Local data drives hurricane readiness

In Honduras, the start of hurricane season activates Global Communities’ internal rapid response team, an essential group responsible for tracking weather updates, monitoring local conditions and coordinating closely with community partners. The team reviews and updates its national contingency plans for the year, aligning them with current resources and any changes in local or municipal emergency response leadership. They also play a key role in national preparedness efforts, engaging with the humanitarian cluster system and, in particular, the Shelter Cluster.  

“[Global Communities] has expertise in shelter [assistance] which no other organization has in country,” explains Honduras Country Director Eva Mejia. “So if there’s a need for emergency support or shelter, we’re ready to lead — just as we have in past responses.” 

Most importantly, the Global Communities team in Honduras gathers updated information directly from municipalities about local risk mitigation efforts and emergency preparedness. This ground-level insight is essential, Mejia says, because national data doesn’t often reflect real-time local conditions.  

“We have had some emergencies where national numbers don’t match what’s actually available and happening on the ground,” she explains. “Sometimes we receive more accurate and up-to-date information from municipalities — on damages, people in danger, or those in urgent need.”

Partnering with communities to plan, prepare & Respond

In Guatemala, Global Communities also plays a leading role in emergency preparedness and disaster risk reduction at both national and local levels. Over the past three years, our team has provided technical assistance to the country’s National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction (CONRED), supporting seasonal readiness through workshops, disaster simulations, and the creation and ongoing refinement of official disaster response plans. At the local level, Global Communities works directly with residents to develop localized disaster risk reduction maps and emergency preparedness plans, with a particular focus on hurricanes and flooding.  

“These plans include mitigation measures at the community level and the resources they have available to start working ahead of the rainy and hurricane seasons,” explains Program Development Officer Brenda Hernandez.  

Global Communities staff also prepare communities for potential adverse conditions by encouraging families “to have a 72-hour ‘go bag’ that contains resources and food” in case of rapid changes in conditions, adds Hugo Rene Diaz Cuevas, Director of Operations for Global Communities Guatemala.   

To ensure rapid and coordinated response during emergencies, the team also facilitates real-time communication between communities and municipal authorities. This includes managing instant messaging groups through which residents report localized impacts of severe rain —  information that Global Communities compiles and shares with municipal leaders to support timely, data-informed decision-making across Guatemala.

meeting urgent needs in the wake of disaster

When hurricanes make landfall, preparation efforts rapidly shift into emergency response, especially for the most vulnerable communities. In early November 2020, Hurricane Eta — a powerful Category 4 storm — struck Central America, causing widespread damage across northern Honduras. Homes were swept away and critical infrastructure, including water systems, roads, bridges and health facilities sustained severe damage. Just two weeks later, Hurricane Iota made landfall in the same region, compounding the damage and placing already affected families at even greater risk.  

In the wake of Hurricanes Eta and Iota, Global Communities worked closely with U.S. Government aid agencies to launch the Honduras Emergency Water and Shelter (HEWS) program. Designed to meet urgent shelter and WASH needs in the hardest-hit areas of northwestern Honduras, the program initially aimed to support more than 100,000 of the most vulnerable individuals. Thanks to the dedication of national and local staff and partners, Global Communities not only met but far exceeded those targets — providing access to clean water for more than 190,000 people through the rehabilitation of damaged water systems, and completing shelter repairs and new construction that benefitted nearly 12,000 individuals. To further support recovery, the program also provided cash assistance to more than 8,200 people who had lost their crops, helping families stabilize food security and begin rebuilding their livelihoods.  

In Guatemala, damage caused by Hurricane Eta was extensive in northwestern highlands areas, particularly Huehuetenango Department, where Global Communities staff and partners identified urgent food, shelter and WASH needs. In coordination with U.S. government and private sector partners, Global Communities quickly scaled up operations in Huehuetenango to reach more than 17,000 individuals with cash to purchase lifesaving food resources. We also repaired hundreds of damaged homes and rehabilitated more than 30 damaged water systems, ensuring access to safe water for nearly 22,000 people.

uncertain funding puts emergency response at risk

For vulnerable communities in both Honduras and Guatemala, the preparedness efforts led by Global Communities before and during hurricane seasons can mean the difference between survival and disaster. These efforts are crucial for building resilience, but the growing frequency and intensity of severe weather patterns only increase the challenges faced. 

