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El Hogar Ministries eNewsletter
Special Edition - Update on Political Situation
July 28, 2009 |
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Introduction
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Part of today's (July 28) posting from Rich contains a story about one of our graduates. It is a welcome reminder, during a troubled time, of why El Hogar exists!
We are continuing to send updates as new information becomes available.
Thank you for your concern for El Hogar and Honduras.
Liz Kinchen
Executive Director in NA | |
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| July 28, 2009 |
My apartment is situated so that it overlooks the Teachers' College, which is on the other side of the highway. The teachers in Honduras have been at the core of the protests trying to get Zelaya back as president, so many of the marches and protests form at the university. Yesterday, as I was at my desk doing some paperwork, I could hear them gathering, and not long afterward, could see their procession as they marched down the highway, chanting in support of "Mel". Not long after that I got a call warning me that the road was blocked by the protesters. I waited a while, hoping they would march on, then got in my little car for the short (less than 2 miles) trip to El Hogar. I headed off in the usual direction, but was less than halfway when I realized that the road was blocked. I managed to do a U-turn and went in the opposite direction. Since the main road was blocked, lots of others were doing the same thing, so the traffic was horrible. I finally found a place I could turn off, wound through two or three neighborhoods, and was able to approach El Hogar from the other direction. The trip, which normally takes 5 or 10 minutes, was over half an hour.
I was to meet Balbino there, but he had to face the same traffic situation I did, but coming from the opposite direction. He finally arrived almost two hours later, having also had to face several military checkpoints, plus the construction on the road to the farm. He told me he had not been home for four days because his little village is near to the border, and is therefore subject to the extensive curfew that has recently been imposed on the border towns.
One of the teachers had walked to El Hogar yesterday morning, since the traffic was not moving at all. She arrived late, and very hot, but she arrived!
Everyday life was never exactly easy in Honduras, but this current situation has made it even more of a challenge. It wears you down.
The congress of Honduras met yesterday, and set up a commission to study whether or not it was possible to accept the proposals put forth by Arias. Some of the decisions were deferred to the supreme court. So the Honduran government has not rejected the accord, and is still debating it. Zelaya had been invited to the US for a meeting today, but sent word to Hillary that she should send someone to Nicaragua if she wanted to talk. He has set up a "headquarters" there. Meanwhile, a complaint has been brought to the court in Nicaragua against Zelaya , asking that he be asked to leave the country. Zelaya himself has asked the world to consider the followers he has gathered as political refugees. There are stories of some very humble and poor folks who have traveled days because they believe he is on their side, and will help bring social justice to Honduras. I disagree with their read of the political situation, but you can't help but admire the sacrifices these people are willing to make for what they believe in.
Not everyone makes such sacrifices. Yesterday one of the leaders of the protesters was stopped, and in his car there was a ledger and a book of signed receipts for amounts given to the leaders of the protests. The amounts were in dollars, and each one was signed by the recipient. The amounts ranged from $3000 to $20,000. When questioned, one said that the money was to provide food for the people in the marches, but it had never been delivered. Another said that money had never changed hands, and he had no idea where this ledger and accompanying receipts had come from.
It can all become very discouraging. But then I ran into one of our graduates on the street. This is Ivan, who was a student at the Agricultural School. He saw me getting out of my car, and rushed over to say "Hello". He has been working for two years now with a social agenciy that helps the rural poor. He is their technical consultant for agriculture. He was telling us about how much he like his job, and how happy he was, and what good memories he had from the farm, and what a good preparation it had been for him. He was literally hopping up and down in his enthusiasm. He was well dressed, and looked great. He is living with an aunt, and hoping to get his own place some day. He shook my hand about five times, and then went off toward his home. The word we translate as "angels" is actually "messengers" in Greek. Ivan was, in that sense, an angel for me, a reminder of why El Hogar exists, and why it is all worth it. So, today, we will once again try to navigate around the demonstrations, listen to the news, and hope for a peaceful and just resolution to this present crisis. Thank you for all your prayers and good wishes!
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| July 27, 2009 |
We are now beginning our fifth week of political turmoil. I am happy to report that El Hogar continues to function, giving our children and teenagers a safe haven, an education, and a chance for a good future.
