ANNUAL
IMPACT
REPORT
After closing our fiscal year (August 2023 - July 2024), we are reflecting on our collective impact toward building a more just society. Join us in looking back on a year of working for peace and justice in Honduras and inspiring communities worldwide to do the same. Download a PDF version of this report here:
ANNUAL LETTER
FROM OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Our Program Work
ASJ’s work in public education has led to:
99%
of School days received in 2024
87%
rate for school lunch distribution
ASJ partners with social auditors across the country who have identified that
Over
86%
Hondurans depend on the public healthcare system
Our team reports corruption in the system and presents recommendations to
supply medicines to the public healthcare network and
shorten surgery waitlists.
Our team also advocates for patients to be treated with fairness and dignity at healthcare facilities.
ASJ’s commitment to protecting those who are most vulnerable in Honduras fuels our work advocating for human rights and the protection of children.
This year
200
Children
141
Educators
were trained in identifying and reporting child sexual abuse.
ASJ also provided legal and psychological assistance to victims who reported sexual abuse.
ASJ has been seeking justice in Honduras for 25 years,
and we have learned that when democracy is at risk, those who are in vulnerable circumstances suffer the most.
That is why we raise our voice to:
Fight corruption in government institutions, protect freedom of speech for citizens to continue raising our voices, and for the overall strengthening of democracy in Honduras.
Advocacy
After presenting Transparency International’s annual Corruption Perception Index at our ASJ Tegucigalpa office, our team received many threats from high level government officials.
We also saw
a great outpouring of advocacy and support from our friends and partners all over the world. We are immensely thankful to you for your continued support!
Story Telling
We love sharing stories of our work justice with others around the world who also want to seek justice in their own contexts. Some great opportunities we have had include:
ASJ Honduras staff traveled to
Lithuania to share about our fight against corruption in Honduras.
Our Justicia magazine this year had two editions (Winter 2024 and
Spring 2024).
Our quarterly program reports are available
here.
Pictures of our Year
Partners Spotlight
We want to highlight Calvary Church in Holland, MI for their consistent support to ASJ through their prayers and donations. Every month, we send them prayer requests from our ASJ staff, and many of our prayers have been answered.
Quote from Calvary members:
If you would like your church to be an ASJ prayer partner, let us know by emailing info@asj-us.org.
Organizational Updates
- Leadership Transition
This year we welcomed Kyle Meyaard-Schaap as our new ASJ-US Executive Director. He has demonstrated incredible dedication and passion for justice and the mission of ASJ. From visiting Honduras to traveling across the US, Kyle has been an amazing asset to the team and we are excited to continue seeing him grow and lead with the joy, empathy, and strength he has shown so far.
- Moving Offices in Grand Rapids:
We have been in the process of moving to a permanent long-term home for our work in the US. Our goal has been to move to a new office space that aligns with our values, that is accessible, that better connects us with the U.S. Latino community living in Grand Rapids, and that will allow our collaborative work on systemic reform to flourish. We are thankful to the many supporters who have been a part of this process with us so far. If you would like to support, check out our office wishlist on our website:
Equity Team Highlights
- Writing and sharing the equity story:
Newer staff members were unaware of how the equity team came to be and the equity story that ASJ had been building for some time. Writing the equity story allowed our team to understand the impact of big moments in our equity journey with other staff members and sharing it openly with the team gave them a better understanding of where we stand and what our goals are. We also worked to identify the team's purpose, identity, membership, and goals in order to formalize the structure within ASJ.
- Directly incorporating DEI into the budget:
This year was the first we had a specific budget line item in which we made a plan for investing. It was shared with the team for accountability and it also included a portion for staff to share their input and ideas for investment to propel the work of DEI in our team.
- Developing and implementing DEI annual goals:
The team worked to develop and implement specific annual goals including making specific accommodations inside our new Grand Rapids office space to be welcoming and inclusive, communicating and representing the equity team goals and commitments within board spaces, and collaborating with and supporting other equity groups and organizations in our neighborhood.
Growth Goals
ASJ-US has set ambitious three and five year fundraising goals that will allow ASJ-Honduras’ to deepen their current work and grow into new and needed areas.
ASJ-US has identified the goal of developing justice education and advocacy programming in the US so that we can support the work of ASJ-H not only with our finances but also with our voices.
Our Team
Omar Hernández – Finance and Operations Coordinator
Elizabeth Hickel – Operations Coordinator
Kyle Meyaard-Schaap – Executive Director
Angela Montes – Eventos Colibri Manager
Sara Pineda – Communications Coordinator
Jo Ann Van Engen – Co-Founder and Creative Development Lead
Kurt Ver Beek – Co-Founder and Strategic Development Officer
Alison Wabeke –
Deputy Executive Director
Russ Jacobs, JD – Board President; Member, Finance Committee
Dr. Mark Veenstra, MD – Vice President; Member, Development Committee
Dr. Kim Lodewyk – Secretary; Member, Development Committee
Chelsea Lernihan – Treasurer; Member, Finance Committee
Erica Boonstra – Member, Executive Committee; Missional Alignment Committee
Paul DeBoer, CPA – Member, Finance Committee
Stephen DeHaan, JD – Chair, Governance Committee
Jodi de La Pena-Vanderpol – Member, Missional Alignment Committee
Luis Flores – Member, Development Committee
Dr. Scott Johnson – Member, Finance Committee
James Nealon – Member, Missional Alignment Committee
Maureen O’Keefe Hodge – Member, Development Committee
Dr. Kelli Schutte – Chair, Missional Alignment Committee
Association for a More Just Society - U.S. (ASJ-US)
PO Box 888631, Grand Rapids, MI 49588
| info@asj-us.org | 1 (800) 897-1135
ASJ (formerly known as AJS) changed our name in 2021 to reflect our partnership with Honduras and our Honduran roots. Learn more.
© 2022 ASJ-US All Rights Reserved. ASJ-US is a U.S. registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
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