Background
Located in the heart of Central America, tropical Honduras was once part of Spain's vast New World Empire and became an independent nation in 1821. It is now home to more than 7 million people and is the second poorest country in Central America. The distribution of wealth is extremely imbalanced and there is massive unemployment. Its high crime rate is fueled by the presence of organized gangs. Honduras has also been hard hit by the AIDS epidemic.

The economy relies heavily on a few agricultural exports, most notably bananas and coffee. In recent years, however, Honduras has experienced a significant increase in manufacturing, predominantly from U.S.-based companies establishing operations in the country.

After 25 years of mostly military rule, a freely elected civilian government came to power in 1982 and has been successful at maintaining peace and some level of economic development. The country was devastated by Hurricane Mitch in 1998, which killed more than 5,500 people and caused approximately $2 billion in damage.

Water and Sanitation
A recent water and sanitation sector analysis reported that in 2001, Honduras had reached water coverage of 80% of its total population and 70% of those living in rural areas. But the same study revealed that water quantity and quality are not adequate, and suggested that the existing infrastructure poses a serious health risk to citizens. An alarming 90% of the water supply is intermittent and unreliable. This study found that only 44% of the water provided is effectively disinfected and that there is a lack of adequate water quality control and monitoring, especially in rural areas. Many rural communities have no water infrastructure whatsoever.

Sanitation coverage in Honduras is improving, reaching 68% of the total population but only 50% of the rural populace. There is virtually no sewerage service in rural areas, where latrines are the only practical option for the safe disposal of human waste. Half of the rural population has no sanitation facilities at all.

Water For People in Honduras
Water For People began working in Honduran communities in 1993 and has focused on villages in the northwestern part of the country in the Departments of Santa Bárbara, Cortés, Yoro, and Atlantida. Water For People–Honduras maintains an office in San Pedro Sula with four full-time staff members under the leadership of country coordinator Diana Betancourt.

Water For People–Honduras supports 15 to 20 communities each year, helping approximately 15,000 people obtain safe drinking water, sanitation services, and hygiene education. Typical projects include protected springs, gravity-fed water systems, pumped water systems, storage tanks, and pour-flush latrines.
Over the years, Water For People–Honduras has developed valuable working relationships with several government and nongovernmental partners, including the National Autonomous Water and Sanitation Service (SANAA); the RAS-HON North water and sanitation network; municipal governments of San Antonio, Chinda, and El Negrito; and numerous NGOs and private-sector supporters operating in these regions. There is an ongoing effort to build the capacity of these partners so that they will have the skills to develop future water systems without Water For People’s help.

In 2006, Water For People–Honduras managed 13 projects, directly benefiting 18,032 people with improved water and/or sanitation, an impressive 340% increase over 2005.

Water For People–Honduras has exciting plans for growth over the next five years, with a goal of achieving 95% water and sanitation coverage in the three districts in which it works. It will also work on developing an institutionalized hygiene program with the goal to increase hand-washing practices by 50%.
Working closely with its in-country staff, Water For People has developed an ambitious strategic plan to make a more meaningful impact in meeting the water and sanitation needs in Honduras between 2007-2011.