Honduras

Canada's Commitment
Results
Country Profile

Canada's Commitment

Honduras has been an important development partner for Canada since 1969. Through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), Canada provides bilateral assistance aligned directly with Honduras' Poverty Reduction Strategy and focuses on improving governance in education, health and environment. This includes programs aimed at improving the quality and management of Honduras' basic education system; improving maternal, child, and adolescent health; and continuing to invest in watershed management as well as water and sanitation systems in the poorest parts of Honduras.

CIDA also supports the work of several Canadian non-governmental development organizations in Honduras such as the Canadian Red Cross and Care Canada, and works closely with international organizations such as UNICEF and the World Food Programme.

In Honduras, CIDA supports major country-led programs rather than providing support on a project-by-project basis. An example of this is CIDA's commitment to the Honduran education sector. CIDA also works to develop greater coherence between its various channels of aid and greater coordination among Honduras' development partners.

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Results

CIDA-funded programs have:

• supported a multidonor Education for All Fund, including the printing of more than 35,000 textbooks;
• trained civil society groups in social auditing and improved the transparency of government spending; and
• helped municipalities manage the delivery of services such as safe water and sanitation facilities, hygiene and health education, and protection of micro-watershed areas, resulting in more than 250,000 people now having safe drinking water.

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Country Profile

The destruction caused by Hurricane Mitch in 1998 had a tremendous impact on Honduras, the country most affected in Central America. However, out of the terrible losses-6,000 people killed, the destruction of 70 percent of all agricultural crops, and serious damage to houses, services, and infrastructure-a new, more coordinated approach to reconstruction has helped Honduras not only begin to recover, but also to plan its long-term development. With help from the international donor community, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, Honduras has developed a Poverty Reduction Strategy to chart the way forward. This strategy is based on extensive coordination and collaboration with a wide range of Honduran organizations and institutions.

Honduras is on track to meet the Millennium Development Goal of universal primary education by 2015, and has near-universal immunization of infants.

Despite this progress, Honduras remains one of the poorest countries in Latin America. More than half of Honduras' 7.3 million people live below the poverty line. Honduras has significant natural resources but these are threatened by overuse and environmental degradation, a serious drawback in an economy that depends mainly on agriculture. Significant international assistance is required to reduce poverty in Honduras and ensure a democratic, secure and prosperous region.