Late Thursday night the two governmental regimes in Honduras, led by President Manuel Zelaya and de facto President Roberto Micheletti came to an agreement that just might put an end to the extended political crisis that this country has been enduring since June 28th, 2009.
Last night - almost four months to the day after Zelaya was ousted from his position as President - the two men came together and signed an agreement that would allow Zelaya to be restored to presidency for the remaining three months of his term. Micheletti has conceded to putting Zelaya's restoration to a Congressional vote. If Congress agrees, Zelaya will be reinstated, control of the army will shift to the electoral court, and the upcoming Presidential election (set for November 29th) will have the recognition of not only both sides, but also of the international community.
This agreement was reached after a team of senior American diplomats arrived in Honduras to mediate the crisis, and made it clear that time was running out for the two men to come to some sort of an accord. Over the past four months, sanctions have been placed on Honduran citizens, casualties have occurred, international aid has stalled, and many have lived in uncertainty and fear for what would come. This agreement, though long overdue, might be the beginning of a pathway to restoring peace.*
In news at home, things at the Hogar are good. The flu that was passing through has left, and all of the boys are back to their normal smiling, rambunctious selves. They are getting ready to take exams and finish up the school year. Our psychology department is growing and some of the boys in most need are starting speech therapy. They spend much of their free time playing with marbles and dancing their toes off to Michael Jackson... some of their favorites are "Thriller" and "Beat It." They are happy and healthy, Gracias a Dios (Thanks be to God).
The more recently arrived volunteers just concluded the final stages of on-site orientation, and soon the outgoing volunteers will be leaving the Hogar to return to the United States and begin a new chapter of their lives.
As always, we ask for your continued prayers and support, as you know the Amigos de Jesús family prays for you in a small, tucked-away haven in Honduras. Have a peaceful weekend.
*For more information on the current political happenings in Honduras, a good article from this morning can be found in the New York Times at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/31/world/americas/31honduras.html?_r=1&hp
Friday, October 30, 2009
Friday, October 2, 2009
Recent Updates
Since last writing, the political situation in Honduras has only continued to intensify. Manuel Zelaya remains finding refuge staying in the Brazilian embassy, where he has been staying since his return to Honduras on the 21st of September. Shortly after Zelaya returned, at the end of last week on Sunday September 27, Micheletti announced a halt on all forms of public reunions (i.e. people gathering in the streets), as well as a cease in media releases - it was noted as a 45 day suspension of civil liberties for the Honduran people. Two of the larger media sources, Radio Globo and Channel 36, were temporarily shut down. Airlines suspended travel for approximately five days in and out of Honduras.
Micheletti has since noted that he will be revoking the suspension, though he has not said when. There has yet to be some form of a resolution found within the country - the crisis continues. A growing concern is the effect that Honduras' current situation is having on trade throughout Central America. Honduras is a port of passage for much trade that flows in to this area, particularly Guatemala, Costa Rica and El Salvador. These three countries are said to be losing millions of dollars of trade business every day, according to BBC World News.
Meanwhile, public schools are still not in session, which means our colegio boys are getting some "time off" from school schedules. Additionally, the Hogar has been hit with a rough bout of the flu, keeping a good number of our boys in bed and resting their way back to health. Hence an extra push to keep our boys nourished and healthy, and keeping the doctor on call. Please keep them in your prayers.
Although we have had to cancel the picnic and our boys are unable to be with us this weekend, we continue to offer our prayers and support and stand in solidarity with them through our love as an Amigos community. Our thoughts, hearts, and prayers go out to our boys, staff and volunteers at the Hogar, and to the nation of Honduras as she and her people continue to struggle in strong hope for peace.
Micheletti has since noted that he will be revoking the suspension, though he has not said when. There has yet to be some form of a resolution found within the country - the crisis continues. A growing concern is the effect that Honduras' current situation is having on trade throughout Central America. Honduras is a port of passage for much trade that flows in to this area, particularly Guatemala, Costa Rica and El Salvador. These three countries are said to be losing millions of dollars of trade business every day, according to BBC World News.
Meanwhile, public schools are still not in session, which means our colegio boys are getting some "time off" from school schedules. Additionally, the Hogar has been hit with a rough bout of the flu, keeping a good number of our boys in bed and resting their way back to health. Hence an extra push to keep our boys nourished and healthy, and keeping the doctor on call. Please keep them in your prayers.
Although we have had to cancel the picnic and our boys are unable to be with us this weekend, we continue to offer our prayers and support and stand in solidarity with them through our love as an Amigos community. Our thoughts, hearts, and prayers go out to our boys, staff and volunteers at the Hogar, and to the nation of Honduras as she and her people continue to struggle in strong hope for peace.
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