The State Of This Nation

The headline news in Honduras these days is not very rosy.

The nation is in the dry season which began in October last year.  The dry season will last another 4-6 weeks.  We hope that is all it lasts.  There are fifteen villages near Tegucigalpa that are out of water.  They have none, not a drop.  People that can find and/or afford water are having to haul it long distances.  They haul it whatever containers they can find, in buckets on their heads, milk jugs.  Whatever.  And it may or may not be clean water.  But desperate people do desperate things. That fifteen villages are the ones near Tegucigalpa only.  Many more villages in this country are also without water.  People are thirsty and dirty.

We, at Casa de Esperanza, have seen some days without water.  Usually a day here or day there.  It could get worse before it gets better.

In other news, the price of beans is high. The price of rice is high.  Other staples are high also.  Gasoline is $4.35 a gallon and going up every week.  Electricity rates are going up 24%.  Ouch.  Mandatory health insurance is going up for both the employee and the employer.  And minimum wage is going up by about 10%.  People in this country need to make more money.  No argument here.  But minimum wage cannot go up 10% at one time, retroactive to January 1.  In a country where there is already 30% unemployment, hundreds, thousands, or maybe even tens of thousands will lose their jobs because employers cannot afford that much increase at once.   We are already seeing more street vendors and beggars.  This increase will be great for those who get to keep their job and devastating for those who don't.

The never ending news concerns the never ending teachers' strikes.  Our children have missed more days of school that they have attended this year.  The minimum wage for teachers is already higher than it is for other employees.  Over the last ten years, the teachers have worked an average of 140 days a year.  They are now asking parents to support them.  I am thinking that people that make huge sacrifices to buy a school uniform and school supplies are not going to support the people that are not educating their children. 

The strikes have become more than just protests or blocking traffic.  On more than one occasion, the teachers have become violent.  Three years ago during the political crisis, there was grafitti everywhere.  That is nearly cleaned up and the teachers have started grafitting again.  And throwing molotov cocktails.  They tried to set fire to a gas station last week.  The water truck that was being used to put out the fire was also used to give some teachers a nice bath. 

On the days the teachers strike, there is huge traffic jams and problems in town.  Last week, there was an ultimatum that if the teachers missed more than 10 days of school, the would be suspended.  Of course, they didn't miss 10.  They taught Monday and Tuesday and missed Wednesday, with strikes all over town.  Our kids went to school 3 days last week, which is one of the better weeks.

There is suppose to be a huge strike and mess in town tomorrow.  Another ulitmatum was issued: if the teachers don't teach tomorrow, they will be suspended without pay for a year.  Guess what, there is school tomorrow, but I would be surprised if there is Tuesday without another ulitmatum. 

This is so sad.  They cycle of poverty will never be broken without educating the children.

I am sorry this is so bleak, but this is the world in which we live.

Terri