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Projects
Economy
LACA has funded several self-help projects since 1992. The following are a few examples: Sewing Coop In Guajiquiro, in the province of La Paz, LACA helped fund a community “molino” (a corn-grinding mill), purchased treadle machines for a sewing cooperative where there is no electricity, supplied monies to purchase flour and sugar to help start a bakery self-help, and supplied seed monies for cooperatives of small businesses such as local grocery stores, grain stores, and general merchandise stores. Agricultural Warehouse in Rio Colorado, in the province of Comayagua, LACA funded materials for the people to build a “bodega” warehouse for an agricultural co-op. The warehouse allows the members of the cooperative to store coffee or other volatile priced grains until the market is favorable to sell. Oftentimes, the market middle man will purchase the coffee at a very low figure before it is ready to harvest. Because of the family’s economic needs and lack of storage they had been forced to pre-sell only to find that the coffee later sold for a much higher price. Bakery in Minas de Oro, in the province of Comayagua, LACA funded a very successful bakery self-help group. LACA also provided monies for a water storage tank, a freezer, juice maker, coffee pot, glass display case for bakery goods, and flour and sugar. Prior to the startup, LACA funded a two-day seminar for the bakery administrator on accounting, budgeting, management, and interpersonal relationships. The women took classes on cake-making, decorating, and the baking of goods that were new to them. Once the bakery was established, the women were so enthusiastic they asked to work every day. Not only did this self-help project empower the women of this community to self reliance, but they did not have to leave their families to seek employment in urban centers. If you would like to assist LACA with continuing cooperative and self-help projects or would like more information, please check out our ways to help: www.lacafoundation.org LACA Foundation P.O. Box 21000 Castro Valley, CA 94546 415.317.4060 510.733.6430 Fax.Education
In Honduras there are three levels of education prior to the University: primary school (grades 1-6), colegio, which is comparable to our middle school (grades 7-9), and secondary school (grades 10-12). When students graduate from secondary school, they are prepared for a career in bookkeeping, secretarial work, or teaching. Students can attend the University to pursue other professions. Fewer than 20% of the youngsters attend a secondary school and not even 1% go on to the University. Children living in remote areas often must move to another town to attend even a middle school. Poverty makes getting an education prohibitive for the majority of children living in rural Honduras. Room and board costs between $500 and $600 a year, depending on the city. This sum is impossible for families with an income of $600 to $700 a year. One year while visiting rural schools and conducting a dental hygiene program we noticed a very poor little girl with sorrowful eyes looking into the window of the classroom. We asked the teacher why she was not in school. He responded that her parents could not afford the notebooks and supplies to send all three of their children to school. The little girl would have to wait her turn. Before we left, sufficient money was given to Srs. Knoche and Zimmer for the girl’s education. LACA has provided school supplies for many needy primary school children and funded sixteen children through their colegio education. LACA has also provided monies for educational seminars on ecological and environmental issues for youth in Minas De Oro, and sponsored a two-day youth symposium which focused on the prevention of drug and alcohol abuse for the youth from the areas of Minas de Oro, Esquias, San Jose de Potrero, and San Luis. LACA also provides yearly funding for the education of six to eight blind students at the School for the Blind in Tegucigalpa. “There are many blind children in Honduras who should be attending the School for the Blind in the capital city, but their parents cannot afford the monthly fee. They often hide these children because they are ashamed of their physical defect.” (From “The Blind in Honduras”, a Fall 1997 LACA newsletter article by Sister Barbara Zimmer, IHM.)Environment
In 1993 LACA volunteers introduced the solar cooker to a rural Honduran village as an alternative to wood for cooking and baking. A local carpenter built a solar cooker to our specifications and we demonstrated it to the women of Esquias. Our plan was to cook rice and beans. After placing the rice and beans in the cooker we told the women to return in 2 hours with their tortillas for a feast. The rice was delectable, but the beans were hard as nails. Later we discovered the beans were too old and even after cooking them in the traditional method for 3 hours they were still inedible. LACA actively encourages a change from traditional cooking to the use of solar cookers. In 1996 LACA and the Castro Valley / Hayward California Sunrise Rotary Club initiated a project to purchase sun-ovens. $12,000 was raised and 100 sun ovens were purchased and sent to Honduras. They were assembled there and are still in use, helping to reduce deforestation and make life easier for the people. The solar cookers / sun ovens were purchased from and are manufactured by Sun Ovens International, Inc. Please see their web site http://www.sunoven.com/ for more details. (Another type of solar cooker is the solar stovetop cooker. Mr. Jack Howell will donate 40% of sales from the solar stovetop cooker to the LACA Foundation. Please mention LACA when contacting him. The book Cooking with the Sun, published by Morning Sun Press, shows how to construct solar cookers and includes some great recipes. For further information contact Jack Howell by email jdhowell@ix.netcom.com or by fax 925-932- 1383.)Health
