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El Hogar Ministries eNewsletter
Special Edition - Update on Political Situation
August 31, 2009 |
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| Introduction |
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We are continuing to send updates from Rich Kunz 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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| August 31, 2009 |
The past week was a good one for El Hogar. It started with a wonderful celebration at St. Mary's Church on Sunday. It was the church's annual patronal festival. The Bishop was there to preach and celebrate, and the English and Spanish congregations combined for the morning. There were several confirmations. The Garifuna women presented the offertory, which included dancing to the altar with not only bread and wine, but also with traditional Garifuna dishes, including fish and platanas. After the Eucharist, lunch was served on the site of what used to be the Technical Institute, and now is part of St. Mary's Bilingual School.
This was also the week the Institute celebrated its 25th Anniversary. The celebration began with a Eucharist in the new chapel on Monday morning. Each day during the week there were special activities, with lots of soccer games. One of the games featured the teachers playing against the students. I will not report the outcome of that game, but only say that, miraculously, all the faculty were still able to walk with some help after the game was over. On Friday everyone went to a local park for a day long picnic. The park has a small pool, which the boys enjoyed. They also had two pinatas. Here in Honduras the pinatas move up and down and swing, and the person who has the baton is twirled around until he/she is dizzy and then blindfolded. The person who moves the pinata tries to keep it safe, but is not beyond trying to hit whoever is "it" with the pinata by swinging it at him/her. When it finally does get hit hard enough for the candy to fall out, there is an incredible scrum, with all the boys in a huge pile trying to grab at least some of the treats. Lots of fun! This year, to keep expenses as low as possible, Patricia and her kitchen crew cooked lunch, and brought it out to the park for the boys and the faculty. It was a wonderful day.
Balbino and Wilman returned from their ERD conference with lots of new ideas and also some new tasks suggested by the ERD staff. The conference had over 30 participants from 11 Latin American countries. It was at a beach, but the schedule hardly allowed for the chance to enjoy it. They come back with a fuller understanding of the partnership ERD would like to have with El Hogar, and a new relationship with the staff assigned to work with them. This was also a week when weather and timing were right for planting. The fields are now sown with frijoles and corn. We are trying to grow as much as possible to offset some of our food costs this year.
School continued at El Hogar this week. Our recycling program is still going strong, and the classes on Saturdays in which adults can learn to read, taught by our older students under the supervision of our teachers, are still attracting some very motivated parents and even staff members. There is some new furniture in the dormitory, bought with money raised by our staff. The "logical consequences" approach to discipline is going well. When I stopped by this weekend, the kids were relaxing and having a great time.
The political situation remains unresolved, but, like many Hondurans, we are going on with life, albeit against an uncertain backdrop. Just a few reflections on that political situation...
Today is the official kick-off of the campaign for the next president. Elections are scheduled for November 29, with the new president scheduled to take office on January 27. Something like 500,000 new voters have registered to be able to vote in these elections. There is a lot of hope that completing transparent elections will be a way out of the current crisis. But there are signs that it might not be so easy. Yesterday, one of the police officials assigned to protect the election process was murdered, and his papers that gave him that assignment were left in a prominent place at the scene of the crime. This indicates that there are those who are looking for ways to subvert the voting process. Several countries, including Spain, have already announced that they will not recognize the new president, as the current situation has not been resolved, and therefore in their opinion the electoral process will not be legitimate.
The actions of the US are still mixed. I get asked often, "Why is the United States acting in this way?" It is a good question, and there is no simple answer. This morning, looking at the U.S. press on the internet, I found two editorials on the situation here. One was criticizing Obama for encouraging "leftist thugs" by pressuring Honduras to reinstate Zelaya. The other was criticizing Obama for undermining democracy by NOT pressuring Honduras to immediately reinstate Zelaya. Obviously there is room for interpretation. On reflection, I think this is because the U.S. is pursuing two goals that are in tension with one another.
In the past, the United States has been criticized, often with justification, for meddling in Latin American politics for its own interests, without regard for the people of Central and South America. This has led to some deep resentments, and people like Chavez have used those resentments to grab power for themselves, blaming almost all ills on "Yankee Imperialism". The current administration seems determined to diffuse that, seeing that past stances have often proven counterproductive. So, for instance, I think if the US had immediately recognized the current government, the situation here would have been interpreted as yet another example of US meddling, and would have become a cause celebre for leftist governments to rally around. So, the US is trying to be part of an international team.
At the same time, the US recognizes that the direction of much of the hemisphere has become anti-American, and has no interest in yet another leader taking his or her country in that direction. Zelaya is seen as a trouble maker and a friend of Chavez. No one is really anxious to have him return.
