Honduras Frontline Report: Two Hurricanes & COVID-19 Devastate Honduras
In the midst of a global pandemic that has overwhelmed Honduras, two category 4 hurricanes hit Honduras, affecting over 4.2 million people¹.
ASJ is responding by providing relief to vulnerable communities and advocating for transparent, effective government responses to these crises.
Download the full report.
COVID-19: Impact in Honduras
- Since March 2020, Honduras has struggled to address the pandemic and care for those most impacted.
- The Honduran Government enforced a strict lockdown to prevent spread of the disease. They implemented a curfew and closed schools, public transportation, and non-essential businesses. The government also uses a stay-at-home system that restricts movement to one day every two weeks (based on ID numbers).
- But beyond these measures, Honduras lacks a coherent and coordinated COVID-19 strategy, which has underscored the need for transparent, well-prepared public institutions that protect citizen life.
ASJ: Auditing the Government’s COVID-19 Emergency Response
ASJ was invited to audit the government’s COVID-19 purchases by INVEST-H (a government purchasing agency), which included $80 million worth of medical equipment. Our investigations revealed that Honduras lacks a coherent and coordinated strategy to address the pandemic.
Our Findings
- Over 1,000 ventilators were purchased without a distribution plan.
- Over 276,000 test kits were purchased without the extraction kits or lab equipment necessary to actually use the tests.
- Seven field hospitals were overpriced by $2 million each.
- Our investigations led to the arrest of the director of INVEST-H for alleged misuse of public funds.
See all 7 of ASJ’s reports on the government’s COVID-19 purchasing.
In light of these failings, ASJ has been calling for a team of national and international experts to design and implement a clear national strategy that carries Honduras through COVID-19 and recovery.
Hurricane Eta & Hurricane Iota
In the midst of the devastating impact of COVID-19 in Honduras, the country was hit by two category 4 hurricanes within two weeks of each other.
- Hurricane Eta hit Honduras on November 4, and Hurricane Iota hit on November 17. Hurricane Iota marks the 30th named storm in the Atlantic basin this year — the most in recorded history⁵.
- The storms affected over 4.2 million Hondurans⁶. The storms are estimated to have caused $5 billion in economic damages⁷ — about 20% of the nation’s GDP.
- Hundreds of thousands of Hondurans had to relocate to temporary shelters⁶. Shelters have become a hotspot for COVID-19 with a positivity rate of 33%⁸.
- 2.5 million people have limited or no access to health services due to hurricane damage⁹.
- The storms are expected to be a driver of migration, as was the case after Hurricane Mitch in 1998.
Hurricane Damage
ASJ’s Response to the Hurricanes
Supporting the Vulnerable
Since the beginning of the pandemic, ASJ has provided ongoing economic and psychological support to more than 500 of our beneficiaries facing increased vulnerability — many of whom are women and children.
Many of these same beneficiaries had their homes damaged by the hurricanes, including 50 families who completely lost their homes to flooding. ASJ is working with these families to ensure they have access to food, safe shelter, and the ability to rebuild their homes and their livelihoods.
Coordinating Humanitarian Aid and Auditing Government Purchasing
The COVID-19 pandemic revealed the Honduran government’s failings in developing a strategic crisis response. In response to the hurricanes, ASJ is working alongside the government and NGOs to coordinate the distribution of humanitarian aid.
Additionally, ASJ has been invited to monitor government purchasing (similar to our work for COVID-19 emergency purchasing). This will include auditing the government’s plan for humanitarian aid and rebuilding infrastructure throughout the country.
Support Honduras in This Critical Time
After Hurricane Mitch in 1998, over $1 billion in aid was given to Honduras by the U.S. government. This aid could have had a transformational impact on Honduras’ development, but it was mainly used to rebuild damaged infrastructure.
Through your support, ASJ can continue caring for the vulnerable and monitoring the Honduran government to ensure a transparent and effective response to the challenges facing Honduras.
This is a joint publication from ASJ-Honduras and ASJ-US. Download the report.
La Asociación para una Sociedad más Justa (ASJ-Honduras) is a Honduran organization with 20 years of experience working on issues of violence and corruption in Honduras. ASJ-Honduras is a leader in national Honduran coalitions, including the influential Alliance for Peace and Justice and the commission to purge and reform the National Police.
The Association for a More Just Society (ASJ-US, formerly known as AJS) is a U.S.-based non-profit organization that partners with ASJ-Honduras to raise awareness and support for the transformation of Honduran government and society. By advocating alongside ASJ-Honduras, ASJ-US seeks to inspire others around the world to seek justice.
Contact Information:
www.asj-us.org
1 (800) 897–1135
P.O. BOX 888631, Grand Rapids, MI 49588
info@asj-us.org
