Monday, August 28, 2000 Online Edition 35

Working youth -- an overview of child labor in Honduras

High rate of child labor linked to low wages, poverty 

By MELANIE WETZEL

(First of three parts) 

TEGUCIGALPA -- Honduras is a country that is no stranger to hard labor.  A high rate of illiteracy, minimal industrialization and a stagnant economy result in low salaries paid for long, strenuous work days.  Much of the Honduran economy rests on the backs of agricultural workers in the labor intensive banana and melon production, or the hands of the assembly workers in the maquilas, rushing to meet quotas.  A great majority of these workers receive salaries that are well below poverty level.

Child labor is an institution that goes hand in hand with poverty.  Families that are disintegrated by migration and struggling with a high cost of living and miserable salaries often require their children to work to supplement the family income.

This quick fix has disastrous long-term effects.  Children who work often do so at the expense of their own education, creating a new generation of illiterate workers who are destined to live in poverty.

POVERTY AND CHILD LABOR

Honduras has an estimated population of 5.8 million people and one of the highest rates of population growth in the hemisphere, with a birth rate of 4.9 live births per woman.  Fifty-four percent of the population is under the age of 18.  The labor force consists of 2.2 million individuals, of which 16 percent are between the ages of 10 and 18.

Studies by international organizations estimate that 70 percent of Honduran households function below the level of poverty.  Half of those are in a situation of extreme poverty.  According to a recent study by the Ministry of Labor, in conjunction with the National Institute of Child Welfare and UNICEF, recent advances in the field of education have resulted in an increase in coverage of primary education.  Nearly 87 percent of school age children have access to education.

However, the Honduran educational system is still plagued by high levels of repetition and desertion and low educational quality, and many child laborers and their families consider education to be a poor investment of time.

WHAT IS CHILD LABOR?

One of the difficulties in the eradication of child labor is the lack of rigid parameters to define what constitutes child labor.  Due to variances in cultures, environments, and individuals, it is impossible to establish universal rules to determine at what age a child may work without interfering with his or her development.

Even in industrialized countries, children and adolescents often perform labor or chores, as a part of their responsibilities within the home or to earn their own money.  In agricultural societies, a child working alongside a parent is learning the skills he will need as an adult, a vital part of his or her education.

Determining what work is contributing to a child's development and what work is detrimental to that development is vital to protecting a child's rights.  UNICEF and the International Labor Organization differentiate between "child work" and "child labor."

Child work is defined as activities that contribute to physical, psychological and social development, and the development of skills and self-esteem without infringing the child's rights to education, recreation and rest.

The International Convention of Children's Rights defines child labor as the economic participation of people under the age of 18 in conditions of economic exploitation, in dangerous conditions, or in activities that impede their education, or have a negative impact on their physical, mental, or spiritual health and development. 

LEGAL PROTECTION

Honduran legislation addresses the issue of child labor in several different laws.  Child workers are protected primarily by the Codigo de Trabajo, or Labor Law.  This law and the accompanying regulations emitted by the Ministry of Labor establish the conditions under which adolescents may work.  No child under the age of 14 can be authorized to work.

Businesses and industries that employ minors must maintain records on those employees, including verification of the age of the employee and express parental permission for workers under the age of 16.

The Labor Law also prohibits employers from hiring minors in jobs that could have a negative impact on their health or well-being, such as the leather or mining industries.

The Codigo de la Ninez y de la Adolescencia, emitted in 1996, is the first law in Honduras to legislate children's rights.  It was produced in accordance with international treaties on children's rights, and establishes every child's basic rights to education, recreation and rest.

The law effectively criminalizes any activity that infringes these basic rights of a child.  This allows prosecutors to take action against people who exploit a child, but do not fall under the supervision of the labor ministry, such as parents who induce their children to panhandle.

The law establishes sentences of three to five years of prison for adults who induce a child to work excessive hours, work for less than minimum wage, carry out dishonest, immoral or illegal activities, or who infringe the child's rights through excessive domestic labor in the home. 

LACK OF ENFORCEMENT

Legally, children under the age of 14 are not allowed to work in Honduras.  Realistically, there are still many children who are spending their formative years working, begging or living in near-slavery conditions, burdened with excessive domestic tasks.

A 1997 UNICEF study indicates that nearly 90,000 children between the ages of 10 and 14 work in Honduras, often in unsafe conditions and for less than minimum wage.  Thirty-two percent of these children say that they work more than 45 hours a week, and more than half earn less than Lps. 500 per month.

NEXT WEEK: The realities of child labor in Honduras and the measures being taken by government and social organizations to protect the rights of these children.

Tico priest saving youths with 'uniforms' 

By C.F. AGURCIA 

COMAYAGUELA -- In the marginal slums of the capital's sister city, a Costa Rican priest and his parish are working to save local youth from a life of crime.  Father Agustin Vasquez Rojas, a priest of the order of San Miguel, has developed a new system for preventing crime among the young men of poor neighborhoods surrounding the Maria Auxiliadora Church, located in the Las Ayestas barrio.

