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Honduras   Why children in Honduras need your helpDespite recent progress and economic improvements, Honduras remains one of the poorest counties in the western hemisphere. It is a lush territory whose people are affected by unpredictable weather conditions that impact on farming and, ultimately, livelihoods.
Honduras has a young population, with nearly half of its people under the age of 18. However, poverty, chronic unemployment and the financial lure of drug trafficking have driven a growing crime wave among the country's youth, fuelled by gangs known as "maras". These groups use threats and violence to maintain control over poor districts in many towns and cities across the country. Country factsFormerly known as Spanish Honduras, Honduras declared independence from Spain in 1821 and from Mexico in 1823, when it joined in the formation of the United Provinces of Central America. The collapse of the federation then led Honduras to declare its absolute independence in 1838. In more recent times, the country was dominated by military governments and coups. Free elections resumed in Honduras in the mid-1980s. In 1993, the Honduras government set up a commission to investigate alleged human rights violations by the military, and in 1993 rights activist Carlos Reina was elected president. Reina pledged to reform a judicial system and limit the power of armed forces. In 1995, the first military officers were charged with human rights offences, and in 1998 the control of police was transferred from military to civilian authorities. However, reports of rights abuses continued. In 1998, Honduras was devastated by Hurricane Mitch, which killed around 5,000 people and destroyed 70 per cent of the country's crops, setting the country's development back by decades. In 2001, the UN called on the Honduran government to put a stop to the extrajudicial killings of hundreds of children and teenagers. Then, in 2002, Ricardo Maduro was inaugurated as president and indicated that the armed forces would play a greater role in fighting crime - an announcement which received condemnation both at home and abroad. Jose Manuel Zelaya Rosales took office in 2005 and recently called for a referendum to allow for presidential re-election. This has provoked political instability.
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Just over half the population lives below the national
poverty line, 75 per cent of whom live in rural areas.
Malnutrition, poor sanitation, inadequate housing and childhood
diseases are widespread, despite a drop in child mortality rates,
which fell from 58 per 1,000 live births to 24 between 1990 and
2007.
