are starting to go to jail.

But their hope reaches beyond this optimism into faith. I work for a Christian organization, and while the hope that my coworkers have is certainly buoyed by their optimism, it isn’t dependent on it. It’s rooted in their faith that this world is not as it was created to be; and more than that, it is not as it could be, if we Christians lived out our call to do justice for the poor and oppressed.

This hope, of course, does not make them naïve. The people in my office have been mocked and lied to, they’ve suffered insults and even death threats for their work. But they’ve continued because they believe that God is on their side.

In a commencement speech over twenty years ago, Dr. Cornel West said something that still feels true: “Optimism is a notion that there’s sufficient evidence that would allow us to infer that if we keep doing what we’re doing, things will get better. I don’t believe that. I’m a prisoner of hope, that’s something else. Cutting against the grain, against the evidence.”

Hope, West says, leads us to “the conclusion that the world is incomplete—that history is unfinished, that the future is open-ended, that what we think and what we do does make a difference.”

This hope beyond reason (though not against reason) is not held in monopoly by Christians, but it is central to Christianity. This hope has been remarkable and noticeable since the time of the apostles, who wrote letters telling churches to “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have (1 Peter 3:15).”

In our devotion time here, we often sing a song together called “Danza a mi País”. Its lyrics, which sound better in Spanish, say:

I live in a wonderful country,
Full of riches and good will.
God, paint my soul the colors of this flag.
I would not change this place for anything.

My people are brave and generous,
Poor, but rich in dignity.
And neither suffering nor anger
Has kept them from dancing.

So dance, dance, dance with your shame,
With your joy, with your walk.
Dance, dance, dance, because you have hope
That the God of life will liberate you.

If you go to live in other lands,
Tell them truly what happens here.
Tell them that hatred and misery
Have not been able to bring us to our knees.

Speak of all the good people
Who have given their lives for peace,
And that, through their death, those who remain
Have united in order to continue.

So dance, dance, dance with your shame,
With your joy, with your walk.
Dance, dance, dance, because you have hope
That the God of life will liberate you.

That’s why we continue to do the impossible here in Honduras. Not because it always makes sense. Not because we always have proof that our actions make a difference. But because we have hope that the God of life will intervene, and will use our work to construct a country where children need not cross borders to flee violence, where families can walk without fear in the streets, where the wicked will find justice, and where no one will be hungry.

Even my optimism doesn’t take me that far—but I believe in hope.

So I will dance.

Originally published on the Post Calvin blog

Justice Series Lecture: Dr. Wolterstorff

Tue, 08 Nov 2016 19:53:52 GMT

Find more lectures on justice from Nicholas Wolterstorff and others at the ASJ (formerly known as AJS) YouTube page .

Police Reform: Combatting Corruption And Protecting The Vulnerable

Thu, 27 Oct 2016 17:51:44 GMT

For those who knew Aurora’s story, it was a powerful moment when she began addressing dozens of young Honduran police recruits, encouraging them to use their training to ensure that Honduran citizens are given dignity, respect, and protection.

Four years ago, she lost her son when corrupt police officers murdered him and his friend. In response, Aurora resolved to raise her voice and demand an end to impunity for actions committed by corrupt police and other authorities. She’s been a highly involved member of a coalition that ASJ (formerly known as AJS) helped form to change the Honduran security and justice system.

The coalition is called the Alliance for Peace and Justice (APJ), and its diverse membership includes NGOs, the Evangelical and Catholic church, Honduras’ largest public university, and more.

Standing up to violent and powerful people takes tremendous courage — thankfully, Aurora has that courage.

“We expose our lives by denouncing police officers who collude with criminals. Still, I’m not afraid of dying, and instead, I feel courage,” Aurora said, speaking about her work with other members of the APJ.

Her trip to the national police academy was part of an ASJ/APJ visit to further discuss reforms with the leaders of the police.

Despite the Honduran government spending about $7 million in the last three years to root out corruption and abuse among Honduran police, results have been disappointing, and ASJ has been a brave public voice demanding real reform.

While Honduras has one of the highest murder rates in the world, it also has the lowest reported rate of police per capita in the Americas. This means that the good police in Honduras really have their work cut out for them.

ASJ studies the challenges facing Honduras’s police and legal system and then puts forth practical suggestions on how to address them. One of the main focuses of ASJ’s security reform work is improving the National Police’s accountability and performance — and there are some exciting changes happening.

The Honduran Police Technical Institute consists of a cluster of buildings sprawled across a plot of land the size of a large city block. Young women and men in navy blue uniforms and white sweatsuits jog down the main road in formation and scurry from building to building. In the distance, green mountains rise up out of the dry plain that the institute sits on.

This year, this institute is expected to graduate 1,900 new police officers — but most significantly, it is graduating them with a new style of training, one that emphasizes human rights, conflict resolution, and community policing.

ASJ has been pressuring the government to make these changes, and we’ve even set an example of how this works through our teams that help ensure justice in cases of homicide and sexual abuse. As the government writes and reforms the main laws regulating the national police force, ASJ has been a major voice influencing how the laws should be written.

After Aurora spoke to the young police recruits, one of them asked if he could respond. Seated upright and stiff in his small desk, the recruit told Aurora, “I want to be part of a positive change in our country. I want to respect the rights of others. I’m studying very hard, for 13 hours each day, on how to be a good police officer.”

The challenge for this young man will be the system that he will have to work in after he graduates. For ASJ, one of our tasks is to ensure that steps are taken to stop the corruption and impunity that have afflicted the Honduran National Police and the communities they are tasked to serve.

The changes taking place in the police academy are encouraging, but there is still a lot more work to be done. Through it all, ASJ and our allies like Aurora will continue following our calling as Christians to love fearlessly and work diligently so that poor Hondurans are treated with dignity and justice.

ASJ Trains Citizens To Navigate The Judicial Process

Thu, 27 Oct 2016 09:27:47 GMT

In Honduras, violent crimes often go unreported because of fear of retaliation, because of a lack of trust in the judicial system, but also because the system is complicated, intimidating, and difficult to understand. Security 101 teaches leaders of civil society both how to reduce their risks for crime and what to do if crimes do happen. They are taught to navigate the current judicial system, but also to observe it and mobilize people to pressure the government to be more effective.

The room hums with the chatter of attendees. It’s the last day of the five-session Security 101 training, and people are huddled in groups sharing stories and offering ideas.

Representatives from youth and women’s coalitions, unions, think tanks, and nonprofit organizations talk together familiarly – it’s the third weekend they’ve spent together in San Pedro Sula, learning about the Honduran justice system and how to keep themselves and their neighborhoods safe.

These trainings are part of ASJ’s (formerly known as AJS) plan to reduce violence and reform Honduras’ judicial systems by empowering civil society. Through the civil society coalition Alliance for Peace and Justice (APJ), ASJ has already graduated four Security 101 classes, reaching 250 people, and has plans to host even more sessions in different regions of Honduras.

The training’s five modules are designed to demystify the complicated systems of crime and punishment and equip civil society with the tools they need to share with their own networks – spreading knowledge about rights and empowerment throughout Honduras.

APJ members represent nonprofits, academic institutions, and churches, and understand the power of citizens to transform systems and make a safer society.

It’s desperately needed work.

In Latin America, one in ten people has either been the victim of a violent crime or have had a close family member suffer one in the last year. This number is even higher in Honduras, where nearly everyone in the room can share stories of how assault or murder has touched their own lives.

These violent crimes often go unreported because of fear of retaliation, because of a lack of trust in the judicial system, but also because the system is complicated, intimidating, and difficult to understand.

Security 101 teaches leaders of civil society both how to reduce their risks for crime and what to do if crimes do happen. They are taught to navigate the current judicial system, but also to observe it and mobilize people to pressure the government to be more effective.

“This knowledge is so important,” said Keisy Rodriguez, a volunteer with Amigos sin Fronteras (Friends without Borders), an organization that does preventative education with some of the most marginalized youth in San Pedro Sula’s roughest neighborhoods.

The Security 101 trainings directly helped her in at least one situation. She shared a story about two young people who were in a feud over money that one had stolen from another. “They were going to resolve it like they usually do, challenge each other to a fight, and kill each other.”

Instead, Keisy said, “We went to the police station nearby and made a report as APJ taught us. They helped resolve the conflict and now the boys are friends again.”

Cases don’t always end this positively. Due to a history of corruption and mismanagement, Hondurans have very little trust in the police and judicial system. According to a National Public opinion poll, only half of the Honduran population reported trusting Honduras’ military police, and only 36% trusted the national police.

As ASJ works simultaneously teaching people like Keisy how systems should work and working with the police and judicial systems to make sure they do work, they hope that more success stories will build up a culture of trust in public systems that will fight against the current state of impunity in Honduras.

The coalition APJ also monitors the Honduran Justice and Security sectors, doing in-depth studies into the effectiveness and efficiency of the systems and offering recommendations for improvement. This is information that goes straight to the sectors’ ministers but is also shared with the general public.

As the Security 101 participants finished their conversations together, Carlos Hernández, president of ASJ, and Omar Rivera, coordinator of APJ, along with other members of APJ, presented a panel discussing APJ’s recent findings in the judicial system.

“In Honduras, just 4% of violent deaths obtain justice through a condemnatory sentence,” said Omar Rivera, before explaining reasons why that is – case backlogs, lack of investigators, lack of protection for witnesses, “If one of the components of the system of justice fails, the whole thing will fail.”

Hernández and Rivera are familiar faces on television, both frequently consulted as experts in civil society and public transparency. The training attendees sat and listened attentively, hearing about the justice systems’ steps in the right direction, but also about weaknesses that still existed in the system designed to protect them.

“The more money you have, the more political influence,” Rivera continued. “For the most vulnerable in Honduras, you go in front of the judge and you know that because of your connections you’re not going to receive justice.”

This struck a nerve with participants.

“They have killed lawyers, businessmen, congressmen, journalists – where was the justice system?” one audience member asked, “Many of my coworkers have had family members killed. When we have achieved justice, we have achieved it on our own resources.”

Together, the participants talked about what it would look like to live in a country where the judicial system truly responded to citizens’ needs. Then they began to discuss what it would take to get there.

“You are now citizens who know both your rights and your power,” said Suyapa Castro, local coordinator of APJ in San Pedro Sula. “Remember that this is your house, this is your land, your home, and you have to fight for her.

The participants took on the charge. “I learned my rights here,” Keisy said, “I learned about our role as citizens, how we can intervene, and how can we have a voice. People ought to know that our opinions and our actions as a population matter.”

“ This training helped us to be citizens involved in oversight and advocacy,” said a representative from the Organizacion para la Capacitación de Juventud (Youth Training Organization), “Not just as observers, not just as participants, but as leaders.”

ASJ Advocates For Safe Places To Give Testimony

Wed, 26 Oct 2016 09:38:54 GMT

Through a one-way mirror, a judge, lawyers, and investigators watch a teenage girl sitting across a table from a young woman. The two rooms, separated by the mirror, look like interrogation rooms used in the United States. But here in Honduras, their purpose is protection.

These rooms, called “Gesell Chambers”, allow victims of sensitive crimes like interfamily violence, sexual abuse, or sexual assault to give their testimony before a court – without the fear, shame, and anxiety of appearing in a courthouse.

ASJ (formerly known as AJS) has worked for years with child victims of sexual abuse through the Rescue program, constantly advocating for better attention in the judicial system, such as the use of Gesell Chambers.

Previously, ASJ staff had seen children forced to give their testimony in court as many as 11 times.

Children as young as seven or eight were put on the stand and asked to recount their abuse in front of a court of spectators, sometimes including their abuser. Lawyers questioned them, calling their testimony into doubt.

To obtain a conviction, children would have to attend every court proceeding, sometimes missing school and traveling long distances. With such a difficult and re-traumatizing path to justice, 80% of victims dropped their cases of sexual abuse before an arrest warrant was obtained.

Gesell Chambers, “make the children feel safer and more comfortable in sharing,” says Ada, a psychologist with ASJ.

Also important, sound and video equipment in the rooms allows the testimony to be recorded and reused throughout the trial – so children can stop spending their weeks in courtrooms and return to their schools and families.

ASJ has been instrumental in the use of Gesell Chambers in court cases. The facilities had been donated by UNICEF years ago, but without legal acceptance or a common understanding of their use, they weren’t being used.

ASJ advocated for a law, passed in early 2015, that formalized their use in court cases to gather evidence and testimony.

That was only the first step – ASJ staff then took on the difficult task of training lawyers, judges, and psychologists across Honduras in their use, visiting all seven cities where the chambers had been installed to hold workshops and trainings.

Besides legal and investigative support, Rescue also offers psychological counseling to victims and families of victims, counseling that helps them to heal.

Throughout the process, little by little, ASJ is helping to make the Honduran judicial system work. While before, 80% of sexual abuse cases were dropped, in cases that use Gesell Chambers, they’ve seen a reversal – 80% of cases filed result in arrest warrants!

Many challenges remain in the way as the Honduran legal system manages cases of sexual abuse and family violence. Some of the rooms face technical difficulties, some judges are still unwilling to accept recorded testimony, and other lawyers aren’t aware that the chambers are an option. But ASJ continues to advocate for better implementation and use of the chambers, proving to victims of violence that achieving justice is possible.

(The following video, in Spanish, presents the use and purpose of Gesell Chambers, and was used in the promotion of the tool:)

Finding Hope In Zones Of Conflict

Wed, 26 Oct 2016 09:33:29 GMT

Hector* can point to the exact place where one gang territory ends and the other begins. It’s an ordinary-looking lamppost on the corner of a street that doesn’t look any different than other streets in Rivera Hernández, a sector of the Honduran city San Pedro Sula.

Cross this invisible border, however, and you could be killed by gang members defending their territory. Hector knows of bodies shot and left there, visible reminders of the conflict this neighborhood suffers.

Dozens of borders like this crisscross San Pedro Sula, where Hector works as a criminal investigator with the Association for a More Just Society (ASJ, formerly known as AJS). After over ten years with the Honduran police force, he left to join the Peace and Justice Project, working alongside ASJ lawyers and psychologists to support Honduran police and courts in gathering evidence, encouraging witnesses to testify, and arguing cases in court so that murderers are actually caught, convicted, and sent to prison.

The Peace and Justice project is one of ASJ’s longest-running projects. The first three-member team began in Nueva Suyapa in Tegucigalpa in 2005, when the neighborhood was one of the capital’s most violent. Since 2005, ASJ has seen a dramatic reduction in homicides, mostly because of the reduced impunity in the zone. After moving to four different communities in Tegucigalpa, ASJ opened a second, smaller office in San Pedro Sula, Honduras’ second-biggest city, to continue their work.

Despite this high murder rate, investigation of violent crimes was nearly nonexistent.

In 2013, the Honduran police had only advanced with four cases of the 193 total. In all four of these cases, the police had stumbled across the murderer in the act. Any case that required investigation was added to an impossible backlog of cases that were noted, filed, and forgotten.

In a rented car with tinted windows, followed by two police officers on a motorcycle, Hector enters a community that is one of the hotbeds of violence in Rivera Hernández. The wide, paved streets turn to pitted dirt roads a few hundred yards in.

For now, the streets are peaceful – but at the cost of dozens of unwritten rules. Businesses pay a weekly “war tax” to the gangs or risk violence or death. Around 8 pm, soon after the sun goes down, people return to their homes and shut their doors. People don’t leave their neighborhoods; they don’t cross the invisible boundary lines.

Pressure from gang members has forced many businesses to close – either from fear or an inability to continue paying the weekly “tax”.

In one community, a man with a gun entered the local church and threatened attendees. Now, says one community member, “Even the churches have closed their doors.”

Sandra* is one woman who achieved justice through partnership with ASJ. Sandra has lived in Rivera Hernández for 18 years, long enough for violence to become part of her daily life.

Everyone, she says, has experienced violence. “And everyone keeps walking,” Sandra says, “close your mouth, close your ears, keep them closed.”

This mantra, the same one she had taught to her children and grandchildren, no longer made sense to her when she saw her husband shot for no reason other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

When she met an ASJ psychologist and investigator, she told them almost immediately that she would testify, “I can’t stay here with my mouth closed,” she told them, “If I don’t speak, they will continue to kill innocent people.”

She didn’t trust the police to take her report, but she trusted the psychologist who worked with her. When he showed her a picture of suspects that had been captured, she didn’t hesitate – “Those are the men who killed my husband,” she said.

Now she would have to testify against them – a brave action that could mean death if the wrong people discovered what she was doing.

At first, Sandra was scared to witness, but ASJ supported her by assuring that as a “protected witness” she really would be protected. They transported her to and from court, ensured that she had the long black robes that would hide her face and body in court, and even a voice distorter to change her voice.

With this protection, Sandra felt she could speak out. “When I saw [the man who killed my husband], I felt rage,” she said, but she kept herself calm enough to clearly give her testimony.

Thanks to her bravery, the men were convicted.

“I feel good because they won’t hurt someone else, another innocent person,” Sandra says. The knowledge won’t bring back her husband, but it is a comfort.

In the two years ASJ has been working in the neighborhood, homicide rates in Rivera Hernández have dropped by 55% – from 193 murders in 2013 to 87 in 2015. Rivera Hernández remains a violent place, but over 100 fewer people have lost their lives each year since ASJ’s involvement. That’s 100 husbands, fathers, sisters, and neighbors who will continue to work, support their families, and bit by bit make their community a safer place.

In the face of so much violence, ASJ employees feel a complicated mix of realism and hope. They know that Rivera Hernández is one part of one city in the country of Honduras, where tens of thousands of murders occur every year. But they also know that their work as “a lever to get the process going” is strengthening the judicial system across the country.

For people who deal daily with the most horrifying violence, they can all mention reasons to continue.

“I don’t expect to see the Promised Land,” the coordinator of the project said, grinning wistfully, “but maybe my children…”

They all believe the future can be different, and visiting Rivera Hernández, it’s hard not to get a glimpse of that hope.

Through an abandoned, gutted house, spray-painted with gang symbols, children from the neighborhood run, playing. They are more than their violent surroundings, more than other grave predictions or statistics – they are a better future, and the empty house echoes with their laughter.

Empowering Women With Literacy Classes

Thu, 29 Sep 2016 09:41:56 GMT

ASJ’s (formerly known as AJS) youth clubs are designed to transform entire communities, involving parents, family members, and neighbors in the pursuit of safer and more connected neighborhoods.

As ASJ staff poured into children in these neighborhoods, they found that parents and other community members were also hungry to learn. In March of this year, in the community Las Minitas (“the Mines”) where they have served for 12 years, ASJ volunteers began a small literacy project to serve these adults.

Since that day Doña Francisca has attended faithfully. She also has kept her promise to God to encourage her children’s attendance. Two of Doña Francisca’s children were the first class members to learn to read, and all three are doing extremely well in the class, learning alongside their mother.

On the day her daughters read their first words, Doña Francisca sat with her head bowed. At first glance, it appeared she was studying and did not realize the huge accomplishment of her children. But Doña Francisca was actually deep in prayer. When she finished praying she looked up, eyes full of tears and asked if she could sing. Since that day, Doña Francisca’s unique songs of praise, though embarrassing to her children, have become a regular part of the class.

Doña Francisca does struggle with the literacy classes. However, she no longer believes that she knows nothing, and no longer believes she is incapable of learning. On the first day of class when assigned four pages of homework, she completed 32 pages! She is never discouraged, grateful for her small improvements, and quick to praise God for everything that she and her children have accomplished.

For her entire life, Doña Francisca had signed her name by rolling her thumb over an ink pad and pressing her thumbprint onto the paper. Last month, instead of the thumbprint, she carefully wrote her name, “F r a n c i s c a”, and agreed that she will never again substitute a thumbprint as her signature. The class celebrated – Doña Francisca thanked God.

Doña Francisca’s biggest goal is to one day be able to read the Bible. Though she can’t yet read for herself, she has her favorite passages memorized, and loves to open her Bible and recite passages like James 1:5: “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

Programs like this literacy class go outside of ASJ’s regular programs through the passion and commitment of volunteers. Their connections with the communities are helping women like Doña Francisca to learn that they are capable of more than they thought possible, strengthening families, increasing opportunities, and giving praise to God.

Shining A Light On Corruption In The Health Sector

Wed, 28 Sep 2016 09:46:54 GMT

Millions of people in Honduras have difficulty accessing the health care that they need. Public hospitals run out of medicine, are poorly staffed, or keep poor records, which means that the sick too often become sicker instead of being healed. Part of the work of improving health care for all of Honduras includes understanding the root of these problems.

On September 8th, the Association for a More Just Society (ASJ), Honduras’ national chapter of Transparency International (TI), presented its baseline study and institutional diagnosis of the Honduran Secretary of Health. The technical report was the result of nearly a year of evaluations and audits.

This is the third report from ASJ/TI regarding a sector of the Honduran government. Last November, ASJ/TI presented reports on the Secretary of Education, and the Secretary of Security .

This baseline report offers an important tool for civil society to use to monitor and evaluate these government ministries, bringing corruption and poor administration into the light.

The Honduran government has committed to addressing the findings that ASJ/TI has included in the baseline report, creating a plan designed to improve public health services. It’s not an empty promise – every six months, the improvement plan will be monitored and evaluated through the TI/ASJ partnership, ensuring accountability.

A summary of some of the key findings is included below – the full executive summary of the report can be read in English here .

AREA OF PURCHASES AND CONTRACTS – Final Score: 39.5%

Though this new process has managed to reduce corruption and ensure that medicines are more cost-effective and higher-quality, many improvements are still required. For this report, ASJ investigated 15 major purchasing processes in detail to identify areas for improvement.

The baseline report’s findings include the following:

Fines that should have been applied for late deliveries of medicines were not applied – these fines were as high as $10,269 for deliveries as many as 26 days late
There remains a lack of research into normal market prices for drugs, which in multiple cases leads to overpaying for medicines and medical equipment
Purchases were made without appropriate contracts that would protect the State in the case of failure to deliver products
No record was kept of suppliers that repeatedly failed to comply with their contractual obligations. This made it difficult to apply penalties and also meant that contracts continued to be awarded to businesses that failed to comply with requirements in previous purchasing procedures
There is little to no opportunity for the involvement of civil society in overseeing the purchasing process

AREA OF HUMAN RESOURCES – Final Score: 57%

Ultimately, health care in Honduras depends on the doctors, nurses, and administrators who make up the Secretary of Health. Therefore, it is essential that the people who are hired are qualified, well-trained, and well-managed.

For the baseline report, ASJ studied the process of hiring and firing health personnel, and also looked at the overall planning for human resources.

One positive is that based on transparency standards, the Ministry of Health obtained a score of 96%, showing clear, complete, orderly, and up-to-date digital information
Nonetheless, no strategic or comprehensive plan exists for the strengthening and improvement of human resources – a plan that would include information such as institutional diagnostics, improvement plans, and personnel growth plans
Staffing is not adequate. Only two of 18 departments in Honduras complied with the minimum number of health professionals recommended by the United Nations, with an average of 14 professionals per 10,000 inhabitants versus the recommendation of 23 professionals per 10,000
Warehoused personnel documents are not standardized or organized, making it difficult to form accurate profiles or have a reliable record of workers. Neither are they digitalized, which means they can be ruined in storage

AREA OF DATA COLLECTION AND MANAGEMENT – Final Score: 78.08%

Data collection is largely accurate, with employees following effective guidelines to record and track information
These guidelines, though good, have not been made official, which could limit the consistency of the quality if leadership changes
Some medical documents were poorly filled out, with either illegible handwriting, or portions torn out or damaged. To remedy this, ASJ recommends more organized warehousing and digitalization of documents

Though these observations may seem minute, they add up to large differences in effectiveness and efficiency within the Secretary of Health.

As the Secretary improves its purchasing processes, it will be able to buy more medicine for less money – meaning fewer people turned away from the care they need. As they improve the management of employees, they will have better-trained and better-managed health care professionals who can better serve the Honduran people. And as they improve the data collection, they will be better able to identify and respond to public health issues and recognize patterns that will help them improve their services.

For ASJ, this baseline report is only the beginning of a long-term commitment to oversee and improve public health in Honduras – with the goal of a more just society.

Transforming Health In Honduras

Thu, 08 Sep 2016 09:52:47 GMT

A small group of people is transforming health in Honduras. They’re not doctors or nurses or healthcare administrators – members of Transformemos Honduras and employees of the Association for a More Just Society are saving lives through their expertise in transparency, accountability, and the efficiency of public systems , doing the difficult work of getting the Honduran Health system to work for its people.

History

Historically, Honduras’ health system was crippled not just by a small budget and the demands of a poor population facing injuries and epidemics – it was crippled by corruption, the intentional theft of money and medicines by powerful people.

The impotence of the Secretary of Health was well-known. Medical brigades and other charity work had been coming to Honduras for decades, but nothing was changing for the vast majority of Hondurans.

In September 2009, a group of concerned Hondurans came together with a simple goal – to make sure that the most vulnerable in Honduras got the health care they needed. “We’re not going to just sit here with our arms crossed,” their website would later state, “We’re going to act.”

This group created a coalition called Transformemos Honduras (TH) , or Let’s Transform Honduras, with the justice organization Association for a More Just Society (ASJ, formerly known as AJS) as their core member. Armed with allies such as development organizations Compassion International, World Renew, Project Global Village, World Vision, and the Evangelical Church in Honduras, they decided to look into the Health System to see why medicines had become a luxury.

They started by going to the government for information about the purchase of medicines and medical supplies.

Honduras’ Law of Transparency and Access to Public Information, an important law passed in 2006, required public officials to provide public information to anyone who asks. But practically, it wasn’t enforced, and government documentation was hidden or went missing.

“We were testing the law and the system to see if it worked,” remembers Maribel Muñoz, who works with Transformemos Honduras. Information that the government should have provided within ten days took months and repeated requests to be delivered. Finally TH had lawyers from ASJ’s anti-corruption project ALAC helped them draft letters calling public servants’ attention to all the laws they were breaking and all the fines they were theoretically accruing by not delivering the requested information.

About six months later, the pressure began to work. Transformemos Honduras began to collect the haphazard records of the Health Systems purchases and processes over the previous five years, from 2005-2010.

What they found was that, at the time, there was no oversight over government purchases of medicine and medical supplies . Nor did there seem to be much documentation of the million-dollar life-or-death purchases.

TH’s experts pored over the records, and immediately began to see things that didn’t line up. Purchases weren’t being made in the competitive way the law required, meaning that medicines were up to 50 times more expensive than global averages. TH began to dig deeper.

No one had ever investigated the companies that were supplying medicines and medical supplies to the Honduran government. TH found a few small businesses that jumped in a matter of months from tiny companies to bringing in millions of dollars. Some of these companies had no listed phone number or physical address – they were “briefcase companies” that acted as a front to provide the appearance of competition. This drove the price of medicines up astronomically, as elites played fake bidding wars against themselves.

TH found that these companies were even involved in drafting the Health System’s buying lists, telling them to buy only the medicines they wanted to sell. The already-strained Ministry of Health was overpaying for medicines that weren’t even necessarily the ones that were needed. Even worse, some of these medicines were never delivered, while others were delivered in unacceptable quality – after audits started, auditors found some medicines infected with bacteria, while others were delivered with only four of their 11 essential ingredients.

“We’re not talking about medication not being available for [the poor], but rather providing them with poor-quality medications — on purpose,” said Carlos Hernández in an interview with the PanAmerican Post.

In 2011, Transformemos Honduras published their first report – and the Honduran health system began to change.

Publishing Reports

The hallways of Honduras’ Hospital Escuela, a teaching hospital that serves thousands of poor Hondurans, are packed with people waiting for medical attention. Many of the people waiting are here because they have no other option.

About 70% of Honduras’ population relies on free public clinics and hospitals like the Hospital Escuela. Yet too often they’re sent home without desperately-needed medicine to treat illnesses from heart disease to schizophrenia because the hospitals don’t have the necessary medicines in stock. While Honduras’ Health System promises care and medicines to all its citizens, those who can pay prefer private hospitals that are better stocked and better equipped.

A well-functioning public health system in Honduras is desperately needed – but transparency in the health sector goes against the interest of the wealthy businesspeople and politicians who control medicine production and distribution.

“These were very controversial themes, very dangerous – no one wanted to risk themselves,” said Muñoz. The people involved were some of the wealthiest and most powerful people in Honduras. TH moved boldly, but wisely, sending an undercover sub-contractor to pose as an employee in the medical warehouses themselves.

They found chaos – the government’s central medicines warehouse was run by a woman who appeared to use the stash as her personal piggybank, forging medicine orders and selling the excess, mismanaging the disorganized warehouse so that expensive pills were left to spoil while people in hospitals died for lack of drugs.

In 2013, Transformemos Honduras presented another report detailing the mismanagement of the warehouse. The effect was electric. The Honduran government immediately removed the director from her position. She, along with five other wealthy, powerful people would eventually face consequences – caught in their corruption by a missing trail of paperwork.

Transformemos Honduras kept pushing for transparency in the medical purchasing system. A second report detailed expenses made between 2010 and 2013. On multiple occasions, regulations were flouted and competition was ignored, allowing steeply overpriced direct purchases.

Between 2008 and 2012 alone, Honduras lost 30 billion Lempiras in direct purchases – about $1.4 billion.

Furthermore, companies that earlier reports revealed to be overcharging for medicines or offering low-quality medicines continued to be contracted.

One of these companies was Astropharma, a company owned by then-vice-president of Congress Lena Gutiérrez. Her position made Astropharma’s conflicts a clear conflict of interest, and the low quality of their medicines left multiple Hondurans dead.

ASJ’s journalism website Revistazo published multiple accounts of Astropharma’s corruption, and ALAC, the legal anti-corruption assistance project, provided legal support to take the case to the Public Ministry.

Their work paid off. On June 18th, 2015, the Public Ministry formally presented charges against then-Vice President of Congress Lena Gutiérrez, her father Marco Tulio, and her siblings Ginnette and Julio Cesar, all of whom held stakes in Astropharma. The Gutiérrezes and 12 others implicated in the case faced charges for crimes against public health, falsification of public documents, and fraud for selling drugs of “dubious quality at inflated prices”.

Results

Not only have powerful people faced consequences for their corruption, the Honduran government has taken concrete steps towards transparency. In 2013, the government initiated a trust with a national bank to oversee payments, while the United Nations has stepped in to offer technical assistance for the contracting process. The government has also specifically asked Transformemos Honduras to act as a social auditor throughout the process of purchasing and delivery.

The results have been dramatic. Five million Hondurans now have better access to basic medical care because the government is buying medical supplies at real costs. Eleven people accused of corruption in the health sector are currently facing trial, showing others that corruption has a cost. Though the cost of living is rising, the cost of medicine has dropped every year since 2012.

The fight isn’t over. ASJ and TH are pressing forward to new levels of transparency. Last year, they participated in 54 discussions on the subject of health with representatives of the Honduran government. They also filed 14 corruption cases with the public ministry, many of which are currently being investigated.

They also haven’t stopped digging. Last year, TH presented five investigations into medical centers and delivery processes, and empowered 60 new volunteers to do social auditing in public hospitals.

Now ASJ’s work in social oversight can go even farther. In 2014, ASJ as a representative of Transparency International was invited to formally audit five different government ministries, including Health. The ground-breaking agreement will allow ASJ to investigate the effectiveness of processes and procedures even as TH continues to participate in their improvement, creating a baseline from which to measure progress. The first report will be presented in September of 2016.

After years of brave commitment and hard work, ASJ has placed itself at the center of the conversation about transparent and effective healthcare in Honduras. They’ve seen health improve against great odds, and are committed to continuing to support the government systems that serve millions of Honduras.

Documentary Shows How Honduran Justice System Can Work

Fri, 26 Aug 2016 09:54:56 GMT

In Honduras, where 95% of murders go unpunished, the families of victims of violent crimes often see an arrest, a trial, and a conviction as nothing more than a dream.

But it’s a dream that ASJ (formerly known as AJS) is tirelessly fighting to make reality.

In one of the communities where ASJ works, sixteen-year-old Sindy Marbella Alemán spent her time at school, with friends, or in programs in her church. Her family, friends, and teachers all remember her bright smile. “She was a light,” her cousin remembered, “She loved to make other people smile.”

A trusted church leader took a particular interest in Sindy, inviting her to walk the streets and preach with him. After earning her trust, one morning he led her from the bus stop where she was waiting to go to school, took her to the closed church, gagged her, assaulted her, and killed her.

It was a horrific, tragic crime, and it could have resulted like 95% of cases in Honduras do – with nothing: an opened investigation, lack of evidence, lack of testimony, another file on a tall stack of files.

But this case was different.

Supported by investigators, lawyers, and psychologists from ASJ, police were able to collect forensic evidence and encourage terrified eyewitnesses to bring testimony before the court.

Because of this evidence and eyewitness testimony, the murderer was convicted and sentenced to 17 years in prison.

Though nothing will bring Sindy back, her mother feels more peaceful knowing that the culprit is off the streets and that he has been dealt harsh punishment for what he did. In prison, he will be kept from repeating his crime on other innocent victims.

Revistazo, an independent online magazine run by ASJ, published a short documentary on the case, “A Crime in the Shadows of Religion,” that showed not only the facts of the attack but also the resulting investigation and trial.

The documentary has struck a chord with Honduran audiences, who have watched it over 5,000 times on YouTube , and seen it 278,000 times on Facebook, sharing it 1,300 times.

Though it details tragic events, the video is also a more hopeful glimpse into a Honduran justice system that works.

“This story shows us that when there exists political will on the part of the authorities and active participation of the society in general, you have success,” Omar Rivera shares in the video, “That when the police act diligently, when the criminal investigators have the necessary equipment, when the judiciary responds, and the community comes together, especially the eyewitnesses: Justice is done.”

Guilty sentences play a large part in creating a more peaceful Honduras, driving down the impunity that fuels violence. The work of ASJ in these communities is helping these successful convictions to “be the norm and not the exception.”

The video, subtitled in English, is below. A warning to viewers, it contains disturbing content, including sexual violence.

The Christian Work Of Anti-Corruption

Fri, 26 Aug 2016 08:10:02 GMT

It’s Wednesday afternoon, and the back office of ASJ (formerly known as AJS) is filled with the faint buzzing of the document scanner and the steady clicking of laptop keys.

White partitions divide small, unremarkable cubicles where a handful of people are quietly transforming the way their government serves its people. Their tools? Interviews, law books, spreadsheets.

ASJ’s mission is to do justice, making Honduras’ systems of laws and government work. Sometimes that means a dramatic arrest in one of Honduras’ most dangerous neighborhoods. Sometimes it means spending hundreds of hours poring over thousands of pages of government payroll documents – something ASJ also sees as God’s work.

ASJ programs focus on two of the biggest problems facing Honduras – Violence and Corruption. Both are central to our vision of being brave Christians, earning justice for those who most need it.

But to many, a Christian anti-corruption organization still seems like a strange combination.

However, the Bible is unequivocal on corruption:

“You shall do no injustice in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor nor defer to the great, but you are to judge your neighbor fairly,” (Leviticus 19:15, NIV)
“A false balance is an abomination to the LORD, But a just weight is His delight (Proverbs 11:1, NASB).”
“Differing weights and differing measures – the LORD detest them both” (Proverbs 20:10, NIV)

These verses, and dozens more like them, show us something – God really hates it when someone tips the scale!

Powerful people in Honduras, in the United States, and across the world are carrying differing weights for the poor than for the rich, for the elites than for the disconnected, for racial and ethnic majorities or minorities. This scale-tipping, these false balances, are corruption. And corruption hurts.

Improving health and education in Honduras, fixing roads and bridges and water pipes, reducing violence and poverty – all depend on making these public services work.

ASJ is the Honduran chapter of international anti-corruption nonprofit Transparency International (TI). In 2014, ASJ and TI signed an agreement with the Honduran government that opened the five biggest government institutions – health, education, security, infrastructure, and tax management – up to ASJ’s oversight.

ASJ’s backroom is full of the people who are carrying out this oversight. They analyze the purchases and contracts, human resources, and data collection of government institutions, auditing them to see if the processes are transparent, efficient, and effective.

“Public goods should be for the common good,” says Keila García, the coordinator of ASJ/Transparency International’s government oversight programs. “When we think about corruption, it is the opposite of the values of the Kingdom of God. We as Christians cannot be indifferent to this.”

Whether it’s cataloging public purchases or scrutinizing government payrolls, García sees social oversight of government functions as a rare opportunity for Christians to be “a prophetic voice” demanding accountability from those who use their position to exploit or steal.

In the two years that ASJ/TI has been working under the agreement, she has noticed a remarkable change in the government culture. “They feel pressured,” she says, “They rely on us as a key player, knowing that even when we aren’t there, that we will be there asking for that information and documentation.”

“The Bible teaches us the principles that we must love God and love our neighbor,” says Hector Moncada, an economist and former professor, who is now developing a government-wide analysis of public contracts with ASJ. “If I can fight for justice by reducing corruption, I am improving institutions that benefit my neighbors and all of society, people I don’t even know.”

When people think of the fight for justice they often think of strikes, marches, or protests. They think of impassioned speeches and massive crowds. This is one face of justice. Another is less imposing.

When we think back to the dramatic victories that God has led us to in Honduras, nearly all of them started in someone’s Excel sheet, at someone’s desk, on someday like this Wednesday afternoon – quiet, unassuming, life-changing.

Police Purging Commission Delivers Cases To Public Prosecutor’s Office

Thu, 25 Aug 2016 18:38:02 GMT

In Honduras, a brand-new police force is on the horizon.

The decisive action of the Police Purging Commission, appointed in April , has removed a third of the former police leadership after investigations exposed links to drug trafficking, organized crime, and squads of assassins within the police.

The firing of 313 high-ranking officers in just four months is encouraging, but the next step is to investigate and try the alleged cases of murder and corruption in the courts. As the Commission is an administrative body, not a judicial one, they are enlisting the support of Honduras’ Public Prosecutor’s office to ensure that justice is achieved in these cases.

Yesterday, the Commission met with the Attorney General to deliver 144 criminal cases, implicating 455 police officers with crimes ranging from theft to extortion to assassination.