It all starts with a uniform, offered as a gift to a youth of low economic means.  The uniform, a colorful combination of a soccer shirt and matching shorts, is given to the young man who asks for it.  Come Saturday and Sunday, he can go to a local playing field and join up with other kids wearing matching colors and jumping nearly as eagerly as he is in anticipation of the weekly games.

"It's the uniform that gets them," Vasquez, a 14-year resident of the country, explains.  He says it gives the young men a sense of belonging, a sense of group.  It is not unlike the sense of belonging created by the dreaded "maras" or gangs that terrorize the city; only this one has a much more positive spin.

After meeting and playing together on the field, the kids are then encouraged to join in weekday sessions held in smaller groups at different homes.  In these sessions, the kids are taught catechism and helped with their schoolwork.  Those who are not in school are encouraged to learn a trade and are led to different centers where they can do so.

Overall, Vasquez said, the kids are taught to be good, supporting, productive members of the community.  They are taught that a life of crime is bad, and are shown a better way to go.

And a better way they have gone, in an area covering the city's old cemetery to the exit to Olancho, the program has helped over 2,500 young men improve their lives.  They have been gathered from such neighborhoods as Las Ayestas, La Union, La Laguna, El Pastel, Campo Cielo and many others.

Vasquez has lived in Honduras for 14 years now.  The first four he spent as a teacher at the prestigious San Miguel school in Tegucigalpa.  The past nine years he has been assigned to different parishes around the capital city, but he has always had an orientation toward helping children and fighting crime.

This last project of his is a wonder, funded by private and commercial donations.  It is aggressive in its way of hooking in the kids by giving them something first.  It is constant in the way its preachers constantly reinforce good values.  And, also, it is productive, showing numbers that bring hope to Comayaguela's darker side.

U.S. legislators supervise projects in Moroceli 

U.S. legislators and officials of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) this week supervised several projects implemented by the Honduran Social Investment Fund (FHIS) that are being funded by the U.S. government.

According to the daily La Tribuna, the U.S. officials first toured the community of Moroceli, located in the department of El Paraiso.  This town was seriously damaged by flooding caused by Hurricane Mitch.

Since the natural disaster took place nearly two years ago, USAID has provided funds to finance 25 projects that have helped approximately 256,000 people in 13 different municipalities.

FHIS Minister Moises Starkman said most of the funds were invested in infrastructure and potable water projects.

"The projects are on track," the minister said, "in addition to the fact that transparency [in the management of funds] is demonstrated by the documents we handed to the representatives of USAID and members of the U.S. Congress."

Along with Moroceli, the U.S. legislators visited neighborhoods and districts of Tegucigalpa that were affected by landslides and flooding.

Beltway inauguration set for September 

A new sector of the Tegucigalpa beltway is scheduled to be inaugurated on Sept. 1, according to government authorities.  The road construction completed at a cost of approximately Lps. 156 million runs from the eastern highway out of the city (toward Danli) to the exit to Valle De Angeles. -- La Tribuna

Ethnic groups protest dismissal of D.A. 

Leaders of several ethnic groups last week protested the dismissal of Gilberto Sanchez Chandia as the special government prosecutor for ethnic affairs and the appointment of Eduardo Villanueva, whom they claim has persecuted both black and indigenous communities, as his replacement.

The Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras also issued a communique in which they stated that Sanchez was an efficient prosecutor and that his dismissal was for political reasons.

They also stated that they have a right to decide who is appointed to the post, according to International Labor Organization Convention 169 of which Honduras is signatory. - El Heraldo

Eight demining modules completed 

Members of the Organization of American States and the Honduran army completed their eighth demining module on Tuesday.

So far, the demining process in Honduras, which began in 1995, has deactivated 2,142 mines and covered 336,848 square meters of land suspected of containing land mines, mainly along the border with Nicaragua. - La Prensa

New extradition bill proposed 

National Congress President Rafael Pineda Ponce on

Wednesday introduced legislation calling for the reform of constitutional article 162 that would allow for the extradition of Honduran citizens to other countries when they have been accused of crimes related to drug trafficking.

The proposed bill, titled "Law against the inadequate use of drugs and illegal drug trafficking," also contemplates heavy fines and jail terms for the use, production and possession of illegal drugs. - La Tribuna

Fonseca named new Minister of Security 

Former congressman Gautama Fonseca was sworn in Wednesday by President Flores as the new Minister of Security, succeeding Elizabeth Chiuz Sierra who will be assigned to another public office.

The decision to change the security minister, said Flores, was based on a study prepared by several government institutions to strengthen criteria concerning public security, as well as the fight against crime.

The president announced that the police force will once again be reorganized and will also receive more financial support so as to carry out its work more efficiently.

Chuiz Sierra said that her removal from the post was a weight off her shoulders. - El Heraldo

Monday, August 21, 2000 Online Edition 34

AJWS volunteers help in post-Mitch reconstruction  

AJWS volunteers and Garifunas from Trujillo replanted coconuts resistant to lethal yellowing disease in Barranco Blanco.

By WENDY GRIFFIN 

American Jewish World Service (AJWS) recruits American and Canadian college students to attend work camps every year.  One month is spent either in a Latin American or African country and then another month is spent in Israel participating in work projects.  The program teaches young people about the work of AJWS, real conditions that exist in the Third World, and how it is a duty of blessing (mitzvah) of Jews to help others.