LACA has already funded 11 Water Projects in rural communities in Honduras and with future donations, will continue to fund more. The building of wells, latrines and water runoff/storage tanks is very necessary for these communities and will help reduce disease and many other common health problems at the community level. LACA provides the funds for the water project materials and the people of the community contribute the labor. In the isolated village of Corralitos the whole community, all the men, women, and children, hand carried the construction materials over five kilometers of rugged terrain in order to reach their community before they could begin the labor of constructing their water project and 26 latrines. The people of Pimentilla, Carboneras, Patastillas, Pasquare, Las Machacas, Mata de Platano, and Buenos Aires de San Ignacio are, for the first time, enjoying clean, pure water at their homes. The women are so happy not to have to walk long distances with large buckets on their heads to fetch water! Las Machacas, an isolated village of 63 people, was a challenge for LACA’s representatives to reach. The first trip to visit the village took an hour and a half by car and 4 hours hiking on a narrow mountain path in temperatures that reached 100 degrees. Other Health Projects in which LACA is involved consist of medical and dental clinics, and health education. Four LACA board members and two nurses have gone to Honduras many times in the past, to assist the International Health Service (IHS) a group of volunteer doctors, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, and helpers, in staffing medical clinics. In February 1999, two board members, and a former board member joined the IHS again, as volunteers, each paying their own way, costs and expenses. LACA volunteers have also provided health education in the schools, peoples’ homes, and to community groups. With LACA’s assistance they have conducted sessions in dental education, prenatal education, child care and development, women’s health issues, and communicable diseases, including AIDS.The Need
Health
Parasitic diseases, diarrhea in infants and children, dehydration, respiratory conditions, and severe dental caries are common health problems in rural Honduras. Daily consumption of contaminated water is the main cause of these endemic parasitic diseases. As of 1995, only fifty-three percent of rural people have access to pure drinking water. AIDS is becoming a critical problem. Honduras has the highest rate of HIV infection and AIDS cases in Central America; 60 percent of Central America’s HIV positive population lives in this country. Health education is greatly needed in rural Honduras. LACA has completed and continues to promote many different health projects in the rural communities.Education
In Honduras most children do not attend school past the sixth grade. This is the level mandated by the government, though it is not enforced as many parents cannot afford to buy the notebooks, pencils, uniforms, and other supplies required by every student to attend school. Less than 20% of the students who attend school through the sixth grade, continue their education. Not all villages and towns have a “middle” school, so students who wish to continue their education have to move, leave their families behind, and pay rent and board costs which can add up to $500-$600 a year, which is equal to the annual income of most families in Honduras. Not even 1% of those students go on to University. Poverty makes getting an education prohibitive for the majority of children living in rural Honduras.Economy
The minimum wage in Honduras is $71 a month and does not even apply to the campesinos (farm laborers), which reflects Honduras’ economic plight. Young people leave their rural communities and flock to large urban areas looking for work. Young women leave their families for work in Maquilas (factories) where the hours are long and the conditions questionable. They are often disillusioned and end up living in much greater poverty than they left in their own community. These rural communities need the means to develop employment in the village structure itself, and with LACA’s assistance and self-help cooperative project guidance, they are getting it.Environment
Deforestation is an overwhelming problem in third world countries. The forests are being depleted at an alarming rate. Not only is wood one of Honduras’ chief exports, but it is also still used for cooking. Early every morning, women or children go out to gather wood to cook the family’s meals. At one time the capital city of Honduras, Tegucigalpa, was surrounded by a lush forest. Now it is barren. Since 1993, LACA has been encouraging a change from traditional cooking with wood to the use of solar cookers for these communities.
a 501(c)(3) non-profit charity dedicated to improving the lives of the rural poor in Latin America
© 2021 by The LACA Foundation. All rights Reserved.
