Claudia Gómez is ASJ’s web master and digital community manager. As a member of the Communications team she expertly helps run press conferences that reveal ASJ’s research to officials and the public. (Last year we hosted 38 press conferences!) She also ensures the general public can engage with ASJ’s advocacy messages online. Here, she shares her perspective on opportunity, solidarity, and justice in Honduras’ capital city, Tegucigalpa.
Why We Call Honduras Home / Claudia Gómez
April 26, 2023
Solidarity & Hilltop Views in Tegucigalpa
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 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.
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