This year 17 volunteers spent two and a half weeks in the mountain village of Brisas del Campo, located near La Libertad, Comayagua, which suffered from landslides during Hurricane Mitch.  Currently, homeless people from four different communities are being settled here.

Villagers were very friendly to the volunteers, although most had probably never met a person of the Jewish religion before.  The young people helped to make blocks, build cement posts and lay bricks.

It also gave them insight into how hard reconstruction work is.  "The people here were from four different villages so that they had to work together, but they did not know or really trust one another," said one volunteer.

Another volunteer pointed out, when the houses were done, that the people will have houses but they will not have any land.  All the coffee fincas around there belong to other people.

From Brisas del Campo, the group went to Trujillo to work with the Comite de Emergencia Garifuna.  First, they stopped to spend the Sabbath service in San Pedro Sula.  It was quite a difference to come from the poor campesino village of Brisas del Mar and then meet the wealthy people of San Pedro Sula.  San Pedro has been described as a city where Jews act as bankers as Arab businessmen.

While in Trujillo, the volunteers went to Barranco Blanco, a Garifuna community completely destroyed by Mitch.  The mainstay of the economy of Barranco was coconuts.  "I used to bring 200, 300, 500 coconuts twice a week to Trujillo to sell," said one Garifuna farmer.  The plantations have been decimated by lethal yellowing disease.  "Now I don't get enough coconuts to cover the care fare," said Josefina Alvarez.  Only three families have been able to return so far, and one of those is living in the school.

The volunteers planted disease resistant coconuts, the first part of a program sponsored by Caritas, the social aid agency of the church, to provide disease resistant coconuts all along the coast.

After Barranco, the volunteers went to Santa Rosa to Aguan and the new communities founded by Garifunas from there and Barra de Aguan.  The destruction by Mitch in these communities is still awe-inspiring.

Not only is the building of the Dejame Vivir restaurant -- previously reviewed in Honduras This Week -- gone, but that whole street and the one next to it no longer exist, as they are under the sea.  The owner is alive and operates her restaurant out of her mother's house in Santa Rosa, although she plans to rebuild her home closer to the school at a place called "La Planada."

There was also a restaurant, El Cayuco, on the river bank.  Of this restaurant there is no trace, and the river now flows over it.  Seventy five percent of the structures were lost or damaged on the Barra side, including the Japanese fishing project, Modernapesca.

Hurricane Mitch caused the Aguan River to flood.  Trees and loose containers rammed into schools and houses at Barra de Aguan.

Some Garifunas of Barra de Aguan have relocated to land owned by a Garifuna agricultural cooperative, Lirios de Aguan.  But, bajo-bajo (under the table), tracts of the cooperative's lands had been sold to private individuals.  A palm field owned by a judge separates one neighborhood of the new village from the other.

Although the land is Garifuna land, 30 percent of the people to be settled on it will be ladinos from Vuelta Grande, another affected community.  The project is funded by a Spanish family through the Sisters of Charity in Trujillo.

The new community is located 5 km. from the sea, which separates these Garifunas from some traditional resources such as fish, sea grapes and cocoplums.  There is no agricultural land nearby and there is no source of firewood.  The people have some land for cattle ranching located some distance from the community.

There are some concerns for this community and another one closer to the sea being built by Catholic Relief Services and CARE.  The roofs are being built flat so that people can take shelter on them in the event of floods as the land is so low.  Particularly with the building of a new bridge, there is concern more water will flow into the community rather than over the bridge.

In spite of the overabundance of flood waters, drinking water is a problem.  A well for a water project has been drilled, but a Peace Corps worker has struggled unsuccessfully for two years to get electric pumps for water projects into the area.  One reason is hey are significantly more expensive than gravity fed water projects implemented in mountainous areas.

People assume they will have electricity for their water pump, but the fact is the National Electric Company (ENEE) is requiring villagers -- 70 percent of whom are single mothers -- to present an electrification plan.  This area is frequently cut off during the rainy season, making its water supply dependent on electricity and spare parts seem risky.  The community previously had pumps for water.

Moving the community of Santa Rosa de Aguan to La Planada presents similar problems, except 30-foot dunes protect it from the sea and it is quite distant from the river.  The road has advanced about 15 kilometers as cattle ranchers are privately financing in part construction of the road.

The last day the students worked on a project to replant Garifuna root crops such as yams, which were scarce even before Mitch.  The visit ended with a night of Garifuna dances.

Portillo meets with Flores
Guatemalan-Honduran relations get a boost 

By DAGOBERTO RODRIGUEZ

Special to Honduras This Week 

TEGUCIGALPA -- Relations between Guatemala and Honduras, which in recent years have generally been cordial, took a new and important turn for the better following the official visit of Guatemalan President Alfonso Portillo on Aug. 10.

During their four-hour meeting, Portillo and President Flores discussed several key issues including border delimitation, the union of the region's customs agencies, and the Central American integration process.

In recent months relations between the two countries have been somewhat strained due to the approval by the Honduran congress of a law that, according to the Guatemalan government, affects its sovereignty in the Caribbean.

