Honduras

According to the United Nations World Food Programme, Honduras is one of the countries most vulnerable to extreme weather conditions, which frequently contribute to food insecurity. Beginning in September 2011, prolonged, heavy rain caused rivers to overflow, flooding large parts of this Central American country. Thousands of families were evacuated and many lost their homes to raging waters and devastating mudslides.

With love and compassion for the Honduran people, Supreme Master Ching Hai immediately sent US$10,000 in relief funds to help meet the needs of those affected. In early October, a relief team made up of our Association members from neighboring Costa Rica and Colombia arrived in Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras. There they met with General Silva, Head of the Honduras Fire Department, and learned that 7,000 families had been affected in the worst-hit region, the Department of Choluteca. Thanks to General Silva’s efforts, our team was able to quickly organize a relief effort with assistance from Choluteca Governor Vilma Aguilar, the Fire Department, the military, and the local Boy Scouts. Staple foods, such as rice, corn flour and spaghetti were purchased, packaged, and distributed to 1,200 of the neediest families.

As rain continued into the second week, another 9,000 households were displaced in Choluteca, bringing the number of disaster-stricken families to 16,000. Many places became inaccessible as roads were flooded and riddled with potholes. Fortunately, our Association’s relief team was already staying near the critically affected areas and could offer urgently needed help. At that time, a second relief team of Association members from the United States arrived to assist in the work.

Master contributed an additional US$15,000 for the Honduran relief effort, which helped address the people’s most basic needs. Food supplies were then purchased and distributed to 3,400 families in Choluteca, the most devastated municipalities in El Paraiso, Soledad and Liure, and the most severely affected community in Valle Alianza. Emergency provisions were also delivered to a nursing home, a home for the disabled, a drug and alcohol addiction rehabilitation center, and two institutions serving children of destitute families. For those who had not eaten anything for many days, it was like “food from Heaven.”

Our US centers also sent a medical team in response to Governor Vilma’s request for medical aid, particularly for those who had fallen ill in temporary shelters. The team brought medicine and a US$13,500 contribution from our US centers, offering free treatment that eased the physical discomfort and lightened the hearts of the ailing.

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