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Host a Socially Responsible Dinner Party
Do you want to get involved with Adelante's cause more directly? Host a Socially Responsible Dinner Party
and participate in Adelante's primary method for raising funds today!
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Microfinance and the Adelante Foundation Mission
"Adelante"
in English means "forward" or "progress." Our mission is to improve
the standard of living of the extreme poor in Honduras. To do that, we
provide very poor women in rural Honduras the opportunity they so
desperately seek-to build a better life for themselves and their
families-through a lending model called microfinance.
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"I voted for Honduras" - How Adelante clients feel about the outcome of their recent election.
by Sophia Anderson
 The mood in the "Las Rodas" assembly near La Ceiba is upbeat and lively when we arrive. As we wait for the board of directors to take care of some business, I ask some of the clients what they thought of the election results. "Did you vote?" I ask the clients, "Are you happy with the outcome?"
"I voted for Honduras!" exclaims Ana Josefina Vargas, a grey-haired woman with a silver front tooth and well-worn smile wrinkles around her eyes. She is brimming with excitement and hope for what is to come. Nolia Savala has a slightly more analytical response, but equally positive. "I am a liberal," she says, "I have always voted with the liberals. But this time I felt the need for a change in color." She voted for Porfirio "Pepe" Lobo (the National Party candidate) because she was seriously worried about the path that Mel Zelaya was taking the country down. She felt like they needed to "get the red out...like a disease, or a fever." Most members of the Liberal Party, including candidate for president, Elvin Santos, have distanced themselves from deposed president Manuel "Mel" Zelaya and his supporters, but the election results show it was not enough. With 61.3% of the eligible population voting, Pepe Lobo won 58% of votes and Elvin Santos only 38%.
Honduras' status in the international community is still undefined. Several nations, including the United States, expressed their disappointment in the Honduran Congress' decision not to reinstate Mr. Zelaya. An overwhelming majority of the 128 Deputies in Congress voted against him this past Wednesday. On Friday, December 4th the Organization of American States (OAS) was scheduled to hold an extraordinary session to discuss whether or not to recognize the results of the recent election, but a decision was not expected anytime soon.
Despite this lingering uncertainty, the atmosphere in the country has been completely transformed since the election. People are proud of their country and the peaceful democratic process that took place last Sunday. They feel hopeful and believe that, while it may take a few months for things to return to normal, the future is looking brighter for Honduras. |
Maria Louise Benitez
by Desirae Wrathall
 The city market of Marcala is bustling with activity. The streets are lined with stands of fresh, brightly colored produce and bins overflowing with dark purple beans. Maria Louise Benitez stands at her booth, assisting a customer. She carefully weighs the bananas and then the cantaloupe. She pulls out the change from her beautifully-feminine, lacy blue apron and hands it to the customer with a generous smile. She has worked in this market for over a year now and looks to be in her element. Friends surround her on all sides and they speak casually together while they wait for their next patrons to walk by their produce stands. Maria is 50 years old and lives in Occotal Obscura, a small mountain village outside of Marcala. Every morning she makes the hour walking journey down to the market. Sometimes, when she is lucky, she is able to get a ride in the back of a truck, which shortens her travel time to ten minutes. When she arrives, she meets the large vegetable truck which comes every morning from La Esperanza, Intibuca. She picks out the best produce, freshly plucked from the lush soil of the region, cleans it and prepares it for sale. Click here to read Maria's story |
Photograph of the Month
Loan disbursement at the San Martin assembly just outside of La Ceiba.
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