“The files of police officers with alleged evidence of criminal responsibility are stained with dirt and blood,” said Omar Rivera, a member of the Commission, “They show evidence of many police officers who dedicated themselves to murder, theft, extortion, and illicit enrichment.”

“The documents delivered to the Public Prosecutor’s office contain nightmarish stories in which the criminals, delinquents, and corrupt people are precisely those who were responsible for combating illicit actions and organized crime,” Rivera continued, “In other words, the high-ranking officials and agents of the National Police were the “bad guys” of the film.”

The Police Purging Commission praised the Attorney General for his creation of a specialized task force charged with investigating and prosecuting these cases, and also recognized the participation of the Honduran people in reporting cases of crime and corruption within the police.

An important factor in preparing these cases, Rivera said, was “the participation of the people, the citizen support, and the decision of Hondurans to not stand silent before those who have abused the authority that they had been granted.”

Finally, Omar Rivera asked the Secretary of Finances and the National Congress to make an effort to increase the budget of the Public Ministry during the fiscal year 2017, as “the different special attorneys will need a greater quantity of resources to confront the many challenges of the fight against police corruption.”

In the next few months, the Police Purging Commission will continue to evaluate the 10,000 remaining police officers charged with protecting Honduras’ streets and continue to advocate for deep structural reforms within the Secretary of Security. As the Commission works to permanently remove corrupt officers from the force, and the Public Prosecutor brings cases against them, there is hope for a new and responsive police – one in which justice, not impunity, reigns.

After Removing Top Officers, Police Purging Commission Looks Ahead

Tue, 23 Aug 2016 18:35:50 GMT

“Widespread corruption, impunity, negligence, and tolerance”: this was the state of Honduras’ police force, the Police Purging Commission reported in their first quarterly presentation to the Honduran Congress.

The report covered the work of the Commission over their first four months, in which they confronted threats and personal attacks in order to evaluate the police force from the top, down – evaluating 946 officers and removing 313. Just 297 mid-ranking officers remain to be evaluated, then the commission will move on to the daunting task of evaluating the 10,000 entry-level officers.

The members of the Police Purging Commission – including ASJ’s (formerly known as AJS) Omar Rivera and Pastor Alberto Solórzano, who sits on ASJ-Honduras’ board – have a bigger vision for the police than just removing corrupt officers. They see this as a rare chance to create a better-organized, more-transparent, and more-trustworthy force.

In their evaluation of the police force, the Commission found disorganization, corruption, and a culture of covering up each other’s crimes. Active-duty police officers had uninvestigated links to gangs, drug traffickers, or organized crime. Others with open judicial cases of robbery, extortion, sexual abuse, or domestic violence continued to be promoted up the ranks.

“All these situations mentioned are not new,” the Commission stated in their report to Congress. “For years it has been known that corruption invaded the police body – for years the situation in the National Police has been public – and no one has done anything.”

After years of impunity, the Commission is now ensuring that this systemic problem will finally be addressed. With special care to follow labor laws and due process, police officers with known or suspected links to crime are being removed from the force, and their documents sent to the courts for investigation .

With no budget, the current Commission has fired a greater percentage of evaluated officers than any other attempt – and unlike past attempts, they have all been high-ranking officials.

The Commission already has specific and detailed proposals for addressing the root problems. In addition to evaluating the officers themselves, they are also looking closely at job descriptions and positions within the force. The evaluation highlighted positions that are vague, duplicated, or poorly specified. The Commission’s proposals will create a new structure of functional positions in which officers will have clearly defined duties, responsibilities, and fit within clear hierarchies.

As a result of years of advocacy from ASJ, police training has also been revamped, extended from a few months to a full year of courses and training focused more on human rights and community policing. The first graduating class has entered the force just a few months ago and shows promise for Honduras’ future police.

In the coming years, the police force will be strengthened not just in policy but also in numbers. Currently, Honduras has fewer than half of the police officers the United Nations recommends. A plan proposed by the Secretary of Security would nearly double the police force within the next six years, all new officers having been screened, hired, and trained in the more transparent and effective protocols suggested by the Commission.

“The special commission’s track record so far suggests that the Honduran government is taking this iteration of police reform seriously,” the journal Insight Crime reported .

“ If the effort ultimately proves successful, it could provide a model for other countries in the region seeking to improve their public safety institutions.”

It’s a process that the Commission is fully committed to. “No threat will prevent the transformation of the National Police,” said Omar Rivera. “Nor will any threat diminish our enthusiasm to achieve the institution and offer it to society.”

Improving Health Care By Involving Communities

Tue, 23 Aug 2016 18:31:35 GMT

A group of people sit with notepad and pencil ready in a small brick church, in a community that a few years ago was considered one of Tegucigalpa’s most dangerous.

ASJ (formerly known as AJS) has been working with this community for over three years, investing in youth clubs that give children alternatives to gang involvement, and assisting in the prosecution of homicide cases that occur within the community, earning guilty sentences that are helping to dramatically reduce violence.

Now, ASJ is starting a new project, involving community members in anti-corruption work by training them as auditors of their own community health center.

Through a half-day workshop, people who are already recognized as leaders in their communities are given the tools and training they need to document the performance of their local health centers and advocate for better health for themselves and their neighbors.

They learn what good health care should look like, including all the staff, tools, and services they should see in their health center. ASJ staff then teach participants how to compare the center to the national standard, and note any other observations or recommendations.

ASJ has already spoken to the health center, which has agreed to let the community leaders come in and audit their practices. After the audit, and a debriefing with ASJ’s health and anti-corruption experts, the community and the health center will work together to develop a plan for improvement.

By enlisting the active support of the community, says Blanca Munguía, the program’s coordinator, they can “change the culture” of public health to one of transparency and accountability.

“What you audit,” she told the community leaders, “You make better.”

New York Times Features The Life-Saving Work Of ASJ

Mon, 15 Aug 2016 08:11:36 GMT

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Sonia Nazario featured the work of ASJ (formerly known as AJS) in a New York Times feature on increased security in Honduras – “ How the Most Dangerous Place on Earth Got Safer ”.

Nazario spent time recently in Honduras, where she met with ASJ staff and visited some of the communities where our peace and security projects work, including communities near San Pedro Sula, in the north of Honduras.

Nazario is best known for her bestselling and award-winning book Enrique’s Journey – the true story of one Honduran boy’s dangerous trip to the United States to reunite with his mother.

Nazario retraced Enrique’s steps from a small community in Tegucigalpa, through Guatemala and Mexico on the back of a freight train, and finally across the Mexico-US border, the same journey that tens of thousands of Central American children have taken in the last few years.

Ten years after Enrique’s Journey was published, Nazario returned to a different Honduras – a slightly safer one. Recent reductions in violence in certain neighborhoods have cut the number of Honduran children crossing the border by half, Nazario reports in her article.

Nazario’s article calls for continued US funding for security programs in Honduras, programs that have been proved to reduce violence, and consequently the number of young migrants making the difficult and dangerous journey north.

In both this New York Times article, and an interview on the NPR program “All Things Considered”, she calls in particular for support of programs like that of ASJ’s that target particularly violent communities, and offer legal, investigative, and psychological support to homicide cases within them – a strategy that dropped homicides in one community by 62%.

Improvements in security do not mean that Honduras, or ASJ, have yet achieved their goal of ending violence. “The next priority must be to clean up the police,” Nazario writes in her article, mentioning high levels of corruption and mistrust in the police force. This is also a high priority for ASJ as, since April, ASJ staff have been at the forefront of police reform in Honduras, already helping to remove over a third of the corrupt leadership.

Though Honduras still has high levels of violence and homicide, and faces many challenges ahead, Nazario finds reason to hope :

Fourteen-year-old Carlos Manuel Escobar Gómez told me things were so bad two years ago that he was ready to hop freight trains through Mexico to the United States. Both his parents and a brother were dead, and he was sure he wouldn’t survive his 11th year. He saw two people murdered, both while going to the store to buy milk. He was robbed at gunpoint. He rarely left the house. Now, he said, he no longer wants to migrate north.

“You can be outside, sitting and talking,” he said, as if it was a luxury to linger in the dust-choked street. He spends afternoons selling mangos and bananas door to door, and goes to Mr. Linares’s center to get help with homework or to play soccer. And, he said with awe, “I haven’t seen a dead body in a year.”

To learn more about ASJ’s work reducing violence and corruption in Honduras, you can sign up for our email updates, or add your voice to our campaign advocating for transparent and effective police reform in Honduras. Together, we can work to make what was once called “the most violent place on earth” a place where all can live and flourish.

Corruption On Trial In Honduras: ASJ Study Offers Insight

Fri, 01 Jul 2016 08:25:28 GMT

The first page of ASJ's (formerly known as AJS-Honduras) new study on corruption cases in the judicial system quotes José Ugaz, the president of Transparency International:

“Corruption is a tax that the poor end up paying.”

Ugaz’s quote illustrates why anti-corruption is one of ASJ’s biggest focuses: corruption at the highest levels of government obstructs the ability of the poor to receive the basic services that will give them a better life.

The new report, “Prosecution of Public Corruption 2008 – 2015” , is a detailed look into how often corruption cases are brought to justice by the Attorney General’s office (AG’s office). The study provides a baseline from which to measure how well the AG’s office and the judiciary are functioning. It also will guide ASJ’ future efforts and advocacy to improve these institutions that are key to the proper and just administration of the entire Honduran government.

The report was presented last Tuesday by ASJ’ Director of Investigations, Lester Ramirez. He was accompanied by a panel made up of Honduran Attorney General, Oscar Chinchilla; Chief Supreme Court Justice, Rolando Argueta; a representative from the Organization of American State’s special anti-corruption mission to Honduras (MACCIH), Jan-Michael Simon; and ASJ President, Carlos Hernández. The Special Commission for the Purging and Transformation of the Police, Honduran civil society, and international diplomats were also present.

To create the report, ASJ’ investigation team diligently spent eight months reviewing a sample of 110 corruption cases from Tegucigalpa in which 189 individuals were indicted .

In the eight years the study covers, the Attorney General’s office (AG’s office) received over 3,471 tip regarding government corruption. Only 283 of these resulted in indictments.

O f the 110 cases reviewed in the sample, the AG’s office earned nine convictions – only one of which resulted in jail time. In many instances, rather than pursuing stronger convictions, corrupt government employees were simply fined. But the fines are usually small, just a slap on the wrist as punishment for the nearly $180 million dollars stolen through these 110 corruption cases. This is money that should be used to provide key government services like health care, public education, and adequate policing.

Good research – like in this report – shows where problems exist in the courts and where reforms need to me made so that the AG, the courts, and ASJ can improve the performance of the justice system. When corruption is tried, convicted, and punished appropriately, the poor will no longer have to pay for the corruption of the elites.

Youth In ASJ Program Pitch In To Improve Their Community

Thu, 30 Jun 2016 09:10:56 GMT

In a small community in Tegucigalpa, small houses dot a dusty, treeless hill. Most of the year, the sun beats down; during the rainy season, drops of rain soak the ground until streams of water pour down the hill.

ASJ’s youth clubs have deeply impacted Fabiola, “The group for me is like my third family,” she said. “I’ve learned a lot about God. I also like to help other people and feel at home,” she added, paintbrush in hand, covering one of the stands’ wooden columns in a bright turquoise blue.

639 New Land Titles Promise Security And Opportunity

Thu, 30 Jun 2016 08:41:49 GMT

Last Monday, Honduras’ Property Institute delivered 639 property titles to residents of various neighborhoods in Tegucigalpa. For the recipients, many of whom had lived in their homes for decades, it was an emotional moment, the end of a process that had stretched on for years. These property titles proved at last that they were the rightful owners of their homes.

Despite an estimated one million unregistered plots of land in urban areas, over the past ten years, the Property Institute has only registered an average of 4,500 annually. The process of registering and titling land is long and complex, and sometimes it stalls completely. In 2015 and the beginning of 2016 the Property Institute delivered no titles at all.

The uncertainty of living in an unregistered home drastically affects the urban poor, who without a title, face the risk of losing their homes.

“Many of these people have lived on the property for a long time and are elderly now,” said Anajansi Alvarado, an auditor and investigator with ASJ’s (formerly known as AJS) Land Rights project. “If they die there is no guarantee that their family will inherit their property.”

Land is also many of these families most valuable asset, though without a legal title, this value is “trapped” – it can’t be mortgaged or used as collateral for a loan.

“Many of these people can’t find jobs, and the loans they are able to get with their titles allow them to start a business,” said Alvarado. “They could not have gotten this money otherwise. It gives them many more opportunities to improve their lives.”

The partnership with the Property Institute has not always been an easy one. In March of 2014, ASJ signed an agreement allowing ASJ to provide oversight and transparency to the Property Institute. But that year, titles were prepared sloppily, ignoring the manual and advice ASJ provided. The Land Rights project took a sample of titles to audit – every single one had an error.

ASJ said they couldn’t approve the delivery of the titles. Even seemingly small errors could cause big problems for the recipients. Names spelled incorrectly could invalidate the title, property titles with the name, for example, of the husband, but not the wife threatened equal ownership and inheritance. People with bad titles would have to return to the Property Institute and ask for a correction, an additional expense, and an undetermined wait.

Despite the protests of ASJ, the titles were delivered anyway.

The Land Rights project didn’t give up. They continued to meet with the Property Institute, offering advice and oversight and working slowly on improving policies, speeding up processes, and getting things right the first time.

Since 2014, ASJ has overseen the preparation of 9,220 property titles for plots of land in the two largest cities of Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula. What’s different about these 639 titles, however, is that they are the first that ASJ has observed from the beginning and the first that they certify as being fully correct, accurate, and legal .

The quality of these titles is directly tied to ASJ’s support, something the Property Institute acknowledged when they invited ASJ president Carlos Hernández to attend the event where he symbolically delivered titles to waiting families.

Juan Orlando Hernández, President of Honduras, also praised ASJ’s oversight, not just in the Property Institute, but in all the largest state entities.

These 639 titles are just the beginning of what the Land Rights project hopes will be a faster, more accurate, and more responsive process. Over a thousand more titles should be ready within the month, improving the prospects and security of many thousands of individuals.

The challenge of making systems work can be slow and difficult, but it can also be life-changing.

Doña Enemesia, aged 70, has lived for more than 30 years in her house in one neighborhood in Tegucigalpa. “Today I completed my dream to have my property title,” she told the Property Institute, who published her story on their Facebook page. “With my property title now I can fix my house. I can get a loan and my family can have a better life.”

“For us a title is just a piece of paper,” said Anajansi Alvarado, “but for the people receiving it, it means much more.”

Six Months After Transparency Reports, ASJ Makes Reforms In Education Measurable

Thu, 30 Jun 2016 08:27:30 GMT

Last week, ASJ (formerly known as AJS) delivered a detailed monitoring plan designed to measure improvements and reforms in the Secretary of Education.

ASJ has been working with the Secretary of Education for years, advocating for transparency in the hiring of new teachers and attendance for all required 200 days of class. This auditing and support were further solidified last November in a public event – the first of its kind – where ASJ presented their findings regarding corruption and mismanagement in the Secretaries of Education and Security.

The presentation was the results of a groundbreaking agreement between Transparency International, ASJ, and the Government of Honduras that opened the most vulnerable public sectors up to ASJ’s monitoring and review.

ASJ’s reports measured transparency and effectiveness in the areas of Purchasing and Contracts, Human Resources Management, and Performance Management – how the government secretaries were buying materials, hiring people, and tracking their successes or failures.

What they found was missing paperwork, unqualified employees, and a lack of measurement that allowed for errors such as the 120 days of class that Honduran schools used to average.

Unlike previous reports, however, the Ministers did more than listen; they followed the reports by presenting their own Improvement Plans designed to eliminate corruption and inefficiencies in their Secretaries and improve public services.

Without oversight, of course, these Improvement Plans could stay just that – plans never made a reality.

That’s why since November, ASJ has worked with the two secretaries to make their Improvement Plans concrete and measurable, cooperatively coming up with indicators, time frames, and ways to verify progress.

Last week, ASJ met with the Secretary of Education to formally pass off the matrix they had developed together, a tool that would concretely measure advances in the Secretary of Education.

ASJ will continue to monitor advances in Education, with a newly updated report every six months tracking improvements and flagging any errors or inefficiencies. It’s a concrete sign of ASJ’s commitment not just to call out corruption, but to work to eliminate it – to walk alongside the government until the government systems work.

Improvements in the Secretary of Education are more than just cosmetic changes. ASJ will be monitoring the purchase, storage, and delivery of materials – an area where transparency can save the State millions of dollars. They will also be ensuring that teachers are competent qualified, and, most importantly, that children are learning and improving.

ASJ’s presence monitoring and overseeing these areas turns abstract promises into measurable reforms that improve education for over a million Honduran children in public schools.

“This is a sign of the State’s desire to do things correctly, transparently and in ways that can be measured both by civil society and the Honduran people,” said Honduran Minister of Education Marlon Escoto.

“There is a lot of work ahead of us,” said Carlos Hernández, “But this is the moment to celebrate the advances.”

Corruption In Honduras’ Police Force And The Promise Of Reform

Thu, 23 Jun 2016 09:22:33 GMT

“We already have the hitmen, right?” one Honduran police officer said to another, unaware that the security camera in the room was recording him and that, years later, these words would come back to haunt him.

“Yeah, we have them,” the second officer responded, “we have four with vehicles.” The officers in the room began to discuss the daily habits of their target – the anti-drug czar, who had been outspoken about corruption in the National Police force. “Aristides González always walks alone, he passes by here every day.”

“Hey,” another officer asked, “has the boss sent us the money?”

According to a leaked video transcript published this April by a Honduran newspaper, leaders of Honduras’ national police force gathered together in 2009 to plan the murder of Aristides González, paid by a known drug trafficker.

Just a few days after hearing the revelations, the Honduran Congress had passed an emergency declaration to “purge and transform” the police force, calling for a three-member Commission to oversee the removal of corrupt officers. The President immediately signed it into law and appointed the members – Vilma Morales, a former president of the Supreme Court, Alberto Solórzano, a pastor and president of the Honduran Fellowship of Evangelical churches as well as an ASJ-Honduras board member, and finally Omar Rivera, who through ASJ (formerly known as AJS) and the coalition Alliance for Peace and Justice, has been among the loudest voices calling for police reform.

“This is the time for change,” Omar told journalists. “It’s now or never. All sectors are in tune. We cannot fail and we cannot fail Honduras.”

This “purge” is not a new concept. Between 2012 and 2016, Honduras had tried three different times to clean up the force, spending over $10 million, and firing only a handful of low-ranking officers. Fear of officers’ connections to politicians or organized crime meant the most corrupt were left untouched.

The three-member commission, called the “Special Commission for the Purging and Transformation of the National Police”, immediately took a different approach, starting from the Police Generals – the highest-ranking officers – and working their way down.

“We have done in two months what has never been done before” – Omar Rivera

Within a few days, they had reviewed the files of the Generals, consulted human resources and the Judiciary, and made their decision – they would recommend the suspension or firing of five of the nine officers.

Over the next few weeks, the Commission continued with their close scrutiny, in 50 days reviewing the top 272 officers in the force and removing 106 of them. This work, naturally, earned them enemies. One commissioner’s family was trailed for miles in an unmarked vehicle; another woke to a death threat slipped underneath his door.

But the Commission’s work is dangerous and requires national and international support. Powerful people such as those who called for and executed the assassination of Aristides González are continuing to act. Because of this, we have begun a prayer and advocacy campaign asking for protection and support for the Commission in the face of these threats.

Honduras has spent years with sky-high homicide, corruption, and impunity rates. But the trends are beginning to turn. Corruption perceptions have dropped, homicides have been reduced for the third year in a row, and Honduras is no longer the most violent country in the world. Bold initiatives such as the police purging process offer hope for a different future, one where citizens trust the police, where criminals face justice, and where all can live in peace.

Police Purging Commission Ends Their Visit To The United States With A Meeting In The White House

Mon, 20 Jun 2016 09:05:41 GMT

The “Special Commission for the Purging and Transformation of the National Police” , of which Carlos Hernández and Omar Rivera are members, spent last week in Washington D.C., presenting their achievements from the last two months.

Since they were appointed on April 12th, members of the Special Commission have been evaluating the Honduran National Police force “from the top, down”, suspending or firing 106 of the 272 highest-ranking police officers in the force , something which has never before been done in the National Police.

The Special Commission closed their Washington visit with a meeting in the White House with Daniel Erikson, special advisor to Vice President Joe Biden, and Siobhan Sheils, director for Central America and the Caribbean at the National Security Council.

Earlier in the week, the delegation visited the office of the Organization for American States (OAS), where they met with Paulina Duarte, director of the Department of Public Security at the OAS, and members of her staff.

The Commission members also attended important meetings with members of Congress and staff of the sub-committee on Western Hemisphere and Global Narcotics Affairs of the Committee on Foreign Relations, as well as the Congressional Caucus on Central America.

They also discussed their advances with personnel from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the program Social Impact, the Colombian embassy in the United States, and the Washington Office for Latin America (WOLA).

In addition to these meetings, the Commission participated in a forum on Thursday hosted by the Wilson Center and co-sponsored by ASJ (formerly known as AJS) titled , “The Honduran National Police: Is Progress being made in Cleaning Up and Reforming the Force?”

The forum’s attendees included journalists, academics, and government officials. There was so much interest that the event had to change rooms, and was webcast live to accommodate more viewers. The event, which was held in Spanish, can be viewed here .

“In Honduras, we are facing a critical moment. There is a high rate of violence, impunity, and corruption, and the homicide rate is extremely high. In the face of this crisis, we as members of civil society took on the responsibility to work to help reverse this crisis,” said Carlos Hernández in his introduction.

“These changes are risky, but necessary,” said Omar Rivera. “Honduras cannot continue with an incompetent force. It’s worth the risk.”

Washington decision-makers left Thursday’s event with a better understanding of the unprecedented advances in police purging, and an awareness of ASJ’s work as brave Christians dedicated to making Honduran systems work.

The Commission members returned to Honduras Saturday, but you can continue to share their message with people in Washington . Visit our website to sign the petition or write a letter voicing your support for police reform efforts in Honduras. You can be part of this historic moment creating a police force that the Honduran people can trust.

Dramatic Advances In Cleaning Up Corrupt Police Force

Wed, 25 May 2016 09:03:55 GMT

In just 40 days of service, the Special Commission for the Purging and Transformation of the Police Force has made dramatic advances towards ridding the National Police force of its “bad apples”.

On April 11th, Honduras’ president appointed ASJ’s (formerly known as AJS) Omar Rivera to the Special Commission, alongside Alberto Solórzano, an ASJ board member and president of a coalition of 1,500 evangelical churches, and Vilma Morales, a former member of the Supreme Court. ASJ president Carlos Hernández is also participating as a nonvoting member.

After only ten days, the Commission reported their first round of firings – five of the nine Police Generals were removed from their positions. One week later, the Commission announced the removal of 27 of the 47 Police Commissioners.

Last week, the Commission announced the latest round of purging – 36 Sub-Commissioners would be removed, bringing the total to 68 officers. In the weeks and months to come, the Commission will continue down through levels of authority, revising case by case the merit and honesty of the remaining 14,000 officers.

The Special Commission has made it a specific priority to reform the police force, “from the top, down”, as opposed to previous efforts which removed only a few low-ranking officers. In previous efforts to clean up the police force, Generals, Commissioners, and Sub-Commissioners had never been touched.

This work is delicate and dangerous. The removal of so many officers puts members of the Commission at a real risk. Many of the men fired have powerful political connections or links to drug traffickers. In the face of enormous pressure, the Commission has bravely stood firm in their commitment to a police force that is trustworthy and effective. In this moment of transformation, there is real hope that soon the police force will be an entity that helps, not hurts, Honduran citizens – one that they can trust.

ASJ needs your support in this crucial time of transformation! Look out for more communications about how you can help by giving, praying, or advocating for transparent police reform in Honduras.

Errors In Audited Land Titles Drop From 100% To 3%

Wed, 25 May 2016 09:01:55 GMT

There are an estimated one million urban plots of land in Honduras that are not registered with the government’s Property Institute, and thus, lack a formal title. The people who live on this land face the constant threat of eviction and have no formal proof of ownership that would allow them to use their land as an asset — something to be inherited, sold, or placed as security on a loan.

The Property Institute (IP) has been making advances in registering this land, but the process has been slow. Studies estimated the institute’s yearly capacity at 45,000 titles per year – but they work nowhere near this capacity. Instead, it has taken the IP ten years to register 45,000 titles. At this rate, registering every untitled plot of land would take 177 years, and generations would miss out on the security and opportunity of legally owning their property.

Reform in the Property Institute is urgent and necessary, and ASJ (formerly known as AJS) is actively calling for this change, as well as offering technical assistance to help make it happen.

Last week, the Property Institute’s “International Oversight Committee”, (VIIP, in Spanish) flew down to support this ongoing advocacy. The VIIP is made up of five US lawyers who have committed to twice-yearly visits learning from and offering advice to the Property Institute. The VIIP partners with ASJ, and are also members of the organization Partners Worldwide, a Christian organization that promotes business development.

When the VIIP first visited the Property Institute in 2014, ASJ had just finished an audit of 5,000 titles in which 100% had some sort of error in their preparation. The next year saw marked improvements, but a full 33% of audited titles were still flawed. On top of this, titles were so backed up that a process that should have taken ten months was taking, on average, six years.

ASJ has been a constant presence in the Property Institute, creating a baseline index from which to measure progress, then helping to create a detailed Improvement Plan. The VIIP has helped to advocate for these measures, as well as the implementation of process manuals that standardize and streamline the titling process.

All this work is beginning to show. In a joint press conference between ASJ, the IP, and the VIIP, ASJ was able to present the result of this year’s audit: only 2.8% of titles had errors, all of which were relatively minor spelling or orthographic errors. Members of the VIIP left this trip, they said, “more encouraged than any previous trip”.

“We want citizens to perceive the Property Institute as an organization they can trust,” the Property Institute’s director said in the press conference, “Today, it is not so, but we bet that, we assure that the Property Institute will become a trustworthy organization.”

“I see it as very positive that we can be externally audited and evaluated by actors like ASJ,” he continued.

The registration and legalization of property can seem like a technical and unimportant task, but in reality, it is one that most affects the vulnerable in Honduras. Every improvement made in the management of the Property Institute can mean the difference of thousands of titles issued – in turn, changing the lives of thousands of Honduran families.

After Assassinations By Police, ASJ Demands Justice

Wed, 20 Apr 2016 20:44:53 GMT

Several prominent assassinations in Honduras’ recent history are clearly traceable to high-level police officials, according to newly leaked reports.

The assassinations include the head of Honduras’ anti-narcotics trafficking department — killed in 2009 — and a consultant in the same department, who was killed in 2011 — days after boldly stating on national television that 25 high-ranking police officials were involved in drug trafficking.

It was already public knowledge that the Honduran civilian police force is infiltrated by organized criminal groups, but these new reports — which include video recordings — indisputably connect high-level officials to the killings.

For years, ASJ (formerly known as AJS) has pushed for proper investigations, prosecutions, and punishments for police linked to organized crime. While the Honduran government has taken action to remove some police from its rosters, there has not been any significant effort to prosecute members of the police force.

A coalition founded by ASJ, the Alliance for Peace and Justice (APJ), has been leading the call for reforms in the police force. Among its spokespeople is Hilda Caldera, the widow of the official who was killed after speaking out on television. Hilda was sitting beside her husband in their car when assassins, under orders of police leadership, opened fire; she was hit but survived the attack.

The day after the reports were published in the Honduran media, Hilda stood with ASJ leaders Kurt VerBeek, Carlos Hernandez, and Omar Rivera — along with other members of the APJ coalition — to demand urgent action by the government.

With a voice bearing the weight of both pain and moral conviction, Hilda called on Honduran officials to gather as much information as possible and bring corrupt police leaders to justice. It was a bold statement — a statement her husband would be proud of — spoken by someone who knows the cost of standing up to corruption.

ASJ Advocacy Coordinator Omar Rivera stood with Hilda and the other APJ members — leaders of religious, academic, and nonprofit organizations — to read a list of demands for change.

“The current situation and the poor results of the police purging process clearly evidence failure, and we are obligated to demand drastic measures to allow better effectiveness in the identification and punishment of [corrupt] police officers,” Rivera read from the list ( available here, in Spanish ).

Among the non-negotiable demands: an independent agency to investigate crimes committed by the police. This is in contrast to the current situation, in which the police are responsible for self-monitoring.

“The National Police cannot clean out itself; it wouldn’t be pertinent or possible,” Rivera said.

While there have been promising recent changes in the police force , not prosecuting the leaders responsible for these killings sends a message that undermines other efforts to recruit and train honest police, said ASJ’s Carlos Hernandez.

ASJ Coordinator Appointed To Police Reform Team

Wed, 20 Apr 2016 10:50:21 GMT

After years of fearlessly calling for the elimination of corrupt officers from the police force, ASJ’s (formerly known as AJS) Omar Rivera now has a chance to lead the process. Honduras’ President Juan Orlando Hernandez has appointed him to a commission charged with purging the National Police.

In ASJ’s fight for peaceful streets, the role of honest and trustworthy police is key. Due to corrupt hiring and management practices, however, some officers threaten, extort, and even kill the very people they are supposed to help. A recently-leaked video showed that the heads of the National Police were paid to carry out the murders of two important lawyers in the Attorney General’s Anti-Drug Trafficking Office. The news has shaken Honduras. For only $20,000, 30 high-ranking police officers were willing to kill. In the years since the murder, they have faced no consequences, and many still hold their positions.

In response to the events, Congress has passed a new law declaring an “emergency situation”, and laying out plans to rid the police force of its bad apples. To lead these important actions, President Hernandez chose Omar Rivera, plus a former Supreme Court Justice, and Alberto Solórzano, the head of the Coalition of Evangelical Churches, who is also an ASJ-Honduras board member.

In his new position, Omar will advocate for comprehensive investigations and prosecutions of police officers who have abused their position.

“This is the time for change, the precise moment of transformation,” Omar told journalists. “It’s now or never. All sectors are in tune. We cannot fail and we cannot fail Honduras.”

The New York Times Publishes ASJ Letter To Editor

Wed, 20 Apr 2016 10:46:50 GMT

Today, The New York Times published a letter to the editor from ASJ (formerly known as AJS-Honduras) President Carlos Hernandez. Below is the text of the letter, which can also be read on the Times’ website .

Fighting corruption in Honduras

Re “An anti-corruption charade in Honduras” (Opinion, Feb. 16): Alexander Main made valid points but neglected to mention important advancements in the fight against corruption by Honduran nongovernmental organizations — advancements that make the success of the initiative by the Organization of American States much more likely.

I lead the Association for a More Just Society, the Honduran chapter of the nonprofit organization Transparency International. In the last two years, our work has resulted in the arrest of 95 individuals involved in major corruption cases. The reforms we’ve pushed for against corruption in public education have nearly doubled the number of days students spend in class. At least 29 major drug traffickers have been arrested, contributing to a 23 percent drop in homicide rates. My country is no longer the most violent in the world.

The O.A.S. initiative offers no silver bullets, but with oversight and support, it presents an opportunity to strengthen our government systems. We have hope that anti-corruption efforts will make a difference — because ours already have.

Carlos Hernández Tegucigalpa, Honduras

The letter was published in response to an opinion piece run by The New York Times that was critical of anti-corruption reform efforts in Honduras. While points in the opinion piece were accurate, the picture it painted was incomplete.

Corruption does continue to occur in the highest levels of the Honduran government. But these injustices have mobilized Honduran civil society around high-level reforms that have led to dramatic advances in the government and justice system. Just one example: in the past two years, the Attorney General’s office has earned 50 guilty verdicts in corruption cases – more than the previous 19 years put together.

The article was pessimistic of a new international anti-corruption force in Honduras organized by the Organization of American States (OAS). The effort, called the Support Mission Against Corruption and Impunity in Honduras (MACCIH, by its Spanish initials), is not a certain success. But it is a certain opportunity to fundamentally shift the cycle of corruption, impunity, and violence in Honduras.

Ultimately, such a shift must be led not by groups like the OAS, the UN, or any foreign country — but by Honduran citizens and civil society, including groups like ASJ. The OAS’s new effort in Honduras has its flaws, but serious corruption fighters view its arrival as an opportunity for progress before pessimism.

The original opinion piece in The New York Times stated, “Congressional oversight may be the only guarantee that due diligence is done” — a quote that is only partly right. It overlooks the important role that civil society organizations play in Honduras; organizations like ASJ are committed to just such oversight and we are already seeing a difference.

Hondurans are already pressuring their government from within, and what’s direly needed is a sustainably equipped criminal justice system in Honduras.

The fight against corruption is costly, and it has claimed the lives of brave individuals, including from ASJ — but we will continue the fight with tenacity and hope.

Whoever wants to join us, including the OAS, is welcomed to do so.

Truth, Trust, And Mothers’ Love

Wed, 20 Apr 2016 10:31:00 GMT

How ASJ and three brave mothers stood together for justice

The arrest — that was the moment Teresa* felt like she could truly trust the three-person team from ASJ (formerly known as AJS) that contacted her two months earlier, asking if she and her son would accept their help.

The team members all seemed like kind, genuine people — but then again so did the man who they helped arrest. He was one of the people Teresa had trusted most in the world: her pastor.

Until the arrest happened, Teresa felt that justice lay beyond her reach. She had already decided to report how the pastor was sexually abusing boys in the church’s youth group, including her 14-year-old son, but how could she ensure that anything would be done?

Like the vast majority of Hondurans, Teresa’s family didn’t have money for a private lawyer, and she knew that it was highly unlikely that the government’s investigation would go anywhere. After all, nearly all crimes in Honduras go unpunished — especially if the victim is poor. That’s why Teresa — a 36-year-old mother of three boys — was so curious about the team from ASJ when they contacted her and told her they could help bring her case to justice.

The ASJ team — comprising of an investigator, a lawyer, and a psychologist — wanted to meet with Teresa, along with the other two mothers in her church who had reported the pastor’s abuse.

The mothers agreed to meet with the ASJ team, but they were hesitant about how much information to share. They found it hard to trust anyone after learning that their own pastor had abused their children, manipulating them into silence with his threats and lies.

Fearing the pastor’s threats, the four boys remained silent until the oldest of them finally told his mother what was happening. The mother then reported the pastor to the Honduran authorities for abusing two of her sons.

That mother also began contacting other mothers of boys in the church who she suspected the pastor was also abusing. That’s how Teresa and her sister both found out that the pastor had abused their sons.

They too reported the pastor to the authorities, but then months passed, and nothing happened. The mothers’ hopes were waning. Then the call from ASJ came. The mothers wondered how effective this small team from a Christian nonprofit would really be. The answer became apparent the day that police arrived with an arrest warrant for the pastor.

“The arrest of the pastor was like the parting of the waters that we needed for the mothers and sons to believe that, ‘yes, there are people who can help us; yes, there is hope for justice,” said Lucia,* the ASJ psychologist on the team. “This also opened the door for more swift progress in their psychological recovery.”

Lucia, who is a pastor herself, would spend the next two years helping Teresa, her son, and the other mothers and boys undergo emotional and spiritual healing. This healing was crucial for the families as they faced the next challenge: proving the case in court.

A Challenging Investigation

When ASJ lawyer Julio* got the call from the Attorney General’s office asking for help in Teresa’s case, he knew it would be one of the most complex and difficult cases he had ever worked on.

The church that the pastor led was small, and its congregation was made up of members of the same community where Teresa and the other mothers lived.

A significant portion of the congregation refused to believe that the pastor had abused the four boys. In court, the pastor used his detailed knowledge of the mothers and their families to undermine their character, claiming that they were collaborating in untruthful slander against him.

With the community split over their opinions on what really happened, it was hard for Julio to help the prosecution to develop a clear case. He and his coworker, a seasoned investigator, had to do extensive investigations to help establish the credibility of the boys’ testimony in court. They also collaborated with the forensic medical examiner and experts in psychology and psychiatry to confirm that the boys showed signs of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Through it all, the boys and mothers demonstrated tremendous bravery and developed a strong bond among each other and the ASJ staff working with them. One good thing that Julio and the team had going for them was that the boys, who were between the ages of 14 and 17 when the investigation began, were all very cooperative and brave.

Julio and the team helped the prosecutor explain how the pastor would trick the mothers into thinking the boys were going to special overnight bible studies or taking care of the instruments in the church.

The very strategy behind ASJ’s approach to cases of sexual abuse involving minors is to take on cases that are extra difficult for the Attorney General’s Office to handle — cases that can be used to demonstrate that it is possible for poor Hondurans to achieve justice despite the challenging investigative work required. Obtaining justice in these cases proves to poor communities and government officials the importance of establishing trust and ensuring that cases are brought to justice. It also proves to would-be sexual predators that they will not get away with their actions.

Speaking of Teresa and the other mothers, ASJ Psychologist Lucia said, “We want to serve as a bridge so that the mothers can see that there can be justice on Earth as well as in Heaven.”

The Verdict Comes

During the trial, the ASJ team helped to present the extra evidence from their investigations — evidence that let the prosecutors attempt more serious charges than they initially planned. And, with the help of Lucia, the boys gave excellent testimonies.

Finally, the day arrived for the judges to deliver a verdict. They found the pastor guilty on all eight charges against him.

After years of toil and uncertainty, the Honduran justice system had finally done its job. Teresa and the other mothers cried tears of happiness. They embraced each other and the members of the ASJ team.

At the beginning of the hearing, Teresa said that a sense of loneliness started taking hold of her as she began to feel the weight of the moment. Then she looked up, and she saw the ASJ team in the courtroom and immediately felt the encouragement of their support. She knew things would turn out alright.

“They helped us feel encouraged and supported because there are moments when one feels alone,” shared one of the mothers after the verdict. “There were moments when the situation felt impossible, but God makes all things possible — in this situation, with the ASJ team. He used them.”

Young Lives Restored

Last November, Teresa, the other mothers, and their sons joined 24 other families at a graduation celebration for families involved in ASJ’s Rescue Project — that’s the name of the project that Lucia and Julio work with to help minors who are survivors of sexual abuse.

It had been two years since Lucia and Julio first contacted Teresa and the other mothers. During that time, the families made tremendous progress in their emotional and psychological recovery, to the point that they were ready to finish their counseling sessions.