However, Portillo's visit to the Honduran capital helped to overcome the two nation's differences.  Flores promised to suspend implementation of the law, indicating he would send a new proposal to the National Congress for its approval.

Meanwhile, the Guatemalan president offered his full support in accelerating Honduras' participation in the customs union promoted by El Salvador that would create a regional customs entity and establish unified tariffs.

Portillo's support is vital due to the recent trade and boundary differences Honduras has had with El Salvador and Nicaragua, which have thrown a shadow on the regional integration process.

Both Flores and Portillo coincided that it is essential to revive the Central American integration process, and that the best opportunity to accomplish this will be at the Tuxtla IV meeting in Guatemala at the end of the month.

Scheduled to attend this meeting are the presidents of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Panama and Nicaragua, as well as Honduras and Guatemala.  The participation of President-elect Vicente Fox of Mexico has still not been confirmed.

"We have agreed to integrate the technical teams of both economy ministries in the next few days to work on accelerating a Customs Union agreement between Guatemala and Honduras," said Portillo.

He added that this matter is urgent given the need to facilitate, speed up and improve the efficiency of the transit of goods across the two countries' borders.  "It's a reality that accepts no differences," he said.

Flores said that in today's world it is impossible to conceive the nations of Central American moving forward individually or in an isolated fashion.  He added that each day they must integrate more in order to face the challenges of the globalization of the economy.

HUD earmarks $4.1 million for reconstruction of Honduras

It has been two years since Hurricane Mitch, and the "temporary shelters" are still standing.  One month after Mitch battered Honduras, Andrew Cuomo, the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) visited Honduras and other affected countries in Central America.  At that time he promised to give assistance after seeing the aftermath of the hurricane.

According to the July bulletin of the Honduran American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM), Andrew Cuomo on July 5 assigned $4.1 million out of a budget of $10 million for reconstruction.  This was set aside for countries in Central America and the Caribbean affected by Hurricane Mitch as well as Hurricane Georges.  The bulletin states that Honduras is receiving the greatest portion of this support.

These funds will be used to help 6,000 families move from the temporary shelters into new storm-resistant homes, according to the AMCHAM bulletin.

The support given will be divided in the following ways, according to the bulletin:

* $2.4 million for the development, organization and creation of communities in the Amarateca Valley, 40 kilometers from Tegucigalpa; two riverside neighborhoods, Chamelecon, and Rivera in San Pedro Sula; and the Garifuna neighborhood on the coast of Tela.

* $1 million for the creation of a credit institution that will make small loans for repairing structural damage to small businesses and houses.

* $350,000 for the training of professionals in charge of the reconstruction process.

* $350,000 for technological training in construction, for safe and economic houses.

According to the Bulletin, President Flores received news of this aid via satellite and expressed his profound gratitude for the cooperation given by the United States during the time of emergency and subsequent efforts of assistance and reconstruction.

U.S., Honduras sign anti-drug pact 

The National Congress has approved a reciprocal cooperation agreement between Honduras and the United States consisting in joint ocean patrols of Honduran waters to detect and capture vessels transporting illegal drugs.

Foreign Minister Roberto Flores Bermudez stated that the agreement does not include the construction of U.S. military installations in Honduras, adding that any necessary land facilities will be run by the Honduran military.

Currently, most of the patrols are being planned to cover waters off the departments of Gracias a Dios (La Mosquitia), Colon, and the Bay Islands. - El Heraldo

Biodiversity conservation strategy presented 

Environmental Minister Xiomara Gomez last week presented a Biodiversity and Conservation Strategy for Honduras that is part of the country's obligation under the World Biodiversity Treaty.

The Minister said that establishing a strategy will allow the country to set environmental policies that are congruent with regional and world conservation efforts.  She added that other objectives include rehabilitating selected ecosystems as well as conserving some species in captivity. - El Heraldo

Honduras closer to qualifying 

Wednesday night's 6-0 victory over San Vicente moved Honduras one step closer to reaching the final round of World Cup qualifiers for the North, Central American and Caribbean region.

The Catrachos won their first match against El Salvador 5-2 in San Salvador and lost their second match to Jamaica 1-3 in Kingston.  Honduras, which is currently in second place in Group D, has three matches remaining.

Scoring for Honduras were all-star striker Carlos Pavon, who notched two goals; Francisco Ramirez, who also scored twice; Amado Guevara and Renan Bengoche. ¾ El Heraldo

Dollarized medical fees suspended

Due to a lawsuit filed by the Consumer Protection Bureau, a measure approved by the Honduran Medical Association in which medical fees are charged in dollars or the lempira equivalent has been suspended by the local courts.

The lawsuit, based on the fact that the official currency of Honduras is the lempira, argues that fees charged in dollars are illegal. - El Tiempo

U.S. Geological Service donates satellite equipment 

At a cost of US$7.6, the U.S. Geological Service recently donated computerized satellite equipment to the municipality of Tegucigalpa that will allow for the monitoring of water levels of major rivers and streams that pose a flooding threat.

