Fast Facts

Honduras is one of Central America’s poorest countries. Two-thirds of its people live below the poverty line, and unemployment is about 28% (2009 Index of Economic Freedom).

Public schools remain underfunded, overcrowded and poorly equipped. Dropouts are common, and many children leave school to work and help their families. As a result, it is estimated that a quarter of the population over the age of 15 is illiterate. (Honduras fact sheet, Children International)

Hurricane Mitch (1998) killed some 5,700 people and left more than a million homeless. (Children International)

Of 143 homeless children interviewed, 100% had at least one sexually transmitted disease, and 48.1% had been sexually abused by a member of their family. (Casa Alianza study, "Former Honduran Street Girls Travel to Canada for International Summit of Sexually Exploited Youth," 2 March 1998 found in the Factbook on Global Sexual Exploitation: http://www.uri.edu/artsci/wms/hughes/factbook.htm)

Military rule, corruption, a huge wealth gap, crime and natural disasters have rendered Honduras one of the least developed and least secure countries in Central America. (BBC News: Country profile, Honduras)

Homelessness and street life have extremely detrimental effects on children. Their unstable lifestyles, lack of medical care, and inadequate living conditions increase young people's susceptibility to chronic illnesses such as respiratory or ear infections, gastrointestinal disorders, and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS. (International Child and Youth Care Network. CYC-Online, Issue 68. September 2004. http://www.cyc-net.org/cyc-online/cycol-0904-Homelessness.html)

Studies have found that up to 90% of street children use psychoactive substances, including medicines, alcohol, cigarettes, heroin, cannabis, and readily available industrial products such as shoe glue. (International Child and Youth Care Network. CYC-Online, Issue 68. September 2004. http://www.cyc-net.org/cyc-online/cycol-0904-Homelessness.html)

Some 18% of the population has no access to basic health services, 10% of the population lacks access to safe water, and one-third of the population lacks access to sanitation. (Issues Facing Children in Honduras, UNICEF)

The average number of years of schooling stands at only 4.3 in rural areas and 7 in urban areas. The main causes of these low numbers lie in inadequate teachers' competencies, scarcity of teaching materials, poor physical learning environments and limited interaction between schools and communities. In rural and indigenous areas, the curricula, materials and teaching methods are not adapted to the cultural context. (Issues Facing Children in Honduras, UNICEF)

In Honduras alone in the last 10 years, 3,350 minors were murdered by youth gangs, police, private security guards, or even relatives. (José Manuel Capellín, Casa Alianza Honduras. Taken from Inter Press Service. http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=35507)