Projects
Economy
LACA has funded several self-help projects since 1992. The following are a few examples: Sewing Coop In Guajiquiro, in the province of La Paz, LACA helped fund a community “molino” (a corn-grinding mill), purchased treadle machines for a sewing cooperative where there is no electricity, supplied monies to purchase flour and sugar to help start a bakery self-help, and supplied seed monies for cooperatives of small businesses such as local grocery stores, grain stores, and general merchandise stores. Agricultural Warehouse in Rio Colorado, in the province of Comayagua, LACA funded materials for the people to build a “bodega” warehouse for an agricultural co-op. The warehouse allows the members of the cooperative to store coffee or other volatile priced grains until the market is favorable to sell. Oftentimes, the market middle man will purchase the coffee at a very low figure before it is ready to harvest. Because of the family’s economic needs and lack of storage they had been forced to pre-sell only to find that the coffee later sold for a much higher price. Bakery in Minas de Oro, in the province of Comayagua, LACA funded a very successful bakery self-help group. LACA also provided monies for a water storage tank, a freezer, juice maker, coffee pot, glass display case for bakery goods, and flour and sugar. Prior to the startup, LACA funded a two- day seminar for the bakery administrator on accounting, budgeting, management, and interpersonal relationships. The women took classes on cake-making, decorating, and the baking of goods that were new to them. Once the bakery was established, the women were so enthusiastic they asked to work every day. Not only did this self- help project empower the women of this community to self reliance, but they did not have to leave their families to seek employment in urban centers. If you would like to assist LACA with continuing cooperative and self-help projects or would like more information, please check out our ways to help: www.lacafoundation.org LACA Foundation P.O. Box 21000 Castro Valley, CA 94546 415.317.4060 510.733.6430 Fax.Education
In Honduras there are three levels of education prior to the University: primary school (grades 1-6), colegio, which is comparable to our middle school (grades 7-9), and secondary school (grades 10-12). When students graduate from secondary school, they are prepared for a career in bookkeeping, secretarial work, or teaching. Students can attend the University to pursue other professions. Fewer than 20% of the youngsters attend a secondary school and not even 1% go on to the University. Children living in remote areas often must move to another town to attend even a middle school. Poverty makes getting an education prohibitive for the majority of children living in rural Honduras. Room and board costs between $500 and $600 a year, depending on the city. This sum is impossible for families with an income of $600 to $700 a year. One year while visiting rural schools and conducting a dental hygiene program we noticed a very poor little girl with sorrowful eyes looking into the window of the classroom. We asked the teacher why she was not in school. He responded that her parents could not afford the notebooks and supplies to send all three of their children to school. The little girl would have to wait her turn. Before we left, sufficient money was given to Srs. Knoche and Zimmer for the girl’s education. LACA has provided school supplies for many needy primary school children and funded sixteen children through their colegio education. LACA has also provided monies for educational seminars on ecological and environmental issues for youth in Minas De Oro, and sponsored a two-day youth symposium which focused on the prevention of drug and alcohol abuse for the youth from the areas of Minas de Oro, Esquias, San Jose de Potrero, and San Luis. LACA also provides yearly funding for the education of six to eight blind students at the School for the Blind in Tegucigalpa. “There are many blind children in Honduras who should be attending the School for the Blind in the capital city, but their parents cannot afford the monthly fee. They often hide these children because they are ashamed of their physical defect.” (From “The Blind in Honduras”, a Fall 1997 LACA newsletter article by Sister Barbara Zimmer, IHM.)Environment
In 1993 LACA volunteers introduced the solar cooker to a rural Honduran village as an alternative to wood for cooking and baking. A local carpenter built a solar cooker to our specifications and we demonstrated it to the women of Esquias. Our plan was to cook rice and beans. After placing the rice and beans in the cooker we told the women to return in 2 hours with their tortillas for a feast. The rice was delectable, but the beans were hard as nails. Later we discovered the beans were too old and even after cooking them in the traditional method for 3 hours they were still inedible. LACA actively encourages a change from traditional cooking to the use of solar cookers. In 1996 LACA and the Castro Valley / Hayward California Sunrise Rotary Club initiated a project to purchase sun- ovens. $12,000 was raised and 100 sun ovens were purchased and sent to Honduras. They were assembled there and are still in use, helping to reduce deforestation and make life easier for the people. The solar cookers / sun ovens were purchased from and are manufactured by Sun Ovens International, Inc. Please see their web site http://www.sunoven.com/ for more details. (Another type of solar cooker is the solar stovetop cooker. Mr. Jack Howell will donate 40% of sales from the solar stovetop cooker to the LACA Foundation. Please mention LACA when contacting him. The book Cooking with the Sun, published by Morning Sun Press, shows how to construct solar cookers and includes some great recipes. For further information contact Jack Howell by email jdhowell@ix.netcom.com or by fax 925-932-1383.)Health
