Will You Support Healing Justice In Honduras?

December 17, 2018

By Jill (VanBeek) Stoltzfus, ASJ-US (formerly known as AJS) Executive Director

This month, while in Honduras, I visited the main public hospital that serves Honduras’ poor. Honestly, I am not a fan of hospitals in the best of times, but this one is especially hard to visit. The many suffering people lining the hallways are vivid reminders that corruption isn’t an abstract concept—it literally destroys lives.


During my visit, I entered a medicine storage room and heard from doctors that they often lacked the basic medicines that their patients need most. I thought about the 80% of Hondurans who depend on the government for medicines, and about the $94 million dollars of medication that were stolen.

I met two surgeons who told me they have trouble operating because their equipment is often outdated, broken, or stolen. I thought of the 10,000 patients currently on waiting lists for surgeries because of a shortage of available doctors in the operating room.


Working for justice exposes you to the raw wounds of our world. It is easy to become overwhelmed with the magnitude of the problems and to fall into the trap of thinking that corruption has no cure. But, as I walked through those hospital halls, I saw many things that have improved, and I was struck by the fact that slowly but surely justice is becoming a reality.

I firmly believe that, because I’ve already seen how God is using my ASJ colleagues to bring justice and significant improvements to the Honduran health system.

When blood pressure medication was discovered to contain mostly chalk, ASJ helped to create a new way of purchasing quality medication that is now overseen by the United Nations. I know that this is a huge step forward in rooting out corruption and ensuring that quality medication reaches patients.


When corrupt officials stole medicines, ASJ’s investigations held them accountable and several of them are now awaiting trial. I know this sets a precedent for holding those in power accountable.


And, I am most excited about the recent news that the President of Honduras asked ASJ to form part of a group leading the transformation of the national health system. This intervention alone has enormous potential to affect millions of lives!

While my visit to the hospital was hard, it also made clear to me how important it is that God is working through ASJ in Honduras and bringing justice that will bring health to the poor who so desperately need it.

We have a long way to go, but with your partnership, we are committed to the long- term journey of justice healing the Honduran health system.

In this season of hope, will you give a gift to contribute to our healing justice work in Honduras? With your support, we will continue to advocate for healing within Honduran systems in defense of the most vulnerable.


Thank you,

Jill (VanBeek) Stoltzfus

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
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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.
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