Our Community
Location: just outside the capital city of Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Across from the Tegucigalpa Municipal Dump
Country facts:
- 2023 population: 10,593,798, 56% under age 25
- Spanish is the official language
- Tegucigalpa is the capital and second-largest city in Honduras
- Honduras is one of the poorest countries in Latin America
- Primary-school enrollment is high, but educational quality is poor, and the drop-out rate and grade repetition are high.
The situation in our community:
More than 68% of Hondurans live in extreme poverty leaving them with no ability to take care of themselves nor their families. There is no government help for the poor and daily survival is their primary concern. Hundreds of families have become dependant on the municipal garbage dumps as their only means of providing for themselves. Imagine working from sun up to sun down in a dangerous, gang controlled dump searching with your bare hands through bags of garbage. This is their reality. Whole families work in the dump together. The dangers are countless.
- Many people have been run over by garbage trucks
- bio hazards are everywhere from medical waste
- illness from contaminated food and water
- malnutrition
- injuries from broken glass and metal
- breathing issues from toxic air
- gang violence
- glue addiction is common to relieve the intense physical and mental pains of hunger
Our response:
The size and gravity of the situation can not be helped with a one size fits all plan. Sharing the hope and love of Jesus by providing education, nutritious meals, emergency family support, weekly transportation to church and medical support is a good start. Many of our teachers have been working with the families from the Tegucigalpa city dump for the past 15 years and have a clearer view of the unique issues facing each of the families. They have witnessed many successes, some extraordinary miracles and also preventable tragedies. All of it has strengthened their love, commitment and passion for helping this community.