Rev. Kyle Meyaard-Schaap
Executive Director, ASJ-US
Paused International Aid
January 28, 2025
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,
Hondurans cast their ballots during the November 30, 2025, general election, which saw historic voter turnout and a peaceful process supported by more than 12,000 national and international election observers working to safeguard transparency.
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
A call to action for Honduras
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
Honduras’s Institutional Crisis Deepens Ahead of the 2025 Elections
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.
Calvin alums turn faith into action through nonprofit
MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Thank You for Moving Forward With Us this Summer!
When Policies Shift, Families Pay the Price * by Jo Ann Van Engen
