The Concepcion community programme
The Concepción community development programme is located to the
south of Intibucá in the municipality of Concepción. World Vision
reaches 31 communities, benefiting 1000 families directly and 8500
indirectly. World Vision's partnership with the community started
in 1998 and is envisaged to continue until September 2012, when the
community will be fully equipped with the resources and skills to
take ownership of its own development. In the past year,
significant improvements were made in the final focus areas of
health and water, and education.
Issues covered: Health, water,
education and economic development
Updates on World Vision's work
Health and water
- 83 per cent of households now have access to safe and clean
water, which helps to reduce water-borne diseases like cholera. In
addition, ten community and ten children's sanitation committees
have been formed to ensure continued community health and
hygiene.
- Through the healthy homes and schools initiative, 790 families
have improved homes and schools in their area, such as repairing
leaking roofs, and 640 families have access to a latrine.
Education and economic development
- Through a student-to-student mentoring project, school dropout
rates have been reduced from 6.9 per cent to 0.6 per cent since the
project started.
- 102 intermediate school students have enrolled in a
microenterprise projects and received training in jewellery making,
painting, woodwork and other trades, as well as business skills.
Their products are being sold at fairs organised by the students at
schools, study centres, the municipal market and sales expos.
The Concepcion community is in the fifteenth year of its
development journey with World Vision.
Life on
the ground in Concepcion
Farmers' field schools transform producers
Farmer Rogelio Mendoza (second from
left) and his family in their banana plantation. Rogelio has become
a champion of crop diversification.
Farmer Rogelio Mendoza from Concepción used to follow in the
traditional footsteps of his forebears. Until he attended World
Vision's field school for local farmers and learned that through
better management, soil improvement, pest control and crop
diversification, he could improve not only crop yields, but also
his family's income. The name of the field school is 'Los buenos
amigos' (The good friends) and that is how Rogelio and his fellow
producers work together to improve their quality of life.
Neighbouring communities were surprised by the positive change in
Rogelio's village. They came to visit him with other producers, and
Rogelio shared with them his knowledge. Today, he is a community
leader, as his example has helped change the behaviour of other
farmers. "Thanks to our increased income, I can afford to send my
three younger children, Danilo, 7, Erik Joshua, 9, and Wilson
Abner, 11, to school," says a proud Rogelio. Meanwhile, 17-year-old
Rogelio Mendoza Jr. is studying towards an agricultural science
degree, and is planning to help his father on the family farm.
Honduras at a glance
Christopher Columbus first sighted Honduras in 1502. The name he
gave it means 'depths', for the deep waters of its coast. The
second largest Central American republic, Honduras borders
Guatemala. El Salvador and Nicaragua. It has a long stretch of
coast on the Caribbean Sea and a much smaller coastline on the
Pacific Ocean. Mild earthquakes occur frequently, while more
damaging hurricanes and floods affect mainly the Caribbean coast.
Hurricane Mitch was a particularly devastating example, killing
around 7000 people in 1998. In 2000, a drought affected more than
85,000 people in the southern part of the country.