In 2025, deep federal funding cuts to humanitarian and development assistance are putting this lifesaving work at risk. These cuts create uncertainty for Global Communities and other frontline emergency responders who rely on steady financial support to respond quickly and effectively in disaster-prone regions like Honduras. Without sustained investment, our ability to deliver timely, scalable responses is threatened. 

As Honduras Country Director Eva Mejia explains, increased funding would enable Global Communities to maintain a year-round, dedicated emergency response team. It would also allow us to produce a stockpile of rapid response kits, equipped with emergency shelter supplies, ensuring that aid is ready when disaster strikes. 

The situation in Guatemala is equally urgent. Country Director Mark Valentin underscores the need for additional funding to maintain a supply of essential emergency response materials and kits. This support would also enable Global Communities to lead more workshops and training sessions for department-level partners, enhancing their capacity for effective humanitarian response.  

As extreme weather events continue to escalate worldwide, maintaining these critical resources and capabilities is vital for protecting lives and livelihoods in the face of growing uncertainty.

The post Preparing for Hurricanes from Forecast to Aftermath  appeared first on Global Communities.

During this difficult time, members from a Women Empowered (WE) group invited her to join their circle. Initially, Norma declined the invitation due to her emotional state, but the unwavering perseverance and constant support of her peers eventually inspired her to join.

WE is a Global Communities initiative dedicated to the social, economic and political empowerment of women through the formation of self-managed, self-sustaining savings groups. WE groups are formed based on proven savings group methodologies that bring together 15-25 participants to save money, develop financial literacy, lend to each other and invest in income-generating activities. The WE groups become a platform for members to raise awareness of important issues and act collectively to improve their lives and their communities.

The post A New Beginning: How Women Empowered (WE) Helped Norma Get Her Life Back on Track appeared first on Global Communities.

For decades, the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence have underpinned humanitarian action. They provide a foundation for delivering aid with integrity and fairness, and they help ensure that assistance reaches those in need based on vulnerability and urgency, rather than political or personal interests. In recent years, however, we have seen significant challenges in the application of these principles, including their outright violations. Attacks on aid workers, access restrictions and other constraints imposed by parties to armed conflicts inhibit the ability of humanitarian agencies to deliver effective, principled assistance.

Recently, a group of humanitarian workers from our organization met to discuss the risks and challenges to principled humanitarian action. The following colleagues participated in the exchange: Jasper Vaughn, Communication and Information Management Officer, Humanitarian Response; Elise Hannaford, Director, Humanitarian Response; Eva K. Mejia, Country Director, Honduras; Marshall Karidozo, Director of Monitoring & Evaluation and Acting Program Director, Syria; Will Musombi, Senior Advisor, Humanitarian Response; and Noah Steinberg Distefano, Senior Regional Manager, Americas.

The conversation was edited for length and clarity.

Paula: What are the origins of humanitarian principles and what do they mean for Global Communities?

 Jasper: The onset of the modern set of humanitarian principles dates back to the 19th century, when they were first promoted by the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Today, these principles are embedded in the international humanitarian law, including four Geneva Conventions, ratified by almost all countries in the world. These treaties lay out legally binding obligations aimed at protecting individuals who are not participating in hostilities, including civilians.

In 1994, the humanitarian principles were codified in the voluntary Code of Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (the Movement) and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in Disaster Relief.  Global Communities is signatory to this code.

While the humanitarian principles are well-defined by the international community, there are still tensions and misconceptions about their practical application.

Paula: What are the challenges associated with the implementation of humanitarian principles and how do you address them?

Elise: In theory, the humanitarian principles sound straightforward, but in practice, humanitarians face challenges around their implementation and they are unevenly applied across crisis contexts.

The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza has led to a serious reckoning in the humanitarian community. Our organization has lost two colleagues, Hani Jnena and Alaa Abu Al-Khair, who have been killed in Israeli airstrikes since the start of the war in October 2023. Many of our colleagues have also lost their family members. These tragic losses are profoundly felt by our teams. Our colleagues work tirelessly to deliver lifesaving assistance to their communities while facing unfathomable danger, severe trauma and significant logistical challenges caused by widespread insecurity and restrictions on aid. We continue to call for an immediate ceasefire and unequivocal adherence to international humanitarian law so that we can deliver aid in a safe and timely manner. As we continue to provide assistance in Gaza, we will keep evaluating our response to ensure that we adhere to the humanitarian principles.

