WHY HONDURAS? - Crisis in Honduras

Located in the heart of Central America between Guatemala and Nicaragua, Honduras is known for its natural beauty, rich culture and warm people. Unfortunately, it's also widely believed to be the poorest country in Latin America. The combination of massive unemployment, a national health crisis, little government support for education, healthcare or social services, and lingering devastation from Hurricane Mitch has only worsened the situation. The result is a cycle of poverty and crime that's almost impossible to break without direct intervention. Thousands of children are abandoned, impoverished or orphaned, many living on the streets or in conditions most Canadians would find unimaginable. 70% of Honduras' 7 million inhabitants live in terrible poverty 40% of the population are children (in startling comparison to 18% in Canada) 52% of families in Honduras are single parent families - most led by women struggling to raise large families Crime rates are high and where women are the offenders, Honduran policy requires that babies up to two years old be imprisoned with their mothers. Often children are born there. The devastating force of 1998's Hurricane Mitch left over 1 million people homeless and living in unsanitary, unsafe conditions. Many have never recovered what they lost and remain homeless to this day. Honduras is home to 70% of AIDS cases in Central America