Satellite imagery and corresponding computer software will alert officials and allow them to warn residents in high-risk zones to evacuate when necessary. - La Tribuna

Monday, August 14, 2000 Online Edition 33

Several private renewable energy projects in the works

Power generated by three privately-owned hydroelectric dams will be sold to the National Electric Company 

Engineers for the Babilonia project and the Bureau of Energy examine the site where the dam is to be built.

By MARTHA CONTRERAS DIAZ 

TEGUCIGALPA -- Currently, there is only one privately-owned renewable energy source in Honduras, the Central Hydroelectric Zacapa, according to the Bureau of Energy.  All others, such as the El Cajon and Nacaome hydroelectric dams, are owned by the government.

However, this situation could change soon as the backers of several privately-owned renewable energy projects have applied for permission at the Bureau of Energy to begin construction.  Last week, representatives of three private hydroelectric energy projects, El Cangrejal, Babilonia and Lago de Yojoa, signed contracts with the National Electric Company (ENEE) to sell their energy to the ENEE, according to the Bureau of Energy.  These projects hope to begin operating next year.  As of this Friday, they had not yet begun construction.

The dam on the Esperanza River in Intibuca will be repaired and reopened for hydro-electric energy.

Doris Hernandez, the deputy director of the Bureau of Energy, said the purpose of using renewable energy sources in Honduras is "to diminish, eradicate, and eliminate thermal plants."  In 1999, 54.2 percent of electric energy in Honduras was provided by thermal power, according to statistics published by the Bureau of Energy.  Thermal generated power is costly for Honduras because it uses combustible materials for fuel.

Utila, for example, is a place frequented by tourists, but with an acute energy problem.  All travelers who have gone to Utila have experienced this.  At night there is rationing of energy, and during the day there are constant brown outs.  Hernandez said the Tennessee Valley Infrastructure Group (TVIG) has developed an Aeolian Project through which wind power will be used to provide Utila with energy and thus eliminate the diesel plants.

She said that in two weeks TVIG will present its study to the Bureau of Energy, and building could begin as early as next year.  Hernandez added that they cannot begin construction until after an environmental impact study has been made and reviewed by the Department of Environmental Control (DECA) and the Center for the Study and Control of Contaminants (CESCO).

According to information published by the Bureau of Energy, other forms of renewable energy that are used in Honduras or being studied are solar energy and biomass fuels.

Hernandez said Cressida Corporation has a project to produce energy from the waste of the African palm used to make oil.  She added that the Three Valleys sugar producer, which obtained financing on July 10, will generate energy not only for itself but will sell some to the ENEE.  This will be done with the waste pulp of sugar cane.

Some solar villages, such as the Jose Cecilio del Valle in Choluteca created last year, have been successful; yet Project South Lempira, in which batteries for home appliances, walkie talkie's and lights are solar powered, has not been very successful.  This is due to the short duration of the solar powered energy, according to Hernandez.  In order to maintain renewable energy in this area, a mini-hydroelectric source will be installed, said Leonardo Jose Matute, analyst of energy projects.

Meanwhile, the Honduran Association of Coffee Producers (AHPROCAFE) wants to finance an evaluation of areas surrounding coffee plantations to consider the possibility of installing renewable energy-generating plants, said Hernandez.  They are currently working with the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment (SERNA).

According to AHPROCAFE, renewable energy will increase coffee production, as most coffee plantations do not have access to energy of any sort.  Statistics published by the Natural Resources and Environmental Ministry state that only 62.4 percent of Honduran territory has access to electric energy.

Renewable energy on a large and small scale will begin to be implemented throughout Honduras, owned by both the private sector and the government.  Hernandez said this is the only way ENEE will eventually be able to provide the rest of Honduras with electrical energy.  Most projects will begin to produce and sell their energy in the next two years, which is a considerable advantage to consumers who pay exorbitant prices for energy to ENEE.

 ENERGY STATS FOR 1999

 * More popularly known as El Cajón.

Source: Estadísticas Eléctricas, Secretaría de Recursos Naturales y Ambiente

National Women's Institute struggling to eliminate gender discrimination 

INAM's President Maria Martha Diaz Velasquez chats with a boy from the community of Santo Tomas, Lempira, during one of her tours of the country's poorest areas.

By SUYAPA CARIAS 

TEGUCIGALPA -- One year after its creation, the National Women's Institute (INAM) is slowly advancing toward its goal of formulating and implementing a national gender-oriented policy with a budget of just Lps. 2.5 million -- nearly four times lower than requested.

But despite economic limitations, INAM President Maria Martha Diaz Velasquez feels somewhat satisfied with the achievements obtained to date, and she is optimistic about the support and results that the future may bring in order to free Honduran women and girls from discrimination and abuse.

Diaz Velasquez, at one time considered a hero and even a martyr for her role in the internationally famous "Chinazo" scandal that allegedly involved top officials of the administration of President Rafael Leonardo Callejas and her own former husband Rene Contreras, explained to Honduras This Week the goals and needs of the institution she heads.

According to a law approved by Congress that took effect in February 1999, INAM replaced the former Women's Governmental Office (OGM) and it was established for the purpose of fully incorporating women into the sustainable development process, focusing on gender equality in the social, economic, political and cultural fields.

