March 22, 2022
"Your support is so important as we continue to follow the simple but profound call to do justice in hard places. "
-A letter from two of ASJ's Co-Founders, Carlos Hernández and Kurt Ver Beek
Dear Friend,
Our world is a hard and confusing place to be right now and Honduras is no exception. There has been a lot going on! But for us at ASJ, the challenges of the last two months have led us to an even clearer conviction of our purpose and of God’s faithfulness to ASJ over the last two decades.
Many of you read the letter we wrote two months ago, describing the miraculously peaceful election of Xiomara Castro as president of Honduras and our surprise at how quickly the transition team reached out to discuss how to tackle Honduras’ biggest problems. We were excited about what we could accomplish together in 2022.
But, our work with the new government has not gone as quickly as we hoped. The new administration has been in office for two months now and things are moving slowly despite an urgent need for action.
Schools are still closed even though parents desperately want their children to return to classes, violence in vulnerable communities has risen sharply, and promised subsidies for the poorest Hondurans have not materialized. The new government is showing its inexperience and has been distracted by political infighting.
It's estimated that two-thirds of Honduran children are still not receiving an education, as their schools have remained closed since the start of the pandemic.
As if transitioning to a new government wasn’t enough excitement, last month outgoing president, Juan Orlando Hernández, was arrested for his alleged involvement in drug trafficking. He will likely be extradited soon to the United States to stand trial.
News of Juan Orlando’s deep involvement in drug trafficking has led to a mix of emotions for our staff. Many of our proudest achievements happened during the eight years of Juan Orlando’s presidency—the purge of the Honduran police, 200 days of class in public schools, continuous monitoring of the performance of government ministries and many risky investigations into government corruption.
We worked hard to shine a light on wrongdoings in Juan Orlando’s administration while at the same time working to strengthen the institutions under his leadership. So, while we were happy with his arrest, it hurts to know that while we were working so hard to make government more transparent and effective, Juan Orlando appears to have been an active participant in the drug trafficking that has wreaked such havoc in Honduras.
Our proudest achievements include the purge of the Honduran police, 200 days of class in public schools, continuous monitoring of the performance of government ministries and many risky investigations into government corruption.
The reality is that justice work is difficult and often messy. To seek justice, we must denounce government authorities who use their power for personal gain and also try to work with the authorities to strengthen the institutions that serve their citizens, especially those in the most vulnerable circumstances. Finding that balance is never easy, but we are committed to doing it well.
One thing is clear after these two challenging months—our staff is amazing and their work has never gone on pause. During the pandemic and now during the government transition, they have continued to work with at-risk youth and victims of violence. They continue to carry out cutting edge investigations into extortion, violence, and migration. And
they have inspired us with their optimism, creativity, and patient persistence as they seek to build connections with the new government.
We know they will succeed because this is what we have done for 24 years—prayed and worked to find an open door, a place to start, that one person who shares the vision of working for a more justice society. That is all we need to move forward as we have done so many times in the past to help achieve better schools, health services that everyone can access, police who serve and protect.
Thank you for being a part of this journey. Thank you for praying and giving for the work of justice in Honduras. Please don’t stop! Your support is so important as we continue to follow the simple but profound call to do justice in hard places.
(And check in next month to see how things are going—we believe we will have remarkable stories of God’s faithfulness to share!)
Que Dios les bendiga! (God bless!)
Carlos Hernández and Kurt Ver Beek
ASJ Co-Founders
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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