Advocating For Better Education: Karol’s Story

September 27, 2019

How joining a social auditing group inspired Karol to become a community leader and pursue a university degree

One morning, Karol Rodríguez* heard about the opportunity to attend community gatherings in a local church. As a mother of three, Karol had precious little free time, but she managed to make it to one lively meeting.

Karol soon learned these meetings were part of ASJ’s (formerly known as AJS) research to prepare for community auditing of local public schools and health clinics. During these open sessions, community members came together to map out how to improve medicine delivery in local clinics and teacher attendance in schools. Then they strategized about how to raise their collective voice in an environment resistant to accountability.

During the first meetings, Karol felt shy and too nervous to speak, but she still decided to attend every single meeting because she believed that her local school and health clinic could give her three children the quality services they deserved.

When Karol heard about the opportunity to be a community auditor, she confided in ASJ social workers that she didn’t see how she could add any value to the project. She felt that her situation of poverty, education level, and family circumstances reduced her ability to contribute. Sadly, this is a common belief among community members, especially among those with limited literacy. These insecurities are a deeper reflection of the barriers to justice that ASJ’s work addresses.

An additional potential barrier was Karol’s location. Karol lives in one of the most dangerous sectors within her community, causing her to feel withdrawn and afraid, and to avoid leaving her home as much as possible.

Despite these barriers, Karol decided to become a volunteer auditor evaluating doctors’ treatment of patients and the availability of textbooks and learning materials in classrooms. In every meeting, she felt more like she belonged as the ASJ team of social workers worked to create a safe space where Karol and other community members felt strengthened to be leaders in their community.

Through the process of becoming a community auditor, Karol has deeply reflected on her own dignity as a human being. Her newfound confidence and her interaction with the ASJ team sparked an interest in social work and inspired her to enroll in university! Karol is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in social work.

In the mornings, Karol works sweeping the streets in her community, but in the afternoons she goes to her university classes. She does all this while also caring for her three little children and actively speaking up to local authorities to provide local schools and clinics with the resources they need.

For Hondurans like Karol, community auditing is not just a project, it is an opportunity to create a brighter future for their families. ASJ is honored to come alongside community members like Karol as they tackle corruption and mismanagement that affects their lives. Together, we grow in hope and work for a better future in Honduras.

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ASJ-US and ASJ-Canada Joint Statement on Honduran Elections

December 2, 2025

ASJ-Canada and ASJ-US Congratulate the Honduran People, Call for Full and Transparent Results As sister organizations committed to justice, peace and hope in Honduras, ASJ-Canada and ASJ-US extend our deepest congratulations to the people of Honduras on the peaceful conduct of their national elections on November 30, 2025. With the initial tally showing an extraordinarily close vote, we call on election authorities to do what is necessary to ensure a transparent count of the remaining ballots in order to guarantee public trust in the final outcome. We commend the Honduran voters for their dedication to democratic participation and their commitment to shaping the future of their country through civic engagement. We also recognize the efforts of electoral authorities, civil society organizations, the international community and the thousands of volunteer observers who worked to ensure a transparent, orderly, and secure process. We are especially proud of our sister organization, ASJ-Honduras, for their unwavering commitment to democracy demonstrated through their electoral observation efforts, their analysis activities, and their consistent call for a fair and orderly process. Now that such a process has been achieved, the work turns to counting the votes with accuracy and transparency. The results remain close, increasing the possibility of a contested result. We support the work of the election officials at the National Electoral Council to give Hondurans confidence in the final results by conducting their count with rigor and transparency. We remain hopeful that the spirit of peaceful participation in the democratic process embraced by the electorate will carry forward into the post-election period to come. We look forward to continued collaboration with ASJ-Honduras as we all work together toward a just and hopeful future for all Hondurans. Matthew Van Geest President, Board of Directors ASJ-Canada Russ Jacobs President, Board of Directors ASJ-US

Artisans of Fraternity, Guardians of Hope

November 28, 2025

A call to action for Honduras

November 2025 ASJ-US Statement about Honduran Elections

By Elizabeth Hickel • November 25, 2025

The Association for a More Justice Society-US Supports the Network to Defend Democracy; Calls for Free and Fair Elections in Honduras November 25, 2025

Context Updates on the 2025 Elections in Honduras

November 13, 2025

Honduras’s Institutional Crisis Deepens Ahead of the 2025 Elections

HOPE

By Elizabeth Hickel • November 12, 2025

Dear friend, I couldn’t stop looking at the picture. Of course, there had been plenty of inspiring photos from this summer’s Prayer Walk for Peace and Democracy. The sea of blue and white rising and falling as hundreds of thousands walked the Honduran hills through Tegucigalpa, flowing like a never-ending stream. Catholic nuns praying their rosaries alongside Pentecostals dancing in the streets. But the picture that still knocks me flat is the closeup. The one of the two men standing side by side (picture enclosed). They are exhausted, and the shorter collapses into the taller. The tears mostly hold joy and relief, but they are mingled with something darker. After all, there had been threats—promises of harm done to themselves and their loved ones if they led their followers through the streets of Honduras in prayer. Despite the fear and intimidation, Pastor Gerardo Irías and Monsignor José Vicente Nácher forged ahead. They knew Honduras needed unity and, above all, prayer before the looming November 2025 presidential elections. As an ASJ supporter, you know that these kinds of threats aren’t out of the ordinary, and your support has helped slow and reverse violence in Honduras. Today, I am writing to share a way you can continue standing with brave Hondurans like Pastor Gerardo and Monsignor José in hope. The Evangelical pastor and the Catholic archbishop put the word out as widely as they could to their churches, hoping to mobilize 20,000 to walk and pray. Instead, an estimated 230,000 walked in the capital of Tegucigalpa alone. It was a historic moment. And without your past support for ASJ, it may have never happened. After all, two years prior, Pastor Gerardo and Monsignor José didn’t even know each other’s names. They first met in 2023 at ASJ’s offices. They were two of many civil society leaders convened by ASJ to discuss safeguarding democracy– especially before the election in 2025. It was at that meeting that they shook each other’s hand and learned each other’s name. It was at that meeting–and many subsequent meetings–where old religious prejudices began to be replaced by trust and mutual affection. So, when the moment came this summer to act, Pastor Gerardo and Monsignor José knew what they had to do. And they knew that they had to do it together.