LACA has already funded 11 Water Projects in rural communities in Honduras and with future donations, will continue to fund more. The building of wells, latrines and water runoff/storage tanks is very necessary for these communities and will help reduce disease and many other common health problems at the community level. LACA provides the funds for the water project materials and the people of the community contribute the labor. In the isolated village of Corralitos the whole community, all the men, women, and children, hand carried the construction materials over five kilometers of rugged terrain in order to reach their community before they could begin the labor of constructing their water project and 26 latrines. The people of Pimentilla, Carboneras, Patastillas, Pasquare, Las Machacas, Mata de Platano, and Buenos Aires de San Ignacio are, for the first time, enjoying clean, pure water at their homes. The women are so happy not to have to walk long distances with large buckets on their heads to fetch water! Las Machacas, an isolated village of 63 people, was a challenge for LACA’s representatives to reach. The first trip to visit the village took an hour and a half by car and 4 hours hiking on a narrow mountain path in temperatures that reached 100 degrees. Other Health Projects in which LACA is involved consist of medical and dental clinics, and health education. Four LACA board members and two nurses have gone to Honduras many times in the past, to assist the International Health Service (IHS) a group of volunteer doctors, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, and helpers, in staffing medical clinics. In February 1999, two board members, and a former board member joined the IHS again, as volunteers, each paying their own way, costs and expenses. LACA volunteers have also provided health education in the schools, peoples’ homes, and to community groups. With LACA’s assistance they have conducted sessions in dental education, prenatal education, child care and development, women’s health issues, and communicable diseases, including AIDS.The Need
Health
Parasitic diseases, diarrhea in infants and children, dehydration, respiratory conditions, and severe dental caries are common health problems in rural Honduras. Daily consumption of contaminated water is the main cause of these endemic parasitic diseases. As of 1995, only fifty-three percent of rural people have access to pure drinking water. AIDS is becoming a critical problem. Honduras has the highest rate of HIV infection and AIDS cases in Central America; 60 percent of Central America’s HIV positive population lives in this country. Health education is greatly needed in rural Honduras. LACA has completed and continues to promote many different health projects in the rural communities.Education
In Honduras most children do not attend school past the sixth grade. This is the level mandated by the government, though it is not enforced as many parents cannot afford to buy the notebooks, pencils, uniforms, and other supplies required by every student to attend school. Less than 20% of the students who attend school through the sixth grade, continue their education. Not all villages and towns have a “middle” school, so students who wish to continue their education have to move, leave their families behind, and pay rent and board costs which can add up to $500-$600 a year, which is equal to the annual income of most families in Honduras. Not even 1% of those students go on to University. Poverty makes getting an education prohibitive for the majority of children living in rural Honduras.Economy
The minimum wage in Honduras is $71 a month and does not even apply to the campesinos (farm laborers), which reflects Honduras’ economic plight. Young people leave their rural communities and flock to large urban areas looking for work. Young women leave their families for work in Maquilas (factories) where the hours are long and the conditions questionable. They are often disillusioned and end up living in much greater poverty than they left in their own community. These rural communities need the means to develop employment in the village structure itself, and with LACA’s assistance and self-help cooperative project guidance, they are getting it.Environment
Deforestation is an overwhelming problem in third world countries. The forests are being depleted at an alarming rate. Not only is wood one of Honduras’ chief exports, but it is also still used for cooking. Early every morning, women or children go out to gather wood to cook the family’s meals. At one time the capital city of Honduras, Tegucigalpa, was surrounded by a lush forest. Now it is barren. Since 1993, LACA has been encouraging a change from traditional cooking with wood to the use of solar cookers for these communities.
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