The two oldest boys have now finished high school. One is in college. The other has a stable job and is making plans to get married. Teresa’s son is still in high school, as is his cousin. Both of them are receiving grades at the good levels they were at before the traumatic actions of the abuser.

The mothers have found a new church, and the two younger boys have gotten involved in it as well, joining the musical and drama teams. For Lucia, the pastor who works as an ASJ psychologist, this was especially important. She knew that the mothers and boys had their faith in God greatly shaken. She helped them recover that faith, learn to trust other Christians again, and learn to identify environments with potentially dangerous leadership.

“God has put Lucia and her coworkers in our path and in the path of our sons,” said the mother of the oldest two boys.

Together, all the mothers use the same title for Lucia. After all, they’ve been through, it’s not “psychologist” or “pastor” — it’s “sister.”

*Names changed to protect identities

Frontline Report: The Civil Society Movements Promoting Positive Change In Honduras

Wed, 20 Apr 2016 10:17:41 GMT

An “on-the-ground” perspective from Honduras’ leading civil society organization working on matters of anti-corruption and citizen security

THE CIVIL SOCIETY MOVEMENTS PROMOTING POSITIVE CHANGE IN HONDURAS

Early 2016 brought sweeping developments that will likely shape Honduras for many years to come — developments that will affect efforts to confront Honduras’ persistent challenges of violence and corruption, plus their byproduct: migration to the U.S.

Corruption is an obstinate problem in Honduras — one that has received significant international attention. Recent, major scandals include millions of dollars stolen from the Honduran Social Security Institute (a portion going to the ruling party’s election efforts). As a part of the worldwide FIFA scandal, the U.S. Department of Justice indicted a former Honduran president. A former vice-president faces extradition to the U.S. for laundering drug money, and a Congressional leader is facing charges for running a corrupt pharmaceutical company. Thousands of citizens have taken to the streets across the country to demand action, inciting government measures that include indictments in corruption cases and agreeing to the MACCIH (mentioned below).

This edition of the Honduras Frontline Report looks at how the international community, Honduran civil society, and the Honduran government have responded to these issues. It also explains some of the broader context surrounding the issues, including a newly-elected Supreme Court.

This is a hopeful moment for Honduras . Although ugly corruption scandals and partisan political fighting have dominated headlines, there is an even more powerful story coming out of Honduran civil society. Momentum is swelling among civil society groups, including the Association for a More Just Society (ASJ, formerly known as AJS), to reform a government and economy undermined by corruption and violence. For an example of this momentum, see the last article in this report, which focuses on unprecedented efforts by civil society to investigate strategic departments of the Honduran government and to hold those departments accountable to outlines for improvement.

There are encouraging signs of change on the part of the government. In addition to the initiatives laid out in this report, one particularly encouraging change is the country’s decline in homicides — a drop of 31 percent in three years. In the last two years, the Attorney General’s office has won 26 guilty verdicts in corruption cases — an amount equal to about half the entire cases won during the previous 19 years put together. The 11 extraditions of key drug traffickers to the U.S. is helping to dismantle organized crime. Civil society has specifically focused on these areas (homicide reduction, using extradition, and reaching guilty verdicts in corruption cases). These and other examples point to a Honduras that is headed for change.

The U.S. has recently increased its aid to Honduras, a step ASJ actively supported and a step in the right direction, as long as the aid incorporates rigorous accountability and transparency measures plus the input of Honduran civil society groups. Disengaging from Honduras now because of corruption and violence would be a major misstep [1]. This is exactly the time to be active in monitoring and supporting efforts by citizens and civil society to transform Honduras.

This Honduras Frontline Report provides information on the following important events relating to the fight against corruption and violence:

Anti-Corruption Body Established Through Cooperation of OAS and Honduran Gov’t
U.S.-Supported Alliance for Prosperity Depends on Civil Society Participation
Strenuous Honduran Supreme Court Election Points to Challenges, Opportunities, and Optimism
Anti-Corruption Investigations Spur Reforms Crucial for U.S. Assistance

ANTI-CORRUPTION BODY ESTABLISHED THROUGH COOPERATION OF OAS AND HONDURAN GOV’T

An important new agreement signed in January by Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández and the Organization of American States (OAS) established a new anti-corruption body to investigate corruption and audit the Honduran justice system

The MACCIH is strengthened by important powers that ASJ believes must be protected by the Honduran government in order for the MACCIH to have success. These powers include guaranteed access to any official document, confidentiality, and the freedom to select cases. Additionally, the government commits itself to resolving any obstacles the MACCIH encounters in carrying out its investigations. The MACCIH has the power to withdraw if the government ceases to collaborate.

Another encouraging component of the MACCIH is the individual who will head the mission as its spokesperson: Juan Federico Jimenez Mayor, a former Peruvian prime minister, minister of justice and human rights, and constitutional law expert who has advised widely in judicial and legal reform throughout Latin America [2].

It is important to note a few concerns. The Honduran body will not be able to act as co-plaintiff in judicial proceedings. Also, there are seven entities within the MACCIH that will audit security and justice institutions and propose reforms; these efforts can distract from the main goal of producing guilty sentences for acts of corruption, a key to winning the support of the Honduran population. Finally, the expressed power to interview any state or military official was removed from the final draft of the MACCIH’s mandate, weakening its investigative capacities.

While it is no panacea, the MACCIH merits support from the international community as it undertakes its difficult work. It is too early to tell if the MACCIH will achieve its stated goals, but it will provide a kind of international help and expertise that is unprecedented in Honduras. As such, ASJ — an organization that has been working against corruption in Honduras since 1998 — has high expectations for this show of support. ASJ will deliver 150 of its own investigative files from the past ten years to the MACCIH and will monitor the body’s progress. ASJ is committed to both providing all support possible for the mission’s success and pressuring the group to ensure the demands of the Honduran people are met.

U.S.-SUPPORTED ALLIANCE FOR PROSPERITY DEPENDS ON CIVIL SOCIETY PARTICIPATION

The omnibus appropriations bill for 2016 passed by the U.S. Congress in December contained a much needed $750 million slated for Central America in support of the Alliance for Prosperity in the Northern Triangle of Central America (APP). Of the funds, $98 million was designated for Honduras, which will also benefit from the $416 million slated for regional initiatives.

It is difficult to overstate the importance of involving Honduran nongovernmental groups in monitoring the effectiveness of this aid to Honduras. The U.S. aid increase to Central America is substantial: the $750 million for FY 2016 equals about half of all assistance to Central America from the U.S. and the Millennium Challenge Corporation in the last 10 years [3]. Through working with Honduran civil society to design and monitor projects, this new funding will have a significantly greater impact compared to the limited results of past U.S. efforts [4] Particularly important is collaborating with civil society on government accountability and anti-corruption efforts, to protect aid from being siphoned off [5].

ASJ will be part of a committee to oversee the Honduran government’s implementation and monitoring of the APP funding. According to the U.S. Congress, civil society organizations must be consulted in the design and evaluation of the activities of the plan, with 50 percent of the funding being contingent on this and other stipulations, including curtailing the use of the military in internal policing, increasing the capacity and independence of the Attorney General’s office, and effectively prosecuting corrupt officials [6]. To ensure the most effective use of U.S. taxpayer dollars and compliance with Congress’ conditions, the U.S. must consistently demand that the Honduran government heeds ASJ input and accountability efforts.

Partnering with ASJ is advantageous because ASJ has already achieved key anti-corruption wins in Honduras. ASJ uncovered 15,000 false teachers on the Ministry of Education’s payroll, which led to the resignation of a former secretary of education. ASJ uncovered irregularities in government medication purchases, which led to the arrest of the former vice president of congress. As mentioned later on in this document, ASJ is auditing the Honduran government to root out corruption in the government’s public contracts, human resource management, and transparency efforts.

The U.S. can be optimistic about the Alliance for Prosperity. ASJ applauds the U.S.’s increased commitment to Central America’s democracy, security, and economic development.

STRENUOUS HONDURAN SUPREME COURT ELECTION POINTS TO CHALLENGES, OPPORTUNITIES, AND OPTIMISM

An effective and principled Honduran Supreme Court is crucial to curbing corruption, and the court’s decisions have a domino effect that impacts many other issues, including violence [7]. Unfortunately, the Honduran Judicial Branch has defiantly rejected reforms to halt corruption and inefficiency in the courts. This is why ASJ dedicated extensive attention to the election of the new Honduran Supreme Court.

The final selection was a heated and messy process. Partisan fighting broke out, and the election dragged on for an unprecedented three weeks and six voting sessions. Opposition parties accused the traditional parties of trying to pass a flawed and non-representational court, while the traditional parties returned fire with accusations of obstructing a Constitutional process in exchange for bargaining power. The 15 justices who were finally selected are a mixed bag of qualified and unqualified individuals —including one from the U.S. Embassy’s watchlist.

Despite these negatives, there is still optimism about the new court. Without the efforts of ASJ and other civil society actors, the selection would almost certainly have been significantly worse. The process was an important exercise in civil society pushing back against powerful groups and greatly increasing transparency.

Another positive is that the new chief justice of the court takes up the gavel directly after leading the Attorney General’s staff of public prosecutors — an office that pursued significant cases against powerful drug traffickers. His first action was to investigate and release findings that a member of the Council of the Judiciary received an egregious $21 thousand annual travel allowance and that the Council had named 35 relatives to government positions near the end of the previous justices’ term [10, 11].

The court will be under heavy scrutiny and pressure to reform. This pressure will come from Honduran civil society (especially ASJ) and from the international community — including through the MACCIH and the Alliance for Prosperity (both mentioned in sections above).

For Honduran and international observers of the Honduran judicial system, ASJ recommends paying particular attention to the system’s efforts to overcome politicization and to resolve cases in a timely manner — an issue that depends on increasing the quantity and quality of judges and courts.

ANTI-CORRUPTION INVESTIGATIONS SPUR REFORMS CRUCIAL FOR U.S. ASSISTANCE

Corruption significantly undermines efforts to build a more secure and prosperous Honduras. Seeking to curb this corruption, a co-initiative from ASJ and Transparency International (TI) has generated a significant amount of attention inside and outside of Honduras with its monitoring of strategic areas of the Honduran government [12].

ASJ projects include:

Curbing homicides in vulnerable neighborhoods through offering support to community members and trustworthy police
Investigations and advocacy in government security practices
Managing a hotline and smartphone app for citizens to report corruption
Defending land rights
Legal assistance to poor Hondurans
Investigative journalism
Organizing citizen corruption reports in public education and health systems

“An Open Letter to the US Congress: Increasing Aid to Honduras is Prudent and Opportune, if Properly Focused and Accountable — A Honduran Civil Society Perspective.”
“Profile: Peruvian Prime Minister Juan Jimenez Mayor – BBC News.” BBC News. July 24, 2012. Accessed March 10, 2016.
“U.S. Strategy for Engagement in Central America.”
Korthuis, Aaron. “CARSI in Honduras.” Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. September 2014
“An Open Letter to the US Congress: Increasing Aid to Honduras is Prudent and Opportune, if Properly Focused and Accountable — A Honduran Civil Society Perspective.”
H.R.2029 – Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016.
“Selección De Magistrados a La Corte Suprema De Honduras.” American Bar Association. January 21, 2016.
Parsons, Katerina. “In Honduras’ Supreme Court Elections, Civil Society Shows Its Strength.” Justice in the Americas. February 19, 2016. Accessed March 10, 2016.
Aberle, Niko. “#Judileaks: Ranking the Best and the Worst Honduran Supreme Court Candidates.” Justice in the Americas. February 09, 2016. Accessed March 10, 2016.
“Piñata: Concejal Gastó 480 mil Lempiras en Viáticos y otro Nombró 15 parientes en cargos”. Proceso Digital. March 1, 2016. Accessed March 9, 2016.
“Familiones, Aumentos Selectivos, y Festín de Bonos entre Concejales.” El Heraldo. March 1, 2016. Accessed March 11, 2016.
Biden, Joseph R. “Joe Biden: A Plan for Central America.” The New York Times. January 29, 2015. Accessed March 10, 2016.
“Big News: Honduran Government Agrees to ASJ Monitoring.” Big News: Honduran Government Agrees to ASJ Monitoring. Accessed March 10, 2016.
“TI-ASJ Resultados.” Asociación Para Una Sociedad Más Justa. Accessed March 10, 2016.
“An Open Letter to the US Congress: Increasing Aid to Honduras is Prudent and Opportune, if Properly Focused and Accountable — A Honduran Civil Society Perspective.”

ASJ Releases Corruption Reporting Phone App In Honduras

Wed, 20 Apr 2016 09:28:47 GMT

Millions of Hondurans suffer from corruption and its effects, often without a safe or effective way to report when it happens. But thanks to ASJ (formerly known as AJS), Hondurans now have an app for that.

An official demands a bribe from you? Someone is trying to force your family from their home? The local medical clinic is acting suspicious? You can now report the act anonymously through your phone.

To build the app, ASJ worked in partnership with the world’s leading anti-corruption organization, Transparency International, and the Honduran Attorney General’s Office. When reporting a case of corruption, app users can include evidence with photos, videos, or documents. The user also has the option to remain anonymous or submit their identity. All user information is kept completely confidential.

After submitting a case, users can also check on the case’s status. The cases are submitted to the Attorney General’s Office and ASJ will monitor the cases through its Advocacy and Legal Advice Center (ALAC).

“It’s a good thing this app exists. I don’t doubt that I’ll use it,” wrote a reviewer named Horacio in the Google Play Store, where the app has a rating of 4.8 out of 5 after its launch weekend.

British Ambassador to Honduras Carolyn Davidson and an official from the Honduran Attorney General’s Office joined ASJ at a presentation app on its launch date.

“Transparency is not an isolated theme,” Ambassador Davidson said. “It goes hand in hand with the market economy, the recognition of individual liberties, strong democratic institutions, and total respect for Rule of Law – all of these are synonyms for development.”

“This is another effort that we as a society are making to continue in this fight,” ASJ-Honduras President Carlos Hernandez said. “The fight is substantial, but together we can reduce impunity in Honduras. We must continue to demand that corruption be attacked directly.”

The app can be downloaded through both the iOS App Store and the Google Play Store (though there may be issues downloading it from both stores outside of Honduras).

The name of the app, “Dilo Aquí Honduras,” translates to “Say it here, Honduras.” It was built with support from the British government and help from Transparency International Venezuela, which has developed a similar app.

This effort follows ASJ’s ALAC project opening a corruption reporting hotline in 2014.

Since its inception, ALAC has received around 800 complaints, of which more than 200 cases are being monitored, four are being prosecuted, and three are in the process of prosecution by the Attorney General’s Office.

Two days after the app’s release, 16 corruption reports had been filed.

Here are what some other reviewers in the Google Play Store said:

“We hope that this works and that my beautiful country continues in a better path.” –Hector

“Excellent! There are many ways to eradicate corruption. Let’s make the most of this tool!” -Suyapa

Read a statement about the app from the British government.

Seeing What Others Missed, ASJ Uncovers Abuse And Stops Offender

Tue, 19 Apr 2016 20:38:45 GMT

When ASJ spotted a pattern of abuse, brave young girls helped end it — strengthening the Honduran justice system in the process.

They were always little girls.

He would find them waiting at a corner store, on an errand for their mother, and ask them for directions to a local school. The littlest ones, between eight and eleven years old, were the most trusting, the most willing to follow him to his car when he asked their help.

This trust would turn to terror as he drove them far past the school to abandoned lots and violently assaulted them.

Between 2014 and the early months of 2016, this serial rapist assaulted at least five young girls. Each of the five bravely reported the crime, but the police force’s overworked, under-resourced criminal investigation unit never made the connection between the cases, which had taken place under the same circumstances, but in different neighborhoods, and months apart.

Since the first case was filed in March 2014, no progress had been made, no assistance was given to any of the survivors, and the rapist was free to continue his assaults on innocent children.

Until the Association for a More Just Society got involved.

With a sinking heart, Sofia* hung up the phone. The news, though all-too-familiar in her work as a trauma psychologist, never failed to affect her — another little girl had been attacked.

“Rescue”, a project of the Association for a More Just Society (ASJ, formerly known as AJS), helps dozens of children each year find justice and healing after cases of sexual abuse and assault. Most cases start with a phone call — someone who has heard of ASJ’s record of securing convictions in notoriously-difficult sexual abuse and assault cases. Many also start through strong connections with local communities where such abuse is most prevalent.

Just a few hours after receiving the phone call, Sofia and her partners Felipe* — a criminal investigator — and Julio* — a lawyer specializing in sexual abuse cases — met the girl and her parents at the girl’s favorite restaurant.

Kimberly* sat between her parents, sipping her Coca-Cola, and moving her eyes between Sofia, Julio, and Felipe. She looked even younger than her nine years.

“We work to help children like you who have been hurt,” Sofia told her gently. “We know this isn’t easy. We just want to know how you are feeling.”

Looking to her parents for support, Kimberly began to speak.

Honduras has a high rate of sexual assault, something that is exacerbated by impunity and court systems that let abusers walk free. It’s estimated that only a small percentage of assaults are ever reported. Many girls like Kimberly may be too afraid to say anything or doubt that their testimony will make any difference. Very few reported cases ever go to trial.

“Rescue” is working to change that.

The ASJ team’s work began as soon as they met with Kimberly and her family. They didn’t press her for details or ask any probing questions — Rescue tries to avoid re-victimization through the constant reliving of the trauma, instead working on emotional healing and trust so that children feel comfortable enough to share their testimony before a court.

Felipe listened carefully to the details Kimberly shared; he felt dejá vu. A man targeting young girls, asking for directions to a school — the circumstances were almost identical to a case he remembered being filed a year earlier. He went to the government’s criminal investigation unit (ATIC, by its Spanish initials) and talked to the Government Prosecutor for Crimes against Children. After sorting through hundreds of files, Felipe unearthed not one but five nearly-identical cases.

This was no longer a typical assault case — now Rescue was looking for a serial rapist.

With the five cases in front of them, the missing pieces began to come together for the ASJ team. The perpetrator operated within a few square miles in Honduras’ capital city. He had a specific build. He drove a particular type of gray car.

Community members were able to offer even more information. While the investigators from ATIC hadn’t yet made the connection between the cases, communities had, and mothers cautioned their daughters never to get in a car with a stranger. When a gray car pulled up to one girl at a corner store, she ran away — but not before memorizing the license plate number.

This quick-thinking girl would be the key to the case.

Rescue looked up the car’s registration and found it belonged to a woman. They combed files on her close relatives and collected photographs. The team eventually showed the photos to the five abuse survivors — all of whom ASJ was now working with and counseling. The girls recognized someone in the images — they all pointed to the woman’s boyfriend.

The man they pointed out was an engineer working in an upscale building. He was well-connected and wealthy enough to own various properties. He was not the type of person anyone would suspect, which is part of how he continued his awful crimes for so long.

He wouldn’t be free to do so much longer.

The car license plate and victims’ identification of the man was enough evidence to take to ATIC and the Honduran Police, who immediately issued a warrant for his arrest. Police arrested the unsuspecting man while he was in a supermarket during a business trip and immediately locked him up. The next step was securing a conviction in court, ensuring that he never hurt another child.

The entire process — from when Rescue met Kimberly to when her abuser was behind bars — took only four days.

ATIC and the Government Prosecutor for Crimes against Children were thrilled to have captured such a dangerous criminal. While Rescue did the research, counseled the survivors, and offered needed resources to the search, ATIC was the agency that eventually captured the rapist, and the Prosecutor for Crimes against Children will argue the case in court.

Rescue’s purpose has never been to replace Honduras’ judicial system — it’s to walk alongside the system, aiding the government’s efforts, until the system gains the strength to do so on its own.

Rescue steps into a gap that exists in the judicial system, training investigators and attorneys on responding to sexual abuse cases, and pouring their time and expertise into cases that might otherwise get lost in bureaucracy, stalled for so long that victims lose hope and abuse continues.

Seven girls have now filed cases against the imprisoned rapist. There are likely more that never reported the assault. Without ASJ’s work — pressuring the judicial system, performing sound investigations, applying legal knowledge, and counseling survivors — it is almost certain that the perpetrator would have continued his pattern of abuse.

Now, the young survivors get to be a part of seeing their abuser stand before a judge to answer for his actions — a significant step toward peace and closure after a terrifying ordeal. ASJ has helped reform trial procedures so that survivors — like these seven girls — only have to give their testimony once, and they won’t be called back to the courtroom even if the case is drawn out.

Sofia, the ASJ psychologist, will work with the girls for as long as they need to heal from their trauma. She’s seen the way children recover, how they return to school, learn to trust, and begin to smile again — brave survivors able to be, once again, just little girls.

*Names changed to protect identities

Costly Justice: Mourning The Death Of Human Rights Leader Berta Cáceres

Tue, 19 Apr 2016 20:33:21 GMT

By ASJ Co-Founder Kurt Ver Beek

On Thursday, March 3rd, human rights activist Berta Cáceres was murdered in her home. Despite an open investigation and international outcry, it’s still not known who killed her.
In her lifetime of advocating for indigenous and environmental rights, she made a lot of enemies.

I often say that you know you are doing justice when people get mad. Berta’s activism, defending the rights of some of Honduras’ most vulnerable people, made a lot of people mad. She had a thirst for justice and an incredible love for her people and for life. Despite threats and challenges, she never stopped fighting.

This loss weighs heavily on us at ASJ (formerly known as AJS) , and particularly on Jo Ann and me. We first heard of Berta’s organization COPINH back in 1993, when over a thousand marginalized Lenca people marched to the capital city of Tegucigalpa, demanding government support and assistance. It was a huge social movement that was unusually successful – all of their demands were granted.

I was finishing my doctorate at the time, and we decided to make that movement the basis for my dissertation research. I reached out to Berta and her husband, and they welcomed us into their office and their home, while we studied what they were doing within and with their community. I was impressed by Berta’s connection to her community and her tireless fight for justice. She was soft-spoken, but very determined. You knew that if she said she was going to do something, she would do it.

My thesis studied their social movement, and I learned a lot from her committed activism. My family spent three months living with her family, and six months in the indigenous community that Berta had helped mobilize, time that I often thought back to in later work in Honduras.

Berta’s life was taken too soon – but she used her time to create real victories for Honduran people. I hope that Christians around the world will do more than mourn her death, but will learn from her brave work and her refusal to be silent, even at the cost of her life. Berta could have backed down when she began to receive threats. She could have chosen safety over justice. But that wasn’t who she was. She did not fall for the lie that her first priority should be safety and comfort, and neither should we. Justice — God’s desire for this world — isn’t easy. Sometimes, justice costs everything.

I am tempted to respond to Berta’s murder with fear — Maybe this work is too dangerous; maybe we should back off — but I choose instead to respond to her courage and to continue to fight for justice along with our staff at ASJ. If we as Christians are to be witnesses to the love and hope we have in Christ, we can only do that by standing up to injustice, intolerance, and hatred with conviction and courage.

1 John 4:18 says, There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear… The one who fears is not made perfect in love. In our own work as “brave Christians” we’re inspired by Berta and other activists who have lost their lives in the fight for justice in Honduras. We’re inspired to redouble our efforts to bring about the more just society these people dreamed about, consumed by the same love that they had, a love that overpowers fear.

Dionisio: The Life Of A Brave Christian

Mon, 18 Apr 2016 15:36:51 GMT

Throughout the week, ASJ (formerly known as AJS) staff gather to discuss how to continue working for justice beneath this mural, which reads: “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.” (1 John 3:16.)

The man pictured is Dionisio Díaz García, a lawyer who worked for ASJ defending poor security guards and cleaning women against exploitative employers. His fearless work earned victories for some of Honduras’ most vulnerable – but it also angered some of Honduras’ most powerful.

In response to their justice work, Dionisio and other ASJ staff received threatening phone calls urging them to quit or face grave consequences. Dionisio refused to give up or to give in to fear — a choice that would cost him his life.

In December 2006, Dionisio was driving to court to present a case against a major security guard company. Dionisio and ASJ were likely to win the case, a victory that would force the security company to change its unethical labor practices. Suddenly, two men on a motorcycle drove up beside Dionisio’s car, shooting through the car window and killing him.

People who Dionisio helped gather with his ASJ colleagues outside the courthouse during the trial of Dionisio’s assassins. The signs call Dionisio “the lawyer of the poor.”

Bearing the Pain and Building Resolve

Dionisio’s assassination marked a major shift in ASJ’s history. As ASJ employees mourned the death of their friend and colleague, the cost of doing justice was poignantly clear. The whole staff carried the pain of Dionisio’s loss. Together, the ASJ team began to question whether they too were willing to make the sacrifices necessary to bring about justice — to be Brave Christians. Faced with the inescapable question, nearly all employees made the same brave choice as Dionisio — to continue and even expand their work in the face of violence and injustice.

ASJ began investigating Dionisio’s killers and seeking justice for the murder. Two years later, they helped secure the conviction of the two hitmen — an ex-security guard and an ex-police officer. The intellectual authors of the crime remained uncharged, but these two convictions were an important step towards justice.

Unfortunately, just three years later, the Honduran Supreme Court reversed the guilty sentences and immediately set the men free. According to the analysis of lawyers from more than 15 countries, this Supreme Court ruling was full of inconsistencies and contradictions, with many signs of corruption. One of the Supreme Court judges had previously worked for one of the same security companies that Dionisio had fought against, even allowing the company to operate out of his law office.

ASJ filed an appeal with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights protesting the irregularities in the case and hoping to bring justice again against Dionisio’s killers. Due to case backlogs in the international court, the case is still being reviewed.

Dionisio with his wife and son. Being a Brave Christian means understanding that the call to justice is more important than maximizing our comfort or minimizing our risk.

A Legacy Continues

Dionisio is survived by his wife, Lourdes, and his son, Mauricio, who at the time of his death was only five years old. Lourdes and Mauricio have not lost hope for justice in Dionisio’s case. Lourdes returned to school to study law, in honor of her husband’s work. Mauricio is now a thoughtful, accomplished young man who excels in his college studies to be a civil engineer.

Justice may seem far off in Dionisio’s case, but ASJ has not let it be forgotten. Monday after Monday, as the staff gathers to start their week, they do so remembering their fallen colleague and recognizing what a serious calling it is to love perfectly — which is to love without fear — even if it costs your very life.

ASJ continues to support Mauricio with his educational needs. If you are interested in contributing to Mauricio’s education, you can make a donation with a note that the money should be used to support Mauricio.

Video

Learn more about the life of Dionisio and his family.

Wolterstorff: The Brave Work Of The Association For A More Just Society

Mon, 18 Apr 2016 15:26:01 GMT

This article was originally published on the “Do justice.” blog of the Christian Reformed Church in North America’s Centre for Public Dialogue and Office of Social Justice .

By Nicholas Wolterstorff

I have just returned from a trip with 17 others to witness the work of the Association for a More Just Society (ASJ, formerly known as AJS) in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. This was the fourth time that I have traveled to Honduras to witness the work of ASJ-Honduras; each time I have been moved and inspired by the bravery, imagination, dedication, and enthusiasm of the staff.

ASJ-Honduras was founded seventeen years ago by Kurt Ver Beek and a native Honduran, Carlos Hernandez. It now has a staff of over eighty people, almost all of them native Hondurans. ASJ-Honduras is an openly Christian organization; we began each day of our visit by joining the staff in their devotions. And as its name indicates, it is a justice organization, not a relief or development organization. It has a number of distinct projects, each of them consisting either of prodding and assisting the government of Honduras to do what government, according to Scripture, is supposed to do, namely, secure justice in society, or of aiding citizens in their attempt to secure just treatment by the government.

The work is often dangerous. People usually welcome relief and development projects, assuming they are sensibly conceived and not corrupt. Attempts to correct injustice almost always stir up hostility; almost always there are some who have a vested interest in perpetuating the unjust laws and practices. A few years back one of the lawyers on the staff of ASJ-Honduras was assassinated at point-blank range on a street in Tegucigalpa as he was on his way to court.

Several of ASJ’ projects have achieved remarkable success, especially in the last couple of years. They work mainly in two areas: Anti-Corruption, and Peace and Public Security. To give some sense of how ASJ-Honduras works, let me describe two of its Anti-Corruption projects .

Its Education Project is one of these Anti-Corruption projects. Elementary and secondary education in Honduras is operated by the national government. ASJ-Honduras discovered that the system was rife with corruption. There was massive absenteeism by teachers, with the result that the average number of days per year that students were in school was only about 120; and, even though it was illegal, teachers were being allowed to hire less qualified substitutes whom they paid less than they themselves were being paid by the system, freeing them to hold down jobs elsewhere. ASJ-Honduras spent several years carefully gathering the relevant data, and then, a few years ago, it publicized what it had uncovered. The government was stung into taking action . Remarkably, within two years the average number of days that students were in school almost doubled; and the corrupt practice of teachers hiring less qualified substitutes has been almost entirely rooted out.

The Health Project is another of the Anti-Corruption projects of ASJ-Honduras. In Honduras, most medicines are bought and distributed by the national government. ASJ-Honduras discovered that this system, too, was rife with corruption. The medicines that were distributed were often watered down or of poor quality; often the expiration date had passed; and in one case, what was supposedly a blood pressure medicine proved to be chalk. The middlemen whom the government contracted for the medicines were often corrupt cronies of government officials who were secretly taking a personal cut. In this case, too, the strategy of ASJ-Honduras was to spend several years carefully gathering the relevant data and then to publicize what it had discovered; the result, once again, was that the government was stung into taking action.

Just recently, something truly remarkable has happened with respect to the fight by ASJ-Honduras against government corruption. There is a large non-profit international organization called Transparency International which undertakes to report, for each country each year, how transparent or non-transparent its government is. Recently Transparency International appointed ASJ-Honduras as its representative in Honduras. And—this is what is remarkable—the government of Honduras signed an agreement with ASJ-Honduras that it would give them free access to its books in the areas of education, health, and a few others.

This gives some sense of how the Anti-Corruption projects of ASJ-Honduras work. Its Peace and Public Security projects work differently. In these projects, ASJ-Honduras stands alongside individuals who have been the victims of crime or fraud, helping them to put their lives back together and prodding the government to find and punish the wrongdoers.

ASJ-Honduras describes itself as “a Christian, nonprofit organization founded in 1998 striving to be brave Christians dedicated to making Honduras’ system of laws and government work properly to do justice for the poor.” The staff of ASJ-Honduras are, indeed, “brave Christians.” Much of the work is dangerous. But what has also struck me about them is their imagination: they imagine new ways of prodding and assisting the government to do what it should be doing, new ways of standing alongside victims. What likewise impresses me is their steadfast Christian dedication. They spend years collecting data until it proves to be incontrovertible. They work steadily at projects that, for several years, seem to bear little fruit. In the last couple of years, several of their projects have been bearing astounding fruit. And they are full of enthusiasm. Praise the Lord!

ASJ Condemns Murder Of Activist Berta Cáceres

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 15:15:57 GMT

The following article was first published on our Honduran website in Spanish on the morning of March 3, 2016.

Tegucigalpa, Honduras — The Association for a More Just Society condemns the vile murder perpetrated early Thursday morning against indigenous leader and environmental activist Berta Cáceres.

We lament the cowardly act that robbed the life of this activist inside of her home, and we add our voice to the rejection of the violence and impunity that continues to attack Honduran families.

With this offensive crime, Honduras loses one of its most active voices who advocated for the vulnerable, the protection of our natural resources, and indigenous peoples.

We demand that the Honduran government open an immediate investigation to locate the whereabouts of the material and intellectual authors of Cáceres’ murder so they are brought to justice; the State must guarentee that this detestable act does not result in impunity like hundreds of other cases in Honduras.

Berta Cáceres was a prominent leader of the indigenous Lenca community and peasant (campesino) movement, through which she fought in favor of human rights.

She was one of the founders of the Civic Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations in Honduras (COPINH), a civil society organization that she had led until her death.

Her fight for the rights of indigenous peoples and the environment earned her the Goldman Environmental Award in April 2015, the highest prize for environmental activists in the world.

Cycling Coast To Coast For Education In Honduras

Sat, 13 Feb 2016 15:11:09 GMT

Orar. Soñar. Trabajar. Pray. Dream. Work. – the motto of Transformemos Honduras

“Six years ago, we had a crazy idea,” says Kurt Ver Beek, vice president of the Association for a More Just Society (ASJ, formerly known as AJS). It’s true, the goal of a cross-country bike race to raise awareness about corruption in public education was ambitious, even a little crazy, but no less so than the idea to reform the education system in the first place. Crazy ideas – converted into system-changing realities – are the cornerstone of ASJ’s work.

ASJ, through the coalition “Transformemos Honduras” (Let’s Transform Honduras), began working in the public health sector and the public education sector in 2009. When Transformemos Honduras (TH) started working with education, there were fewer than 120 days of class per year (students met just 88 days in 2009), teachers showed up to class sporadically, or not at all, and Honduras’ test scores ranked dead last in Latin America — a ranking they had maintained since 2000.

TH got to work recording days in class and teachers in classrooms, bringing their shocking findings before the government, the media, and the Honduran public. Parents and community members became active volunteers, the Minister of Education was fired, and education in Honduras began to change. After just five years, days in class had jumped from an average of 120 to 200, teachers skipping class dropped from 26 percent to 1 percent, and test scores jumped from last place in Latin America to 10th out of 15th.

The other crazy idea, the cross-country bike ride called “Coast to Coast”, continued to grow as well. The logistics of the race are daunting: 437 kilometers, eight cities in seven days, over 150 cyclists, and 35 volunteers including police escorts, bus drivers, and coordinators of everything from lodging to snacks. But that hasn’t kept it from becoming an important advocacy tool and a beloved tradition, drawing attendees from all regions in Honduras and from countries around the world.

Award-winning students pose with the winners of that day’s bicycle race from Tela to El Progreso, Honduras

At each of the eight cities they pass through, the cyclists stop for an event in the city center to honor five public school students for academic excellence. The children smile shyly as mayors place medals over their heads, and even wider as prizes of bicycles and tablets are revealed.

TH leaders like Carlos Hernandez, ASJ’s president, speak about taking action against corruption in the education system. Parents cry; teachers and principles beam. Public officials speak about hope.

“There’s a lot more to be done,” says Carlos Hernandez, “But we also need to recognize how far we have come.”

Coast to Coast is a perfect demonstration of ASJ’s ability to bring people together .Private business donate money and prizes, city governments offer spaces —cyclists are students and mechanics and doctors, nonprofit workers, and international visitors.

In a country where bad news is commonplace, the week-long race speaks to hope for a better future. Cyclists cross landscapes of incredible beauty, almost as beautiful as children with big dreams and the parents, teachers, and public administrators whose passions for education are making those dreams possible. Cyclists push themselves to their limits and past them. Friendships develop across cultures as all push together towards the same goal — better education for Honduran children

From the tropical beaches of Tela to the bustling urban center of San Pedro Sula, from the breathtaking Lago Yojoa to the capital city of Tegucigalpa, cyclists celebrate the good work of TH and challenge people across Honduras to join in continuing it. By the time they reached the port city of San Lorenzo in the south, where the air smells like fish and sea salt and the sun burns hot enough to leave tan lines around hats and sunglasses, everyone is exhausted, but inspired — ready to get to work.

“Sometimes as Christians, all we do is pray that things will change,” Carlos Hernandez told the audience in Siguatepeque as skinny boys leaned against BMX bikes waiting for their turn to show off their tricks. “We have to do more than that. We have to dream that things can actually be better. And then we have to work.”

Carlos Hernandez, president of ASJ, stands with Oscar Chicas, World Vision’s national director for Honduras.

And people listened, from newspaper reporters to city commissioners, from the fastest biker to the tiny second-grader who is one of the best students in her city.

“Education is not just the work of these students here, and not just of their teachers, their principals, or even their parents ,” Hernandez continued. “Education is the work of every one of us here, because that is how we are going to transform Honduras.”

Calvin College Features Kurt And ASJ In January Series Talk

Tue, 26 Jan 2016 14:38:15 GMT

In January, ASJ (formerly known as AJS) Co-Founder Kurt Ver Beek participated in Calvin College’s prestigious January lecture series.

Kurt shared from his years of experience working for justice in Honduras with ASJ, and he encouraged other Christians to discover where and how God is calling them, and the church, to fearlessly stand up to local and global injustices.

Too often, fear of oppressors stops us from loving the vulnerable as God commands. Kurt — along with his wife, Jo Ann — has been working for more than two decades to promote justice in Honduras. Seventeen years ago, they helped found ASJ to stand up for victims of violence, land-rights abuses, and government corruption in Honduras.

Calvin College has held the January Series for more than 25 years. The series has been a three-time recipient of the Silver Bowl Award as the “Best Campus Lecture Series in the U.S.A.” by the International Platform Society, with many influential figures having delivered talks.

In addition to helping to lead ASJ, Kurt is a professor with Calvin College and directs its Justice Studies semester in Honduras. Kurt received his B.A. in sociology from Calvin College, his M.A. in human resource development from Azusa Pacific University, and his Ph.D. in development sociology from Cornell University.

Kurt and Jo Ann moved to Honduras in 1988, and in 2001 they moved their family to a particularly marginalized community, where the couple still lives — an experience that has greatly influenced their understanding of how corruption and violence affect the most vulnerable.

Listen to Kurt’s January Series talk — Reframing Justice: Models from Honduras

Grand Rapids’ local NBC affiliate also interviewed Kurt about his January Series talk

ASJ Hosts “Democratic Alert”

Tue, 29 Dec 2015 19:53:27 GMT

It’s predicted that by the year 2030, about 700 million people will live in Latin America — will these millions have a voice and proper representation in their governments? Will there be justice for the most vulnerable among them?

This week, ASJ (formerly known as AJS) helped host a special forum that laid out four distinct scenarios for what path democracy could take in the coming 15 years in Latin America.

The event, called Alerta Democratica (Democratic Alert), was launched simultaneously in three locations around the world: Bolivia, Brazil, and Honduras — where ASJ helped organize the event, an affirmation of our role as civil society leaders in the region.

Check out this video of the Secretary-General of the Organization of American States announcing the event in Washington, D.C. — and, yes, ASJ’s Carlos Hernandez makes several appearances in the video.