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Jasper: Well said, Elise. In recent years, humanitarian assistance has become very politicized. We have seen governments attempting to influence humanitarian actors to pursue non-humanitarian goals, such as foreign policy or military objectives. It can be very difficult for humanitarian actors to balance their adherence to the principles with these intense pressures from high-level political figures or even donors.

In addition, in fast-paced and emergency environments, it can be challenging for humanitarian actors to know how to best include local governments as necessary partners in humanitarian action without compromising principled aid delivery. First, if a government is a party to a conflict, our collaboration with them may be worrying to our program participants, who may no longer see us as an independent or neutral party. Second, local governments often have strong opinions about which populations should receive aid. If these populations are not those most in need of humanitarian assistance, we risk compromising the principle of impartiality.

Aid diversion is also a threat to humanitarian principles. This can happen when stakeholders prevent aid from going to populations most in need and instead divert it to other groups. Also, donor requirements designed to prevent aid diversion may unintentionally hinder the timely and effective delivery of humanitarian assistance. It is crucial to balance these safeguards with the need to ensure that aid reaches those in need without unnecessary delays or obstacles.

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Eva: I would like to share a real-life example from Honduras, where Global Communities has been operating since 1985. For nearly four decades our main focus was sustainable development. This changed in 2020, when our country experienced a superimposed humanitarian crisis caused by two devastating hurricanes, Eta and Iota, which hit us in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the aftermath of these disasters, we began implementing the Honduras Emergency WASH and Shelter (HEWS) program (2020-2022), funded by the United States Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (USAID/BHA). In the span of weeks, our country team turned into a humanitarian actor, and we became bound by the humanitarian principles.

At the very beginning, our staff were not familiar with these principles, and it was challenging for them to apply them while selecting program partners and recipients of aid. In development programs, the selection criteria can be different. For example, while we certainly want to reach the most vulnerable populations, we also apply the “cost-benefit” and “value for money” lens when choosing the communities we work with.

Additionally, we are used to working closely with local governments, and we did not predict that this would be a problem. Yet we soon learned of a growing perception that we were providing humanitarian aid mainly to neighborhoods and communities who were sympathizing with the Honduran government. After an internal reflection, we realized that we need to get better at using the humanitarian approach and terminology to coordinate assistance with local actors and to communicate the eligibility criteria to our communities. 

We learned a lot within a short period of time, and we took decisive actions to overcome these challenges. The key was to build trust within the communities and to link local leaders with municipalities for a more coordinated, transparent and principled response.

Now, four years later, we continue implementing humanitarian projects and we have a very strong relationship with BHA. Thanks to Global Communities’ Global Support Team, our staff is well-trained on humanitarian principles, and we systematically monitor their application.

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Elise: Well said, Eva. Your team’s experience in pivoting between development and humanitarian work is incredibly valuable as we support other country teams in becoming humanitarian-ready.

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Marshall: To me, all four humanitarian principles are intertwined, and it is very rare to witness a situation where only one principle is threatened or violated.

The Syrian context, where I work, is extremely complex. Ten years ago, when Global Communities began its work in Syria, we focused on the blanket distribution of life-saving commodities, such as food and water. Today, our goal is to provide more systematized support to internally displaced people, but we face interference from local committees, camp managers and other local actors who exert power over a specific area. For example, they sometimes give us lists of people who should or should not receive aid, which is in complete violation of the principles of independence and impartiality. In response, we have instituted a robust verification mechanism, which includes community-based needs assessments and validation exercises with other humanitarian stakeholders.

We are incredibly committed to delivering aid in an impartial way. One of the best practices in addressing these challenges is hiring local staff who understand the language, culture and power dynamics in their communities. They have been very helpful in identifying and responding to the instances of bias and discrimination. In some cases, we also employ third-party monitoring teams who lead these verification exercises, and we do our best to ensure that our distribution centers are out of reach of military establishments.

Finally, Global Communities has been very active in Syria’s cluster system, which strengthens coordination and accountability for the delivery of services.

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Elise: Many thanks for your examples, Marshall. Your monitoring & evaluation team plays a key role in ensuring that we abide by humanitarian principles, and I appreciate that we have such a strong team.