Overseeing INAH is the National Women's Council, whose directorate includes the ministers of Government and Justice, Health, Education, Labor and Social Security, and representatives from the Women's Campesino Association, ethnic organizations, the Women's Political Party Forum and the Association of Honduran Municipalities (AMHON).

In order to achieve this goal, the institute must coordinate all efforts undertaken by the public and civil sectors to improve the situation of women, and to develop a new national women's policy that will serve as the official platform on which all further actions concerning women will be taken.

So far, INAM has worked hard to gather more than 50 organizations together to form a common front in the fight for women's rights, holding educational workshops and visiting desolate rural communities throughout the country, including the Garifunas and Lenca ethnic groups. 

LAWS NOT BEING APPLIED

In addition, a special commission has been established to ensure that the public is fully aware of the domestic violence law that was approved two years ago.  Members of the commission are also following up on several reforms pending approval.

"We all thought that this law was going to be the solution to the problems of violence against women, but it didn't happen that way because we lack the necessary support structures to make it really work," said the official.  She mentioned, for example, that while more women are now denouncing their partners for domestic violence, the specialized courts that were supposed to be created to attend these cases still do not exist.

"The family courts are hearing all these complaints, so now the judges cannot deal with such an excess amount of work; the same thing is happening at the Special Government Prosecutor's Office for Crimes Against Women, because there are not enough personnel and resources."  With the few employees available, however, INAM has been doing a decent job in terms of educating them about the law, and raising awareness on this social issue.

Another legal instrument is the recently approved gender equality law, which obliges political parties to confer women at least 30 percent of elected posts.  "We can see that this is not happening, so we must keep pushing and demanding this right... maybe not all of us are prepared to hold such positions, but that's because we never had the opportunity before," said Diaz Velasquez. 

INFORMATION SYSTEM

Meanwhile, she said the Interinstitutional Technical Gender Committee (COTIG) was recently created, a tool that will help to shape national women's policies.  Also, a National Information System is being designed to gather and organize statistics on the conditions of Honduran women in several areas, such as health, education, violence and employment.

As part of the government's social cabinet, INAM is participating in formulating a national strategy to eradicate poverty.  "It's a fact that the poorest sectors of the Honduran population are women and children.  Hurricane Mitch made this more evident, too."

INAM has the support of several United Nations agencies including UNICEF and the U.N. Population Fund (UNPF), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).  However, Diaz Velasquez is confident that the Ministry of Finance and Congress will be more conscious about INAM's needs when they begin work on the next fiscal budget.  After all, she added, it is the government's obligation to comply with international treaties signed to protect women's rights, and "words cannot be different from practice." 

PERSONAL COMMITMENT

For Diaz Velasquez, assuming the task of directing this new institution has been as much challenging as rewarding.  "First of all, I have kept my commitment to my people, because when I needed their support, they gave it to me even without knowing me," she said.

"That experience [referring to the Chinazo ordeal and the reaction of the people] changed my whole life as a human being.  When I visit some communities, I can feel the happiness of the women, and I think my presence helps them to believe that INAM is really there to help them, that it is authentic."

For more information about INAM, call 225-5855, 225-2263, e-mail: <ogmhon@sdnhon.org.hn>.

With globalization, Honduran universities expand graduate education 

By WENDY GRIFFIN

(Last of three parts) 

Driving from Puerto Cortes to Choloma, San Pedro Sula or Poterillos is a good opportunity to see Honduras' growing maquila industry.  The garment industry predominates with such familiar names as Hanes, Fruit of the Loom and Lovable, as well as many nameless brands sold in discount stores just marked "Made in Honduras."

To prepare Hondurans to work in the administration of these businesses, the country's universities have dramatically expanded their offerings of graduate programs in business administration, economics and finance.

As we enter the 21st century, we hear more and more of the globalization of the economy under neo-liberalism.  This replaces the earlier discourse of import substitution, development from within, and the regional integration of local economies, especially those in Central America with small internal markets that make difficult economies of scale. 

REGIONAL PROGRAMS

The first regional master's degree programs in business administration and economics come out of this earlier discourse.  The Central American Institute of Business Administration (INCAE) offered the first regional master's degree program.  The school was founded by the business sector and Central American governments.  It is a multinational private institution that teaches business administration and economics.

Since its foundation in 1964, the school has had support from the Harvard Business School and most of its professors come from Ivy League schools in the United States.

This M.B.A. program is accredited by the International Association for Management Education and SACS -- the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.  However, its campuses are in Nicaragua and Costa Rica, which explains why only about 7 percent of its student body comes from Honduras.  Courses offered by INCAE are frequently advertised in Honduran papers since it was founded and is administered as a regional institution.

 For additional information, contact INCAE's office in Tegucigalpa at tel. 232-9912, e-mail: <incae@david.intel.hn>.

The second regional master's degree program was POSCAE.  The Central American Graduate Program in Economics and the Planning of Development was created in 1978 under the auspices of the Superior Council of Central American Universities (CSUCA) to train economists.

Although located on the campus of the National Autonomous University in Tegucigalpa, the student body is international including Salvadorans, Guatemalans and Dominicans, as well as Hondurans.  The teaching staff also includes international visiting professors.