ASJ’s efforts to bring justice to the most vulnerable hinge on ensuring that the government enacts and enforces laws that do justice.

This summer has been referred to by some as the “Latin American Spring” — as citizen protests have grown across the region in reaction to corruption and other injustices. In Honduras, thousands of individuals have been marching weekly in the streets demanding an end to corruption.

Honduras and other Latin American countries are at a crossroads, and organizations like ASJ have a critical role to play as leaders who can influence what form democracy will take in the next 15 years.

“These scenarios allow us to make an analysis of where we’re heading — but they also help us to work to construct public policies that strengthen democracies or that diminish the risks that exist in our countries and our democracies, ” said ASJ-Honduran President Carlos Hernández.

A team of 37 leaders, including ASJ’s Carlos Hernández, worked together for six months to develop the four scenarios, which are translated as — Democracy in Agony, Democracy in Mobilizations, Democracy in Transformation, and Democracy in Tension ( check out Alerta Democratica’s website for more on each of these ).

With the Alerta Democratica initiative, civil society leaders from Honduras and other nations across Latin America can work using a common framework of scenarios with the hope of being more unified, proactive, and forward-thinking in the approaches they take to ensure a healthy democracy.

Through our participation, ASJ is taking a leading role in this process — influencing how justice is pursued in Honduras and internationally.

ASJ Releases Education, Security Transparency Reports

Mon, 21 Dec 2015 14:23:51 GMT

TEGUCIGALPA, HONDURAS — Today marked the release of two important reports in the fight for greater transparency and accountability in Honduras — reports focused on the Honduran government’s Ministry of Security and Ministry of Education.

Examples of contracting issues

Armored Trucks

One example from the reports is the problematic purchase of armored trucks by the Ministry of Security. Using the scoring system, the process only received a 14% compliance score.

These 13 trucks were purchased with more than U.S. $1.5 million — and despite being purchased with the Ministry of Security’s budget, only four are currently being used by this ministry, and they are the four with the lowest quality armor.

Remodeling Police Stations

The Ministry of Security, with funding from the Interamerican Development Bank, began a police station remodeling project in 2013 — and received a 37% compliance score from ASJ’s investigation.

Examples of human resource issues

The ASJ investigation team poured through more than 12,000 pages of documents, analyzing the Ministry of Security’s HR practices.

The HR Management system earned a score of 29% for both 2013 and 2014.

Hiring for National Police Force

Faulty procedures for properly certifying new hires resulted in a 62% score for 2014 and uncovered inconsistencies in the documentation of the number of new police hired.

Firing of National Police

The 9% score that the Ministry of Security received for its police firing procedures reflects the poor policies and management in place to handle discharging police officers, and sometimes officers who were let go continued to receive salaries. Similar to hiring, there are a number of inconsistent databases on the number of police who were fired.

More information about the data collection and evaluation, plus much more information is available in an executive summary below located below on this page (or you can download it as a PDF ).

Plans of improvement

Nonetheless, in the face of these disturbing findings, progress is being made. The ASJ/TI team worked with security experts and the Ministry of Security to reform the essential laws covering the police’s functions, and the ministry agreed to more than 90% of the suggestions and observations. Additionally, the ministry has agreed to further measurable steps for improvement.

While the Ministry of Education willingly complied with ASJ/TI’s efforts in the report, the results that the team found were still disturbing. ASJ has worked with the Ministry of Education to establish thorough plans for improvement.

Examples of contracting issues

Computer purchases

The ASJ/TI team analyzed four purchase processes for computers and other technical equipment, and found an average compliance score of 18.76%.

Textbook purchases

The ASJ/TI team analyzed five purchase processes for textbooks and other school supplies, and found an average compliance score of 35.26%

Examples of human resource issues

Teacher hiring

The ASJ team uncovered instances of documents that could not be accessed because the physical copies had been burned, officials inappropriately lowering qualification levels for teachers (hiring nearly 250 under-qualified teachers in 2014 in one portion of the country), and instances of children “inheriting” positions from their parents.

Teacher firing

Faulty laws and policies have made it difficult to discipline teachers who are not adequately educating students. Using records from 2011 and 2014, 68 teachers were suspended for various offenses, yet only one was permanently removed.

Department director management

Faulty regulation has opened up opportunities for corruption among the directors of Honduran departments (the Honduran term used for geographical subdivisions, similar in some respects to a U.S. county). In one case, a director had been fired on two occasions in full compliance with the law. Nonetheless, he was not only reinstated by the Supreme Court on both occasions, but his acquittal also came about with unprecedented speed. Cases like his are usually resolved in two-to-three years. He was resolved in three days. This points to unjust preferential treatment.

Plans of improvement

While the findings in the Ministry of Education are highly concerning, the ministry is working with ASJ/TI to make significant improvements on this baseline report.

ASJ’s team conducted public polling and found that, although confidence in public institutions in Honduras is overall very low, the Ministry of Education was both the best-evaluated in terms of improvement, as well as the most-trusted overall, with over twice as many people seeing improvement in the Ministry of Education compared to other similar systems such as health or security.

While each department displays poor performance in the reports, these reports should be seen as the baseline for hopeful future progress; that’s to say, rather than focusing on the poor scores, ASJ is choosing to focus on the fact that there are paths to progress that do exist, and there are many courageous Hondurans willing to wage the fight against corruption and take the necessary steps to make sure that these scores do not remain at their current levels.

The full executive summary for the Ministry of Education report is available to read further down on this page and is also available for download as a PDF .

The reports released today will be followed up with reports in three other Honduran government sectors: public health, infrastructure projects, and tax administration.

The reports are the result of a groundbreaking agreement between ASJ, TI, and the Honduran government made last October that allowed ASJ to study these government sectors. ASJ remains focused on using these reports to set forward concrete plans for improvements for which the government can be held accountable.

Individuals who can read Spanish can access the full reports, the plans for future improvements, data used in the reports, and much more on ASJ’s Spanish-language website.

Who’s Afraid Of Christmas? — An Advent Reflection

Mon, 21 Dec 2015 13:02:14 GMT

By ASJ-US Director of Communications Evan Trowbridge

And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Luke 2:9-10

Want to know one reason why I think Christmas is great? Because it’s the time of the year when you have the widest selection of salutations at your ready disposal.

Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas! Seasons Greetings! Feliz Navidad! That last one would be what gets used most here in Honduras.

How about one more though? “Don’t be afraid!”

OK. Maybe that doesn’t sound great on a Christmas card. But that seems to be the way the angels do it.

First, one runs into Zechariah in the Temple. “Do not be afraid."

Next, it’s off to Mary’s place. “Do not be afraid."

Then, shepherds out in a field. “Fear not.”

It’s the original Christmas greeting.

We rarely associate fear with Christmas, but in reading the story around Jesus’ birth in the first two chapters of Luke, we see the words “fear” or “afraid” show up eight times .

People had reason do be shaken up. Jesus was a vulnerable baby, but that didn’t make his arrival any less intense.

When we read about the baby Jesus, we read about people getting scared; getting knocked out of their comfort zones. This baby was changing everything.

Some went with the change. Mary and the shepherds, for example.

Some fought against it. Herod, for example. When he found out that a new king had been born, we read that he was “troubled.” He was captivated by selfish power and ended up murdering the babies living in Bethlehem trying to stop this new king.

Reading this, it reminds me of some of the powerful people that the Association for a More Just Society runs into in Honduras. Our calling is to fight against the violence and corruption in the country with the highest murder rate in the world.

There are some “strong” Herods here in Honduras — people who are afraid of Christmas. That’s to say, they’re afraid of a world where fearless love jeopardizes a system of power that feeds on violence and intimidation. They’re scared that when they want to say, “Be afraid!” the baby Jesus still says, “Don’t be afraid!”

There are many Christians in Honduras who, in finding their strength in Christ, continue to stand up to these scary Herods. Some of them are my coworkers who risk their lives for the cause of justice. In doing so, they remind me of the angel who went to the shepherds, not during the day, but in the night — and then, while shattering the darkness with unquenchable light, called out, “Don’t be afraid! There is good news of great joy!”

Regardless of what country we’re in, as Christians, we must pray that God would show us the dark fields, the ones we might otherwise avoid or ignore, where we can shine a light.

We must pray that God would stir up passion and courage in us to stand up to the Herods and to shine a fearless light. A Christmas light. A light that shares the good news about a game-changing savior, of whom we read in John chapter 1: “In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

Western Honduras Unites For Transparency

Fri, 30 Oct 2015 18:07:34 GMT

This school year, TH staff trained the volunteers on how to monitor test book distribution and use in Honduran schools. They used 4 “states” in Western Honduras as a pilot project, and volunteers visited more than 100 schools, confirming if textbooks had arrived, if there were enough for all students, and if they were being put to use.

This past week, 50 of the volunteers, including Francisco, met together in Western Honduras to hear the results of their auditing work, and it seems like their presence made a difference. Only two schools in all four “states” didn’t receive textbooks, and in the majority of the cases, the teachers were using the textbooks.

According to TH coordinator, Blanca Munguia “This is great news for Honduran education!”

In addition to the 50 current volunteers at the gathering, 40 new volunteers, government authorities, and members of other non-profit organizations also attended, and many will join in the effort to audit textbooks, but also the number of school days, and teacher testing next year.

Francisco is excited about this prospect, “TH has created a network that allows many of us concerned about public education to come together to make change in our country. I know there´s a lot of work to be done but I’m also conscious that what we´re doing to stop corruption is being guided by God and he’ll always lead us forward.”

Ending A Trail Of Violence

Fri, 30 Oct 2015 17:34:16 GMT

In the 12 months after he escaped from prison, Marcos* killed at least three people.

He was constantly on the move — and the police were constantly a step behind. He’d bounce from the rural hills outside of Honduras’ capital city, Tegucigalpa, to poor urban neighborhoods and back again — leaving a trail of crime and violence in his wake.

What made Marcos’s killings even more painful was that they would never have happened if he hadn’t escaped from prison after ASJ (formerly known as AJS) staff risked their lives to stop him seven years earlier.

In Broad Daylight

In 2005, 14-year-old Isaac* had gotten mixed up with some bad folks. One September night, he found himself at a birthday party that had taken a wild turn with alcohol, dancing, and unsavory characters.

Across the room from Isaac, a group of men stood eyeing him and talking in hushed tones; Marcos was among them. Around midnight, the men grabbed Isaac and took him outside. They brought him down a dark road that led to the neighborhood soccer field. After 40 minutes passed, the men returned without Isaac. His body was found in the field the next morning.

Marcos was part of a group of criminals who called themselves “The Masked Ones.” Led by a Honduran military deserter who took guns and equipment with him when he left, the group had gained a fearsome reputation for killing anyone they didn’t like and calling it “cleaning up the neighborhood.”

The group is believed to have killed at least twenty boys between 11 and 17 years old. The ruthless squad nabbed kids drinking sodas right outside of neighborhood shops and drove away with them in broad daylight.

Honduras’ weak and corrupt police force was no match for the group’s callous violence, and they continued murdering youth for two years. Then ASJ began working on the case.

Teams of brave lawyers, psychologists, and investigators from ASJ worked exhaustively with trustworthy Honduran authorities to arrest and convict nearly all the members of the group in 2006 and 2007. Marcos was among those sent to prison. The community breathed a little easier.

It was in communities like this one where Marcos continued his violence. The gang he helped lead had killed 20 boys between 11 and 17 years old.

Back on the Loose

In Honduras, prison escapes happen with regrettable frequency. An ASJ investigation found that at least 15 dangerous prisoners escaped from 2010-2014. Last year, Marcos was one of them.

His next murder happened only 12 days after escaping from prison. Marcos was helping to run an extortion operation that involved forcing bus drivers to pay them a portion of the fares they collected.

Miguel* was a shoe salesman who worked near a bus terminal in a poor neighborhood of the city. As he was working on a spring day last year, a false rumor spread among the extortion collectors that Miguel was trying to steal from their money box. When Marcos heard the rumor, he and two accomplices approached Miguel. They opened fire on him, and Miguel died in the street, leaving behind a wife and three-year-old daughter.

Over the next 12 months, Marcos continued to evade arrest. Roaming from community to community around the city, he was linked to at least two more killings.

Working together, ASJ staff and Honduran officials were able to identify Marcos’s phone number and then use cellphone towers to triangulate his location based on the phone’s signal. They learned his routes and routines.

Finally, in April 2015, an opportune moment arrived for police and ASJ investigators. They moved in and successfully arrested Marcos.

ASJ’s staff proved crucial to ending Marcos’s 13-month stretch of violence in poor communities. Through this case and dozens of others, ASJ staff are building new bridges of trust between community members and Honduran law enforcement — leading to the police and justice officials actually serving and protecting poor Hondurans against violence and injustice.

Mending the Wounds

Protecting Lives From Tainted Medicines

Fri, 30 Oct 2015 17:29:31 GMT

How the vice president of the Honduran Congress was arrested following ASJ investigations and calls for justice

Members of the powerful Gutiérrez family, including the vice president of congress, have recently been arrested for corruption.

This past March, the Honduran government ordered a shipment of medication for poor Honduran children who suffer from malnutrition. The supply could have helped 700,000 children — but the company handling the contract chose greed over the well-being of at-risk youth. When the medicines arrived, each bottle contained only four of the 11 required ingredients and weighed 17% less than it was supposed to.

This wasn’t the first time the company, called Astropharma, acted deceitfully. ASJ (formerly known as AJS) investigations over the past five years had uncovered a whole list of shady dealings. But, this time when Astropharma tried to defend itself with flimsy excuses, the government did the right thing and terminated their contract.

So how do Astropharma’s contracts connect with the vice president of Congress? It’s simple. They own the company.

In 2009, four members of the powerful Gutiérrez family claimed to have sold their stake in the company to foreign investors. But, the sale was a sham.

A few months later, Lena Gutiérrez began her first term as a congresswoman. Quickly, she ascended the ranks and became the vice president of Congress.

That same year was a good year for Astropharma, specifically when it came to government contracts. The value of Astropharma’s government contracts increased by an astonishing 1000%.In the years since, Astropharma’s unethical business continued, including putting thousands of Honduran lives at risk with faulty medications and medical supplies.

The end of June 2015 brought big news. The Honduran Supreme Court had issued an arrest warrant for Lena and three other members of the Gutiérrez family — plus 12 other people linked to the Astropharma contracts. The family members were put under house arrest.

The arrest was a victory for ASJ staff who had spent hundreds of hours gathering proof of Astropharma’s wrongdoings and who knew all too well how the company’s bad medicine and corrupt activities were hurting the poor. The ASJ staff relentlessly sought justice.

ASJ staff continue to apply public pressure on the government to monitor the case as it goes through the legal process. There are powerful people involved in this case, and many other organizations have not dared to speak out. ASJ is taking a bold public stand, and that is a risk in a country where violent intimidation is a regular tactic.

In 2014, with ASJ’s help, 13 government officials were brought to trial for their involvement in corruption in the public health system.

Despite the very real threats that corrupt and violent individuals may use, ASJ staff and other Honduran justice fighters are standing strong because they understand that being on the side of justice and love means being on God’s side.

In Jeremiah, Chapter 22, we read, “Thus says the Lord: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed.” Standing up to those who oppress the vulnerable through corruption isn’t just a good thing to do, it’s a command from God — and it’s part of our responsibility to love our neighbors.

When we remember the sacrifices that Christ gave when practicing love, we remember how costly and how precious love is meant to be — and the courage that it takes to live out.

The 3-Year Hunt For Justice For Dozens Of Women And Girls

Fri, 30 Oct 2015 17:26:02 GMT

They were all there on the other side of the door — the judges, the prosecutor, the defense attorneys, and the media. And he was out there also. With two state-appointed defense attorneys in brown suit coats seated to his left, he waited still and silent during the court proceedings. Today, the judges would decide whether this man was guilty of raping a 14-year-old girl three years ago. Waiting in a private room behind a wooden door in the front of the courtroom, Sandra* already knew without a doubt that he was guilty. She was that girl.

Now 17 years old, Sandra was one of dozens of women and girls that had accused the defendant, Hugo, of raping them. In the room with Sandra was an ASJ (formerly known as AJS) psychologist, Sofia*, who had been a major source of support for Sandra, not only today but throughout the whole process. Soon, the audience of the court would be dismissed so that Sandra could give her testimony in privacy. In the meantime, she waited.

Sandra waited as a psychologist took the witnesses stand and said that Sandra exhibited the symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder. She waited as the prosecutor explained how Sandra was on the way home from her younger sister’s school when Hugo encountered her and threatened her with a pistol. She waited as the judges listened to how Sandra kept silent for months about what happened, while her mother was ill during a difficult pregnancy.

In the trial’s audience sat Felipe*, an ASJ investigator. Three years ago, Felipe was working to track Hugo down on the streets of the Honduran capital city. Today, he waited to see if his hard work would pay off, and if one young girl, Sandra, would see justice.

It was 2009 when the Honduran government got its first report from one of Hugo’s victims. At the time, Felipe had not yet joined ASJ and was an investigator with the government, specializing in cases of child sexual abuse. It wasn’t until 2011, when other reports started coming in, that Felipe and his colleagues noticed the reports had striking similarities. There were similarities in the location (a poorer part of the city), the attacker’s methods (using abandoned houses and plots of land), the survivors (underage girls and young women), the physical description of a man with an arm tattoo and stomach scar, and other information that caused Felipe and his colleagues to realize there was a single individual committing all these attacks.

Felipe and the other investigators went to the streets to track down the attacker, but progress was slow. They had no name, and the physical description they had could match multitudes of men.

“He could have passed in front of us, and we would not have recognized him,” Felipe said.

On top of this, Hugo tended to know very well the areas where he committed the rapes and how to navigate neighborhoods to avoid detection. Despite the Honduran media giving him the nickname “crazy Hugo,” Felipe said that Hugo was actually pretty intelligent.

Realizing the gravity of this case and that they were going to need help to pull it off, the Honduran government investigators reached out to ASJ for assistance, because they knew that ASJ had investigators and lawyers with the necessary expertise and resources.

Together, the team organized interviews, examined crime sites, and came up with an approach of doing undercover patrols in strategic areas. Each group would have with them one of the victims who had come forward. They’d alternate which victims accompanied the groups, in order to lower suspicions.

Still, this method was frustratingly slow. At one point, one of the girls and her mother spotted Hugo when they weren’t with the investigators. They tried following him through the winding streets but lost him when he went down an alley.

The investigation dragged on for seven months, until May 2012, when a breakthrough happened. A community member passed on the name of a man who was rumored to be the serial rapist. Finally, with a name to work on, the group used a government database to also dig up a photo.

The day after they got the photo, when the team was back on the street, something unexpected happened. A brave 13-year-old girl who was accompanying the group spotted Hugo. The group tracked him down, and police moved in to arrest him as he left his house — where they later found clothes that survivors said he was wearing during his attacks.

It’s estimated that Hugo raped more than 40 women and girls and has either been convicted or faces charges from at least 24 survivors. Not only did Hugo match the photo that the investigators had gotten the day before, but the first 10 survivors that were summoned identified him as the rapist. As the news media started covering the arrest, more survivors recognized Hugo and came forward.

After his arrest, Hugo went to prison, and the judicial process began. In November 2013, he received his first guilty sentence.

ASJ psychologists were working with Sandra and other survivors, while ASJ lawyers and investigators helped shore up the cases of the public prosecutor against Hugo. Felipe changed jobs, leaving his job with the police to join ASJ as an investigator.

Things were going well — until March of 2015 when Hugo escaped from prison.

It’s not clear yet how Hugo managed to escape, but once he did, ASJ didn’t hesitate to act.

ASJ decided to make Hugo’s escape a major media story. There wouldn’t be anywhere in Honduras that he’d be able to show his face, and the government knew that the whole country was watching to see whether or not they could catch an escaped convict.

ASJ quickly alerted Honduras’ major media outlets and invited them to the ASJ office, where ASJ’s leaders explained Hugo’s past, how to identify him, and urged that his capture be made a priority.

That night, Hugo’s escape was the main story on television news broadcasts, and it was a front-page newspaper story the next morning. ASJ also made a graphic on how to identify Hugo, which was shared thousands of times on Facebook.

For Felipe, the news of Hugo’s escape was difficult after all the work that went into his first arrest. For the girls who Hugo had raped, the escape made them afraid that Hugo may come after them again.

Tracking down Hugo would be much different this time. The plan was to monitor the telephones of Hugo’s mother, sister, and daughter (Hugo had married twice and had five daughters).

After two days of monitoring the mother’s phone, a call came in from Mexico. On the other end of the line was Hugo, asking his mother for money.

Mexican officials were quickly notified. Using information from the phone calls, they were able to arrest him in the southern Mexican municipality of Tapachula. Within 15 days on the run, Hugo had been caught, and, soon after, he was returned to Honduras.

“I’m sure that if ASJ didn’t help raise the alert, Hugo would still be free in Mexico,” Felipe said.

Sandra’s case was the first one Hugo faced after being returned to Honduras.

Back in the courtroom, the time for Sandra’s testimony had come. Felipe and everyone else in the audience were dismissed by the judges. Hugo, dressed in a green and white striped polo and jeans, was placed in what looked like a wooden telephone booth with a one-way mirror on the front. This booth ensured Hugo couldn’t communicate to Sandra as she gave her testimony.

Bravely, Sandra recounted the events that happened during what was supposed to be an eight-minute commute home after meeting with her younger sister’s teacher on an April afternoon in 2012.

After her testimony, Sandra left the courtroom. The judge allowed the audience back into the court, and Hugo came out of the booth. Sandra’s mother testified how Sandra didn’t say anything about the rape during the months of the mother’s difficult pregnancy. With her shoulders shaking yet her voice bold, Sandra’s mother explained that when she found out about what happened, they reported the rape. She also shared about how Sandra recognized Hugo on TV after his first arrest.

Following the mother’s testimony, the judge put the court in recess. ASJ’s staff — the psychologist, lawyer, and investigator — took Sandra’s family out for lunch, and the family expressed their gratitude for the support they had received in the past three years.

As lunch concluded, Sandra expressed her gratitude one more time with a warm smile and a hopeful glint in her eyes; her proud parents stood at her side. That morning they let the truth be told; they stood strong for justice. A guilty conviction was all but certain — and an hour later the judges confirmed the same.

After the conviction, ASJ lawyer Martín* paused outside the courthouse to take in the moment. On this sunny afternoon, following years of hard work, there was now a second guilty verdict against Hugo. But the work was still not over. ASJ’s psychologists will continue working with Sandra and other survivors to help them heal, and Martín will continue his work to fight for justice in the courts in the remaining cases — including a case against Hugo that will commence in June and will include charges for abusing 12 girls.

For Martín, Felipe, and the ASJ team, Sandra’s case was an important victory for justice — and, hopefully, one of more to come.

Background:

This story is about the work of ASJ’s Rescue project, which uses a team of investigators, lawyers, and psychologists to work for justice and healing for children who are survivors of sexual abuse. For more about the Rescue Project, click here .

*Name changed to protect identity

A Trap, A Rescue, And Unbroken Courage

Fri, 30 Oct 2015 17:25:21 GMT

It had been almost a week since Yulissa* heard the pastor’s words: “Someone here in this service today is trapped in an awful situation. But help is coming; God will bring people to help you escape.”

It was as if the pastor was talking to her, as if the pastor knew Yulissa’s situation. Maria* — the woman who Yulissa needed to be rescued from — was seated right next to Yulissa and hearing the same words. While posing as a devout Christian who was active in her church, Maria was actually running the prostitution ring in which Yulissa was trapped.

Yulissa had thought about the pastor’s words many times in the last week, but escape didn’t seem any closer. And tonight, Maria had arranged for another date for Yulissa.

At 15 years old, Yulissa was the youngest of the women and girls Maria was prostituting. When Maria — who was also the sister of Yulissa’s stepmother — offered to help Yulissa with a place to stay and support for her education, Yulissa had no idea what was really in store. She didn’t know about the nights like this.

Yulissa waited in the living room of Maria’s house, and soon enough, a man arrived. He was new, someone she didn’t recognize.

“Yulissa, please listen carefully. I’m here to help you escape,” said the man. He explained that he was an undercover agent and part of an operation to rescue her. With Yulissa secure, the agent was joined by the rest of the rescue team, and within hours, she was in the protection of the Honduran government’s special prosecutor for the protection of children — and out of the reach of Maria.

Maria was arrested that same evening.

The Investigation

The operation that rescued Yulissa was the result of an investigation carried out jointly by the Honduran government and ASJ’s (formerly known as AJS) Rescue project — which works on finding justice for victims of sexual abuse.

The investigation started when the Honduran attorney general’s office got an anonymous tip about the prostitution ring. They soon realized that they would need ASJ’s help on the case. One of the distinguishing elements of Maria’s prostitution ring was the clientele — many were police and members of the military. In addition to providing payment to Maria as clients, they also helped protect her prostitution ring. It was going to be a difficult operation to catch and prosecute these criminals — and ASJ’s expertise would be vital.

ASJ Investigator Pedro* was one of the staff assigned to the case. A former police investigator specializing in crimes of sexual abuse, Pedro understood how crucial ASJ’s support was to operations like this one. During his work with the police, he had seen too many cases fall apart without proper resources and leadership.

“One of our roles is to make sure these cases proceed through the legal system. Sometimes the prosecutor’s office simply doesn’t have the resources — for example, they won’t have vehicles. We make sure they don’t have excuses,” Pedro said. “We’re able to give the needed logistical, investigative, legal, and psychological support in the case.”

The anonymous tip didn’t provide much information to go on. The first step of the investigation was just to find out where Maria’s house was. Working undercover, the team was able to find the house. Then it began to ID suspects.

Next came the warrant for a phone tap on Maria’s phone. With the tap in place, the team collected conversations of Maria arranging meetings between various men and Yulissa. The team needed irrefutable evidence against Maria and her clients — especially when it turned out that one of those clients was a colonel in the Honduran military.

“We definitely had to be careful in this case. The criminals involved know well how the process works,” Pedro said.

Within a month, the team felt that they had collected enough information. They were ready to make arrests — but first, they needed to get Yulissa to a safe place where no one could threaten her.

The same night that Maria was arrested, the team also arrested a police officer who was accused of being one of Maria’s clients.

The even more impressive arrest came two days later: the military colonel.

Bringing the Case to Court

Newspapers across the country reported on the arrests, running photos of Maria being booked for prison. Her dyed orange hair and zebra pattern blouse contrasted starkly with the police officers flanking her left and right sides, wearing bullet-proof vests and ski-masks to hide their identities.

Special steps were taken to protect Yulissa. Her location was kept secret and was monitored closely. Given Maria’s relationship to Yulissa’s stepmother, not even Yulissa’s family could be trusted.

With Yulissa in protection, one of ASJ’s psychologists — who specializes in helping victims of sexual abuse — went to work, providing Yulissa with crucial support after the trauma she had experienced.

Yulissa displayed her tremendous bravery by testifying that 10 police officers and two military personnel paid to have sex with her.

Currently, Maria, the arrested police officer, and the military colonel are all in prison and their cases are moving through the judicial process. Maria maintains that she is not guilty. If convicted, she would face 22 years in prison for human trafficking.

ASJ lawyers, psychologists, and investigators continue to support the prosecution of the offenders, to investigate other abusers, to reach out to other victims of the prostitution ring, and to provide Yulissa with crucial psychological support.

Reflecting on the case, Pedro said that despite the years he spent as part of the police force and with ASJ helping victims of sexual abuse, he still can’t help but be emotionally moved in cases like Yulissa’s.

“One realizes the hardships that victims go through. It’s very complicated, very painful, and very difficult for the victim to overcome. In these types of cases your heart softens as you work with the victims,” Pedro said. “Without ASJ’s help, many cases like this would have ended in impunity. It’s important that we keep doing this work to help prosecutors win cases and to help provide victims with the support they need.”

* Names changed to protect identity

Context In Honduras

Human trafficking and child prostitution are serious problems. Honduras’ gangs and criminal organizations often use victims of human trafficking to make money as prostitutes or drug transporters.

Perpetuating the problem are Honduras’s high levels of corruption and impunity. In addition to ASJ’s Rescue project, our other efforts to tackle corruption at the highest levels of the Honduran government are crucial components in the fight to protect girls like Yulissa.

Find out more about ASJ’s Rescue Project here.

Obama Listens as ASJ Shares About Work In Honduras

Fri, 30 Oct 2015 12:44:06 GMT

Carlos Hernández, the president of the board of ASJ (formerly known as AJS) in Honduras, was waiting. Along with him were 10 representatives of civil society groups from all of North, Central, and South America. They were the selected few of the 1,000 or so civil society representatives in attendance at the April 2015 Summit of the Americas in Panama. Carlos was the only one from Honduras.

Soon enough, the door to the room opened. In walked U.S. President Barack Obama.

Even for Carlos, who is used to meetings with high-level officials, this was a new experience. Obama and other staff from the U.S. State Department were there to listen to the insights from leaders of civil society who were on the front lines of fighting for justice, human rights, democracy, helping youth, and other issues. Accompanying Obama were the presidents of Costa Rica and Uruguay.

Each civil society representative was given a chance to share their perspective during the meeting. When Carlos’s turn came, the eyes of Obama and the rest of the table shifted to him. Carlos looked around and began to address those in the room.

Carlos expressed that there cannot be prosperity in countries like Honduras if there is corruption constantly choking progress. He explained how ASJ has signed a ground-breaking anti-corruption agreement with the Honduran government and Transparency International. And he asked that as the U.S. considers providing more aid to Honduras and its neighbors, that it make sure to incorporate transparency and accountability measures into the aid.

After Carlos spoke, others continued sharing. Before long, the meeting was running over time — but it continued nonetheless.

When the meeting finally concluded, Obama took the time to shake each attendee’s hand. When he reached Carlos, Obama commended ASJ for its efforts in the anti-corruption agreement and expressed appreciation for Carlos’s recommendation that there be proper indicators incorporated in increased U.S. aid to Honduras.

With that, Obama shook a few more hands and was off to meet with other presidents and leaders of the nations that make up the Americas.

The opportunity for Carlos to share with Obama about the agreement was very important, though ASJ knew that the White House was already paying attention. In late January, Vice President Joe Biden wrote an op-ed in The New York Times in which he listed the agreement as a positive development for Honduras.

Beyond that, the agreement was mentioned in a March hearing of the US Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. And The Economist mentioned it in a recent article about Central America .

And while influential people around the world are talking about the agreement, if you ask Carlos why he’s excited about it, he’ll mention that, in part, it’s because the agreement is not being imposed on Honduras by a foreign government or organization. Rather, the agreement came out of talks between the Honduran government and Honduran civil society.

Carlos said that the U.S. is largely interested in Honduras because of the 18,000 unaccompanied children who fled from Honduras to the U.S. last year, largely driven by the high level of violence in Honduras — levels that are exasperated by corruption.

“Scant or none” is what Transparency International used to describe the openness of Honduras’ budget in their 2010 Open Budget Index. According to their 2014 Corruption Perceptions Index, Honduras ranks among the bottom third of the world’s most corrupt countries.

Carlos also sees the anti-corruption agreement as a way that ASJ can be proactive in identifying areas that are vulnerable to corruption, particularly in the practices of contracting and hiring. As the government opens up its records to ASJ, our investigators will be able to point to these areas and call on the government to fix them.

ASJ has worked for years to uncover corruption — especially in the education and health sectors — and we’re continuing in that work and in other corruption investigations. For example, recently, ASJ published a story ( in Spanish ) of how the head of a government agency helped hide $13.5 million in suspicious and mismanaged spending by a current vice-president during his time as mayor of the capital city.

This work has had a major impact in Honduras, but the anti-corruption agreement between ASJ, Transparency International, and the Honduran government stands to have the greatest impact yet. It also stands to impact powerful people who benefit from corruption. Indeed, the fight for a more transparent, less corrupt Honduras is a daunting challenge — but it’s one that ASJ staff are eager to accept.

Who would have known when ASJ started with a few people in a garage in 1998 that we’d one day be meeting with the president of the U.S. and being a leading voice in the fight against corruption and violence? Upon coming back from the Summit of the Americas, Carlos remarked how ASJ has also become a leader in discussions about security in the region through its work — work that requires ASJ staff to labor alongside poor Honduran families in some of the most violent parts of the world, while at the same time sharing from our experience with the president of the United States.

Facing The Giant Of Impunity

Fri, 30 Oct 2015 12:32:39 GMT

How ASJ is stepping up to a system that allows murderers to walk free

A recent ASJ (formerly known as AJS) study clearly demonstrates the importance of tackling the problem of impunity.

Using sample data, the study found that only four percent of homicide cases in Honduras end in a conviction. That means that when someone commits a murder, there is a 96 percent chance that they will get away without being convicted

When the study focused on just three of Honduras’ main cities, the results were more disturbing — 99 percent of homicides went without a conviction.

When people can literally get away with murder, imagine how the effects of that ripple through other aspects of life as well.

The fight to help Honduras improve its criminal justice system is a battle with several fronts.

To start with, the police force needs more equipment and more staff. Another ASJ study found that in one region of Honduras where a murder happened every two to three days, the police had only six detectives who cover every criminal case and their only vehicle was a single motorcycle. For victims of violent crime, justice has little chance when police lack resources and competence in their jobs.

Beyond these challenges lie others, including corruption and broken trust. The struggle is difficult, but many brave Hondurans are working together to make significant progress.

Fighting High-Level Corruption

When criminal organizations gain strength, they use that strength to threaten the police, judges, and others in the justice system. With a combination of threats and bribes, these criminals try their best to ensure that their drug trafficking, extortion, and other dirty business continues operating. With every success, the criminals gain more strength, leading to a vicious cycle of threats and bribery.

The challenge becomes how to break the cycle — how to reduce the justice system’s vulnerabilities to corruption so that criminals don’t continue weakening it and so that Hondurans can trust it for protection. Low-level corruption is simpler to fight, but the greater challenge is protecting against corruption at the top of the system. Because organized criminals are so powerful, it can be dangerous to take a stand against them — but, for ASJ, that’s our job.

Last year, ASJ signed a major anti-corruption agreement with the Honduran government and the organization Transparency International. Just how major? In January, Vice President Joe Biden mentioned it in an op-ed piece for The New York Times as an example of progress in Central America.

One of the five focus areas of the anti-corruption agreement is “security and justice.” Through the agreement, ASJ has access to an unprecedented amount of the Honduran government’s information and records that can be used to look for instances of corruption and weaknesses in the system that might open the way for corruption to take hold or grow.

The Honduran security minister has cooperated in this effort, disclosing to ASJ contracts relating to a wide range of topics, from bulletproof vests to new office buildings, plus information on the hiring and training of new police officers and information on the investigation and firing of corrupt police officers.

This anti-corruption agreement has the power to stop corruption at some of the highest levels of Honduras’ security and justice system.

Repairing Bridges of Broken Trust

Another area of progress in ASJ’s work is establishing trust between good police and Honduran citizens. When few murders result in justice, citizens stop trusting the justice system and refuse to provide information and testify in court. Thus, it’s very difficult for the already overwhelmed good investigators to find the witnesses they need to get a conviction.

ASJ’s investigation found that in three of Honduras’ main cities, only eight percent of homicides even led to the opening of a criminal investigation file.

ASJ is working hard in some of Honduras’ most dangerous communities to change this dynamic. With our teams of investigators, lawyers, and psychologists, ASJ works to build bridges of trust between the good police and the witnesses and victims whose testimony can lead to convictions.

ASJ’s approach has been highly effective, with our staff achieving an astonishing 95 percent conviction rate in homicide cases.

In 2015, the Honduran government began talks with ASJ about how the approaches from this program could be replicated in more neighborhoods.

In the big picture, there are indicators showing that Honduras is making progress. For example, Honduras’ national homicide rate has dropped to its lowest level in six years. It’s the second year the rate has dropped, after climbing since 2005 to have the highest rate in the world.

One defining characteristic of ASJ is that we always try to come up with solutions, not just point out problems. Our study on impunity received significant national and international attention, and now the public has important statistics that can be used to pressure officials. But beyond revealing the statistics, ASJ is committed to improving them. Through our efforts to root out corruption and bring justice to victims of violence, ASJ is standing up to the giant of impunity.

Honduran Test Scores Rising!

Fri, 30 Oct 2015 07:50:40 GMT

The Association for a More Just Society and its partners, who formed the alliance Let’s Transform Honduras (TH) saw the tragic results of this low-quality education. Drop-out levels were high, and even students that did graduate couldn’t compete for jobs with private school students, much less with students from other countries.

ASJ (formerly known as AJS) and its partners couldn’t remain silent. Starting almost four years ago, they began to investigate why Honduran education quality was so low. What they found was a system hijacked by political interests and powerful teacher unions who, in the words of Let’s Transform Honduras coordinator Blanca Munguia, “didn’t care about the future of Honduran children.”

TH’s study found that in one Honduran province 27% of teachers on the payroll were not in the classroom, and even teachers that were in the correct classroom were often not in classes for weeks on end, participating in politically motivated strikes. In fact, Honduran students were going to school three and a half months fewer than their North American counterparts. That means that by the time a student reaches 8th grade, he has missed four years of school compared to North American students!

After publicizing this information, TH sought out government authorities who were willing to work for change, but made little headway. Finally, in 2011 the president appointed a new Minister of Education, Marlon Escoto, who was willing to work with TH. He cracked down on striking teachers and required all teachers to register online to make sure they were in the correct classroom. TH contributed by training parent volunteers in schools across the country to make sure teachers and students were in the classroom.

Together, they helped Honduran schools get within three weeks of a US school year, and surpass the number of days required by Honduran law . As one of TH’s parent observers said, “The teachers haven’t skipped a day. My son told me ‘Mom! We haven’t been able to rest at all this year!”

And this transformation is already showing results. Honduran children have improved their Spanish scores by 10% and their math scores by 20% in the last three years!

This year, TH will monitor school days with continued support from the Minister of Education, who, in an unprecedented move, was just reappointed by Honduras’ new president.

Minister Escoto closes, “Something important is happening in our country right now. TH has had a continual commitment to education, and we have been able to join them.”

Stephanie Tells Traffickers: “I Won’t Be Silent!”