The supporters of the deposed president had promised to "shut down" the country last Thursday and Friday with a general strike, as Zelaya made his own preparations to return to Honduras. At El Hogar, considering the potential violence, and the impassibility of the roads, we made our own contingency plans. As it turned out, the "general strike" was not all that general. Most people still went about their normal business. The teachers, once again, refused to give classes, further disrupting an educational system that is considered the worst in Central America. Supporters of Zelaya managed to shut down the hospital for the poor here in Tegucigalpa, as well as the other hospital for people who qualify for government health care through their work. (Somehow, to me, it makes little sense for a movement claiming to be on the side of the poor to strike a "blow" to the present government by denying health care to the poor for two days.) There were threats to shut off the electricity, and the TV station that is most supportive of Zelaya even ran announcements that it would be off the air because of cutting off of power, but, fortunately, that never happened. Major roadways, however, were blocked for hours.
On Friday Zelaya, who had asked his followers to gather at the Nicaraguan border, briefly made an appearance on Honduran soil. He gave a short speech, then went back to Nicaragua. He apparently was hoping to have thousands of supporters greet him and escort him into the city, but only a few hundred followers and an equal number of journalists were there. The military had set up roadblocks to keep people away, and far fewer made the journey than he anticipated.
He announced that he was setting up a camp on the border, where there would be tents and water and food, and put out a call for his supporters to join him. Those who did respond to that call have found that they are without any of those things, stranded without shelter or food. Zelaya has now set up headquarters in a little town in Nicaragua, and is "planning" his next move.
Sadly, there were some confrontations between the military and supporters of Zelaya. A few injuries were reported by the Red Cross. Also, the body of a young man who had been tortured was found in a field close to where the confrontation had taken place. Demonstrators claim this was the work of the police, who say that they had nothing to do with it. It is hard to tell, in a country where there are so many murders of young males, who was behind this. At the funeral yesterday, the crowd gathered for the burial spotted two police officers, chased and beat them, and burned their car.
This situation is putting strain on both the military and the police. Individual members of both forces hold a variety of political opinions, and there is some internal division about the role they are now playing. The military issued a rare public policy statement this weekend, saying expressly that they were in favor of talks continuing in order to resolve the present crisis. It is clear that they do not want to be perceived as an oppressive force, but rather as servants of the civilian government.
A word, BTW, about protests in Honduras. The right to protest against the government is one that is highly valued here, even above what we practice in the U.S. For instance, although people get angry and inconvenienced, no one argues that it is not the right of the protesters to block major highways, or even to shut down the hospital. Perhaps coming from a history in which governments were imposed by force, they have decided to allow the people to have the right to resist the government in whatever way they choose, short of violence. I have been amazed at the tolerance of the police and army. There was a "marathon" vigil to rally support for Zelaya, held on Blvd. Morazon, one of the major city roads. For two days the army steered traffic away from the demonstration and provided protection for those who were gathered there.
Here in Tegucigalpa life seems in many ways very normal, but the tension under the surface is real. I talked to one of our teachers on Saturday who spoke of having nightmares. Others are worried that a civil war will break out. Others are very frustrated that, as they see it, the ambitions of politicians are causing ordinary people to lose income and peace of mind. Others are convinced that Zelaya offered a chance to break out of the patterns that have kept this country poor for so long. Others are seeing this as Honduras's maturing as a democracy, standing up to the kind of political manipulation that Chavez represents for them. But for most people I have talked with, the situation has worn them down emotionally, and for many, it has also had an effect financially.
Last night there was a soccer game here in Tegucigalpa between the two best-known teams. The game ended in a tie, but as the crowd began to disperse, a group of "fans" stood up and began firing weapons at fans of the opposing team. Before it was over, there were at least two deaths, and around fifteen people injured. This was a horrible incident, but I think it shows the level of tension and frustration simmering below the surface here.
We are trying to make sure our young people understand what is going on in their country, and using the situation to teach about the constitution and the form of government, but most of our younger children are blissfully unaware of what is happening. When I stopped by the other day, some of the girls had turned the outdoor grill into their little house, and set up rooms underneath it, and were talking and arguing among themselves with great animation. Six little boys were on the three see-saws, bobbing up and down, and tossing a small stuffed animal from one person to another as they moved, adding an extra challenge to their activity! Two of our boys were tutoring some parents, helping them learn to read. Some other boys were gathered around one of the teachers, watching a news report of current events, and expressing their own opinions. And, of course, there were at least two soccer games taking place in intersecting parts of the campus. In short, they were kids being kids, which is what we desire for them.
Please keep us in your prayers as we continue to hope and wait for a peaceful and just resolution of this crisis.
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| Past Articles |
| To read past articles, please visit our website at: www.elhogar.org. | |
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Sincerely,
Rev. Rich Kunz
Executive Director, Honduras | |
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