RESEARCH COMPONENT

POSCAE has a strong research component.  These investigations are published as either small books or in the Central American Journal of Economics (Revista Centroamericano de Economia) that the program edits and publishes.  A grant from the Central Honduran Bank for Economic Integration supports their publication efforts.

The publications, together with lectures given by the teaching staff, provides some of the most interesting analysis of Central American political economy in the age of globalization, privatization, high foreign debt, and neo-liberalism.

For additional information, contact POSCAE, A. P. 1748, Tegucigalpa, Telefax 232-2558.

A major change in Honduran laws took place in the 1990s, allowing the establishment of private universities.  This permitted the creation of UNITEC, or the Central American Technological University.

UNITEC offers an extensive master's degree program in business and business-related fields at its Tegucigalpa and San Pedro campuses.  These include master's degrees in finance, industrial engineering, marketing, environmental engineering, business administration, quality systems, computer science and information technology.

MEXICAN TIES

These master's programs are offered in conjunction with the Virtual University system of the Technological Institute of Higher Education of Monterrey, Mexico (ITESM).  For additional information, contact UNITEC at tel. 230-3992, fax 230-4008, e-mail: <mvirtual@virtual.unitec.hn>.

The University of San Pedro, a private university also founded in the 1990s, offers an M.B.A. with a specialty in marketing or finance.  That program can be contacted at <http://www.usps.edu.hn; e-mail: mae@usps.edu.hn>.

It is interesting to note that over 450 years of international mining industry activity in Honduras has not resulted in a university degree program in mining in Honduras.  Despite being in the country more than 100 years, the presence of Dole and Chiquita did not bring into being higher education programs so that Hondurans could occupy the higher administration positions in those companies in Honduras.

Many bad things have been said about the maquilas in Honduras, but their presence has led to the creation and expansion of graduate degree programs.  If globalization is upon us, then Honduran universities are striving to meet human resource needs that this level of competition implies.

Most of these programs have sprung up in the private sector of Honduran universities, which are striving to meet the market demands for graduates.  UNAH has not generally seen itself as an institution that should offer some degree just because crass market forces, like the presence of mining companies, required certain kinds of skilled Honduran labor.

With demonstrations 
Coffee growers want to make Honduran coffee "bitter" 

By BLANCA MORENO 

TEGUCIGALPA -- Sacrificing the already deteriorating post-Mitch economy, President Carlos Flores last week granted a Lps. 370 million credit to coffee growers.  Including this amount, coffee growers have now received Lps. 1,150 million in financial support during the past two years.

     According to the president, it has "rained cats and dogs" during his administration.  The government saw itself pressured to grant more funds to coffee growers because they threatened to block the nation's principal highways unless their demands were met.

On receiving information about the growers' threat, the presidentimmediately assigned Minister of Finance Gabriela Nuñez to negotiate with the coffee producers after a 72-hour demonstration and strike took place.

The leader of the protest was Jose Angel Saavedra, a congressman and supporter of the presidential candidacy of Jaime Rosenthal Oliva for the Liberal Party.

Flores and the coffee associations signed an agreement to put an end to the problem.

Hector Morales, the president of the Honduran Association of Coffee Producers (AHPROCAFE), thanked Flores for having made the Lps. 370 million credit possible.

Morales apologized for their tactics, saying that this was not a case of demagoguery, but one of need, "we know that you are noble and respect coffee growers."  He added, "In the name of the 105,000 families that dedicate themselves exclusively to coffee growing, we thank you for your solidarity with all Hondurans, especially coffee growers."

Flores said that in order to support coffee growers, the government has more than exceeded its responsibility.  It has rebuilt infrastructure damaged after Hurricane Mitch, and investment has been great.  The National Coffee Fund invested in this process as well.

"We took resources from where there weren't many, because not only did we have to worry about the coffee sector, but other sectors as well," he said.

Approximately Lps. 330 million were disbursed to coffee growers so that each sack produced would receive Lps. 100.  This was a direct payment made to producers.

Previously, Lps. 190 million had been granted through FONAPROVI.  This year Lps. 370 million was granted, plus an additional Lps. 242 million that FONAPROVI has provided coffee growers this year.

"We are talking about credits totalling Lps. 1,150 million granted in a two-year period to the coffee sector," said Morales.

Congressman urges disarming civilians 

The chairman of Congress' Security Commission, Mamilio Rodas Gamero, on Monday proposed that the police begin disarming the civilian population at a nationwide level.

Rodas Gamero said the Arms Control Law has already gone into effect and should be enforced as soon as possible to increase public safety.

The congressman also said the new law includes the creation of a National Arms Register, a National Ballistics Database and War Arms Collection Commission that will eliminate more than half a million illegal warms currently in circulation.  The law will also regulate the sale, ownership, permits to carry weapons, modification, use and repair of guns and accessories, as well as the transportation and storage of explosives.

Application of the new law will be the responsibility of the Ministries of Public Safety and National Defense. - El Heraldo

Radio program extends to maquilas 

Representatives of the U.S. Agency for International Development and officials of the Ministry of Education on Monday inaugurated the Educatodos high school radio program at the Genesis Apparel Company that forms part of the Lovable group.