Thu, 29 Oct 2015 17:22:54 GMT

But, what really awaited Stephanie was hard physical labor from sunup to sundown, sexual abuse by her “boss,” and no paycheck.

Stephanie felt trapped, until one day a kind neighbor, who was suspicious about how Stephanie was being treated, helped her to escape from the house and took her to a children’s home.

That’s when ASJ (formerly known as AJS) got a call. The home’s staff knew that ASJ lawyers, investigators, and psychologists worked with authorities on particularly difficult cases of sexual abuse and trafficking, especially when survivors can’t pay for a lawyer themselves.

Soon, an ASJ psychologist, Ada, visited Stephanie in the children’s home, and when Stephanie was ready, Ada introduced an ASJ lawyer, Cristian.

Together with the team’s investigator, Joel, and the police detective assigned to the case, they put together enough evidence to get an arrest warrant issued.

The arrest of the woman who had brought Stephanie to Tegucigalpa was relatively easy, but her husband, who had sexually abused Stephanie, quickly went into hiding. Joel had to work overtime on stakeouts to finally catch the suspect on a busy street in Tegucigalpa.

Once he was arrested, it was Cristian’s turn to build up the case for the sexual abuse trial in May 2014. During the trial, the suspect pled guilty and was sentenced, much to the relief of Stephanie and her family. The trial for the woman charged with trafficking is scheduled for later this year.

In the meantime, Stephanie is back with her family, and, according to Ada, “She is doing great! And she is so happy to be back with her family.”

Ada added with a smile that Stephanie’s family has become advocates in their community to make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else. Stephanie’s dad told Ada, “Our neighbor’s daughter was invited to go to Tegucigalpa for a maid’s job. I told her to be really careful — that things often don’t work out as you think. And you know what? In the end, she didn’t go!”

When Stephanie was crying in her room, she never thought she would see justice. But thanks to her bravery and ASJ’s support, traffickers and abusers received a clear message: vulnerable people will not remain silent!

*Name changed and photo blurred to protect the individual’s privacy and security

Stopping Violence Before It Starts

Thu, 29 Oct 2015 17:22:21 GMT

A visit to any prison in Honduras will leave the faces of hundreds of young men burned in your memory. Their journeys to jail cells are as varied as their faces, but many have a couple of things in common. First, many are members of the gangs that have infiltrated much of Central America, and, second, many come from difficult family situations — everything from absent to abusive parents.

And these two things are related. The World Bank affirms that “children and youth who experience or observe violent behavior in the homes are more likely to engage in violent behavior themselves” — such as joining gangs.

The tragedy of violence in Honduras makes it imperative for us to find ways to stop the cycle of violence in families and the nation as a whole.

That is exactly what the Association for a More Just Society is doing. Through its “Strong Families” counseling program , ASJ (formerly known as AJS) psychologists and community workers bring together at-risk families to learn about how to communicate and discipline without violence. And the program is reaping results.

Last week, 49 families graduated from Strong Families, and their transformation is incredible.

Take Cesar Canales — he is a single dad raising his 10-year-old son Rolando. He admitted that before the training he “punished his son before he really knew what happened and … humiliated him in public.” He even admitted to getting violent at Rolando’s school once when he had a problem with Rolando’s teacher — just the kind of example that could make Rolando seek out violent solutions to problems in the future. But, thanks to a series of trainings and therapy with ASJ psychologists, Cesar discovered new ways to deal with conflicts with his son. “I learned to listen and to be patient with him,” Cesar said. “I’m now close to my son … I’m a friend to him.” Breaking cycles of violence in homes and in nations is not an easy task, and it won’t happen overnight, but in the faces of the 49 families who graduated last week, ASJ sees hope for a peaceful future.

From Dropout To Dreamer

Wed, 28 Oct 2015 21:05:34 GMT

Sayra’s story isn’t unique in Honduras, a country that suffers from high levels of violence and poverty. Young people like Sayra fear that their future won’t be any better than their parents’, but the staff of ASJ won’t accept that scenario.

A few months after her brother’s murder, a friend invited Sayra to an ASJ at-risk youth club . As she describes it, “At the club, we would always pray, hear and talk about a story with a lesson on values, and plan service projects in our community.” Every group is led by a mentor who lives in the community. Sayra’s mentor is Augustina, a middle-aged woman with a 3rd-grade education, and a lot of love and experience with youth. As Sayra puts it, “Augustina is great. She shows us how to respect others, and value ourselves.”

Last year, ASJ graduated 200 young people, including Sayra, from the clubs. Many have returned to school or vocational training, thanks to the support of ASJ mentors, and many more have found value and hope where before they saw only a dark future. As Sayra says, “We thought nobody cared about us—Augustina showed that wasn’t true.”

This year, ASJ will be working with 350 new young people. As the project coordinator Miriam Mondragon puts it, these kids are the “Highest at risk, in the riskiest parts of the riskiest neighborhoods.” An exciting addition this time around is that trained paralegals and counselors will provide psychological and legal advice to the teens and their families at home because just like Sayra many families are dealing with deep psychological and legal needs.

Now, Sayra, who is back in night school as a freshman in high school, is ready to give back. She and other volunteers who have received training from experienced mentors will soon work in teams with their own group. She acknowledges that it will be a challenge. “Sometimes I ask God, ‘Why me?’, but I know that through him, I can do all things.”

Sayra’s life was transformed, and now she will do her best to help transform the lives of other young people.

What Can We Learn From The Most Vulnerable?

Wed, 28 Oct 2015 21:04:59 GMT

By Elise Ditta, Director of Communications for ASJ-US

All of these things are realities for Clara* and her four children. When my coworker, lawyer Cristian Rivera, and I visited Clara in her two-room home, she described this last reality vividly as she recounted the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach when she caught her husband sexually abusing their 12-year-old daughter, Marta. She knew she couldn’t let the abuse continue, but she didn’t know where to turn. Poor Hondurans like Clara rarely look for help from police who too often act as criminals themselves. And Clara’s poverty made her extra vulnerable, Cristian notes, “In many cases, women won’t report their husbands because they are the ones supporting them financially.”

But Clara told us how she refused to give up, knowing she had to protect her daughter. She made her way to the Public Prosecutor’s office to report her husband. They took down her testimony but didn’t act, another too common result of a justice system where poor victims cannot afford to pay a lawyer to push the case forward.

But Clara and Marta found an ally in the Association for a More Just Society (ASJ, formerly known as AJS) . When Cristian and psychologist Ada Doblado heard about the case, they worked quickly to remove Marta from the home. Her father was still living there, and she was in danger. After taking this immediate step, ASJ worked with police detectives to gather forensic and witness evidence and obtained an arrest warrant. Marta’s father was convicted in June of last year and is now in prison.

Justice for people like Marta and Clara is rare in a country like Honduras, but ASJ victories in this case, and dozens like it, show that justice for vulnerable people is possible. I have seen over and over again that vulnerability does not mean cowardice. It just means that individuals don’t have access to the system of justice and security like many others do. My coworkers at ASJ act as the bridge to justice for many vulnerable but brave people who believe they deserve what we all deserve—our government’s protection from those who wish to harm us.

And Marta, despite the horrors she suffered, is excited to move forward, “I want to be a doctor!” she says, and then her little brother pipes up, “I want to be a lawyer!” This makes Clara and Christian laugh with delight. A delight that comes from months of working as a team of brave advocates so that Marta can hope again.

*Name changed to protect individual’s privacy and security.

Joel Writes A New Ending For His Story

Wed, 28 Oct 2015 20:36:35 GMT

So, in desperation, they came to an ASJ (formerly known as AJS) counseling center in their neighborhood for help. ASJ psychologist Ivin Oyuela did an evaluation of Joel and of his parents and found that Joel felt abandoned by his father, who worked as a farmer outside of Tegucigalpa. Joel’s parents also were not united in their discipline strategy for Joel and his two younger brothers, which gave Joel room to act out.

When Ivin helped Joel communicate to his parents that he felt abandoned, his dad took action and decided to take him out to the farm to work during school vacation. Ivin notes with a smile that this decision had two effects, “Joel felt closer to his dad, and also decided that he wanted to continue in school. He said being a farmer was really hard work!”

Ivin encouraged Joel’s parents to make other changes too—discussing their discipline strategies, and communicating with Joel’s teachers. Joel’s mother is now part of ASJ’s “Strong Families” group, a counseling program for parents and children that helps them to learn how to communicate openly and set healthy boundaries.

Ivin reports that Joel is now back in school, and has passed all the classes that he failed. But, she adds, the most rewarding part of cases like this is, “Not just seeing changes in the child, but seeing changes for the better in the whole family. Joel and his brothers are benefitting from their parents’ improved discipline techniques, and Joel’s parents are so relieved to see him doing well in school.”

Last year ASJ psychologists provided 300 families and individuals like Joel with the tools to change their stories for the better.

Brave Witnesses Achieve Justice

Wed, 28 Oct 2015 20:30:51 GMT

ASJ (formerly known as AJS) works with brave collaborators to achieve justice in a murder case.

A murder

As they gathered outside of the house where the party was taking place, Ronal quickly got bored with the game when the bullet did not fire, so he grabbed a young man walking down the street. Carlos knew this young man’s face too. His name was Nelson, and he worked as an errand runner at a customs business. He had a wife and two children. Carlos thought Ronal would just scare Nelson a bit with the gun for some fun. But before Nelson could even react Ronal said to him in a monotone voice, “Now it’s your turn to play” and shot him point-blank in the head. He died later that morning in the hospital.

Carlos was shocked and scared. He couldn’t believe what he had seen, but he, like all the other neighbors, was afraid to report the crime to the police. What if Ronal found out and killed him?

An answer

Although Carlos and his neighbors were afraid to report the crime to the police, one of their neighbors didn’t hesitate to call Luis Ortiz, an ASJ lawyer, who has worked in Barrio Verde for the last six years, along with a team of investigators and psychologists. The team makes sure crime victims can tell their story to honest cops , without fear of being found out by criminals, they help police detectives gather evidence and public prosecutors to put together their cases so that victims of violent crime get justice. The team also provides psychological care for victims so the trauma they experience doesn’t stop them from living their lives.

When Luis and the rest of the team heard about the murder, they sprang into action. Luis details, “We visited probably ten times the neighbors who might have seen the crime, trying to convince them to testify, but they were all too afraid of Ronal.” He adds, “We kept talking to our community informants, though, and finally, we found one brave witness.” That witness was Carlos.

The collaborators put the team in touch with Carlos, and the team’s psychologist Ixchel Romero convinced him to meet her at a fast-food restaurant outside of the community. She met with him multiple times to talk through the trauma he was feeling over what he had seen, and to prepare him to testify. According to Luis, “Carlos finally decided that it would be better for Ronal to be in prison than to be terrorizing the community.”

Eventually, Carlos felt ready to give his statement, and with it and other evidence, the court issued an arrest warrant for Ronal.

But the arrest was also a challenge, according to Luis, “Ronal was sleeping in a different house every night, and each time we found out where he was, he would disappear into the back streets of Barrio Verde.” Finally, though, the team organized an arrest operation on a day when community informants told them that Ronal had been injured from a fall while running from the police. This time the team and police made the arrest.

Honduran judicial process requires an initial trial to see if there is enough evidence to go to a full trial. On the day of the initial trial, Luis and the team told Carlos to pretend that he was going to work normally. Then the team picked him up from a neutral location, where they gave him a robe to disguise his identity, and a voice distorter to disguise his voice.

At the hearing, the judge ruled that there was enough evidence to hold Ronal over for trial.

In the final trial, Ronal admitted his guilt and was sentenced to prison, leaving Barrio Verde in peace. And Luis reports that “Carlos has not been threatened, no one knows who it was that testified.”

Nelson’s story is just one of many in Barrio Verde, where the murder rate has decreased by 75% in the last 8 years.

A New Step

Now, according to ASJ project coordinator Byron Zuniga, “We want to show people in two more of Tegucigalpa’s most violent neighborhoods that justice can be done.”

Byron explains that in these communities “a small of group of people, like Ronal, are terrorizing the rest of the community. People don’t dare to testify because they’re afraid of the police and of the criminals.”

But, with the help of new ASJ psychologists, investigators, and lawyers, “neighborhood residents are beginning to fight their fears and are working with us to find the criminals.” ASJ staff is currently mapping criminal activity in both communities and has already participated in the arrest of nine people accused of extortion, murder, and kidnapping. Byron also emphasizes, “33 people are also receiving care from our psychologists, as they work to heal from their trauma.”

Byron concludes, “We’re so thankful for brave people, like Carlos, who fight their fears to work with us. Together we’re working towards communities where no one gets away with crime.

*Name changed to protect individual’s privacy and security.

Emilio Gives Back

Wed, 28 Oct 2015 20:27:56 GMT

Beneath the darkening sky, 19-year-old Emilio Contreras kicks a soccer ball back and forth with a red-shirted little boy at the Association for a More Just Society’s community center.

Three years ago, he never imagined himself doing this. “Before ASJ (formerly known as AJS) started working here, there wasn’t anything good to do in our community.” Emilio, who lives with his father and six siblings in one of the poorest communities in Tegucigalpa spent most of his time at the neighborhood soccer field watching games.

But, one day an ASJ mentor invited Emilio to attend an at-risk youth Impact Club . The mentors meet weekly with a group of 20 young people at the community center to learn together about values, practice new skills like screen printing and cooking, and to plan and carry out service projects in the community.

Emilio says he has learned many things from the ASJ mentors but the biggest thing was “learning to value my life more, and to make goals for my future. I learned that my aspirations depended a lot on how much time and effort I was willing to put into them.”

Emilio is now putting these lessons into practice. He is in his last year of electrician training and spends most of his free time at the ASJ community center, helping out with the at-risk youth groups. He explains, “I wanted to be a volunteer with the groups because my mentors really helped me, and now I want to do the same for other young people.”

Emilio is one of several volunteers who have graduated from the youth clubs but now spend their time mentoring other young people in the clubs– encouraging them to stay in school, providing them opportunities to serve in their communities, and sometimes, just kicking a soccer ball around with them.

They, as Emilio put it, “Received, and now want to give back”, providing essential relationships for young people who often do not find support at home, and giving hope to the community.

A Reason For Hope

Wed, 28 Oct 2015 20:22:04 GMT

Sadly, this violence is emblematic of the struggles that currently confront Honduras. The country has been home to the world’s highest homicide rate since 2010, currently, more than 86 members of the country’s population will die by murder this year (by contrast, the rate in the U.S. is less than 5). In the midst of this violence, criminals are left largely unchecked. Corrupt officials, such as the police who murdered Carlos, benefit from the impunity that plagues the country.

Despite these challenges, hope is growing ever brighter, thanks to the Alliance for Peace and Justice , a group formed this past February with ASJ (formerly known as AJS) support. The Alliance brings together a diverse and influential group of Honduran organizations that includes ASJ, the local World Vision office, Catholic and Evangelical churches, Honduras’ largest labor union, one of the country´s largest trade-union federations, victims of violence, and other civil society members. Together, they’ve pledged to achieve comprehensive reforms to Honduras’ weak and often corrupt police force, prosecutors, and courts.

Already the Alliance for Peace and Justice has taken important steps in cases that are symbolic of Honduras’ violence and have garnered public interest. In the case of Aurora’s son, the Alliance has provided its expertise and good working relationship with honest government officials to track down corrupt police officers and press for their arrest. Similar efforts by the group also resulted in the indictment, in August, of a suspect in the death of Alfredo Landaverde, an important voice against police corruption who was assassinated in December 2011, and whose widow, Hilda Caldera, has become a staunch member of the Alliance. After the indictment, Caldera wrote to ASJ-supported advocates that “all this has been possible thanks to God and the support of a team that has fought for this result. If we had not worked together, we would have only had silence and disregard. I greatly appreciate what ASJ has done as a leader in this process.”

The Alliance’s larger goal is the comprehensive reform of Honduras’ public security sector, and efforts in this area have fruit. This past spring and summer, advocacy by the Alliance contributed to the installation and funding by the Government of a Commission for the Reform of Public Security, composed of respected international and local figures; this Commission has begun to consider reform initiatives. In the last month, the Alliance organized public forums on slapped-together proposal by the Honduran Congress to create a new elite militarized police force and a new oversight body for the court system. Influential Honduran and international experts attended, and significant press coverage helped convince congress to consider both proposals more thoroughly.

This month, an aggressive public campaign will commence, aired for free on Honduran’s major television outlets, encouraging all Hondurans to “put themselves in the shoes” of the victims of violence and to do something positive for peace and justice instead of waiting passively until they, too, are affected by the violence.

Alliance coordinator and lawyer Josue Murillo sums up the group’s goals: “I hope that every citizen actively joins this work of change and that as a result, the institutions of the state that relate to justice function efficiently, effectively, and in a coordinated manner. This is a collective effort that also requires solidarity and action form our brothers and sister to the north”—including ASJ supports in North America!

Karla Chooses Success

Wed, 28 Oct 2015 20:20:56 GMT

Fifteen-year-old Karla is a member of an ASJ (formerly known as AJS)-supported club for at-risk youth called Impact. She shared about her experiences with her mother, Karina, and ASJ-mentor Bestsabe by her side.

Justice For A Grieving Mother

Wed, 28 Oct 2015 20:15:58 GMT

Doña Raquel* is standing in her small kitchen trying to coax some of the seven grandchildren she cares for out from the bedroom. Finally, they peek around the curtain—all that separates it from the rest of the house—and join her. She touches the heads of two, a ten-year-old boy and a six-year-old girl. They were just toddlers, Raquel says softly, when in 2005 a neighbor, in a rage over a property dispute, attacked their mother—Raquel’s daughter Susan—with a machete, hacking her to death.

Most of Raquel’s neighbors distrust the police almost as deeply as they fear local criminals. They know prosecutors aren’t held accountable for getting convictions. Raquel, a single mother who worked as a cleaning woman at the time of Susan’s murder, couldn’t afford to hire a lawyer to pressure justice authorities to move the case forward.

The ASJ (formerly known as AJS)-supported Peace & Justice project works to resolve such problems by building trust between poor Hondurans and their justice system. A project investigator and lawyer work as liaisons between crime-survivors, trustworthy police officers, and public prosecutors. A psychologist helps survivors work through their trauma.

The project lawyer and investigator heard about Susan’s case through friends in the neighborhood. They spent days and nights accompanying police as they searched for the killer and gathered evidence. The psychologist worked with Raquel and other family members who were affected by the tragedy.

The killer evaded search parties and fled the city. But the case is still open, and in mid-October, Peace & Justice project lawyer Luis noted the staff had just received a new tip about his whereabouts. “We are committed to bringing the perpetrator to justice,” Luis said.

Six years later, the family still mourned Susan daily, but, says Raquel, “I was able to get out of bed and enjoy life.” Then, in November 2010, the unthinkable happened. One of Raquel’s sons, Felipe, was murdered.

Once again, the Peace & Justice project psychologist visited Raquel while the investigator gathered evidence. Through its network of collaborators, the team located two witnesses who saw the perpetrator force Felipe into his home. The key, though, was to find someone who had seen him drag Felipe’s corpse out of the home. For two months, no one came forward.

In January 2011, a group of Canadians and Americans on a vision-trip organized by ASJ visited Raquel. As the visit concluded, a member of the group prayed for Raquel’s family, specifically asking God to embolden a witness.

A few days later while Raquel was working in her garden, a neighbor approached and asked how she was doing. Raquel answered honestly: she was sad and frustrated that no one would testify in her son’s case. The neighbor paused for a moment, then said, “I think I can help you.” She had seen the killer removing Felipe’s body from his home, and was willing to testify as a protected witness, especially after hearing that the Peace & Justice project would provide extra protective measures. The additional testimony led to the killer’s arrest and a guilty sentence in the trial, which took place in November 2013.

The project psychologist, Karla, continues to counsel Raquel and her family. The ASJ staff, “has been wonderful” through the whole process, Raquel says. While the double tragedy Raquel has suffered can never be reversed, she has at least experienced a degree of closure that eludes many Hondurans in similar situations, thanks to the Peace & Justice project’s efforts to hold her children’s killers accountable through the justice system, and to provide counseling for her family.

*Names changed to protect beneficiaries’ safety and privacy.

Rescue Beneficiaries “Won’t Remain Silent” In The Face Of Abuse

Wed, 28 Oct 2015 20:15:02 GMT

Fifteen-year-old Ana* suffered in silence for nearly four years while an errand boy at her elementary school named Wilmer sexually abused her. Wilmer, in his early twenties, was an acquaintance of Ana’s mother Linda, and he walked her to and from school each day. Sadly, instead of bringing her safely from school to home, he often brought her to his house where he forced her to take her clothes off and touched her. Ana was terrified to tell her mother, Linda, about the abuse because Wilmer threatened her with violence, even making threatening signals to her during the school day. The abuse took an emotional toll on Ana; she did poorly in school and refused to take baths or do other things “that little girls like to do”, according to Linda.

One day, when Wilmer was briefly arrested for another charge, Ana finally got the courage to confess the abuse to Linda. Linda too, was afraid to bring charges, because Ana’s abuser sent gang members to threaten her against telling the police. As Linda notes “Everyone is afraid to denounce crime because they are afraid that they will do something to their families.”

Finally, though, Linda had had enough, and she went to an Association for a More Just Society (ASJ, formerly known as AJS) -supported Gideon counseling center in her neighborhood to ask for advice. When the Gideon psychologist heard her story she asked colleagues working with the ASJ-supported Rescue project to take over the case. The Rescue project bridges the gap of trust between the Honduran judicial system and sexual abuse survivors by seeking out trustworthy justice officials and taking measures to protect the survivor with psychological counseling and a protected witness program.

With the help of the Rescue lawyer and investigator, Linda and Ana pressed charges the same day they came to the Gideon Center. During the investigation, the Rescue team discovered that Ana’s aggressor had abused three other young girls at the school as well, and took on their cases. With the help of the Rescue team, the justice system worked for all four young survivors; in April 2010, a year after the Rescue project started with the cases, Wilmer was found guilty on all counts and will be behind bars for 30 years. Linda is very grateful for the legal and psychological support provided by ASJ saying “If ASJ hadn’t helped us, the case would still be in the Public Prosecutor’s Office. They help the process move along.”

Ana’s healing process took another large step when she, and 24 other survivors of sexual abuse, including the three other survivors of Wilmer’s abuse, participated in the first Rescue graduation in July. The graduates have completed the legal processes in their cases, and have also completed a two-year psychological counseling process with the Rescue psychologist. Rescue lawyer Ludim Ayala mentions that “All of the legal cases ended with condemnatory sentences, from 7 years to 30 years, and Rescue psychologist Ada Doblado adds, “All of these children are champions; they show us that we can overcome the problems in our lives.” Linda is a witness to the changes in Ana; she now likes to “dress-up like normal teenage girls” and will continue her high school studies soon.

The graduation which was called “Celebration of the Bravery of our Children” was aimed at rewarding the strength and bravery that the children showed during their two-year healing process. The Rescue team gave each child a diploma as a symbol of their achievement, in the presence of their family members and collaborators from the Honduran police which works closely with the Rescue project.

As Ludim notes, “For the members of the Rescue team and ASJ in general, this is a very important achievement because it confirms that God has done justice for these families”.

Alexis Castillo, coordinator of the Rescue project addressed the survivors and their families at the graduation saying that the process “has not finished; we have made a commitment to be collaborators with the system…so that other boys and girls benefit from justice…We will not remain silent”. This commitment from the Rescue team to make the system work for some of the most vulnerable members of Honduran society has achieved justice for 24 Honduran children who now are new collaborators with the Rescue team and Honduran justice system, promising to “not remain silent” in the face of abuse.

*Names changed to protect beneficiaries’ safety and privacy.

Ricky’s Transformation

Wed, 28 Oct 2015 20:11:56 GMT

Today 18-year-old Ricky works collecting bus fares on local buses, earning money to support his mother and two younger sisters. However, six months ago, he was in a juvenile detention center doing time for selling cocaine. He is one of many youths in Tegucigalpa that attribute the changes in his life to the Association for a More Just Society’s (ASJ, formerly known as AJS) Impact Clubs run by the ASJ-supported Gideon Project, saying “whenever I came to club they told me what I was doing was bad and that I needed to seek God. I asked God to get me out of drugs and he responded.”

Using a methodology developed in Romania, the club mentors meet with at-risk youth like Ricky every week. They tell a story that highlights a value, like respect or honesty, play teambuilding games, do a craft or other skill-building activity, and do service projects in the community. The club mentors show at-risk youth that they have other options besides life in the streets. More than 250 youths have responded to this message and are involved in the clubs.

On June 4 and 5 the Impact team hosted a camp for 136 of the Impact youth, which included a workshop on conflict resolution, team-building games, and of course, lots of time to play soccer.

One of the highlights of the camp was the visit of pastor Erwin Luna from Guatemala. Luna is a former gang member who shared his testimony of transformation with the youth, many, like Ricky, who are at high risk for becoming involved in gangs and drugs. After watching a documentary in which the work of Luna, who runs group homes for former gang members was featured, he told the young men and women “Life is not a joke. You need to take it seriously and live for Christ.”

Due to his recent experiences, Ricky took a special interest in what Luna had to say, and Luna noted that he and Ricky were able to share a conversation at the evening campfire about Ricky’s past and how he hopes to change in the future. Luna said, “I think he really took what I had to say to heart.”

Through weekly club meetings, and special events such as the recent camp, the ASJ-supported Impact Clubs are having real success in empowering Honduran youth to transform their lives.

Luis Makes His Voice Heard

Wed, 28 Oct 2015 20:10:54 GMT

To address such problems, in 2004 the Honduran Congress, aided by a team of ASJ lawyers, drafted a new law allowing the government to take over (or to use the legal term, “expropriate”) neighborhoods where multiple people had filed conflicting ownership claims. Once expropriated, residents can pay into a trust fund overseen by the government and receive indisputably valid land titles. Competing claims to ownership of the once-bare, now-populated field or mountainside are sorted out in court, and if any are found to be legitimate, the owners are compensated for their loss with money the current residents paid into the trust fund.

A title provides emotional and financial security for poor Honduran homeowners. With a title, they know that no one can take their land away from them, because they have legal proof of ownership. Land is often a poor family’s most valuable asset; a title “unlocks” this asset, allowing it to be used as collateral on a loan to start a small business or to do home improvements.

In 2005, Luis Enrique was excited. The government had just expropriated his neighborhood, Villa Linda—titles were sure to follow soon. But things quickly went sour. In an election-season rush, the government expropriated scores of neighborhoods without doing the requisite research beforehand. In Luis Enrique’s community, there were not competing claims to ownership—just one legitimate owner, a bank called Banhprovi, which had already proven that Luis Enrique and his neighbors had moved onto its land without permission. Now the bank wanted them to pay it directly, instead of going through the roundabout trust-fund process. The courts sided with the bank, leaving the neighborhood in a legal catch-22.

The new law didn’t provide any way for neighborhood residents to appeal court decisions, but it did stipulate that neighborhood residents could not start any other land ownership process, for example, by paying the owner directly, since the neighborhood had already been taken over by the government. As ASJ Land Rights educator Anajansi puts it, “The community was completely paralyzed.”

The ASJ Land Rights team had already been working with Luis Enrique’s neighborhood, and 9 others with the same problem, since the government had taken over their land, training groups of citizens in “ Land Rights Committees ” to advocate for their communities as they work towards land ownership. Josie, a lawyer on the team, also accompanied neighborhood members to meetings with government officials and helped them to read complicated legal documents about their situation.

In addition, the plight of these neighborhoods was one of ten points for change that the Land Rights team repeatedly pushed with officials at the Property Institute (the government agency overseeing land titling). As Josie says, “Whenever we would have a meeting, we asked what was happening with these neighborhoods and how the Property Institute was going to respond. We kept reminding them that these neighborhoods had nowhere to turn.”

In February 2012, as if in answer to Luis’ letter, and the team’s pressure, the President issued a decree that overrules the court orders that had brought the titling process to a standstill in Luis’ neighborhood and 9 others; the bank would still get paid, it would just have to go through the process outlined in the law. Josie stresses how important this decree is, saying, “They’ll have legal security for their land. Now they’ll be able to get a title when before they were hopeless.”

It would have been nearly impossible for the communities to advocate for themselves, says Josie, without the support of the Land Rights team. “They have to wade through so much legal jargon and visit so many government offices, it would have been difficult for them to understand their situation on their own,” she says.

But, with the support of the Land Rights staff people like Luis Enrique were able to make their voices heard so that he, along with 160 other families in his neighborhood, and residents of 9 other neighborhoods will be able to obtain their land titles and the security that they provide.

Land Rights Committees Partner For Change In First Joint Training

Wed, 28 Oct 2015 20:09:09 GMT

The ASJ-supported Land Rights team has been empowering poor urban residents to obtain their land titles for the last 6 years through trainings and legal help, and the team has contributed to the hand-over of 60,000 titles. Now the project has moved to a new level; with the support and training of the Land Rights Team neighborhood residents who have already received their land titles have formed Land Rights Committees in order to accompany other neighborhoods in obtaining land titles through trainings and advocacy activities.

On the third and fourth of September, all the Land Committees met in a workshop held by the Land Rights team. A central goal of this workshop was to measure the comprehension of the land titling process of the Land Rights Committees. The Land Rights team had given the eight committees four class sessions previously, each about a specific step in the titling process, so the members were ready for the exams.

“We want the committees to be self-sustainable,” said Gilda Espinal, Lawyer and Coordinator of the Land Project. “In order to be self-sustainable, we need to find out what areas we especially need to teach the committee members more about.”

During the break between exams, the attendees presented short plays about the application and the abuse of the Property Law. Each was followed by comments by the other participants. One play described a property dispute that was not resolved by the correct proceedings, but through bribes that were given to several corrupt officials. It appeared that the participants were all too familiar hearing this type of plot.

Kevin, a member of a Land Committee near San Pedro Sula, stated that he has already learned a lot from the workshops provided by the Land Project. “A year ago, when I began as president of the neighborhood council, I didn’t know anything. Not one part of the Property Law. I didn’t know what I was doing,” Kevin spoke, shaking his head. “Look at me now! I have learned a ton, and I am participating in a Land Committee!”

When the time to say goodbye arrived, the attendees felt encouraged, speaking with the firmness that comes from shared experience. “This was not a business meeting,” said one attendee to the group. “This was a meeting of brothers and sisters that want to improve their communities. It is good to work with each other.”

A Life-Changing Property Title

Wed, 28 Oct 2015 20:08:05 GMT

Until recently, though, one thing hadn’t changed: despite having built their community with government permission, Flor residents found it nearly impossible to get valid property titles. Government apathy, a local strongman who (falsely) claimed to own acres of the land Flor was built on, and miles of red tape all stood in the way.

Flor del Campo is still a poor community. Still, improvements in its infrastructure and Bienvenida’s home-improvement investments make her property worth far more than it was when she first moved in. But all that wealth was in effect locked up in the ground. Without a title, no bank would give Bienvenida a loan.

Meanwhile, the ancient roof beams of Bienvenida’s house were rotting away, but she had no money to replace them.

New Hope for Bienvenida

Thankfully, before Bienvenida’s roof could cave in, a new Property Law, advocated for and in large part proposed by the Association for a More Just Society (ASJ, formerly known as AJS)’s Honduran partner organization, ASJ, was passed and put into action.

The Property Law established a procedure enabling Bienvenida to receive a reliable, government-issued property title at a cost similar to what it would have been had the government had their act together back when the land was settled.

Having been one of the first people to settle Flor del Campo, Bienvenida now became one of the first people there to receive a valid title from the government. On October 17, 2005, she received the title she had waited 25 years for. Just a few days later, with title in hand, she went to the bank, which was now more than happy to loan her 10,0000 lempiras (US$525) with her home as the guarantee.

Now Bienvenida has a shiny corrugated aluminum roof resting on sturdy steel beams, a nearly paid off loan—and certainty that she’ll have something to pass on to her children. “I feel like I finally have something that’s really mine,” Bienvenida told me. “I’ve got something to pass on to my daughters; no one can try to kick me off this land anymore.”

ASJ Helps Thousands Get Titles

Since the Property Law was put into action, some 30,000 families have received titles. These are great victories—but they don’t mean the Land Rights Team’s work is over.

A number of studies carried out by the Land Rights Project in recent years have revealed dozens of irregularities in the way the government has implemented the Property Law. Many beneficiaries of the law are in the dark regarding the law’s details, and the government has done little to educate them. So ASJ has taken the lead in educating scores of community leaders about the basics of the Property Law and pressuring land officials to do their jobs right.

With God’s blessing and your continued prayers and support, ASJ will help ensure that thousands more Hondurans receive land titles—and a “new lease on life.”

Every 27 Hours ALAC Receives A Corruption Report

Wed, 28 Oct 2015 20:04:55 GMT

Three mothers came to the new ASJ (formerly known as AJS)-supported Advocacy and Legal Advice Center (ALAC) feeling hopeful, but frightened. The center, the product of a new partnership between Transparency International , an international anti-corruption coalition, and ASJ* has a small staff of lawyers and assistants who document corruption cases, report them to the proper authorities, and push these authorities to take action. There are more than 50 ALAC around the world.

The women came from a poor neighborhood in Tegucigalpa seeking help to stand up to a corrupt public school principal. According to the women, eight years ago, the principal started asking parents for their hard-earned money to paint classrooms, buy school supplies, and finance special school events. But the classrooms were never painted, the school supplies were never bought, and the events never happened. The parents, many living below the poverty line, saw the school principal shamelessly stealing their money while they scraped by. When they worked up the courage to confront the principal, she challenged them, saying, “Report me if you want, but this is my school!” They later discovered the reason for her brazenness: she is good friends with her boss, the district director, and knew that she would not be touched by disciplinary action.

The mothers finally went to the Honduran Secretary of Education, seeking help, and the Secretary of Education directed them to the ALAC where they confessed to the center’s director, Ludim Ayala, that they were scared that the principal would take revenge against their children if they reported her. While almost all the parents were outraged, the mothers said, most were too scared to even sign a letter denouncing the principal.

Ludim typed up the case summary and sent it to the Special Prosecutor for Corruption, and when Ludim called a week later, the Secretary of Education’s district director had already gone to visit the school, coming back with a report claiming that finances were normal.

Although Ludim was happy to see action, she recognized that since the district director is a friend of the principal, things probably had not changed. So, she, with the help of the mothers, convinced 24 parents to sign a letter, demanding that the case be looked into further, noting that they were “sick of the situation” and ready for positive changes at the school they’d helped to build with their own hands. Ludim hopes that the letter and pressure from the ALAC will make higher-level education authorities get involved in the case.

The ALAC anti-corruption office opened its doors just a month ago, but it’s already received 14 cases, with people traveling from over four hours away to denounce corruption. Ludim adds hopefully, “Other ALAC around the world have made big changes, even catalyzing the creation of new laws. We can do that too if we unite to denounce corruption.”

**Asociación para una Sociedad más Justa is ASJ-U.S.’s partner organization in Honduras, in charge of implementing the programs that we help to support

Gossip Can Be Poisonous

Wed, 28 Oct 2015 20:03:32 GMT

Every day, when Lourdes so much as ventured outside her home, her neighbors started rumors and accused her of looking for other men. They even called up her husband in the United States to tell him their false stories about Lourdes’ supposed infidelities. Lourdes’ husband had great trust in his wife and didn’t believe the neighbors; he told her to simply ignore the spiteful comments. But each mean-spirited word ate away at her more.

“She stopped eating, taking care of her children, going to church—all the things that used to fill her life with joy,” commented Narzaria Romero, a psychologist who works for the ASJ (formerly known as AJS)-supported Gideon Project. When Lourdes arrived at the Gideon Center she was struggling with deep depression and had attempted suicide.

“I began realizing that the damage being done to my life was too much,” said Lourdes. “I wouldn’t even leave my room for fear of having my neighbors hear me!” With the steady help of Gideon counselors, Lourdes through each therapy session began to work toward regaining her self-worth and seeing the truth behind her neighbors’ false accusations.

“Leaving my house isn’t a problem anymore,” she says with a smile. Her neighbors noticed a difference in her attitude and ceased their belligerent behavior once seeing it no longer kept her down. Now, she confidently waves a morning greeting and they simply return the gesture.

Thanks to the support of the Gideon Project, women like Lourdes are regaining their sense of self-worth, thus becoming empowered to make their neighborhoods better places.

Soccer Tournament: Mentors For At-Risk Youth Say “¡Sí Se Puede!”

Wed, 28 Oct 2015 20:01:12 GMT

This particular morning the mentors were hosting a soccer tournament for the youth. However, the mentors encourage them not only in soccer matches but also in their lives, investing in them so that they know that they have options besides spending idle days on the street. Impact Clubs use a methodology developed by a group of youth workers in Romania. It involves four main pillars: value and spiritual formation, skill development, and community service projects.

There are eight clubs in four Tegucigalpa neighborhoods that meet weekly. Gideon Center mentors lead them in a story, games, service projects, and of course, a game of soccer.

As a group of boys who were waiting for their turn to play gathered around, two of them, Darwin (18) and Jonathan (17) said proudly that they were both taking classes; Darwin wants to be an engineer, and Jonathan wants to work with computers. They were hesitant to describe what they were like before joining the club, but eventually said that they spent most of their time on the street with friends “who weren’t up to good things.”

When asked why they hung out on the street, with bad company, Darwin thought for a moment and said, “I think it’s because we thought nobody cared about us. But now we know that our mentors care about us, so we behave better.”

Nazaria, the project coordinator, notes that before coming to Impact Club most of the boys were highly vulnerable to joining gangs because they did not have support networks that encouraged them to participate in more positive activities.

Although it’s still a challenge to work with the boys, Nazaria is excited about the progress they’ve seen. She says the boys are beginning to understand that they can study, serve their community, have fun in healthy ways, and eventually work instead of being on the streets.

The soccer tournament that the mentors hosted was just one example of the kinds of possibilities the club opens up for these young people. Sandra, one of the project’s mentors, noted that the boys often think people from other neighborhoods are rivals to be hated—but this tournament showed the boys that they can play with youth from other neighborhoods without conflict.

153 youths from four neighborhoods participated in the tournament; each neighborhood wore a different color shirt and mentors and young women in the Impact Clubs cheered on the sidelines.

