World

Honduras Political Unrest Disrupts Delivery of Aid, Says Christian Aid Group

The recent political unrest in Honduras is causing delays in providing valuable humanitarian aid for communities in one of the most disadvantaged regions of the country, reported yesterday the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA).

“As we near completion of the project, to ensure project sustainability, we begin to transfer responsibilities to the beneficiaries, and local governmental authorities,” shared Roberto Brown, country Finance Director for ADRA Honduras. “Unfortunately, due to the current political situation, most of the mayors and government offices in our targeted regions are unavailable. It is a real setback in achieving our goals.”

A news release by ADRA said it is currently completing the implementation of the Development Assistance Program in Support of Subsistence Farmer Households, a food security project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The report said the program is to increase food access, household incomes, and agricultural production for more than 19,000 families in Santa Bárbara, a western department of Honduras located 137 miles (220 km) from the capital Tegucigalpa.

To date, the project has also improved the health and nutrition of more than 5,300 children under the age of five, and strengthened their communities’ ability to withstand and appropriately respond to risks and shocks that may affect their food access and availability, it stated.

Country Director Claudio Sandoval also noted that other logistical challenges included getting aid to targeted regions, due to insecurity, political demonstrations, and roadblocks.

“We are trying not to put our staff, and our commodities at risk, because our trucks cannot pass,” said Sandoval. “It’s not every day that something happens, but it is difficult, because we don’t know where it’s going to happen, or which day…this is causing problems for our staff in the region.“

On 28 June, Honduran President Manuel Zelaya, was deposed by the Honduran military, after months of rising tension. Scores of demonstrations both in protest and support of the recent events continue, disrupting travel, and encouraging many businesses to remain closed. The political standoff remains unsolved.

One month earlier, on 28 May, a powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.1 on the Richter scale struck Honduras, a Central American nation on its Atlantic coast killing seven people, 40 injured and more than 130 buildings damaged or destroyed in northern Honduras, according to U.S. Geological Survey. Honduras is still recovering from the impact of the earthquake.

Adventist Aid group said the ADRA project is currently being carried out in Santa Bárbara’s southern municipalities, including San Francisco de Ojuera, San Pedro Zacapa, Ceguaca, Concepción del Sur, Santa Rita, El Nispero, La Arada, San Nicolás, San Vicente Centenario, and Nuevo Celilac. It is scheduled to be completed September 30, 2009.

ADRA is a non-governmental organization present in 125 countries providing sustainable community development and disaster relief without regard to political or religious association, age, gender, race or ethnicity.

On the web: www.adra.org

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