I also want to mention the importance of our community feedback mechanisms, which not only improve the quality and accessibility of our programming but are also pivotal in holding us accountable and preventing misconduct.

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Will: Humanitarian principles are extremely important. In conflict settings, it is critical for us, humanitarians, to engage in dialogues with leaders on both sides of the conflict and assure them of our commitment to neutrality. We have to explain that our mission is solely to deliver humanitarian aid. That we will not take sides and we will not discriminate against people based on which side of the conflict they are on. That we do not have a political or military agenda. Establishing clear communication channels and trust with all parties is key to ensuring a safe and uninterrupted passage of people and goods. Otherwise, we can face bureaucratic and security-related impediments to our work.

Unfortunately, over the past few years, we have seen increased targeting of aid workers. We see attacks on humanitarian convoys. Hospitals are being bombed. Humanitarians are being killed, kidnaped and detained. This is unacceptable. Humanitarian relief personnel must be respected and protected at all times.

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Elise: Indeed. I also want to highlight how challenging it can be to abide by the humanitarian principles during the first phase of an emergency response. We need to make quick decisions with imperfect information, and even with the best intentions, there can be unintended consequences. It’s important to have open discussions, learn and improve.

Paula: How do you apply humanitarian principles to the selection of program partners?

 Elise: Many local organizations we work with have dual mandates. The key is to ensure that they apply humanitarian principles in the process of delivering humanitarian aid. We conduct scrupulous verification and monitoring of our current and prospective partners, and we strengthen their capacity to engage in principled emergency response. We take any violations very seriously and address them immediately.     

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Jasper: This balancing act also applies to our relationships with donors, especially government donors. Governments may participate both in humanitarian and non-humanitarian activities within the same crisis context. For example, they may engage in diplomacy or send military assistance to a conflict party while also financing humanitarian aid to conflict-affected populations. Humanitarian actors must constantly think how to preserve their independence and neutrality in these very complex situations. While the humanitarian principles are well-defined by the international community, there are still tensions and misconceptions about their practical application.

Paula: How do you balance the principle of impartiality with social inclusion and gender integration while developing eligibility criteria for recipients of humanitarian aid?

 Elise: These principles may seem contradictory, but most often, they are not. Our goal is to provide appropriate support to those most affected by a crisis and be as inclusive as possible. For example, while we cannot exclude anyone based on gender or age, often women and girls, and children generally, are most vulnerable in crisis settings and may get prioritized for aid. Our Child Protection in Emergencies programming is a good example of this. This is not an exclusion of other populations, but rather a recognition that children are most in need of protection in a particular context.      

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Marshall: Local cluster systems are incredibly helpful in developing appropriate, context-specific eligibility and vulnerability criteria. In Syria, for example, there is a ranking system, and everything is validated and shared with our community representatives. This creates a common understanding about who qualifies for assistance, which helps reduce community tensions and pushback. 

Paula: Is there anything else you would like to share?

Noah: In addition to the core humanitarian principles, which are static, there are also minimum humanitarian standards, for example the Sphere standards. They are more technical in nature and aim to improve the quality and accountability of the humanitarian sector.

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Elise: This is a good point, Noah. You are right, the humanitarian principles do not shift, but the minimum standards get updated regularly. In fact, the Core Humanitarian Standards on Quality and Accountability were updated earlier this year. Our Humanitarian Response Team is reviewing them, and we will ensure that our country teams are up to date.  

Paula: Thank you for your insights!

The post Humanity at Risk: Addressing Challenges to Principled Humanitarian Action appeared first on Global Communities.

With support from the United States Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (USAID/BHA), through the Honduras Agricultural System Support (HASS) program, Glendy has seen her life flourish in ways she never anticipated. And it all started with a family garden.

Before participating in the HASS program, Glendy had to travel almost 14 miles to the nearest town to buy produce. Now, thanks to resources and training she received through HASS, a variety of fresh vegetables are literally at her fingertips. Every morning, she and her family get up early to water and take care of the land. With the daily harvest, Glendy is able to feed her children in a healthier and more sustainable way, significantly improving their quality of life and future.

Before, we had to wait for a car to come to the community once a week to buy vegetables or make a trip to the town. But since I have the family garden, I have fresh vegetables every day.”