The teams enjoyed playing on a beautiful field, with referees in a Tegucigalpa park; this was an exciting opportunity in itself because the boys usually play pick-up games on dusty streets.

As she observed the teams eat their morning snack, Sandra ended by describing the hope she sees in the members of the Impact Clubs, “We love these boys a lot, they are difficult sometimes, but we love them. One time a woman asked me ‘You work with those good-for-nothings, don’t you?’ and I said ‘Excuse me, but they are not good-for-nothings.’ We know that they have problems, but we also see a lot of possibility in them.”

Thanks to the support of mentors like Nazaria and Sandra, the members of the Impact Club are beginning to see the possibility in themselves.

A Mother And Son, Reunited

Wed, 28 Oct 2015 19:59:29 GMT

Marta, who has few financial resources and no family in the area, tearfully explained her situation to a neighbor. The neighbor had benefitted from both the legal and counseling services provided at the Gideon Center in their neighborhood and encouraged Marta to seek help there. Marta, who didn’t even dream of affording a private lawyer, had one at her service just days later: she’d gone to the Gideon Center, paid a symbolic fee equal to about one U.S. dollar, and been welcomed into the staff lawyer’s office.

According to Jenny, the lawyer, the “easiest way” to resolve the situation would have been to press charges in court, demanding that police remove Emilio from his grandmother’s home. But Jenny and her colleagues at the Gideon Center do not take the easy way out; they make every effort to mediate agreements that are positive for everyone involved. After hearing Marta’s story, Jenny asked Alonso to come talk with her about the case.

A week later Alonso showed up for his appointment, and Jenny explained that his infirm mother was not the right person to care for little Emilio. They also talked about how traumatic it would be for Emilio and his grandmother to go through a forcible removal. The point hit home. Alonso agreed to take Emilio to the Gideon Center the following week for further mediation. And at that, Alonso and Marta agreed that Emilio would live with Marta, and Alonso would pay 1,500 Lempiras (about $80) in monthly child support.

Now both parents understand their rights and responsibilities—which, as Jenny says, is one of the Gideon Center’s main goals: “We seek to raise awareness among the beneficiaries that they need to respect the law and that there are laws that protect them.”

While the custody conflict has been sorted out, its emotional toll on little Emilio is still felt. The toddler “has been manipulated and has been through many family conflicts,” says Jenny. Counselors from the Gideon Center are helping Emilio and Marta work through that, too, so that together they can understand how to manage Emilio’s behavior and heal his emotional wounds.

5,495 Families Receive Land Titles

Wed, 28 Oct 2015 19:57:35 GMT

730 titles went to families from Altos del Paraíso, a neighborhood perched high on Tegucigalpa’s northeastern rim. The titles open up a plethora of new possibilities for the residents, including access to loans for home-improvement and for starting small businesses.

Juana Trejo, president of Altos del Paraíso’s neighborhood association, said “landlords” claiming to own the entire area had threatened residents for the last 18 years. But now, title in hand, Juana is no longer afraid. “For me, the land title is security that my family has a secure place to live. No one is going to come by and kick us out all of the sudden,” she says.

Increasing Security In A Precarious Place

Wed, 28 Oct 2015 19:56:51 GMT

When the road doesn’t go any higher, you’ll have reached Gerson’s [pronounce “Hair-son”] house. It’s built on one of the few relatively flat pieces of ground here in Tegucigalpa ‘s Villa Cristina neighborhood. But until recently, living there was in some ways just as precarious as living in nearby houses that keep an unsteady grip on sheer cliff faces.

The reason: Gerson had no legal title to the lot his home is built on.

“I’ve lived here since this neighborhood was settled 28 years ago,” says Gerson, who is not much older. “And we’ve been fighting to get title to our land all this time.”

Part of the problem was that no one knew who the previous owner was. “Some people said it was the city government. Others said it was doña Cristina [a member of Tegucigalpa ‘s elite]. We didn’t know who to believe, and we were afraid that if we paid someone for our title, it might end up being the wrong person and that money would just disappear.”

A Property Law passed by Honduras’ congress in 2004—thanks in part to ASJ (formerly known as AJS)-sponsored advocacy—set up a system to finally get clear, valid titles for Gerson and his neighbors. Under the law, the government expropriated all of the property in the Villa Cristina, then began selling valid, affordably priced titles to the residents. If in-depth investigations showed doña Cristina’s ownership claims to be true, she would be repaid for the expropriated land.

But that didn’t solve Gerson and his neighbors’ problems completely. Under the new law, residents must pay not only for their own lots but also for a portion of their neighborhood’s public spaces, such as community centers, soccer courts, and green spaces.

The problem was, according to the pricing setup slapped together by government officials who did little to consult Villa Cristina residents on the matter, many people were being charged more for the public spaces than for their own plots.

Residents complained that they had been better off buying titles from the dodgy doña Cristina—while the legitimacy of her ownership of the neighborhood’s land was doubtful, at least she charged less!

Complaints about the high title prices set by the government weren’t just empty bickering. Many Villa Cristina residents, especially those who live even higher up the mountainside than Gerson in houses reached only by steep staircases and paths, survive by scavenging in Tegucigalpa ‘s nearby municipal dump. Paying just for their titles would already be hard enough without the overblown public spaces fee.

“It seemed like all was lost, and we would be stuck paying this exaggerated price,” says Gerson. “But ASJ turned that all around.”

The ASJ Land Rights team has been teaching communities about the Property Law, accompanying and backing them up in the titling process, and keeping on eye on government officials in charge of implementing the law since it was passed.

When ASJ Land Rights lawyer Gilda (pronounce “Hilda”) and educator Ericka heard about the situation in the Villa Cristina, they set up a meeting with community leaders and government officials that resulted in the government lowering the price to a more affordable level.

Gerson and his family now rest easier knowing their land is incontrovertibly theirs. And now even their poorest neighbors have a better chance of getting their own titles too.

Resurrecting Hope

Wed, 28 Oct 2015 19:54:25 GMT

Sandra*, the youngest of 11 children, grew up in a remote mountain settlement several hours and many miles of rough 4×4 track away from Tegucigalpa. Her parents, for reasons unknown, never saw fit to send her to school. When Sandra was 11, her father began sexually abusing her. Soon two older brothers also began to habitually rape her. Because of her home’s remote location and because she did not go to school, Sandra knew few people outside her family. Who might be able to help her, or when her torment might end, seemed to be questions with no answers.

After over two years of abuse, Sandra told an older sister who no longer lived with her parents about the abuse she was suffering. The sister reported what was happening to the Justice of the Peace in the nearest town, who in turn reported the situation to the Office of Public Prosecution’s Children’s division. Prosecutors from this division wanted to help. But their agency was short on money and vehicles—they would not be able to rescue Sandra without help.

Thankfully, help was available. The office of Prosecution for Crimes Involving Children had built up a close relationship with ASJ (formerly known as AJS)-supported justice workers who had helped the government do justice for numerous children who had survived physical and sexual abuse. When the prosecutor assigned to Sandra’s case told ASJ-supported lawyer Luís about her dilemma, he responded immediately.

“I couldn’t bear to sleep even one night without taking action, knowing that this girl could be abused again,” he recalls.

Luís requested emergency funds to rent a car, and that same evening he accompanied government officials to Sandra’s village, where they found her staying with her older sister. Both Sandra and her sister were happy for her to be taken to live in a group home.

In Tegucigalpa, an ASJ-supported psychologist met several times with Sandra to help her deal with the emotional damage done to her during years of abuse. Psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers at the group home also helped her heal.

While Sandra was now safe from harm, her predatory father and brothers were still on the loose. Sandra believed they were beginning to sexually abuse one of her young nieces, who spent a lot of time at her parents’ home.

Luís accompanied Sandra to appointments with forensic medical examiners and psychologists who would write reports that would serve as key evidence later on, and accompanied her when she gave a report to the police of how her family members had abused her. When arrest warrants were issued, ASJ funds helped cover the cost of transporting police to Sandra’s remote village to take her father and brothers into custody.

Thanks to the involvement of ASJ justice workers in Sandra’s case, the younger of the two brothers who violated her has been convicted and sent to a juvenile rehabilitation center; the older brother is in prison awaiting trial; and the father is under house arrest, also awaiting trial.

Justice is being done.

Perhaps most importantly, after years in which Sandra retreated ever further inside herself in an attempt to block out the abuse continually committed against her body and her soul, she is once again engaging the world.

On a recent visit with Luís, the ASJ-supported lawyer, Sandra beamed as she talked about learning to read in school, learning to bake and sew through vocational training classes, and going to parks and to the movies and camping and on walks with the girls at her group home. Not all her family members were abusive: she misses many of them but has great hope that her father and older brother will also be convicted—thus making it safe for her to return home.

Through the intervention of ASJ-supported justice workers, God has resurrected hope in Sandra’s life.

*Name changed to protect individual’s privacy and security.

A Look At Challenges And Solutions For Honduras’ Children

Tue, 13 Oct 2015 11:20:44 GMT

Since October 2013, more than 50,000 unaccompanied children have arrived at the U.S. border, with more coming from Honduras than any other country. The number of Honduran children that have arrived so far is 15-times higher than it was three years ago. We talked to Carlos Hernández, one of ASJ (formerly known as AJS)-Honduras’ founders, to listen to some of his thoughts on this issue.

How is this increase in unaccompanied children arriving at the U.S. border related to the work of ASJ in Honduras?

The Peace and Justice Project works to reduce criminal impunity. When punishments are enforced, security will improve because victims will know that criminals who commit a crime in a poor neighborhood will be arrested. This contributes to a safer society, which is important for children.

Let’s Transform Honduras works to support an education system that’s efficient, effective, and transparent. If we have an education system where the children go to school each day, where they have good teachers and a proper learning environment, children will not be as pressured to leave. Additionally, we work for a healthcare system that provides quality medications and care. Better access to healthcare means families can have a more supportive living environment for their children to grow up in. This type of work is directly linked to immigration.

I could keep going, for example, by talking about Rescue, which provides support to young victims of sexual abuse by offering psychological counseling and seeking justice for them in the legal system. I could talk about our neighborhood legal and psychological services, our youth groups , our investigative journalism website , and more. So much of what we do relates to this issue of child immigration because the issues that lead to migration are largely the issues we are working to fix.

When you look at where in Honduras migration rates are lower, you’ll see it’s in places that are safer, where the homicide rates are lower, and where there are functioning schools – even though the people there may still be poor. It’s like a home. If there is no peace in my home, no one can live there.

For ASJ, our task is to work toward better systems for the poorest, for the most vulnerable.

We understand that there are a number of factors that lead to unaccompanied children coming to the U.S., but there’s been a particularly high amount of attention paid to the violence that these children experience in Honduras from gangs and other criminals. How does violence affect the children of Honduras?

CH: There isn’t security and safety here, and that’s in a large part because there’s so much corruption and because the justice system has been infiltrated by organized crime. This leads to widespread impunity, where criminals are not punished for their crimes.

And who does this crime hurt the most? The poorest Hondurans – those who use public services, who live in dangerous neighborhoods without protection from the police.

Clearly, security and safety are among a number of causes for why children are leaving Honduras. Parents want to protect their children from violence, and they are willing to pay a great amount for that security.

Family is very important for Hondurans and their love for their children is very strong. They know that if their children make the trip to the U.S., those children might be abused along the way — but parents still send their children. A parent that does that must be living in a very bad situation.

For Christians, how can our faith inform our understanding of this issue?

CH: As Christians, we must stand up for children, who are so important to God. We must understand this current crisis, offer support, and also encourage the U.S. Government to respect the rights of these children who have come to the border.

In the U.S. and in Honduras, we have to work so that governments design policies that particularly focus on the well-being of children and youth Christians can be very good at responding in emergencies – by giving food and clothes to kids – and that’s very good, but it often doesn’t fix the problem.

As we consider the issue of immigration, we must examine the factors that lead to immigration, not just the crises that emerge from it. For example, if millions of dollars were not lost annually to corruption in Honduras, there might have been opportunities to care for the needs of children here.

What is your hope for the future for Honduran children?

CH: In the short term, the future is uncertain. For the children who are sent back from the U.S., the conditions will be the same as when they left. They’ll be frustrated, disheartened, abused. It’s hard. If we remain indifferent, the current situation will grow and continue, and it will become an even bigger issue not just for us Hondurans but also for North Americans.

But I still believe that there is hope. The church in Honduras is taking on a more active role. And I believe that the situation can be changed if Christians in Honduras and outside of Honduras take on a different attitude, standing up for children around the world.

The crisis of unaccompanied minors arriving at the U.S. border is an issue that directly relates to situations children face in Honduras. As such, we’ll do our best to continue to share how ASJ’s work in Honduras relates to the situation in the U.S.

“Don’t Trade Your Backpack For A Baby”

Fri, 25 Sep 2015 13:39:46 GMT

The schoolyard rings with the laughter of children as volunteers pin a sign on the wall – “Don’t Trade your Backpack for a Baby,” it reads, the motto of a campaign against teen pregnancy.

Other volunteers lead the children in silly songs and dances, and from the perspective of the schoolyard, it’s hard to tell that this community is one of the poorest, most violent, and most dangerous areas of Tegucigalpa.

“There are a lot of good things and a lot of bad things in this world,” Noe shrugs, “we have to learn to choose.”

Impact Club volunteers silence the school children and launch into a skit that, in an age-appropriate way, shows a girl rebuffing the advance of an untrustworthy man.

“Get out of here!” the volunteer shouts, “You don’t respect me or my body.”

Gift Of God

Mon, 21 Sep 2015 17:40:09 GMT

Justice is a daily struggle for many of the families that ASJ (formerly known as AJS) works with.

In the community of La Cantera, rival gangs rack up their respective body counts vying for territory, while families who struggle for basic essentials — like access to water — make the most of whatever is available to them.

Lourdes and her husband live in this community with their six children. For years, they’ve used an old refrigerator flipped on its side to store water for bathing and washing their clothes. When water was scarce, the family simply had to forgo washing.

“I never thought we’d have a real pila,” said Lourdes, referring to the concrete water reservoirs common in Honduras for families to collect rainwater or city water — which is only rarely turned on in this community.

Lourdes’ neighborhood has essentially been neglected by government services. The houses are partially constructed of scavenged construction materials cobbled together.

Far more precarious than the houses in the community are the lives of the children growing up in them. That’s why ASJ’s Impact Clubs are crucial to breaking the cycles of injustice happening in this community.

The clubs specifically target the most at-risk youth in the community and use a specially-designed curriculum to deal with the difficult daily realities these youth face — from domestic violence, to pressure from gangs to sexual abuse, and more. The clubs offer hope and new opportunities for these youth and teach them to be community leaders.

“The Impact Clubs help so much — if [children] don’t participate in them, here there are many bad influences,” Lourdes said . “Children can get involved in drugs, and the girls in prostitution.”

Impact Clubs also provide individualized psychological attention — plus legal attention, when needed.

Lourdes, who recently got her first job cleaning schools and parks, is also a graduate of ASJ’s Strong Families Program, which teaches parents and children how to build stronger, healthier family bonds — bonds that are particularly important when violence and other threats are a constant presence.

This summer, Lourdes received an unexpected blessing through her relationship with ASJ.

A Canadian group called Carpenteros and Friends asked ASJ to use our personal relationships with community members to find families most in need of home improvement projects. Forty families were identified as being especially in need of projects.

Knowing about the living situation for Lourdes’ family and their difficulty storing water, ASJ worked with the Carpenteros support to construct a pila for the family — a pila with the words “gift of God” painted on its front.

“We give thanks to God,” Lourdes said. “Because with my pila and its washboard, I can wash peacefully, my children can have clean clothes, and that’s why I wrote on my pila that it is a “gift of God” because God sent His angels to help me.”

ASJ’s objective is to ensure that laws and systems in Honduras work properly to do justice for the poor and vulnerable. Our work fighting for justice in some of Honduras’ most dangerous communities has opened up relationships and given us unique knowledge regarding the challenges facing families in these communities.

We’re grateful to be able to partner with other organizations like the Carpenteros and Friends.

ASJ’ Work Is “Unparallelled” Says Human Rights Lawyer

Tue, 01 Sep 2015 19:47:57 GMT

In the early 2000s, after she’d become a law professor at Pepperdine University Law School, Boyd was searching for groups doing similar brave work with which she could connect her students. That’s when she found the Association for a More Just Society (ASJ).

Now as a partner in her own firm, ASJ is grateful for Boyd’s continued support. She gives financially and is assisting in the case against Honduras to the Inter-American Commission for Human Rights for the assassination of Dionisio Diaz Garcia, a labor rights attorney at ASJ.

And she’ll continue that support noting that only together and with God’s guidance can we “fight the good fight to persevere” in the pursuit of justice.

“The more I learned about ASJ … the more I was struck and impressed by the work it was doing…in one of the most difficult places in the world to be a human rights activist. … Very few groups can navigate fighting political corruption at the top echelons of government, at the same time addressing root issues stemming from the culture of poverty within the very communities.” -Lee Boyd

Finding Hope In The Face Of Corruption

Fri, 31 Jul 2015 12:50:13 GMT

Demanding Justice in the Streets

On warm summer evenings in Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras, dusk falls and the sun dips low to silhouette the large hills surrounding the city — hills scattered with homes of the city’s poorer residents. The darker it gets, the more pronounced becomes the dancing constellation of orange lights on the city streets.

Elevating the flickering lights on bamboo torches above their heads, tens of thousands of Hondurans have gathered for weekly “torch marches” this summer. In cities across the country, they gather and make resolute-yet-peaceful demands for justice in response to corruption.

A figurative spark that led to these literal flames began with a scandal in the Honduran Social Security Institute, which runs a system of public hospitals and healthcare. In-depth investigations, including several carried out by ASJ (formerly known as AJS) staff, uncovered a corruption network led by the institute’s former director that had pilfered hundreds of millions of dollars from its coffers — leading to the deaths of Hondurans who were deprived of proper health care.

When the corruption came to light in 2013, ASJ was brought in to provide support and make sure the case continued to move forward. Last spring, ASJ published a report detailing the extent of the corruption and the names of some of the individuals involved.

In recent months, more details of corruption scandals have been revealed. The most egregious finding for many Hondurans is that a portion of the money stolen from the Social Security Institute helped fund the election campaign of the current president.

This was the boiling point for many Hondurans who could no longer sit on the sidelines as the scourge of corruption took its toll on their families and neighbors.

Courageous Love, Contagious Hope

With new passion and energy among Hondurans, there is an exciting sense of hope in the air. It is exciting to see God moving so visibly in Honduras — giving people conviction that things can change and that their involvement matters.

Politicians and officials are now facing a public that demands action and accountability, and in the last few months, new charges have been brought against corrupt individuals on both sides of the political aisle.

ASJ continues to speak out in the media, frequently and fearlessly revealing the corrupt acts of the powerful. But, our increased profile has led to verbal attacks from those threatened by what we reveal. Still, ASJ staff holds firm to the promise that no matter how our enemies respond, God is on the side of justice and wants us to stand there with Him. ASJ will continue to expose wrongdoing and to push for anti-corruption measures that will keep it from happening in the first place.

The tens of thousands of Hondurans demonstrating in the streets represent lights pushing back against the darkness of corruption and present an important opportunity for reform in Honduras.

In that sense, ASJ has carried a figurative torch for 17 years and will continue to do so for years to come . We will continue to do our best to live as Christians with courageous love and contagious hope — the kind of hope that can transform a country.

Meet An ASJ Supporter: James

Fri, 29 May 2015 12:54:30 GMT

ASJ (formerly known as AJS) is an organization dedicated to being brave Christians in the face of injustice.

Bravery takes many forms, and giving away two-thirds of your money certainly qualifies as one — it’s also what nine-year-old James Baldwin did to support ASJ.

The stories of ASJ staff standing up to powerful wrong-doers left a strong impression on James when he attended an ASJ event in Grand Rapids. After he returned home, he got out his wallet, gathered $50 from it, and told his parents that he would like ASJ to use that money.

“It was kind of hard to do,” James said, with characteristic thoughtfulness and sincerity.

“But you want the money to be where the Hondurans are and where they are having bad things happen.”

James’ father, Peter Baldwin, remarked that James’ donation reflected the generous spirit that James’ great grandmother had modeled for her family. ASJ has seen that same spirit also demonstrated by Peter, who supports ASJ alongside his son.

By giving away two-thirds of all the money he had, James made a sacrificial gift that became a meaningful reminder to our Honduran staff of the fearless love and commitment to justice that many ASJ supporters like James also share.

Return Of The IPIO

Sun, 29 Mar 2015 19:10:41 GMT

Imagine being told that your house is no longer yours — even if the city had told you it was; even if your family had lived there for years; even if you paid for the land.

During their most recent visit, a group of U.S. lawyers working with ASJ met members of a Honduran community where that was the reality.

Meeting in a contested home in the neighborhood of Villanueva, the community members told the lawyers how a powerful woman named Reina had claimed a vast portion of the neighborhood’s land as her own, stealing money and land from residents. Roberto, a handicapped man who walks with a homemade cane fashioned from plastic piping and scraps of rubber, serves as the president of a community land rights council organized by ASJ and told of how Reina had him put in jail for standing up to her.

Some of the community residents had been forced out of their homes and then had their homes destroyed. That was the case for a single mother in the community named Adriana, who paid both the city government and Reina for the land, despite already living on it. Although Adriana made both payments and received a deed from the city, Reina knew that Adriana was still legally vulnerable without a land title. Reina went on to sell Adriana’s land to another person, who forcibly removed Adriana, destroyed her house, and built a fancy home on the land.

Not only was Adriana’s eviction unjust, it was also illegal, according to a 2004 law, which was supported by ASJ and passed by the Honduran government. Yet the Property Institute — the government agency tasked with titling land — has been ineffective in implementing the law.

The group of visiting US lawyers came with the intention of helping ASJ (formerly known as AJS) to investigate and monitor reforms in the Property Institute. It was the third trip in the past 18 months for the group, which is known as the International Property Institute Observatory (IPIO).

The 2004 law was passed to protect families in disputed lands from being evicted from their own homes by more powerful individuals. It was an important victory in protecting poor Honduran families, but in the years since its passage the Property Institute has been burdened by inefficiency and corruption to the point that the law is not enforced, and many families still live with the fear that their homes will be taken from them. It has taken the Property Institute 10 years to issue the amount of titles it should be able to issue in one year, and despite having an increased budget, the Property Institute grew less efficient in titling properties. At its 2012 rate, it would take the institute 177 years to title the country’s urban properties.

The IPIO, which is also collaborating with the organization Partners Worldwide, has been a helpful ally to ASJ by learning from the needs of poor communities in Honduras and then holding meetings with top Honduran government officials to seek reform and hold the Property Institute accountable.

Faced with external pressure, the Property Institute is trying to repair its system, and progress has been made. To help monitor this progress, ASJ developed an index of 10 indicators, which we’ll use to keep the institute publicly accountable. During the most recent visit of the IPIO, the Honduran president’s cabinet secretary held a public signing at the president’s office building for an agreement between ASJ, the IPIO, and the Honduran government. The agreement expressed the government’s intent to cooperate in the use of the index.

Additionally, new measures to combat corruption in the Property Institute and the accompaniment of a high-level official in the visit to Villanueva were new, encouraging developments in the IPIO’s most recent visit.

Still, a great deal of work remains to be done. Just the week before the IPIO’s visit, ASJ was invited to participate in the revelation that one local branch of the Property Institute had been caught participating in 466 crimes, including aiding in money laundering for drug traffickers. In addition, the fight continues for land rights and restitution in the community of Villanueva.

As one member of the IPIO said in the meeting with Villanueva residents, “We’ve come before to support you, we are here now, and we will come again.”

Indeed, the IPIO and ASJ will continue working alongside the members of this community, and we will continue helping to reform the Property Institute, in order to improve land rights across the entire country.

We will toil together, remembering the words that one woman from Villanueva told the IPIO as they concluded the meeting, “May God’s blessings fall on you, and together we’ll continue fighting for justice.”

ASJ Uncovers Medications Left To Expire

Fri, 30 Jan 2015 13:15:17 GMT

ASJ (formerly known as AJS) investigations have brought to light another intolerable waste of money by the Honduran government in its management of the public health system — this time, it was letting $1 million worth of medications for HIV patients expire in the government-run warehouse.

In 2011, the Honduran government made an odd procurement: it increased the purchased amount of two antiretroviral drugs for HIV patients by more than 300 percent compared to other recent annual purchases.

If the drugs were properly distributed for use, this may not have been a bad thing — but they weren’t. A total of $2.19 million worth of medications were ordered in 2011. By March of last year, 47 percent of that purchase expired unused in a government warehouse.

As many Hondurans go neglected and under-treated by the government’s problematic health system, such waste is infuriating and inexcusable.

By investigating and publishing the findings through our Spanish-language journalism website, ASJ publically called out a well-connected Honduran politician (currently serving in the national congress as a member of the ruling National Party) who was acting as the minister of health during the time of the purchase.

Pushing past officials who simply pointed fingers or dodged quests, ASJ investigators fought to get their hands on government records that could tell the truth. When the ministry of health claimed that the medications expired because they were confiscated by the attorney general, ASJ dug up records that caught the ministry in its own lie.

ASJ continues to investigate this case and others in the public health system to expose corruption and seek justice. Among the cases that ASJ has been helping to observe and assist with are those of a high-profile scandal involving the former head of the social security institute who embezzled $200 million of public funds.

As ASJ investigators uncovered more about this specific HIV medication case, they also brought attention to additional irregularities — such as a former governor (now congressperson) who made $3 million of “donations” of HIV treatment medications to two hospitals.

Open Medicines:

To help track and compare the purchase of medications mentioned in this article, our journalism team used an open, online, interactive database that they developed themselves. The database is called Medicamentos Abiertos (Open Medicines), and is designed for journalists, watchdogs, and citizens to help keep the government accountable.

You can check it out for yourself here (in Spanish) .

More than 22,500 Honduras are HIV positive. Despite comprising only 17 percent of the population of Central America, Honduras accounts for 60 percent of the region’s HIV cases. With the stakes so high and the need so strong, waste and incompetence are unacceptable. Additionally, last summer, HIV/AIDS victim advocates in Honduras accused the government of still distributing the expired medications.

Backstory

Five years ago, ASJ began investigating corruption in the purchase and distribution of medicine in Honduras’ public health care system. Among the findings of these investigations was that the government was purchasing medications at a price markup of 1,000 percent.

It’s estimated that the government wasted about $95 million in overpayments for the health system for items like ambulances, IT equipment, medical equipment, and travel expenses. One example is that of hospital beds that were worth about $5,000 and were being bought for $54,000.

Additionally, about $85,000 worth of theft occurred in the government warehouse from 2011-2012.

Poor quality and counterfeit medicine were also being distributed for use to citizens. After hearing about a popular heart pressure medication that was proving ineffective, ASJ helped discover that the medication was essentially composed of chalk dust and that government officials were being bribed to fake test results for the medication.

Through investigations, legal cases, and advocacy campaigns — ASJ has helped spur reforms in the government health system. ASJ helped prosecute 13 individuals for their involvement in these abuses of power — including the former minister of health and the director of the government warehouse.

Seeking justice requires more than just pointing to and punishing wrongs; it also requires pursuing solutions. ASJ worked with officials to improve their systems in order to help prevent the continuation of corruption. ASJ’s actions led to improvements in the government warehouse, which a recent inspection by ASJ and the United Nations found to be still in place. Additionally, the United Nations is now helping to coordinate the purchase of medication in Honduras, with ASJ acting as an observer in the process.

The View From The Last Page

Mon, 29 Dec 2014 19:12:13 GMT

By Rick Bandstra, Volunteer Executive Director, Association for a More Just Society

Some years draw to a close like a good book — you knew the end was coming but part of you doesn’t want to let it go just yet. Perhaps the book even shaped you in some way, and parts of it will continue to echo in your thoughts for years. And so, to no one’s surprise, 2014 comes to a close, but it remains a year that will stick with me and ASJ (formerly known as AJS) staff for a long time to come.

Here is just a selection of what made 2014 special:

Anti-Corruption: In what will likely lead to ASJ’s greatest impact yet, the president of Honduras signed a first-of-its-kind anti-corruption agreement with ASJ and Transparency International.
Education: Major advances have occurred for the 1.5 million students in Honduras’ public education system. The strides forward include higher test scores (a 20 percent jump in math), reaching 200 days of class, and impressive improvements in a new United Nations study.
Peace and Justice: The homicide rate in Honduras, which was the highest in the world, is expected to fall by about 20 percent. Our anti-corruption and anti-violence work has played a significant role in this process.
Land Rights: ASJ launched an index that holds the government accountable for reforms that protect poor families from having their homes taken from them.
Health: ASJ investigations revealed corruption in government purchasing of medications , resulting in six officials being arrested. The UN is now helping to handle purchases, with ASJ providing oversight in the process.

In addition to all this, nearly a hundred families graduated from our family training programs, and hundreds more at-risk youth participated in our specially-designed youth groups. Our lawyers, investigators and psychologists helped achieve 14 convictions in cases of violence and dozens more cases are in process.

Outside of Honduras, our work grabbed attention in the media, and publications with articles featuring ASJ ranged from the Calvin College Spark to the New York Times .

But all of this is not to say that 2014 didn’t come without pain and grief as well. Indeed, we would hardly be following Christ’s example if it didn’t. We grieved with families in our programs who lost loved ones to violence, with those whose homes had been snatched away, with those who were victims of sexual abuse, with those who worried about their children’s future, and with those who suffer under the weight of corruption and violence.

And so, through the excitement and the tears, we hold on to hope — a hope that, no matter what the year brings, compels us to continue following the One who proclaims liberty to the captives and the oppressed, who proclaimes good news to the poor, and who proclaims the year of the Lord’s favor.

Thank you for being a part of this work and a part of the work that’s to come.

Rick Bandstra

Volunteer Executive Director, Association for a More Just Society

U.N. Education Study Finds Dramatic Gains In Honduras

Thu, 18 Dec 2014 12:48:32 GMT

Once again, the payoff from ASJ’s (formerly known as AJS) work in fighting corruption in the education system has been reinforced with study results — this time from the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

A study released on Dec. 4, 2014, not only found that Honduras is no longer in last place in the study of 15 Latin American countries, but that it had actually jumped up several places — up to 10th place for third-grade scores. This is a major accomplishment and represents the first time that Honduras has seen a positive result compared to previous measures in an assessment of this type.

Honduras struggles in a number of ways, most recognizably as the country with the highest homicide rate in the world. In the midst of the violence, poverty, and corruption that exist in Honduras, dramatic increases in the quality of education are particularly encouraging.

Seeing greater improvements for third graders compared to older students shows further evidence that the reforms over the last few years have had a great impact since younger students are most affected by these reforms.

This recent UNESCO report reinforces other assessments that have found exciting improvements over the last few years, as seen in the graph to the right.

Reports like these keep us giving thanks to God for helping to improve access to education for Honduran children, and they give us further motivation and energy in our work. We also have to give thanks to our supporters around the world and volunteers here in Honduras.

Loving At All Costs

Wed, 10 Dec 2014 12:37:21 GMT

By ASJ’s Director of Communications, Evan Trowbridge

Crumpled paper balls were glued together to form a flower on the barren cinderblock wall. Their pink and green hues were faded from baking for a year in San Pedro Sula’s harsh sun. Scribed across the top of the page was a teacher’s signature and the word “excelente.” At the bottom of the page was a young girl’s name. That name and this art project were among the last reminders of the family that once lived in this house.

The gang that forced the family out of their home was the infamous Mara Salvatrucha, one of the two most powerful gangs in Honduras. Investigators from the organization I work with — the Association for a More Just Society (ASJ, formerly known as AJS) — and a team of police were with us as we tread about this ground that felt simultaneously cursed and sacred.

“Why did the gang force them to leave?” we asked.

The police said it could have been for several reasons: most likely, not letting their children join the gang or not paying extortion to the gang.

This is life in Rivera Hernandez, the most dangerous region of San Pedro Sula — the city with the world’s highest homicide rate. For years, ASJ has been working in dangerous neighborhoods of Honduras’ capital city, Tegucigalpa, and, this year, we started working in San Pedro Sula in response to the violence there.

Over the course of the morning, we navigated the muddy roads that crisscrossed Rivera Hernandez. It was 94 degrees and muggy. Our pickup truck passed through the wisps of smoke emerging from piles of burning trash, and a congregation of tadpoles raced alongside us through the stagnant water pooling on the berm of the road. I lost count of the number of abandoned homes we passed. I know that there were about a thousand in the area. Several times, we pulled to a stop and climbed out to enter these skeletal structures. Gone were the windows, doors, roof, or anything else that could be of value to scrap collectors. Where a toilet used to be, drops of water continue to escape from a plugged pipe, collecting in puddles on the floor.

The atrocities of the gangs that control Rivera Hernandez are well-reported in international media. Fueled by the flagrant trafficking of drugs through Honduras and virtually unfettered by local police, the gangs battle viciously for territory. To help fund their operations they force residents in the areas they control to pay extortion fees; to help fill their ranks, they force children of the neighborhood to join them. Don’t comply, and you’re forced to relinquish your home — or worse.

The job of ASJ staff that were with me that morning is to end the impunity that allows murderers and gangs to prosper in San Pedro Sula and, specifically, Rivera Hernandez. ASJ staff will use their highly-honed skills to go after the most strategic culprits in Rivera Hernandez. Through this work, they aim to build trust in the community and with good Honduran police and authorities to build a functioning and efficient law-enforcement system to protect Hondurans.

Spending time with the ASJ investigators that morning, I was struck by their courage and conviction. Tucked behind the violet dress shirt of the investigator driving us, I could see the bullet-proof vest he kept on his seat. Before coming to ASJ he had worked on homicide investigations for the San Pedro Sula police.

“Which job was more dangerous?” my coworker, Jill, asked him.

“This one,” he replied.

“Are you married?”

“Yes.”

“What does your wife think of this job?”

Our truck moves slowly down the bumpy road. Instead of answering in words, the investigator presses his palms together and lifts them in front of his face. “Prayer” is his answer to the question.

Later, when I was trying to process what I saw that morning, I turned to the Gospel of Matthew to where Jesus sends out the 12 apostles. The to-do list he gives them is daunting, as is his warning of the danger they will face. Christ tells them that they are going out as sheep in the midst of wolves.

I recall the bedroom of one abandoned house we saw. I remember how the dripping streaks of paint dried below the graffiti adorning the bedroom wall: “MS-13” — short for the Mara Salvatrucha gang. Among the rubble and trash spilled across on the floor were family photos, a shoe, a shower cap, a textbook — relics of what was once a home.

Be as wise as serpents and innocent as doves, Christ told the disciples. It’s pretty clear that following Christ is serious business. It was serious for the disciples, and it’s serious for the ASJ staff I met that morning in Rivera Hernandez.

Christ had more words for his disciples: have no fear of those who stand against you.

For the disciples, for ASJ staff, and for all Christians, through Christ, we are free from fear. We are free — in Rivera Hernandez or anywhere else — to love at all costs.

This piece first appeared on the blog Shared Justice under the title “When Gang Violence Reigns: A First Hand Account from Honduras”.

Government Medicine Making Hondurans Sicker

Thu, 30 Oct 2014 07:53:00 GMT

And it seems like little has changed today. According to government regulations, every lot of medicine bought by the government should be analyzed to make sure it is safe and effective.

However, the Association for a More Just Society (ASJ, formerly known as AJS) investigators exposed that only 35% of medication bought by the Ministry of Health, or one in three medicines, are analyzed.

This means that approximately 7 million Hondurans are vulnerable to tainted and ineffective medications every time they go to the hospital.

As ASJ lawyer Ludim Ayala says, “This is not acceptable. The Honduran government is playing with the lives of the Honduran people.”

ASJ is committed to working with the government to change this.

The first step ASJ took was to expose how pharmaceutical companies and the government often work together to hide low-quality medication and steal good quality medication for a profit .

Because of these investigations, six people have been arrested and other cases are in the works. ASJ is showing that committing corruption has consequences!

And now ASJ is reaching for change at the top levels of government. In January the new Honduran president promised ASJ complete access to documents and staff at the Ministry of Health so that ASJ investigators and lawyers can make sure that the government is buying quality medications and that medicines stay on the shelves.

For the first time in decades, there is hope for change in the Honduran health system, and for the millions of Hondurans whose lives depend on it!

Justice At Last

Wed, 29 Oct 2014 19:30:42 GMT

But Santiago’s power in the community has put “roadblocks all along the way” according to ASJ attorney Cristian Rivera. He described their suspicions that Santiago bribed judges throughout the court proceedings, and threatened and paid off witnesses to testify in his favor (ASJ anti-corruption lawyers are investigating these charges).

What Santiago didn’t count on was the tenacity of ASJ staff who helped the Public Prosecutor assigned to the case gather evidence with countless visits to the town where the abuses took place, 45 minutes away from ASJ’ headquarters in Tegucigalpa. ASJ staff also played a key role in helping the victim and witnesses feel ready to testify through psychological support and legal advice.

In March 2014, the case finally went to trial. The 19-year-old victim who would be testifying in this trial was scared, but she told Cristian “I’m going to testify, even if no one believes me!”

The victim had no reason to worry. Her lucid testimony and the testimonies of other witnesses and experts made it clear to the judges that Santiago was guilty. He was sentenced guilty unanimously by the three-judge panel.

Cristian is thankful for the support that so many people provided in this case saying, “It was a difficult fight, but we, along with the authorities, the victims and witnesses, and our supporters around the world made this possible. Justice was finally done.”

What Makes Josue’s Story Different?

Tue, 28 Oct 2014 19:35:42 GMT

The exchange of Josue’s life for $350 was incomprehensible for Josue’s friends and family. Eighteen-year-old Josue had been finishing up high school in the evenings so that he could help his family with their small corner store. He ran errands for his parents on his motorcycle every day and picked up his little sister from school faithfully at noon.

Josue’s parents saw little hope for justice in Josue’s case; in 2012 the Honduran Attorney General admitted that only 20% of homicide cases were even investigated. But Josue’s mother, Carla, knew the importance of justice.

“I want justice because just as my son was killed by these culprits, they could also leave other parents without children and children without parents,” she said.

