Almost every day this year children in the small town of Guadalupe, Honduras put on their white and blue school uniforms and walked to school, only to find the classroom door locked, and no teacher in sight. The teacher, who was supposed to be imparting valuable lessons on reading and writing to first through third graders hardly ever showed up for class, and when she did, she was often drunk. Frustrated, the parents in the town tried talking to the head of the school district, but he refused to listen.
Students In Guadalupe Have A Teacher Again
October 29, 2011
Unfortunately, this problem is quite common in Honduras. An Association for a More Just Society (ASJ, formerly known as AJS) study from 2010 indicated that 27% of teachers on the public school payroll were not in the classroom. But, ASJ is working hard to change this situation, and when the exasperated parents didn’t receive any answer from the school district, they knew they could go to an ASJ community worker for help.
The community worker connected the parents with lawyers from ASJ’s Advocacy and Legal Advice Center (ALAC). The ASJ lawyers presented a report on the case to national public education authorities, who responded almost immediately by traveling to the school to do an inspection. At the inspection, the parents’ accusations were proven—the teacher was nowhere to be found.
After this discovery, as dictated by law, the teacher was summoned to a disciplinary hearing. When she didn’t attend the disciplinary hearing, the education authorities started the process to fire her.
In addition, education authorities are waiting for a report from the head of the school district as to why he didn’t take action at the local level. If he does not respond, he will be subjected to a disciplinary hearing as well.
ALAC lawyers note that the children in Guadalupe are now back in school with a new teacher, and ALAC coordinator Ludim Ayala says with satisfaction, “Children have a right to receive a quality education from a qualified teacher. We are pleased to be able to help the education authorities make this happen by rooting out corruption and negligence in Honduran public schools.”
Honduras’s Institutional Crisis Deepens Ahead of the 2025 Elections
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.
Calvin alums turn faith into action through nonprofit
MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Thank You for Moving Forward With Us this Summer!
When Policies Shift, Families Pay the Price * by Jo Ann Van Engen
Inspiring civil society in the US with a vision of a more just society
Dear Friend, On Saturday, hundreds of thousands of Hondurans flooded their streets with prayer and peaceful demonstration. Reports from our team members who attended said it was like an inspirational sea of people all wanting the same thing for their country: peace. One of our ASJ-US colleagues said he walked past Pentecostals dancing and playing music, a woman praying the rosary, nuns walking, and priests and altar boys in full robes–all walking in the same space together for peace.
Love, Labor, and the Price of Leaving By Jo Ann Van Engen
Prayer Update (JUL 16- Election Process Turmoil)