The result is that the US is outwardly supporting the Organization of American States in seeking a "return to democracy" in Honduras, and imposing some sanctions. So far, however, it is coming short of imposing sanctions that would in effect force Honduras to comply. This has led to the rather strange situation in which Chavez is calling for more US intervention. It has also, paradoxically, made the US a key player in this crisis.
I am not smart enough to predict where this is all going, or what the US will do next. The acting President has presented a proposal by which he would be willing to resign if Zelaya also resigns, both doing so for the good of the country. In that case, the person next in line according to the Constitution would assume power, and the Congress would grant Zelaya amnesty for political crimes he has been charged with. The Organization of American States has rejected that proposal.
In the meantime, there is still a group that carries on regular protests, but much of the country is carrying on with life as usual, and energy is focusing now on who the next president will be. But the political situation has had and is having an effect on people and agencies here. This morning's paper carries the story of one institution that has been serving teenagers who are trying to recover from involvement with drugs and alcohol and gangs, and is now considering closing down because of lack of funds. We feel blessed that we so far have been able to continue to do our work, but are also feeling the effect of the combination of US recession and political crisis. Please continue to pray for us as we seek to keep this refuge, this "Hogar", open to those in need. |
| August 25, 2009 |
It has been almost two months now since Mel Zelaya was bundled out of his house and taken out of the country, and the situation is still not resolved. Some of the early fears, such as a civil war breaking out, or an invasion by foreign troops, are no longer an issue. In many ways life is proceeding in a normal pattern again, especially outside of Tegucigalpa. There are regular demonstrations, but the core group still advocating for Zelaya's return is not very large, and there has been enough public outcry over the vandalism and violence of some of the earlier marches that the demonstrations have toned down considerably. After two months, they are taking on a pattern. The participants are mostly teachers and some union members, who gather around 10am and march someplace and then disperse around 3pm. It is usually possible to find out where they are going and avoid those places. On the other hand, world pressure is still intense. All the European countries have withdrawn their ambassadors, and several South American countries have done the same. Much foreign aid has been frozen, and loans not granted. Honduran ambassadors in other countries are no longer recognized, so there is a sense of isolation. These pressures are not as immediately visible, but will have a long term effect.
Meanwhile, lots of conversations are taking place. Last week a human rights delegation from the Organization of American States came and had hearings in Honduras. Since the OAS has been very clear in its refusal to recognize the current government, expectations were not high for a fair hearing. Still, the initial report was better than hoped for here. They did document instances of brutality and indiscriminate arrests by both police and military personnel, but discounted the claims by Zelaya that there were scores of deaths and hundreds of injuries and thousands of people held in jails. They also noted the instances of vandalism and crowd violence, and the withholding of education from students.
Yesterday another OAS delegation arrived. It is composed of foreign ministers from 7 different countries. They are here hoping to present the case for ratifying the agreement proposed by Arias, but also, more importantly, to listen. They are meeting with religious and business leaders, representatives from the armed forces and the current government, union officials, teachers, and even the candidates for the next election. I think this is a crucial step. The general feeling here is that countries jumped to conclusions about what had happened here without any real understanding of the situation. Having this opportunity for Hondurans to tell their side of the story is crucial if there is to be any agreement that has "buy in" from the people here.
Once again, how this will all play out is still a mystery. Next week marks the official beginning of the campaign period for the next government. Elections are still scheduled for November, with the new president due to take office the end of January. Most people are hoping that having orderly and fair elections will ultimately resolve this whole issue.
The paper today had an article outlining some of the challenges for the next government. It mentions, among other things, that, despite promises from many different governments to address the issue of poverty, over 50% of households still exist on less than $1 a day, and 73% of the population is below the poverty level. The murder rate increased 25% last year, and currently in Honduras there are 373 murders each month, or an average of 12 a day. The index of violent death in Honduras is 48/100,000, as compared to the average in Latin America of 7/100,000. The economy is in a shambles, with foreign reserves being reduced by a third in the last eight months. These are daunting problems, and the current political crisis has put them all on the back burner.
Meanwhile, El Hogar Projects are still moving forward. This is anniversary week at the Institute, and it is being marked by special activities. Yesterday there was a Eucharist to give thanks for what God has done there. Friday, there will be a picnic at a local park.
Each day there will be a soccer game, a special presentation, or some other activity to make the week memorable.
Balbino and Wilman have just returned from a conference given by ERD. They will be implementing new ideas they learned from the ERD staff and the other participants.
El Hogar celebrated Lempira Day last week. It is a holiday devoted to reminding Hondurans of their indigenous heritage. Each grade was assigned a different tribe, and built a shelter, prepared food, had children dress up, and gave a brief presentation of the customs, religion, and way of life of that tribe.
Please continue to remember and pray for us.
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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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