A Glimmer of Hope

When Association for a More Just Society (ASJ, formerly known as AJS) investigators and lawyers heard about the case, they were more optimistic.

They help Honduran government detectives and prosecutors fills in gaps, both in expertise and resources, in order to achieve justice for mourning families.

Forty-eight hours after the June 2013 murder, they already had security camera footage from a nearby business identifying witnesses in the case, and soon the ASJ investigator got in touch with the witnesses to see if they’d be willing to testify.

Like in many cases in Honduras, the witnesses were afraid of reprisals for speaking up. But, when the ASJ investigator told them about the protected witness program that ASJ had pioneered in Honduras, they decided to take the brave step of testifying.

A Break in the Case

The next step was to get higher quality video images from city-owned cameras in the area. With the help of a video editor, the ASJ investigator was able to identify the car and motorcycle that were following Josue shortly before the murder. They decided to focus on finding the car; it was easy to identify because it had a big “H” on the hood.

But, in a city where more than 450,000 cars are on the road on any given day, finding the car would be like finding a needle in a haystack. The team needed another clue — and that clue came in an unlikely form.

One day, the ASJ investigator was working on another case, when he spotted two young men at a bus stop who he knew sold stolen goods.

He pulled over, leaned out the window of his pick-up, and struck up a conversation. Eventually, the investigator asked the young men,

“Hey, I’m looking for a cheap motorcycle. Any idea where I could get one?”

“You get us $350, we’ll get you a motorcycle,” the young men replied.

“Have you two heard anything about a Yamaha that they killed a guy for?”

“Oh yeah, we know the guys who did that.”

“Really? Do you know whose white car they used to do it?”

“Yeah, that car belongs to Joel. He has a cell phone shop.”

“You want to show me where the cell phone shop is? Then we can get some dinner.”

The two young men got in the car and showed the investigator exactly where the business was.

The Investigation Heats Up

With a strong lead, the investigator now had to get a visual on the suspect to see if he matched the shooter in the video.

He and his police detective colleague decided to dress up as political campaigners and knocked on the door at Joel’s house in order to get his full name and a close-up photo. He matched the images in the video, and now the investigators had enough evidence to get an arrest warrant for Joel.

After hours of surveillance, in October 2013, the Honduran police, accompanied by the ASJ investigator, arrested Joel for Josue’s murder and the robbery of his motorcycle.

In the initial hearing later that month, the ASJ lawyer helped the public prosecutor use video evidence to prove probable cause.

ASJ coordinator Byron Zuniga said, “Using video in the trial was groundbreaking. We don’t know of another case in Honduras where the video was used as evidence to reach a judicial decision.”

Now Joel is awaiting his final trial.

A Recipe for Success

With Josue’s killer in prison, his family rests more easily. And even though justice won’t bring their son back, they know this is one step in preventing other families from the pain of losing a child to violence.

Why is ASJ able to follow through on such cases with success while the Honduran justice system continues to be ineffective, only investigating 20 percent of murders that occur? Of course, there are differences in financial resources — ASJ staff have more resources to carry out their work. But the more fundamental reasons for success have to do with creative investigation techniques and attitude changes — which ASJ investigators and lawyers are teaching to government detectives and prosecutors.

It’s easy to identify the following characteristics that have come to define ASJ staff.

First, they are innovative. They don’t just rely on evidence from the crime scene. They use things like a protected witness program and security cameras to get the best evidence possible.

Second, they build relationships to get good testimony. They have a network of more than 70 collaborators that will call them at the first news of a crime.

Third, they are persistent. They’re willing to dig through all the evidence they can, building a case piece by piece to see justice done.

And finally, and maybe most importantly, as one of the ASJ lawyers said, “We look at the victims and their families as people.” The staff don’t solely look at them as another case to solve but spend time with them and employ psychologists who make sure the family is healing from the trauma. When the investigators and lawyers see the victims as people, they are passionate about seeking justice.

This recipe for success has helped the ASJ staff solve more than 70 cases and prevent countless more. They are bringing hope to Honduran people like Josue’s family that justice can be done!

Big News: Honduran Government Agrees To ASJ Monitoring

Fri, 10 Oct 2014 18:24:34 GMT

ASJ (formerly known as AJS), Honduran gov’t, and Transparency International sign a groundbreaking anti-corruption agreement

The Honduran president and ASJ’s Carlos Hernández stood up together in front of the room. A black table had been brought out and placed between them and the crowd made up of reporters, dignitaries, and justice advocates gathered together in the reception hall of the presidential office building.

Joined by Transparency International Chair Huguette Labelle*, the two men approached the table. All eyes were on them. Waiting on the table for their signatures were the papers of an unprecedented agreement between the Honduran government, Transparency International, and ASJ — a commitment to fighting the rampant corruption that has overtaken Honduras.

The agreement — which was signed on Monday, Oct. 6 — is of major importance to a variety of people.

To drug traffickers, shady businesspersons, dubious politicians, underhanded officials , and others who depend on corruption to do their business, the agreement is a significant blow and a threat. For many of them, they choose to do business in Honduras because of the corruption and impunity that exist.
To poor and vulnerable people in Honduras, this agreement is a sign of hope. As corrupt individuals have grown rich from practicing misdeeds, many Hondurans continue to go without services that the government should be providing, such as proper healthcare, education, and infrastructure. The agreement received a high volume of coverage from Honduras’ largest newspapers, TV stations, and radio programs — an indication of public interest in ending corruption.
To Transparency International (TI) — an international organization working through chapters in more than 100 countries, including ASJ in Honduras — this is the first time that the organization has signed an agreement with a government to monitor a country’s anti-corruption efforts. In the past, any agreement of this type would be signed by the TI chapter and not TI itself. Having TI — a well-respected, international organization — as a signatory adds extra weight to the agreement.
To the Honduran president , Juan Orlando Hernández, the agreement is both a chance to send a strong anti-corruption message and a significant political risk. While he stands to gain popular support by painting himself as tough on corruption, the opposite may occur if public reports end up showing poor progress. The agreement is also the first time the Honduran government has formulated a public anti-corruption plan without heavy outside pressure. Additionally, serious progress against corruption in Honduras can help change perceptions of the country on the international stage.
To ASJ , the agreement is the next step forward in our anti-corruption work in Honduras. The government will open their books to ASJ, and we’ll monitor and report on the government’s progress in combatting corruption. We’ve done a number of investigations and reports on corruption in the government, but being the official monitor of a government anti-corruption campaign backed by the Honduran president, that’s an altogether new — and exciting — role. Our role as a monitor is a recognition of ASJ as an influential and trusted organization in Honduras. This role can potentially have a broader impact on Honduras than anything else ASJ has done up until now.

The commitment — referred to as the Collaboration and Good Faith Agreement — focuses on five areas for focusing anti-corruption efforts: health, education, security and justice, infrastructure projects, and tax administration.

The agreement can be traced back to a crazy thought that popped into the head of Carlos Hernández — the president of the board of ASJ-Honduras — during the 2013 presidential election in Honduras: what if we asked the new president to make an anti-corruption plan, and ASJ and TI were to monitor and report on progress. Now, about one year later, that crazy thought is a reality.

“This agreement has the potential to change the lives of Hondurans. But we have to work together to make this a reality.” – Huguette Labelle, Chair of Transparency International

After the public signing of the agreement, we didn’t waste any time in getting to work. That same afternoon, ASJ met with the attorney general, the president of Congress, and 14 of the country’s 15 Supreme Court justices to talk about next steps.

ASJ staff members continue to channel our excitement about this agreement into action. We’re beginning the process of monitoring and assessing the government’s progress on its anti-corruption efforts, and, starting in 2015, we will publish reports for the public every three months.

There are certain to be many challenges ahead as we take on this exciting role, but we know that we can embrace this role with boldness and good courage. We can look to the examples throughout the Bible and the history of people who God called to stand up bravely up for justice and speak truth to power.

We’re also encouraged by those who have been a part of our work for justice through praying for ASJ and supporting us financially. This support helps make our anti-corruption and anti-violence work possible.

Once again, ASJ has been given an opportunity to live out our mission to be brave Christians.

For a personal perspective on this agreement, check out this short interview with Cristabel Parchment, a long-time ASJ-Honduras board member:

Media Coverage

Below are two samples of coverage from major Honduran media outlets (both in Spanish):

Honduras firma acuerdo para combatir corrupción (Honduras signs agreement to combat corruption) — La Prensa

Popular morning talk show (Frente a Frente) interviewing ASJ-Honduras Board President Carlos Hernández and Transparency International Chair Huguette Labelle (below)

For more on the agreement, check out this page on Transparency International’s website .

You can find out more about ASJ’s anti-corruption work with the following links:

*Since the signing, Huguette Labelle’s term as chair has ended.

ASJ Defends Family Homes With Index, Lawyer Partnership

Fri, 19 Sep 2014 11:24:39 GMT

ASJ’s (formerly known as AJS) land rights work is advancing in new ways through an index to measure reforms in the government property agency and a partnership with lawyers from the U.S.

The Honduran government agency in charge of titling properties is failing at its job, dramatically.

ASJ has been working on land rights in Honduras since our early days as an organization. Many poor families in Honduras lack the proper titles for the land that their families have lived on, in some cases, for decades. Without these titles, poor families run the risk of being forced off their land by unscrupulous individuals who assert unjust claims of ownership.

That’s what happened to Mariana Izaguirre. We’ll get to her case a bit later, though.

In September, ASJ launched a new initiative in our fight for land rights for poor Honduran families.

The Property Institute Oversight Index (PIO Index) is a tool developed by ASJ to measure improvements in the Property Institute — Honduras’ property titling agency.

The Property Institute has become fraught with corruption and ineptitude, as ASJ helped reveal through investigations earlier this year. But the government has shown initiative in reforming the Property Institute, including firing its board of directors. The PIO Index was developed so that ASJ can monitor the government’s reform efforts against a set of indicators, thus providing important public accountability.

To throw some extra weight behind this effort, ASJ is working with a group of lawyers who are volunteering their efforts through Partners Worldwide . In English, they’re known as the International Property Rights Observatory (IPIO).

The group traveled to Honduras in September, to help launch the index.

During their visit, the IPIO met with Honduran officials, business leaders, lawyers, development experts, and U.S. embassy officials. But most importantly, they went to a community threatened by land seizures.

Escaping the strong Central American sun in the shade of a local church sanctuary, the IPIO met with community members to understand how the Property Institute’s ineffectiveness impacted them.

That’s where they met Mariana Izaguirre.

Mariana is a mother of five children, who lived in her home in a poor neighborhood for 30 years. She received an official document from the government for her home, and she paid taxes for it. But that didn’t protect Mariana and her physically-disabled daughter from being forced off their land and having their house destroyed when a powerful landowner, who also wanted Mariana’s land, decided to make some money by selling it. Five years since then, all that’s left of Mariana’s home is an empty lot in a poor neighborhood.

ASJ also invited journalists and public officials to come to meet with Mariana and the community members. The media came and shared Mariana’s story; the public officials were nowhere to be seen.

What happened to Mariana occurred, in part, because of numerous errors done by government officials.

ASJ has long helped people like Mariana and has trained others on how to secure the rights to their land. Right now, given the dysfunctional state of the Property Institute, it’s particularly important for ASJ to provide healthy pressure and proper assistance to the government in order to reform the Property Institute and protect the homes of poor families in Honduras.

With the PIO Index and the IPIO team — which will visit again in six months — we are strengthening our efforts to battle the corruption and incompetency that threatens to force poor families from their homes.

Together, with Honduran families, we are speaking up for justice.

Get Involved

Share about this on Facebook or Twitter.
Give to support ASJ’s work for justice and land rights.
Host an event with your church or other groups to share about ASJ.
Become an advocate in the U.S. with information from the resources below.

Extra Resources

A further coverage (in Spanish) of Mariana’s story by Revistazo.com.
Below: an English-subtitled video produced by ASJ’s journalism project, Revistazo.com, which includes Mariana’s story.

Medicine Warehouse Administrator Arrested

Fri, 08 Aug 2014 18:08:53 GMT

In a groundbreaking move in late July, ASJ’s Advocacy and Legal Advice Center in partnership with the Special Prosecutor for Corruption brought abuse of authority charges against the storehouse administrator, and a few days later she was arrested.

ALAC coordinator Ludim Ayala comments, “This is historic, it’s very rare for a public official to be arrested. We believe that this case shows that corruption has a price.”

Honduras’ Child Migrants – What’s Happening?

Thu, 17 Jul 2014 19:38:40 GMT

Originally published on July 17, 2014. Updated on October 19, 2018.

This article by ASJ’s (formerly known as AJS) former Director of Communications, Evan Trowbridge, was originally published by sharedjustice.org.

Now, quick question: What country are most of these kids coming from? It is the Mexican border so… Mexico? Nope. For the first time, more unaccompanied children are coming from countries other than Mexico; that would be Honduras and Guatemala, to be specific.

The increase has been most dramatic with respect to Honduras, which has seen 15-times more unaccompanied children arrive at the border compared to five years ago. By my own rough calculation, about 1 in 225 Honduran children showed up at the U.S. border in 2015 — and that’s based on the number who made it to the border, not the number who set out from their homes.

Think of your church, your college, or your neighborhood. What if one in 225 of the people that you know from these places decided that it was necessary to escape a situation they were in by traveling hundreds of miles through a foreign country, on top of notoriously dangerous freight trains, often trusting their lives to smugglers and facing the risk of physical assault, sexual abuse, and other dangers? What if the person you know was a child doing this without a parent? When this happens on the scale that it does in Honduras and other Central American countries, it’s obvious that something’s wrong.

As Christians, our love (and God’s love) for the children of Honduras doesn’t stop at any national borders, and there is an urgent need right now to meet these children’s needs in the U.S. At the same time, we are called to address the factors in Honduras that cause so many to flee. To that regard, the expertise of the organization I work for, the Association for a More Just Society (ASJ), is in combating violence and injustice on the ground here in Honduras.

A crisis like the one we’re witnessing at the U.S. border predictably results in finger-pointing about policy questions in D.C., and a diverse set of reasons are being proposed for this dramatic increase in children at the border. However, it’s beyond dispute that violence — particularly violence fueled by drug trafficking and gangs — has grown out of control in Honduras. This violence cultivates the type of fear and hopelessness that could result in a child fleeing alone for the U.S. border. Any response that only includes U.S. domestic policy changes — instead of looking at root issues in Central America — would be ineffective and short-sighted. We can’t fix a leaking faucet by cleaning the drain.

The “Push” of Violence

Violence and its ugly companions — crime and injustice — have grown strong in Honduras. Honduras had the highest murder rate in the world in the late 2000s, according to the United Nations. Nineteen people are murdered each day in a country the size of the state of Virginia. About 270 children were killed in the first three months of 2015.

Drug trafficking, gangs, corruption, inadequate law enforcement and legal system, lack of education and opportunities – it’s a perfect storm for a cyclical perpetuation of violence that would cause children to flee for the U.S.

A recent report from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees found that the majority of children arriving at the border “demonstrate potential international protection needs.” Children who have come to the states tell of witnessing the murders of family members, friends, and classmates. They speak of escaping domestic abuse, sexual abuse, and forced recruitment by gangs and other criminals. In addition to the U.S., other countries — Mexico, Panama, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Belize — have also seen a 700% increase in asylum applications since 2009 from El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala, all countries with high rates of violence.

I share all of this information because it’s important in understanding the broader context of where the children at the U.S. border are coming from – but I don’t want to paint a negative picture of Honduras as a place of only hopelessness. Honduras is a battleground for justice – and there are many brave people of conviction fighting to establish peace and security. My home is in Nueva Suyapa, a neighborhood in the city of Tegucigalpa, Honduras’s capital. In graffiti on a wall in my neighborhood are words from Romans 8:31, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”

Nueva Suyapa is itself a testimony of what can be in Honduras. Nine years ago, it had three times the national average murder rate. As one of the neighborhoods in Honduras where ASJ has been working with victims of violent crime and with at-risk youth, we’ve seen that rate plummet to a third of that previous level – even as the national rate doubled.

Recently, I was speaking with a neighbor of mine about the children fleeing to the U.S. He was discouraged that so many of his country’s youth were leaving their nation. As we stood in the dirt road outside his door, he pointed to his own son, who was tinkering under the hood of his car. My neighbor could send his child to the U.S., he could possibly even use a visa and avoid the dangerous journey through Mexico, but he knew that his son had been raised in a good family, with a good church community, in a neighborhood that has grown safer, and now this young man had a chance to make a life for himself in Honduras, his home. With more investment, I believe that violence can be halted and that more Honduran children can have hopeful futures in their home country.

It can be hard to comprehend the situations that Honduran children face, but that’s the thing about violence – it escapes reason. We can understand violence; we can know violence; but how often can we really explain (i.e. make sense of) violence?

Right now, there are many arguments in Central America and Washington trying to explain 90,000 children at the U.S. border. Let’s do our best to understand this situation and lament it; let’s do our best to respond and to fix this situation in the U.S. and in Central America; but let’s not try to simply explain it, to reduce broken childhoods to a cause-and-effect. It will never make sense when a young person’s life is snuffed out — no matter who, no matter where.

ASJ’s staff is full of Hondurans with tremendous expertise in understanding the systems, causes, and effects of violence and injustice, and their work has resulted in countless lives being changed in Honduras. Yet, ultimately, I believe their successes aren’t defined by being able to explain senseless violence, but, rather, by responding with something else that doesn’t always make sense — love. This is Christ’s love, as scripture says, a kind of love that compels us to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters (Romans 5:8, I John 3:16) – a love that’s beyond reason and that flies in the face of violence because it doesn’t even know fear (I John 4:18).

The children at the U.S. border right now have shown bravery beyond their age as they made the perilous journey to the United States. Our challenge as Christians in the United States is to muster bravery of the same caliber, bravery born out of fearless love that acts on behalf of these children in the U.S. and in Central America.

This article by ASJ’s former Director of Communications, Evan Trowbridge, was originally published by sharedjustice.org.

ASJ Breaks The Silence

Fri, 23 May 2014 08:13:46 GMT

But thousands of Hondurans don’t have a land title because the Property Institute has become so corrupt it can barely function.

ASJ’s investigations (published in one of Honduras’ most popular newspapers) showed that politicians were giving out land titles to the poorest of the poor in order to win their votes in elections. They paid little attention to the fact that the land they were titling was nearly on top of the airport runway, risking the lives of the people living there, and of airplane passengers.

In addition, Property Institute officials are accused of giving titles to desirable government land to private citizens for a bribe—stealing from the Honduran government for their own interest.

The politicization and corruption are so egregious that the Property Institute is currently facing about 50 million dollars in lawsuits from people who have been hurt by it.

As ASJ lawyer Ludim Ayala says, “Politicians use the Property Institute basically as a pot of free money. They know no one will speak up because getting titles is such a complex topic. It’s a silent corruption.”

ASJ is helping to break the silence. The government has already hired a private auditing firm to look at all the claims of corruption in the Property Institute, has fired the board of directors and hired new more qualified members, and has promised to submit staff to tests to make sure they are qualified for their jobs.

ASJ is committed to working with the government to build a healthy Property Institute that can provide what ASJ lawyer Ludim calls, “a basic right to own property.”

Medication Storehouse Administrator Of 26 Years On Administrative Leave

Mon, 14 Apr 2014 19:33:04 GMT

Honduran medication storehouses are a hotbed of corruption and incompetence that leave vulnerable patients, like Maritza Flores’ daughter, without lifesaving treatment.

ASJ investigators proved that medications are very poorly inventoried, leaving the door open for storehouse staff to steal medications. In just one case, $50,000 worth of medication was distributed without doing any inventory. Some cases of outright theft have also been recorded. In one well-documented case, 26,000 capsules of insulin disappeared from the storehouse. Finally, medication that is inventoried is stored in poor conditions, like in refrigerators next to employee’s food, and is left to expire.

The ASJ investigation created waves in the Honduran government. In March, the President placed the storehouse administrator, a very powerful political figure who had been in the position since 1987 on administrative leave, and had the military guard the storehouses so that employees could not tamper with evidence. ASJ employees are currently acting as observers in a thorough inventory of the warehouses, and in the overhaul of the medication storage system.

According to an ASJ lawyer working on the investigation, “What the government has done already is a huge accomplishment, considering how long these problems have been going one, but we’re hoping for more.”

Saving Lives By Exposing Corruption

Thu, 27 Mar 2014 19:41:54 GMT

Since 2013, Association for a More Just Society staff has been working to expose corruption in the public health system in Honduras.

Justice For Joselin

Mon, 03 Mar 2014 19:43:27 GMT

ASJ’ (formerly known as AJS) lawyers, investigators, and psychologists are doing innovative work with victims of violent crime and justice authorities, and are seeing results! Our work has caught the attention of people around the world, so much so, that the New York Times recently published an article on one of our successful cases. Read the full story here!

“Total Access” For ASJ

Wed, 29 Jan 2014 19:44:34 GMT

A few weeks ago, Honduras’ new President signed a letter of intent promising ASJ (formerly known as AJS) “total access” to five government offices to make sure the new government is acting transparently. Our partner Transparency International wrote a great article on this groundbreaking agreement.

ASJ’ Top Ten For 2013

Tue, 31 Dec 2013 18:50:40 GMT

In reflecting on 2013, the Association for a More Just Society has so much to be thankful for. Take a look at some of our important milestones in seeking justice for the most vulnerable in 2013!

10. Growth

In 2013, two of ASJ’s projects began steps to expand to the northern Honduran city of San Pedro Sula, offering groundbreaking psychological and legal services to victims of crime and corruption.

9. Connections

In December, ASJ’ Land Rights project signed an agreement with the government Property Institute which should grant “land titles”, the document that assures someone cannot be evicted from their land. The agreement gives ASJ exclusive access to investigate cases of corruption in the Institute.

8. Justice

In November, ASJ lawyers who work with survivors of sexual abuse attended the first trial in the case of a serial rapist arrested in 2012. The team is working with a total of 26 survivors in the case, and all were excited to see justice being done!

7. Recognition

In November, ASJ-Honduras became an international anti-corruption watchdog group Transparency International’s chapter in Honduras. It’s a huge honor to join TI’s worldwide network!

6. Comfort

In April, ASJ lawyers who work with victims of violent crime achieved justice in the case of Sindy Marbella, a young girl who was murdered. Her family told ASJ lawyers, “Thank you so much for your work in this case. Achieving justice is like a balm for our deep wound.” In 2013, the team achieved justice in 10 cases.

5. Transformation

In September more than 200 young people graduated from at-risk youth clubs, where they had spent three years learning about values, receiving vocational training, and doing service projects. In November, some club graduates and other mentors started new groups!

4. Peace

In April, thanks to pressure from ASJ and its partners, the Honduran Congress held public hearings calling police and the Attorney General’s office authorities to account for their lack of action in purging a corrupt police and justice system. Thanks to these hearings, the Attorney General and Minister of Security resigned, and a more qualified people replaced them. ASJ continues to advocate for justice and security reform, and although progress is slow, there are signs of hope.

3. Accountability

In March an ASJ investigation helped lead to the arrest of the head of the warehouse that stores all of the medication for Honduras’ public hospitals. She is charged with stealing at least $65,000 of medication meant for Honduras’ poorest people. Her arrest showed that corruption has consequences!

2. Influence

Hondurans went to the polls to elect a new president in November. Although there were serious concerns about violence on Election Day, most of them did not materialize. ASJ worked closely with the candidates to help develop a security reform policy and was sought after during elections to talk about the Honduran context.

1. A Bright Future

In October, for the first time in a decade, Honduran children reached 200 days of school, thanks in part to ASJ advocacy. This is a huge achievement for Honduran education!

ASJ Commemorates Dionisio Diaz Garcia

Wed, 04 Dec 2013 20:07:57 GMT

Lourdes Albir, the widow of Association for a More Just Society (ASJ, formerly known as AJS) labor rights lawyer, Dionisio Diaz Garcia, looks longingly at her wedding photo, not able to turn the page of the photo album. Two hitmen murdered Dionisio almost seven years ago, and robbed Lourdes, and her son Mauricio, of a husband and father. Lourdes lifts her gaze from the photo and tries to keep in her tears, but slowly they stream down her cheeks, “You can forgive, but you can’t forget. This changed my whole life. The only thing I want is justice for my husband,” she says, as she wipes away her tears and closes her photo album.

Dionisio Díaz García was murdered on December 4, 2006 as he drove to the Supreme Court to represent a group of security guards who had been unfairly fired. He had spent two years working for ASJ defending the rights of vulnerable security guards and cleaning women who often worked 90 hour weeks for 40 hour pay, and did not receive any benefits. This fight for the most vulnerable generated powerful enemies for Dionisio, and after a series of death threats, his commitment for justice cost him his life.

Events on February 27, 2009 brought renewed hope for Lourdes and Mauricio. On that day a panel of three judges found an ex-security guard and an ex-police officer guilty of the murder of Dionisio Diaz Garcia.

But, what began as a sweet victory became bitter three years later when the Supreme Court of Honduras absolved the sentences of Dionisio’s two killers. They were set free immediately.

According to the analysis of lawyers from more than 15 countries, the Supreme Court ruling is full of inconsistencies and contradictions. Most surprisingly, one of the Supreme Court Judges, Jacobo Calix Hernandez, provided legal services for one of the security companies that Dionisio had brought law suits against, and at one point this same security company operated out of his law office. Calix should have removed himself from the case because of his conflict of interest, but he did not do so. In addition to this irregularity, much of the reasoning in the Supreme Court ruling is not legally consistent according to lawyers who analyzed it.

This May, a year after the Supreme Court ruling, ASJ fought back by filing an appeal in the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights for wrongdoing in the case. ASJ has documented other irregularities in similar cases in the Supreme Court, so if the state of Honduras is found guilty in this instance, it would not only be a victory for Dionisio’s friends and family, but could also be precedent setting.

In the seven years since Dionisio’s death, ASJ has been at Lourdes and Mauricio’s side. Lourdes concludes “In Honduras, two weeks after a crime is committed it is forgotten. ASJ has fought so that this crime is not forgotten and that justice is done. My goal is to do justice for my husband.”

ASJ Expands To One Of The World’s Most Violent Cities

Wed, 30 Oct 2013 07:48:05 GMT

Last week, ASJ officially launched this same project in the Northern Honduran city of San Pedro Sula. We talked with ASJ coordinator Carlos Gomez, a former police detective himself, about the expansion:

ASJ: Why did you think it would be a good idea to expand the project to San Pedro Sula?

CG: For the last 6 years, ASJ’s methodology has worked in communities in Tegucigalpa, bringing peace and security into homes and neighborhoods. But, we saw that violence was continuing in other parts of the country. We wondered if our methodology could be successful in other vulnerable neighborhoods.

ASJ: And why did you choose San Pedro Sula? It has one of the highest murder rates in the world at 193 per 100,000 people.

CG: Well, like I said, we wanted to try the methodology out in a different context to see if it would work, and what’s a better test than trying it in one of the most violent neighborhoods in one of the most violent cities in the world? If it will work there, it will work anywhere!

ASJ: Tell us about last week’s project launch.

CG: After months of negotiations with authorities and donors we were finally able to launch the program last week. Both private business people and public officials from the police and the Attorney General’s office were there. We’re impressed by their level of support for our work!

ASJ: What are the next steps for the project? How will you get started?

CG: We have hired two investigators, a lawyer, and a psychologist. Their next steps will be to build relationships with collaborators in the neighborhood who can help us map out where crime is happening. Then we’ll take on specific cases and work with community members to get justice.

ASJ: Why do you think this work is important?

CG: This work is definitely risky, but it’s worth it. As citizens, we have to help the government make the justice system work.

Please pray for ASJ staff as they continue to seek justice for the most vulnerable around Honduras!

Honduras Celebrates 200 School Days

Tue, 29 Oct 2013 19:06:13 GMT

Petronila Raimundo is a witness to the huge change that the Honduran education system has experienced in the last year. Five of Raimundo’s children have graduated from Presentacion Centeno public school in San Pedro Sula in Honduras, and a sixth daughter will graduate in December. She notes with surprise , “This year the students didn’t miss any class, and I can tell that my daughter learned more.”

Raimundo is referring to the fact that for the first time in over a decade, Honduras has achieved the 200 days of class required by law.

This achievement has been a long time coming. Three years ago, the Association for a More Just Society and its partners formed the anti-corruption coalition Transformemos Honduras (Let’s Transform Honduras or TH) to improve the Honduran education system, which is one of the most highly funded in the Americas, but the worst-performing. In the last ten years, Honduran teachers only taught an average of 125 days a year, instead of the 200 required by law.

TH staff investigated corruption and negligence in Honduran education, found volunteers across the country to visit 400 schools on a daily basis to see if teachers were in class, and pressured the government to name better leaders for the education department.

Thanks in part to TH’s advocacy, early last year, the Honduran president fired the current Minister of Education and put a new one named Marlon Escoto in his place. He has been completely open to working with TH to improve education in Honduras.

Escoto threatened sanctions if teachers abandoned their classrooms, and with the support of TH, applied the first-ever nationwide standardized test for students. These sanctions and a desire by teachers to improve student test scores were both major motivators for teachers to teach 200 days this year.

According to the president of TH, Carlos Hernández, these achievements, “show that more and more Hondurans understand the importance of education, and are acting concretely to improve its quality.”

Looking forward, TH will continue to pressure government officials and teachers to make 200 days of class each year the norm. TH will also push to improve education quality by assuring that textbooks are in use and by continuing to test teacher and student improvement.

Marlon Escoto concludes, “The most benefited are the children of Honduras. Parents have hope that their children will have a better future.”

$1.5 Billion Lost In Direct Medicine Purchases By The Government

Tue, 29 Oct 2013 19:03:47 GMT

Written by Revistazo.com

Honduras lost 30 thousand million lempiras ($1.5 billion) in the last 5 years due to direct purchases of medicine made by the government between 2008 and 2012.

The shortage of medical supplies in hospitals and health centers, according to TH, causes the authorities to declare “states of emergency” that displace the regular public purchase of medicine determined by the Contract Law of the State. The money spent in these “emergencies” goes to line the pockets of politicians and businesspersons that manage to amass fortunes at the expense of public health.

This situation without a doubt heavily affects the social services of the government in its efforts to develop the poorest parts of Honduras.

For Alfredo Faraj, the former president of the School of Chemical Pharmaceuticals, “this is not new in the Ministry of Health, because it has had “purchases of emergency” its whole life… if there are not changes, it will continue happening.”

This underscores the fact that “if the government planned, it would not find any obstacles in keeping the hospitals well-stocked, but in every emergency purchase, the same drug companies participate and assign the prices they want, without reference to the requirements of official public purchases.”

Faraj is of the opinion that emergency purchases should be abolished because of the corruption they breed. “While we continue not to plan, we will continue to receive the same results and the state will lose more and more money” reiterated Faraj.

The professional also stated that the Health Ministry does not buy quality medicines for the people because policy demands that medicine is purchased based on its affordability. “And this is where the money is wasted because those that make the purchases are simply state auditors… and we can’t permit that the same people buy the product only for the price without considering quality” declared Faraj.

The Commission for the Defense and Promotion of Competition, (CDPC) whose technical director is Efraín Corea, said that between 2008 and 2012 the government budgeted 151 thousand million lempiras ($7.5 billion) for the medical supplies required by state institutions.

“Nevertheless, in practice the purchases have been made from the same companies, creating enormous losses for the country,” he added, after declaring that” if the state buys with competition in mind, it could save a lot of money.”

Corea stated that for 2012 the state had budgeted some 45 million lempiras for this year for spending, and if it had applied the norms of competition, it would have saved 9 million lempiras.

Father Rafael Alvarado, coordinator of the Commission of Inter-institutional Medicines, said that “we continue having this problem with medicine because social society is not taking seriously this problem.”

He affirmed that “the purchase of medicines needs a specific law that discards the current Contract law because it is limited and restricted to technocrats that make the purchases. Rather, those making the purchases must feel the weight of the work that they are undertaking in purchasing medicine for the public.

According to the CDPC, public spending on purchases is between 5-10% of GDP, and 20% of the national budget. GDP is the value of all the goods and services produced by a country in a given year.

The budget for 2012 is 144 thousand million lempiras ($7.2 billion). It 80% financed by Honduras, and 20% financed by foreign resources and donations.

Despite this sad outlook regarding Honduran healthcare, hope is evident in the National Autonomous University’s recent acquisition (from the government) of oversight of the Hospital Escuela, the nation’s major hospital. Its promise to complete this task with honor is important, considering it is the largest hospital in Honduras, and daily serves over 2000 Honduras seeking healthcare services.

On The Road To Land Titles In Record-Breaking Time

Tue, 29 Oct 2013 18:50:01 GMT

Upon entering the small hilly Modesto Rodas Alvarado neighborhood today, you would find a freshly painted sign welcoming you, and neighborhood residents who are eager to show you the community center and recently re-roofed kindergarten. But a few years ago, residents were hesitant to invest anything in their neighborhood, fearing they could be evicted any day.

In 1980 the neighborhood’s founders came from southern Honduras, and many started paying the mayor’s office for their plots of land. However, in the early 2000s another supposed landowner, lawyer Oscar Siri Zuniga, claimed that the land actually belonged to him. He threatened residents with eviction if they did not pay him. Neighborhood residents were confused: were they supposed to pay the mayor’s office or Zuniga in order to continue living on the land?

The Modesto Rodas Alvarado neighborhood was one of hundreds in Honduras facing similar problems. So, in 2004 the Honduran Congress, aided by a team of ASJ (formerly known as AJS) lawyers, drafted a new law to help communities who were stuck in a conflict between opposing landowners get legal ownership of the land. The law allowed the government to take over (or to use the legal term, “expropriate”) neighborhoods where multiple people had filed conflicting ownership claims. Once expropriated, residents can pay into a trust fund overseen by the government and receive indisputably valid land titles. Competing claims to ownership of the once-bare, now-populated field or mountainside are sorted out in court, and if any are found to be legitimate, the owners are compensated for their loss with money the current residents paid into the trust fund.

Since the passing of the law, ASJ has been training community members on how to go through the steps to get property titles, and we have contributed to the awarding of 70,000 titles.

However, what neighborhood residents and ASJ team members have come to realize in the last years is that the Property Institute, the government entity charged with the titling process is fundamentally flawed. As ASJ lawyer, Josie Mairena notes, “Property Institute employees are political appointees that are replaced every four years. Because of such high staff turnover and a general lack of knowledge of the land titling process, each department carries out the process in a different order, making it very inefficient.” Experts believe that the government should be able to grant 100,000 titles a year, but some years the government only distributes 3,000 titles.

Communities and the ASJ team saw that knowing about the land titling process was not enough; they also had to know how to pressure the Property Institute into action and advocate for change.

Therefore, in the past year, the ASJ team has been training communities on the land rights law, but also on how to advocate with Property Institute officials in the form of writing letters, attending meetings, or organizing protests.

The team itself is also providing healthy pressure and suggestions for change to the Property Institute directly by forming a new Observatory made up of property titling experts from the World Bank, city construction council, and others.

And the Modesto Rodas Alvarado neighborhood is proof that this new strategy is working. The neighborhood was expropriated in early 2012, and soon after an active group of citizens formed a committee to work on getting land titles. Unfortunately, they found the titling process very complicated and were frustrated with the number of trips they made to government offices, waiting, sometimes outside in the rain for hours, for answers.

That’s where ASJ comes in. The neighborhood committee contacted ASJ asking for help. An ASJ community educator trained the resident both in the land titling process, but also on how to do advocate with the Property Institute by scheduling meetings with decision-makers and holding officials to their commitments.

In just six months, the neighborhood has already gone through six of the eight steps of the titling process–a process that some neighborhoods have not completed in more than six years. And this month the 139 families will be able to begin to pay for the land. According to Felix Aguilera, the president of the land rights committee, “We couldn’t have completed this process without ASJ. They came alongside us during the whole process and were only a phone call away.”

The ASJ Land Rights team hopes to use Modesto Rodas Alvarado as an example for other neighborhoods to show that with pressure and a good knowledge of the land titling system it is possible to make the system work.

Francisca Finds A Home

Mon, 28 Oct 2013 21:03:27 GMT

The land ownership system in Honduras is complicated and technical, often shifting potential landowners between government agencies and requiring dozens of forms. This leaves those most vulnerable to losing their land least able to obtain a title for it. People who are able to navigate the system can claim ownership of the land where others have lived for years; suddenly residents face steep rents or evictions from these supposed owners.

“I can have something I say is ‘mine,’” Lopez said, “But when I go to the bank, they’ll say, ‘I’m sorry, but it says here you didn’t pay.’” Without the legal title, Lopez says, “You can lose what’s yours.”

Lopez tried to obtain a land title for the home in her nephew’s name where she has been living. She understood the security that owning land gives, but though she was willing to start paying, it wasn’t clear who she was supposed to pay.

While one branch of the government told residents to stop paying, another office continued to charge them. By the time the government had sorted out who had to be paid, the payments had accrued interest and put residents even farther from their titles.

For someone like Francisca Lopez, who only has a 1st-grade education, the process can seem almost impossible to navigate. “We didn’t read the papers we signed,” Lopez said. “We didn’t know what we were signing.” But she kept fighting for what she knew was hers.

Things finally began to change, Lopez said, when “Someone from the Association for a More Just Society came to work with us.” ASJ (formerly known as AJS) lawyers and social workers helped to sort out the legal status of Los Pinos residents and offered legal counsel and assistance. As an unbiased party, they were able to help residents get on track to make the payments that made the houses legally theirs.

And in August, Lopez finally got her long-awaited title. With her new knowledge, she has joined an ASJ-supported community group dedicated to helping others receive the titles to their own land. This group educates people on why titles are important and assists people in legally becoming owners of the land where their homes are built.

But land titles are about more than just ownership. They give a sense of permanence and stability to a community, assuring residents that the land will be there for their children and grandchildren. Now, if you ask Francisca Lopez where she’s from, she won’t give the place where she was born or grew up. “We are from the capital,” she says of her 13 children and countless grandchildren. The title she’s holding gives her the assurance to say, “We’re from here now.” After years of questions, this is the answer that means the most.