Glendy, HASS program participant

In addition to improving her household’s nutrition, Glendy uses the leftover harvest from her garden to earn extra income. She sells the produce to community members and even inspired other women with gardens to follow her example. Together, they created a messaging group that allows them to coordinate sales to meet the area’s demand. With the income generated from these sales, Glendy purchased a variety of seeds to diversify her garden. Now, she grows everything from carrots and tomatoes to cucumbers, onions, green beans and radishes. Profits have also enabled her to cover her children’s school expenses.

Access to resources such as home gardens is especially significant for women, as it opens up new opportunities for entrepreneurship, income generation and family support.

In this sense, Glendy’s leadership and initiative did not go unnoticed. Her commitment and skills led to her selection as a volunteer agricultural collaborator with the HASS program. In this role, she advises and supports other small-scale farmers, ensuring they correctly apply the techniques learned during training. She also provides guidance on crop management, among other tasks.

Glendy says this new role has empowered her and changed the trajectory of what she believes is possible for her life. She is motivated to continue her studies, convinced that education will open up new opportunities and guarantee a better future for her and her family. For Glendy, it’s not just about achieving her own goals but about being an example for her children. She wants them to grow up knowing that, with hard work and dedication, it is possible to change the course of their lives.

“My greatest satisfaction is to hear my children tell me they are proud of what I have achieved,” she says. “Also, thanks to this project, I was able to discover the leader inside me. People in my community now recognize me, and there are other organizations that have approached me to support them.”

Since working as a volunteer agricultural collaborator, Glendy has had the opportunity to manage clean-up campaigns, exchange seeds among the women who have gardens, and inspire others to transform their dreams into achievable realities. Organizations outside of the HASS program have even offered her internships to strengthen her skills as a community leader. Her dedication and success are a prime example of how women — when given the right opportunities and resources — can transform their lives through agricultural work and entrepreneurship.

The post Cultivating New Leaders, Healthier Futures through Family Gardens appeared first on Global Communities.

In July 2024, more than 11,000 people attended AIDS 2024 – the largest gathering on HIV and AIDS in the world. Global Communities and our subsidiary IntraHealth International showcased our work through five posters, which highlighted the results of studies conducted by our HIV projects in Central America, Botswana and South Sudan:

• Exploring Health Provider Knowledge of the Undetectable Equals Untransmittable (U=U) Concept in Central America. 
• From Policy to Practice: the HIV Care and Treatment Project’s Experiences in Transitioning to an Optimized Regimen in Honduras.
• Testing Outcomes of HIV-Exposed Infants in Botswana.
• Using Behavioral Change Communications Intervention to Create Demand and Enhance PrEP Uptake in South Sudan.
• Validation of Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (KAPREP) among Key Populations in Honduras: A New Tool.

After the event, I asked our staff to share key takeaways from these studies. The following colleagues participated in the exchange: Betty Adera, Sr. Technical Advisor for HIV/AIDS & Health, Global Communities; Dr. Mario Luis Cooper Medina, Director of Health Programs, Honduras, Global Communities; María Inés Castañeda, Sr. Officer of Qualitative Research, Guatemala, IntraHealth; José Eduardo Abdo, Laboratory Specialist, Guatemala, IntraHealth; and Gladys Achan, Communications Officer, South Sudan, IntraHealth. 

The conversation was edited for length and clarity.

The post Promoting Evidence-Based Approaches to HIV: Our Posters at AIDS 2024 appeared first on Global Communities.

Main finding. Transition of regimens represents a logistical challenge to health systems, requiring capacity strengthening interventions for key stakeholders, including the national government and HIV clinics at the local level.  

Key takeaway. To guarantee sustainability of global coverage in optimized regimens, it is important to constantly monitor and analyze progress, and to ensure effective coordination of key actors.

Authors. José Abdo Retana, Ana Isabel Escobar, Fabiola Castillo, David Nelson, Esther Tumbare, Anne Fitzgerald Vinluan, David Dobrowolski, Ramon Soto and Daniel Muralles. 

Project. HIV Care and Treatment Project in Central America, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The post From Policy to Practice: The HIV Care and Treatment Project’s Experiences in Transitioning to an Optimized Regimen in Honduras appeared first on Global Communities.

