Human Agenda is Going to Macuelizo, Honduras! We Are Asking for Your Support.

Poverty and violence are driving the relentless migration northwards. Here is a chance to attempt to address some of the socio-economic problems at their source. 

On January 27, 2022 the Executive Director of Human Agenda, as part of a delegation with the SHARE Foundation, experienced the deep hope of the Honduran people.  Over 26,000 Hondurans witnessed the taking of presidential power by the first woman in the 200-year history of Honduras, Xiomara Castro. Her Libre Party proposes transformational changes.

Xiomara Castro at inauguration January 27.

Two days before, on Honduran Woman’s Day, Libre candidate Jaky Trejo was sworn in as the new Mayor of Macuelizo, a town in the Department of Santa Barbara. She said that the neoliberal system has harmed the people; that health care had been postponed; that schools are in crisis; that farmers lack seeds and tools to be successful.  She is working to reduce malnutrition, prioritize health care and education, especially for seniors, increase the human development index, work against violence in all forms particularly against women and children, and improve agricultural production, since farmers are the ones who produce the wealth in rural areas.

Education is a high priority for the new mayor who is a teacher.  Since the onset of the pandemic, students were forced out of the classrooms without a virtual learning option. On February 21st, school finally started again. The new mayor reported that there were few teachers remaining, and many of the older teachers have not modernized their curriculum. There is a lack of desks in schools, and teachers commonly use their own money to purchase classroom materials.

new Mayor of Macuelizo Jacqueline Trecho on January 25 with Human Agenda Executive Director Richard Hobbs, celebrating her inauguration that day.

Currently, the municipality of Macuelizo has a total of 8 clinics that offer basic primary care Monday thru Friday with health teams available 8 hours a day which limits access to healthcare for individuals who need emergency care on the evenings or on the weekends. When residents have any medical issues after-hours, they are forced to travel two hours away to the nearest medical facility, making this lack of access to health care especially problematic in cases when people are experiencing serious medical emergencies.  

Macuelizo is extremely poor, with about 3,000 people in the town and 39,000 living in 55 extremely poor agricultural communities.  The first phase of this project is sending a Human Agenda delegation to Macuelizo at the end of August and raising $8000 to cover the first-year cost of adding a doctor and second-level medical care to one of its local clinics. Additional funds are needed to purchase basic medicines and supplies that will be carried by delegates to Macuelizo. 

The purpose of this fundraiser is to support the municipality of Macuelizo in strengthening the health care network in order to expand health care access in the evenings and on weekends, and take much needed school supplies.

Two students work at a decayed old desk.

We have almost reached our fundraising target of $12,000 and we need your support to reach our goal!

We are also taking medicine and school supply donations. Medicine should be sealed and unexpired. If you are interested in donating medicine and supplies please contact Adria Colomer at 256-309-1309 to coordinate donation drop-off or contact our office located on 1590 Oakland Road, Suite B211, San Jose 95131 at 408-759-9571.

If you wish to make a monetary contribution, CLICK HERE or use the DONATE HERE button on our homepage and don’t forget to select “Macuelizo Project” fund during your checkout. Or, send / drop off a check payable to Human Agenda. Specify Macuelizo Project. All donations are tax deductible.