A Sister’s Quest For Justice

Mon, 28 Oct 2013 19:01:13 GMT

After the murder, Amanda, a single mother of one, did not know where to turn. Her family blamed her for Yadira’s death, and Amanda knew that her case would probably not be resolved; according to a recent study by the World Bank, only 10% of the cases that are denounced in the Public Prosecutor’s office reach a resolution. That’s when her friend, Julia, stepped in. Julia had also suffered through the murder of a sibling—her brother. She’d felt the same hopelessness Amanda now felt. But then she’d been put in touch with the ASJ (formerly known as AJS)-supported Peace & Justice team, made up of an investigator, lawyer, and psychologist who helped her work with authorities to prosecute and arrest the perpetrator.

Encouraged by Julia’s story, Amanda decided to contact the P&J team, who was quickly on the case. The P&J investigator gathered evidence using a wide network of collaborators in the community, and the lawyer worked to build up a case. During the whole process the P&J psychologist, Karla, spent time with the survivors, preparing them to witness in the trial.

In January of 2012, the case finally went to trial. Karla notes, “I didn’t think any of the witnesses were going to come to the trial, they were so scared that the murderer would find out that they were testifying and seek revenge. But then, on the first day of the trial, they all showed up. That’s how badly they wanted justice.”

The P&J team made sure the witnesses were given protected witness status, which, under Honduran law, means their name, physical appearance, and other identifying characteristics are not revealed during court proceedings. The perpetrator was sentenced to prison, and when the judges asked if any family member had a statement at the end of the trial, Amanda had the courage to step forward and say, “I risked taking this case to the police because I thought maybe justice could be done, and you have proven that it can be. Thank you.”

*Names changed to protect beneficiaries’ safety and privacy.

Mayor Accused Of Stealing From Her Community Charged

Fri, 24 May 2013 07:43:43 GMT

Miguel Interiano whips out a pocket-size copy of Honduran Municipal law and emphatically points out a highlighted section. This security guard wants everyone to know that the mayor of his small town has been taking advantage of its citizens, stealing money that should have gone to improve schools, clinics, and roads in the poor community.

Although it had been rumored for years that the mayor was stealing money for personal vacations and vehicles, when Interiano heard that the mayor had stolen a check for $4,250 dollars–more than many Hondurans make in a year—he knew he needed to seek help. He tried going to the government’s anti-corruption organization, and to the Secretary of Human Rights, but neither could answer his questions.

That’s when he saw an advertisement for the Association for a More Just Society’s newly opened Advocacy and Legal Advice Center* in the northern city of San Pedro Sula. It is the second center of its kind in Honduras, where ASJ (formerly known as AJS) lawyers work with victims and witnesses of corruption to achieve justice in their cases.

The San Pedro Sula project’s lawyers were excited to take on Interiano’s case as the center’s first-ever. They gathered evidence with his help, pushing the government’s anti-corruption Public Prosecutor to take action. The case is now scheduled for trial and prosecutors are confident that they can win.

This kind of collaboration between community members and center staff is exactly what ASJ is working towards. Because of the complexity of the Honduran legal system, the time commitment involved, and fear of retribution, corruption witnesses are often afraid to go through the process by themselves. Center staff are there to help them but don’t simply take over the case. In the words of Evelin, a staff member in San Pedro Sula, “We don’t work for people. We work with them.” Interiano is committed to continuing to work with ASJ saying, “I care about my community, and don’t believe that our elected officials should be getting rich while everyone else is poor.”

And Interiano is not the only one, in the past five months, the center in San Pedro Sula has received over 60 cases of reported corruption and is gaining a reputation as a place that people can go to receive the help they need to achieve justice.

*ASJ-Honduras is Transparency International’s chapter in Honduras. Transparency International is an anti-corruption watchdog group, and one of its initiatives is to assist Transparency International chapters in opening Advocacy and Legal Advice Centers where victims and witnesses of corruption can report what they’ve seen, and receive legal help to get justice in their cases.

New Partnership Against Corruption

Tue, 30 Oct 2012 18:59:37 GMT

According to Carlos Hernández, Executive Secretary of Asociación para una Sociedad más Justa (ASJ),* often when Hondurans are victimized by corruption, “they don’t denounce it, because they are afraid or because they know that nothing will ever happen with their case.”

A new ASJ-supported project hopes to change that. ASJ is now the national chapter in Honduras for Transparency International (TI), a global civil society organization leading the fight against corruption. The relationship was made official during a press conference and agreement-signing ceremony last week. Andrés Hernández, TI Senior Program Coordinator in the Americas, traveled to Tegucigalpa from Bogotá, Colombia, to participate in the event. The goal of this new partnership, he said, is to “be critical about the problem of corruption, but also constructive, offering concrete solutions.”

New Anti-Corruption Center Launched

The two organizations have already launched a project to face the corruption experienced by Hondurans every day: ASJ has opened a new Advocacy and Legal Advice Center (ALAC), one of 50 centers around the world using methodologies developed by TI. A small staff of lawyers and assistants will document complaints of corruption, notify the proper authorities, and push them to take action in the cases.

Carlos Hernández notes that this is a perfect complement to the work of other anti-corruption projects already supported by ASJ, such as Revistazo.com, an online newspaper, and “ Transform Honduras , ” a Christian anti-corruption coalition.

According to Ludim Ayala, lawyer and coordinator of the ALAC in Honduras, the goal is to make government systems work so that Hondurans once again believe in their government. “Our hope is that people hear about the ALAC, denounce acts of corruption, and that the government responds effectively,” she said. She concluded with excitement: “We launched the center yesterday, and we already have received our first report of corruption! We hope that people will continue to denounce corruption and that the government will make changes.”

5 Press Conferences In 5 Days Opens New Doors

Tue, 30 Oct 2012 18:53:02 GMT

In the early-November tour of western Honduras, TH presented the results of its analysis of the hiring process in five different regions. Each press conference attracted teachers, parents, members of the selection committees, and government officials.

TH President Carlos Hernandez began the press conferences by sharing about TH’s groundbreaking participation in the 2011 negotiations between teacher unions and the government. Then TH staff revealed region-specific data about teacher hiring. The results made teacher selection committees defensive and shocked parents.

In all but one of the regions evaluated, teachers with the best scores were not hired. In one instance there were 376 teachers who received a higher score than the teacher who got the job. In some cases, teachers that were hired did not appear on the score list, and other teachers appeared on the score list, but with three different scores. As Carlos noted in his comments to the press after one conference, “Teachers are hired as political favors…political partisanship has taken the teacher hiring process hostage.”

Although most people knew there was corruption in the teacher hiring process, this was the first time it had been aired so publically, Yaribel Cruz, TH education facilitator comments, “Everyone came to the press conferences really curious about TH, and came away impressed by the importance of TH’s work”, although she admits that some of the people responsible for the corruption were not as enthusiastic, “The press conference in the department of Lempira (pictured at left) was the most heated…The authorities had not turned over the complete list of teacher scores and teachers hired, so after the TH staff presented the data, the selection committee representatives angrily claimed that the data was incorrect…They knew, though, that they had not given us the information on time.”

TH criticized teacher selection committees in the press conferences but is also working with these committees. Last Friday TH met with representatives of 7 of the 18 regional selection committees to “discuss ways to improve the teacher selection process with the people who actually do it.”

During the meeting the selection committee members wrote and signed a proposal for changes in the selection process, committing to act “ethically and with professionalism.” Yaribel commented with a smile that the representatives from Lempira, the site of the heated press conference, had “especially good ideas and were really invested.” She adds that she is optimistic that the members will fulfill this commitment saying, “All the members were excited to be at the workshop, sharing their experiences. It was the first time anyone had actually listened to them.”

TH hopes to observe the teacher testing process in every Honduran department in January with the goal of improving education for Honduran children, and now as Yaribel notes, “the teacher selection committee members and the parents are on our side.”

Carlos adds with conviction “We can’t keep pretending like it is okay for teachers to be hired based on political favors…we should be hiring the best possible teachers…it’s the responsibility of all Hondurans to make that happen.” And in western Honduras, TH’s recent activities have opened doors for citizens to do just that.

Jessica Dreams Again

Mon, 29 Oct 2012 18:52:14 GMT

Jessica’s parents went to the police to report the crime, and over the next year, police began to suspect that a serial rapist was behind Jessica’s rape and that of at least 25 other girls. Unfortunately, they couldn’t identify him or get an arrest. That’s when the police turned to Association for a More Just Society investigators and lawyers for help. In difficult cases like this one, they provide the extra logistical and investigative expertise needed to bring justice. With their support, police arrested the alleged rapist in May 2012 .

While ASJ (formerly known as AJS) investigators and lawyers worked on the case, ASJ psychologist Gloria contacted all the survivors and their families offering psychological counseling to help the girls get their lives back on track. Gloria now works with many of the girls in group therapy sessions. They talk directly about the trauma they experienced, but also about self-esteem and how to make good decisions. Jessica says, “Gloria has really helped me since what happened. She helps me to make good decisions. And if I have a problem I can talk to her.”

The team assisted with the first trial against the serial rapist in the last week of November which ended with a guilty sentence. Now he will be tried for all the other rapes as well. Gloria assures that the team will “be with the survivors throughout the whole process”, giving them the opportunity to dream again.

*Name changed to protect individual’s privacy and security.

Peace For Rape Survivors

Wed, 13 Jun 2012 17:56:07 GMT

This brave 15-year-old was not the only survivor in this case, the suspect is accused of raping approximately 25 girls in the last year, continually evading arrest. In October of 2011, the investigative police and lawyers working on the case became frustrated with the ASJ Rescue team . The officials knew that the team provides investigative, legal, and psychological support to minors who survive sexual abuse, and they needed help. They did not have the cars and staff to do the kind of intensive investigations necessary to catch the suspect. Since then, ASJ investigator Fernando has helped to organize interviews with survivors and possible witnesses, surveillance of abandoned houses where the rapist operated, and interrogations of possible suspects.

After the arrest, the police searched his house and found clothing that many of the survivors said he was wearing during the rape, and when the first ten survivors were summoned to recognize him Fernando says, “They all agreed 100% that it was him.”

Fernando adds, “The night after we arrested him, I couldn’t sleep, maybe because of all the pressure. We got so tired of hearing, ‘There’s a new victim’. It’s really important to know that we’ve arrested the correct individual and that he can’t do any more harm.”

The Rescue lawyer, Cristian, will now work with government lawyers to bring charges in the case, and the psychologist, Ada, will work with the survivors, she says she hopes to help them “Go back to living a normal life.”

Fernando summarizes the feeling of the whole team, “Thank you for your support, and prayers!”

Please continue to pray for the survivors, their families, and the legal process.

TH Helps Honduran President

Sun, 30 Oct 2011 17:56:49 GMT

Last fall TH also brought attention to an International Development Bank (IDB) report highlighting the negative consequences of intractable conflicts between teachers’ unions and the Honduran government that have resulted in Honduran students receiving far fewer days of class than their peers in other countries. At least once a year for the past 15 years in Honduras there has been an educational crisis in which teachers go on strike demanding a variety of benefits and children cannot go to classes. This is a chronic problem that neither teachers’ unions nor the government can seem to solve, and the lack of classes for weeks on end is terribly detrimental to Honduran children and society.

N ow TH is involved in an exciting–and at the same time daunting–effort to resolve these longstanding problems. For almost the entire month of March 2011, public school teachers in Honduras were on strike once again. In some areas, the strikes degenerated into violent confrontations between protesters and riot police. Most detrimental, though, was the fact that thousands of Honduras’ most impoverished children missed an entire month of classes.

Given the Government and the Teachers Unions’ inability to agree on a long-term solution to the crisis, on March 25 TH published an open letter in three of Honduras’ major newspapers asking to be incorporated as an official, neutral, objective third party in negotiating a solution to the crisis. The response was almost immediate! The following Monday, the President of Honduras, Porfirio “Pepe” Lobo, read the letter out loud in a cabinet meeting. On Wednesday night he might for several hours with TH members, who shared their concerns and ideas, and on Thursday TH members testified before Honduras’ National Congress both about their research into the long-term problems in the education system, and about possible solutions.

TH is currently involved in intense negotiations between teacher unions and the government, looking not only at how to solve the immediate disagreements that caused the strikes in March but at how new legislation and/or amendments to existing legislation may be used to address the deep-rooted causes of the strikes and other problems that have adversely affected Honduras’ poorest students for decades. Please pray for wisdom and courage for TH!

Students In Guadalupe Have A Teacher Again

Sat, 29 Oct 2011 18:50:24 GMT

Unfortunately, this problem is quite common in Honduras. An Association for a More Just Society (ASJ, formerly known as AJS) study from 2010 indicated that 27% of teachers on the public school payroll were not in the classroom. But, ASJ is working hard to change this situation, and when the exasperated parents didn’t receive any answer from the school district, they knew they could go to an ASJ community worker for help.

The community worker connected the parents with lawyers from ASJ’s Advocacy and Legal Advice Center (ALAC) . The ASJ lawyers presented a report on the case to national public education authorities, who responded almost immediately by traveling to the school to do an inspection. At the inspection, the parents’ accusations were proven—the teacher was nowhere to be found.

After this discovery, as dictated by law, the teacher was summoned to a disciplinary hearing. When she didn’t attend the disciplinary hearing, the education authorities started the process to fire her.

In addition, education authorities are waiting for a report from the head of the school district as to why he didn’t take action at the local level. If he does not respond, he will be subjected to a disciplinary hearing as well.

ALAC lawyers note that the children in Guadalupe are now back in school with a new teacher, and ALAC coordinator Ludim Ayala says with satisfaction, “Children have a right to receive a quality education from a qualified teacher. We are pleased to be able to help the education authorities make this happen by rooting out corruption and negligence in Honduran public schools.”

Edward* Teaches ASJ Psychologist About Bravery

Sat, 29 Oct 2011 18:50:14 GMT

Ten-year-old Edward lived two years of fear while his uncle, Luis, repeatedly raped him and threatened him against telling anyone.

But in Edward’s story, this is where the Association for a More Just Society (ASJ, formerly known as AJS)-supported Rescue team comes in. It supports minors who have survived sexual abuse, helping them to find the courage to testify against their abusers, and assisting the Honduran investigative police and Public Prosecutors to make sure justice is done. With the help of the Rescue team, Edward went through an incredible transformation and now is so confident that he is teaching others about how to defeat their fears.

Near the end of 2009, one of Edward’s cousins happened upon Luis abusing Edward and immediately ran to tell her aunt, Digna. Digna has been raising Edward for most of his life because his mother lives in the United States. Digna made the difficult decision to bring charges against her brother, saying “Of course it hurts because he’s my brother, but my first priority is my nephew; he has no one else to protect him.”

The Honduran investigative police took on the case, and completed most of the physical exams, but ran out of resources to continue with the case in January 2010. The director of the investigation then called the Rescue project. “The government officials know that when they work with us, arrests are made more quickly because of our commitment,” says Ludim Ayala, the project’s lawyer. This was true of Edward’s case too. The Rescue team helped investigators to take testimonies from various witnesses and to locate and arrest Luis at the end of January 2010.

In addition to providing investigative help, Ludim and Ada Doblado, the Rescue psychologist prepared Edward, his cousin, and Digna for the August 2011 trial. According to Ludim, during the trial “Edward gave clear testimony about three distinct times that Luis abused him.” With this testimony and other physical evidence, Luis was sentenced to 45 years in prison on three counts of aggravated rape.

Knowing that his aggressor was in prison alleviated Edward’s fear to some extent, but he still “was suffering from a lot of psychological damage” according to Ada. Ada continues to work with him one to two times a month in play therapy and is seeing results. Edward has stopped wetting his pants, is getting better grades, and even joined the school soccer team.

Edward continues to conquer his fears and is even helping other children to do the same. In November of 2011 Edward, Ada and, two young brothers met together so that Edward could tell the brothers about his trial experience. The brothers will testify in December against their step-grandfather who abused them. According to Ada, Edward told the boys, “If you just tell the judge exactly what happened to you, you’ll be done in five minutes. When you start talking, you won’t be scared anymore.” Ada adds, “Being my ‘helper’ as I call him, has really helped Edward improve his self-esteem.

Edward’s transformation has even surprised the Rescue team. Ada remembers, “One time we took Edward to a Ferris Wheel in a local mall…and in our most recent therapy session he asked when we were going to go again. I told him I wasn’t sure because I’m afraid of heights. He looked at me and said, ‘You told me not to be afraid when I testified, and now you’re afraid of the Ferris Wheel.” With a smile, Ada adds, “Now he’s teaching me what it means to not be afraid.”

*Names changed and photo blurred to protect individual’s privacy and security.

Rescue Team And Sexual Abuse Survivors On The Road To Healing

Sat, 29 Oct 2011 18:50:12 GMT

Patty did not tell her mother about the abuse, because she was afraid that she would punish her. Finally, in January of 2011, Patty began to attend a sponsorship program at a community center where her mentors suspected that she was pregnant. The mentors immediately contacted Patty’s mother who brought her to a doctor who confirmed that she was five months pregnant.

Upon discovering the abuse, Patty’s mother went to the Public Prosecutor’s office to denounce the crime. The Public Prosecutor’s office contacted ASJ’s Rescue project for investigative, legal, and psychological support on the case.

Since the initial contact with Patty’s family, ASJ’s Rescue psychologist has been working with Patty and her family on a regular basis to help her work through her pain and in the initial hearing on March 22, Patty gave her testimony confidently. In addition, with the help of the Rescue investigator, the police arrested the suspect and his wife.

In June Patty had her baby, a girl named Mia, and the Rescue team will continue to support her in this new part of the process. The team visited Patty the day that she came home from the hospital, and brought her some baby supplies purchased through the ASJ survivor’s fund.

Ludim, Rescue’s lawyer, notes “The journey has just begun for this family…the few days that Patty has spent with her baby have been ‘difficult’ according to her.” But, Ludim adds that “Patty will return to school soon. She has always done well in school and continues to want to study.” Ludim and all of the Rescue team will continue to support Patty and her family while she heals.

The Rescue team’s support has been invaluable, both for the Public Prosecutor and for Patty and her family. In the words of Patty’s mother “we know that the Rescue team is supporting us through this time, and we are thankful to God for that.”

*Names changed to protect beneficiaries’ safety and privacy.

Transformemos Honduras Plays Important Role In Resolving 2011 Education Crisis

Thu, 31 Mar 2011 18:56:48 GMT

Now TH is involved in an exciting–and at the same time daunting–effort to resolve these longstanding problems. For almost the entire month of March 2011, public school teachers in Honduras were on strike once again. In some areas, the strikes degenerated into violent confrontations between protesters and riot police. Most detrimental, though, was the fact that thousands of Honduras’ most impoverished children missed an entire month of classes.

As a result of their presence and willingness to serve as a representative of civil society, TH went on to play a significant role in shaping the outcome of the teacher strikes. TH members provided advice and analysis of various proposals and served as an important voice for the public and to the public regarding the content of the proposals. When a resolution to the crisis was finally reached, and a number of important proposals were agreed upon, Tranformemos Honduras president Carlos Hernández remarked that on the whole, the process was a success, and TH’s involvement was very important. He stated that “In general, we reached our goal. In fact, this is the first time that civil society has been involved in these negotiations.” He went on to add that “In many of the points (agreed upon by the teachers and the government), civil society is an actor”, which means that children and parents will continue to have a voice in the subject of education.”

Transformemos Honduras: Government Bought Medicines At Double Fair Price, Through Illegal Process

Sat, 30 Oct 2010 18:50:07 GMT

In-Depth Investigation Reveals Corruption

Honduras’ public health system should be—and sometimes is—a boon to the 66% of the population living below the poverty line, offering medication, doctor’s appointments, and even complex surgeries free or at low cost. Unfortunately, it’s also rife with corruption.

In August the ecumenical Christian Transformemos Honduras (“Let’s Transform Honduras”) movement, which is supported by ASJ, unveiled the results of an exhaustive investigation into the Ministry of Health’s million-dollar medicine acquisitions program.

Major findings included the following:

The law clearly states that a civil society commission must oversee all government medicine purchases to ensure they are carried out free of corruption. But commission members confirmed that the $10.5 million purchase in May was done behind their backs.
In a sampling of 22 of the 405 medicines purchase, the government paid on average more than double the amount recommended by the World Health Organization—leading to suspicions that the Ministry of Health may have had “sweetheart” deals set up that greatly benefitted drug companies, but resulted in less medicine available for the poor.
The World Bank had promised the Honduran Government it would reimburse 40% of the government’s costs (in this case, over $4 million) if medicines were purchased in an honest, open fashion. Because the process was instead plagued by corruption, the Honduran people were cheated of this money.

In response to these alarming facts, TH asked Honduran President Porfirio Lobo to fire the Minister of Health to put the brakes on a new $26.5 million purchase currently in the works.

Reactions to the Press Conference

Honduran news media, including radio, TV, and newspapers, ran stories based on TH’s press conference.

Two representatives of the Ministry of Health attended the press conference and were given the opportunity to defend themselves. Legal counsel Miguel Angel Bonilla claimed that TH’s accusations were “pure lies,” while administrator Moises Torres said TH was “hurting Honduras rather than helping it.” But neither could explain why the transparency commission was cut out of the process nor why medicines were purchased at such high prices.

What’s Next

By having the courage to publish this information, TH is taking the first step needed to break the chain of corruption and improve the level of healthcare available to Honduras’ poorest citizens. In the coming weeks, TH will also be filing official accusations against the Minister of Health with the Attorney General’s office and the National Anti-Corruption Counsel.

Please keep the brave members of TH in your prayers as they work to make Honduras’ public health system a true blessing for Honduras’ poor majority, rather than just another get-rich-quick opportunity for an elite few.

From Trauma To Hope: Laura’s* Story

Fri, 29 Oct 2010 18:49:53 GMT

On her way back home, Laura aroused the attention of three vagos, young men who passed their days in the street drinking and using drugs. It was still early in the morning and the streets were deserted.

The young men took advantage of the solitude. All three attacked and raped Laura, then told her they were members of the feared 18th Street Gang and threatened to kill her and her family if they called the police.

Laura was emotionally destroyed. She felt she was no longer worth anything—a feeling reinforced by neighbors who insulted and taunted her for being a rape victim. She wanted to die or disappear. She wanted to quit school, sure that all her classmates would look at her funny and tease her behind her back. She blamed herself for walking farther from home instead of waiting for her customary mill to open and blamed her parents for sending her on an errand so early in the morning.

Thankfully, a neighbor told Laura’s family about a Gideon Center located in Laura’s neighborhood. Gideon Centers are part of an Association for a More Just Society-supported project that provides free or low-cost legal aid and psychological counseling to poor Hondurans. Laura began therapy with the Gideon Center psychologist, who patiently helped her to begin healing emotionally.

The Gideon psychologist also passed on information about the case to co-workers working in another Association for a More Just Society-supported project, Peace & Justice.

Acting on a hunch that this was not the first rape Laura’s attackers had committed, an ASJ (formerly known as AJS)-supported investigator tracked down photos and police files on a dozen repeat rapists known to live in the area. Sure enough, Laura identified one of the men who had assaulted her among those in the files. This enabled the investigator to identify the first attacker’s home and help police organize an operation that led to his arrest.

To capture the second attacker, the Peace & Justice team prodded police into joining them, and Laura, in an exhaustive three-day search in which they cruised every alley and back street for miles surrounding the scene of the crime. Finally, on a Saturday afternoon, Laura let out a soft cry: just steps away from their vehicle, one of her attackers was buying cigarettes from a corner store. A police officer immediately got out of the car and arrested him.

Peace & Justice Project staff continue helping police track down the third attacker, implementing witness-protection measures to keep Laura and Carolina safe, and coordinating with government prosecutors to work for convictions and just sentences for the attackers. The Gideon Project psychologist continues to help Laura heal emotionally.

“Without [ASJ’s] help, I don’t know what we would have done,” says Laura’s mother. Fear and poverty would probably have kept them from seeking help, she says.

“Laura tells me, ‘I can’t even describe what I suffered. The people who did this to me need to pay for it,’” she says.

Thankfully, because of ASJ’s help, justice will be done. And for Laura, though she will never forget, fear is gradually being replaced by hope.

Update 10/17/2007
In October 2007, the ASJ-supported Peace & Justice Project helped police locate and arrest the third and final man who allegedly raped Laura. The men accused of violating Laura are reported to have raped up to eight other women in the same impoverished neighborhood—but of these survivors, only Laura has dared to break the silence and recount her experience repeatedly to police, prosecutors, and in court. Thanks to Laura’s bravery, and to ASJ support, justice is being done not only for Laura but also for many other women in her neighborhood who were terrorized by these gang members.

Update 08/15/2008
Today all three rapists were unanimously declared guilty by the three-judge tribunal that oversaw their trial! Each faces 15 – 20 years in prison. Meanwhile, ASJ has helped Laura relocate to a new neighborhood and enroll at a new high school—steps that have allowed her to continue her life without worrying about gossip from neighbors or threats from the perpetrators’ family members. Praise God that justice has been done for Laura, and pray that He will continue to work healing in her life.

*Name changed and photo blurred to protect individual’s privacy and security.

TH Grades Government’s Response To $65 Million Scandal

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 18:04:43 GMT

On May 6, the ASJ-supported (formerly known as AJS) Transformemos Honduras movement publicized a report showing that some $65 million in government funds had been spent on illegally inflated teachers’ salaries. The press conference sparked a storm of media attention and opened the doors of a half-dozen high-ranking government officials to TH members, who were promised that the scandal would be addressed seriously and immediately.

Two months and change later, TH published its first report card on how the government had progressed in relation to its promises. The graphic below was published in all of Honduras’ major newspapers, and the story it tells is, for the most part, a shameful one:

Only one of five organizations received a passing grade. The National Anti-Corruption Commission earned the equivalent of a C+ for asking for information about the education scandal from the Supreme Accounts Tribunal (the general accounting and auditing office for the Honduran Government) and for passing on what information they had to the Attorney General’s Office.
The Attorney General’s Office earned a 20% grade—an F. It assigned a prosecutor to the case, but said the prosecutor has done nothing so far.
The Solicitor General, Minister of Education, and Supreme Accounts Tribunal all got 0%.

ASJ and the members of TH would love to be able to give better grades to these officials. But by publicly revealing these sad progress reports, TH is holding officials accountable for their lack of action, and, hopefully, spurring them to reconsider this lack of action.

Transformemos Honduras Uncovers $65 Million Education Scandal

Fri, 07 May 2010 18:02:43 GMT

Reporters from 20 different news media attended the conference. So did representatives of USAID, the UNDP, the GTZ, and other international donor organizations interested in learning how Honduras’ Ministry of Education was using (or misusing) the funds they donated. During the conference TH president, Carlos Hernandez, handed reams of evidence of corruption in the Ministry of Education to Osvaldo Canales (left), head of the National Anti-Corruption Council (a semi-autonomous government agency), publicly urging him to take action.

The press conference highlighted three big problems:

Illegally Inflated Salaries: Since 2003, Honduras has lost an estimated $65 million in illegally inflated salaries paid to about 10,000 of Honduras’ 60,000 public school teachers. With all the money wrongly spent on these inflated salaries, Honduras instead could have hired 1,400 additional teachers. TH has obtained and posted the names of thousands of illegally overpaid teachers on its website.
Mass Firings and Political Favors: One of the first things Pepe Lobo’s administration did after taking power was to fire 163 staff members (in other words, almost everyone) of an alternative education program that has helped 80,000 Hondurans graduate from sixth grade and that USAID has poured millions of dollars into. The staff were replaced with National Party activists who were unqualified for the job but expected to be rewarded for campaigning for the party last fall. Until TH publicized this important story yesterday, it had been mostly ignored by the major Honduran media.
“Phantom” Teachers: TH members have been going from school to school checking official payroll lists against reality. At one school they found that of 55 teachers on payroll, only 33 actually show up to work. The other 22 seem to be “phantoms”–they get paid, but no one knows who or where they are. TH has set up a website where parents can easily locate their childrens’ schools, download a list of the teachers on the official payroll, check with school administrators how the list lines up with reality, and report the results back to TH.

Read more (in Spanish) about TH’s work to root out corruption and improve education at the TH website.

Survey Confirms Land Rights Project’s Impact

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 18:00:52 GMT

Flor del Campo, a poor neighborhood on the outskirts of Tegucigalpa, was the first community to benefit from a Property Law that ASJ helped to develop and that was signed into law in 2004. Under the law, when multiple owners claim to own the same large areas of land, preventing the people who actually live in the neighborhoods that have developed on that land from being able to get titles, the government has the right to come in and take possession of these communities.

The people who live in the communities then pay a fair price for the land they live on in exchange for a title, which serves as legal proof that the family owns the land. These residents can then use these titles as collateral to take out loans to improve their homes or start a small business.

(If people claiming to be large-scale landholders whose property was settled without their permission can substantiate those claims in court, they receive reimbursement for the land now titled to the current residents via the payments these residents have made for their titles.)

The survey was designed and implemented by Joy Nissen, a Wheaton College student who interned with the Land Rights project for six months. She organized a group of youth from Flor del Campo to administer the survey door to door to 200 randomly selected households—about 4% of the total households in the neighborhood. The results: 75 percent of households surveyed have already received land titles. This suggests that in the neighborhood of Flor del Campo as a whole, around 3,750 households, or a total of nearly 20,000 people, who five years ago did not have legal ownership of their land, now do. Praise God for this accomplishment!

Of the 151 households surveyed that have obtained title, 25 have attempted to take out loans using their title as collateral, and 15 of them were successful. Most said they wanted the loan to improve their home, replacing rotting wood with cement blocks, or corroding roofs with fresh tin. The land titles also ensure that people making false claims to own the land Flor del Campo occupies now have no legal basis whatsoever to kick families out of their houses or charge them rent.

The attorney in charge of the ASJ land team, Gilda Espinal, says that ASJ’s hard work in helping residents understand the process and guiding community leaders through all of the steps is a major factor in the high percentage of families who are now legal landowners. Without ASJ’s accompaniment, the communities might still be stuck in a bureaucratic tangle.

“Considering that Flor del Campo was our pilot community, and after all the work we did to determine who the real owner of the land was, this is excellent news,” Gilda said of the survey’s results. “We have learned a lot over the last five years about how to help communities and community leaders avoid errors that delay the process. They are more empowered and better understand their own obligations.”

Since the Property Law passed in 2004, some 30,000 land titles have been given out to residents in Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula, thanks in large part to the Land Rights team’s efforts to educate and advocate on behalf of communities undergoing the titling process.

Mayor Under Scrutiny For Diverting 3 Million Lempiras

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 19:50:05 GMT

In December 2009, journalists with Revistazo.com set out to track down the final destination of millions of dollars of government funds that Honduras’ members of Congress spend on pet projects each year, with little oversight or accountability. While they were not always able to determine the final destination, they did find out that a lot of funds weren’t spent on the projects they had ostensibly been provided for. Other funds were spent for the designated purposes but were only sufficient to partially complete infrastructure projects that, without further investment, are useless and will soon deteriorate. The following is a translation of this article written by Revistazo journalists Eleana Borjas and Ana Flores, based on their investigation of a $150,000 grant provided by congress to renovate a bus terminal, but that was diverted for other uses.

The El Paraíso bus station has functioned for over 20 years and has routes into many Honduran cities. 50 buses a day provide transportation to the 40,000 residents of El Paraíso, and a number of them assured Revistazo.com investigators that except for the candy stand upgrading from wood to brick, in 20 years the bus station hasn’t changed a bit.

A new destination for 3 million lempiras

El Paraíso residents are very aware of the grant that was supposed to improve their bus terminal. The “3 million lempira fund” is famous in the area.

In 2006, Congressional representatives Ricardo Rodríguez and Mario Segura presented a proposal to the National Congress requesting 3 million lempiras in order to build a new bus station. But here’s where the case becomes another example of the myriad problems in the management of the Congressional subsidies handed out to representatives for carrying out projects for their constituencies.

The money for the bus station was requested, processed, and disbursed by the Secretary of Finance, according to decree #195-2006 in 2006. The beneficiary and executor of the projects was the Municipality of El Paraíso. However, not a single brick was purchased with the money because the mayor, who happens to be the brother of one of the congressmen, decided not to invest the money in the bus station. He claims he spent it on improving the sewer system, but an anonymous resident of the area told Revistazo.com that Mayor Segura used the money to finance his re-election campaign.

“They even made up a paper trail to use this money for something else,” said the anonymous informant.

Congressional representatives turned a blind eye, but the residents of El Paraiso didn’t.

Money from Congress is money “thrown to the wind” since neither the person soliciting the funds nor any committee takes responsibility for ensuring that it is spent on what it has been designated for. Nor does anyone inspect the amount of quality of the materials purchased with the funds.

But in El Paraíso, the population was paying attention and so, afraid that the money was going into private bank accounts, they complained to authorities about what was happening.

The complaint that the mayor was using the money for his campaign was presented to the General Accounting Office (TSC), which was obliged to investigate. Revistazo.com interviewed the accused mayor who corroborated the information given by the residents, but at the same time said that the TSC would carry out an audit to make sure the funds were spent correctly.

The mayor explained that he did not invest the 3 million on improving the bus station because he was concerned with what people would say.

“What happened is that the resources we received, weren’t enough, the study we’ve done show we need at least 14.6 million lempiras,” explained Segura. “We didn’t want to use the 3 million, because imagine if we left the project half-finished, what would people say”, was the argument the mayor proffered to justify moving the funds to another project.

Revistazo.com asked the mayor for the study on the bus station but was told he did not have access to it at that time. He added that another reason the money was not spent on the bus station was because the population of El Paraiso was growing, so within 5 or 10 years the station would be insufficient to meet the needs of the area.

“The mayor’s office has decided to buy land closer to the dry canal (a highway under construction) at a cost of 14.7 million lempiras ($700,000).” Mayor Segura told Revistazo.com that another study had determined that the bus station was in an inadequate place, (despite the fact that it has been in its location for 20 years).

When asked for the name of the company that carried out the study, the mayor explained that he didn’t remember the name but they had paid for the study and the cost of the bus station was around “17 or 14 million lempiras”. He explained that they had plans to buy 4 acres of land for a new bus station from Martha Valladares but that the price had not yet been determined. “We haven’t negotiated but an acre of land right now costs about half a million lempiras”, stated the mayor. The land would be purchased with funds from the mayor’s office, but this leads to more confusion.

14 million needed to redo the bus station.

According to the mayor, the 3 million lempiras received by the municipality for the bus station were spent instead on the installation of a sewer system, but he stressed that those funds were taken as a loan and would be repaid to the municipality. “It’s really just a loan, the municipality has to pay it back. In our budgeting for this year, we’re assigning funds for this.”

Mayor is accused of misspending funds

But the mayor’s decision to change the destination of the funds granted by Congress has caused him to be investigated by authorities as residents determined to lodge a complaint against him to the General Accounting Office for the misspent 3 million lempiras.

In December, Revistazo.com requested information regarding the investigation and audit about the case from the General Accounting Office. Journalist Bessy Flores, from the Public Relations Department, said that because of the change of administration in Honduras, this information could not be processed until the new year.

Carlos Segura Aroca also is on the list of functionaries being investigated by the District Attorney’s Anti-Corruption office for the illicit gain, during the administration of deposed President, Manuel Zelaya Rosales. But Segura Aroca defends himself. “The General Accounting Office showed with checks from our municipality and clear documentation of the projects we’ve carried out. We are just waiting for their report.”

Revistazo.com will follow up on this case and in the future will inform its readers of the results of the investigation and actions of the General Accounting Office regarding this case which demonstrates the grave problems in both the supervision of funds dispersed by Congress and the improvisation and lack of planning of local government authorities.

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Good Friday in Honduras

Joy and Art Merge in a Solemn Ceremony ﻿

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ASJ-US and ASJ-Canada Joint Statement on Honduran Elections

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A call to action for Honduras

November 2025 ASJ-US Statement about Honduran Elections

Context Updates on the 2025 Elections in Honduras

Honduras’s Institutional Crisis Deepens Ahead of the 2025 Elections

HOPE

Seeking Justice at Home and Abroad

Calvin alums turn faith into action through nonprofit

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Annual Report 2025

MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

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Thank You for Moving Forward With Us this Summer!

Uprooted: Honduras and the Cancellation of TPS

When Policies Shift, Families Pay the Price *

by Jo Ann Van Engen

ASJ's Vision Inspires Civic Renewal in the US

Inspiring civil society in the US with a vision of a more just society

Learning from Honduras

Building A More Just Chicago

A Citywide Alliance

A Global Vision, A Local Example

Prayer Walk for Honduras

Beyond Push and Pull: Migration as an Act of Love

Love, Labor, and the Price of Leaving

By Jo Ann Van Engen

Prayer update July

Prayer Update (JUL 16- Election Process Turmoil)

Painting Hope to Keep Moving Forward

Meet the Artist Behind Our New Sticker Illustrations

“A country rich in nature, resources, culture, and kind hard-working people.”

Doing Justice in Immigration

How U.S. Policy Shapes Honduran Families’ Futures

﻿ by Jo Ann Van Engen

Defending Honduran Democracy in Washington D.C.

Honduran civil society works together for fair elections in 2025

ASJ Board of Directors Meet in Honduras

J ustice seekers from Canada, the US, and Honduras commit to working together

“Time together draws the boards closer around the shared mission and helps refine our focus.”

“We didn’t want to travel all the way to Honduras just to sit in board rooms all day. We worked hard to create opportunities for the members of the boards to experience firsthand the transformative work that ASJ-Honduras is doing on the ground every day.”

Let's Keep Moving Forward

Choosing defiant hope over fear.

ASJ Supporting Students’ Learning in Honduras

Celebrating 25 Years

Highlights from our 25th Anniversary Celebration in Grand Rapids, MI

We want to thank our corporate sponsors for coming alongside us this year!

HOW IMMIGRATION AFFECTS A COMMUNITY/ Justicia Winter 2025

MY EMPTY VILLAGE / HOW IMMIGRATION AFFECTS A COMMUNITY

(by Sara Pineda)

HONDURAN ELECTIONS 2025/ Justicia Winter 2025

Young Hondurans have stepped up for democracy

(by Blanca Stephanie Elvir)

Joy and Art Merge in a Solemn Ceremony

by Jo Ann Van Engen