Main finding. Health providers believe that the U=U message can benefit the quality of life of people living with HIV and prevent transmission of the virus; however, some still have doubts or misunderstand the message, and fear that it will cause an increase in the transmission of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). 

Key takeaway. It is critical to train and sensitize all health workers in the timely and correct dissemination of the U=U message.

Authors. María Inés Castañeda Aragón, Fabiola Castillo, Claudia Guzmán, Giovanni Meléndez and Daniel Muralles.

Project. HIV Care and Treatment Project in Central America, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The post Exploring Health Provider Knowledge of the Undetectable Equals Untransmittable (U=U) Concept in Central America appeared first on Global Communities.

Main finding. There are significant differences among key population groups in Honduras regarding their knowledge and attitudes about PrEP. Sex workers and serodiscordant individuals presented lower scores on all KAPREP scale factors compared to other groups.

Key takeaway. KAPREP is a more comprehensive scale with good psychometric quality for general use in other studies aiming to monitor and measure diverse  perceptions, practices and attitudes regarding PrEP use in a single questionnaire.

Authors. L.I Zambrano, L.A. Medina, I. Fuentes, F. Muñoz, I. Lorenzana, E. Palou, A.L. de Souza, M. Cooper.

Project. Honduras HIV 2 Project, funded by The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

The post Validation of Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (KAPREP) among Key Populations in Honduras: A New Tool appeared first on Global Communities.

“This is the first time that a project has come to the community to provide training to improve farming techniques,” shares María. “Before, we managed to produce six loads of corn and now, we manage 14. We did not plant any beans before [the HASS project] and now, we harvest four loads because we learned how to take advantage of the land. Thanks to USAID/BHA, we now have guaranteed food for a longer time.”

Through HASS, project participants like María are putting into practice what they have learned. They have planted a variety of crops such as beans, radish, sweet chili, cucumber, squash and mustard. Crop diversification for self-consumption is a key strategy to improve the nutrition of communities by providing a greater variety of nutrients, reducing the risk of deficiencies and promoting healthier diets.

Integration of sustainable agricultural practices

HASS promotes food security, encourages learning sustainable agricultural practices and strengthens producer’s knowledge through targeted project implementation strategies. The integration of agricultural practices carried out by HASS works to improve food security, provide access and facilitate food for families. HASS trainings include agricultural technologies, technical assistance, delivery of agricultural materials, tools and equipment for the establishment of family gardens, drip irrigation systems and water harvesting with geomembrane bags.

An alternative method for the dry season

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the first half of 2024 is expected to be impacted by the El Niño phenomenon – a weather event marked by warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures – creating prolonged droughts. In the upcoming months, the impact of the La Niña phenomenon is expected to put small-scale production of basic grains at risk in the Honduran Dry Corridor (CSH).

Without the added complication of the El Niño phenomenon, María faces water shortages during the dry season. To meet her family’s domestic need for water, they temporarily connect hoses from the beginning of a creek to their homes. However, this solution does not meet the additional water requirements to irrigate her garden. Aware of the importance of keeping the harvester full, María and her family have explored alternatives, they organize themselves to carry water in containers to ensure the supply of the vital liquid.

To help reduce the impact of the dry season, Global Communities with support from USAID/BHA, is installing water harvesters with geomembrane bags for small-scale producers in supported communities. With these water harvesters, they can maintain a constant supply of water for irrigation of their home gardens. This equipment collects rainwater through a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) drain installed on the roof of the house. Once collected, the water is stored in a highly resistant geomembrane bag where it is kept until it is used to irrigate crops. Knowing that water will be available helps farmers navigate the increasingly unpredictable planting cycles in the Dry Corridor.

263 water harvesters will be installed across different communities in the Honduran Dry Corridor through the HASS project.

These harvesters represent an innovative and efficient solution to capture and store water in areas where the resource is limited. This allows project participants to collect and retain rainwater effectively, offering an opportunity for communities and families facing water shortages.

“My commitment is to take care of this water harvester so that it will last me a long time,” said María.

In these CSH communities, water harvesters emerge as a ray of hope, as a tool that guarantees crops’ survival and represents the communities’ symbol of resistance and resilience.

The post María’s Harvest: Empowering Sustainable Farming and Drought Resilience in Honduras appeared first on Global Communities.