The interactive radio program is designed to reach people in rural areas as well as those who have been unable to continue their secondary studies.  Currently, only one third of all Hondurans have continued their education beyond elementary school.

Overall, Educatodos hopes to reach 80,000 Honduran annually. ¾ El Heraldo

Congressman declares war zone in Choluteca 

Choluteca congressman Roger Guillen said last week that the 16 existing gangs in Choluteca have converted the city's suburbs into a virtual war zone.

The congressman stated that law-abiding citizens avoid leaving their homes after 9 p.m. for fear of being assaulted or murdered by young hoodlums.  According to Guillen, gang disputes over territory has lead to escalating violence toward private citizens and numerous murders of gang members.

Guillen suggested imposing a 10 p.m. curfew to control the current situation, as well as taking other long-term measures such as lowering the punishable age from 18 to 16 years and sanctioning irresponsible parents. - El Heraldo

Honduras lagging in vasectomies 

According to gynecologist Adolfo Donaire of the Honduran Family Planning Association (ASHONPLAFA), ignorance and machismo are the contributing factors to the low percentage of Honduran men who undergo vasectomies.

Donaire stated that even though sterilization of men is much safer than of women, only one man to every 58 women is sterilized each year in Honduras.  Many men erroneously believe that the operation will affect their virility, while another large percentage dump all birth control responsibility on women.

The doctor said that in Honduras, ASHONPLAFA averages about 12 vasectomies a month, while in Guatemala this numbers climbs to four or five a day.

Donaire also said the health sector is concerned over the fact that only 50 percent of the population has access to birth control measures, a factor that contributes to poverty in general and greatly affects family economics and access to education. - El Heraldo

Psychiatric hospital overloaded 

Luis Baquedano, president of the nation's psychiatric hospitals, last week stated that the crisis confronted by these institutions has worsened due to the large number of psychiatric convicts being sent to them.

He stated that due to the violent nature of many of these patients, the hospitals are forced to keep them in solitary confinement.

He also urged health officials, human rights activists and the Attorney General's Office to find another solution to this problem, saying "not only are the prisoners human rights being violated, they are endangering the lives of other people."

Baquedano is of the opinion that prisoners should be returned to penitentiaries where trained personnel can control them. - El Heraldo

Monday, August 7, 2000 Online Edition 32

18 months after Mitch

British Foreign Minister supervises Honduran projects 

John Battle expresses surprise at the advances of the reconstruction process 

By BLANCA MORENO 

TEGUCIGALPA -- Pledging to promote the exchange of tourism between both countries and expressing surprise at the pace of reconstruction, British Foreign Minister John Battle ended a three-day tour of Honduras last week.  Accompanied by his wife, Mary Battle, the diplomat came to supervise projects financed by his government during the post-Mitch reconstruction process.

Upon arrival, he met with President Carlos Roberto Flores to talk about bilateral relations and the European Community, and to discuss future assistance by Great Britain to Central America.

 Along with the Honduran Minister of Public Works, Transportation and Housing (SOPTRAVI) Tomas Lozano, Battle traveled to the community of Olosingo, Lempira, where he inaugurated the new Quebrada La Vega bridge.  Later, he visited a forest development project on the North Coast, the San Jose shelter, and the Christian Aid project located in Amarateca, Francisco Morazan.

 During his stay, Battle also inaugurated the new Bronchoscopy Unit at the National Thorax Institute, and he toured the facilities of the San Felipe Hospital Physiotherapy School in Tegucigalpa, both funded by the British government. 

Prior to his departure, Battle emphasized his interest in promoting more tourism between his country and Honduras.  He also mentioned his government's plans to help combat poverty and illnesses like malaria and AIDS.  Meanwhile, Mrs. Battle visited the El Trebol shelter in Tegucigalpa, which is managed by the Red Cross and Christian Aid.

John Battle, 49, was named foreign minister of Great Britain in July 1999.  He was formerly working at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry since 1997.

Experimental human development project to take place in Honduras 

By MARTHA CONTRERAS

TEGUCIGALPA -- Attracted by the solar villages that have been created in Honduras, Honduras was invited to participate in the Triple Helix Conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in April.  After the successful conference, Honduras was chosen to be the first country to implement a new human development strategy called the Incubator Network Project.  This strategy was developed by Dr. Henry Etzkowitz of State University of New York (SUNY) and has been implemented in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as well as the United States.

People with potential in the fabellas of Rio de Janeiro were taken to universities, given an education in business such as accounting, given a contract at the university, and after their experience offered jobs elsewhere.

A more thorough strategy will be implemented in the different sectors of Honduras (government, universities, and entrepreneurs), the purpose being the creation of technological businesses, improved universities, centers for experimenting and transferring technological knowledge, among others.

Just last Wednesday Etzkowitz, and Dr. Paulo Manoel Protasio visited Honduras to observe first hand the potential Honduras has to implement such a project.  They visited the Association of Honduran Municipalities (AMHON), University of Honduras (UNAH), National Forum of Convergence (FONAC), Central American Technological University (UNITEC), Honduran Council of Private Enterprize (COHEP), MHOTIVO Foundation, and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Cortes (CCIC).

According to the minister of the Honduran Council of Science and Technology (COHCIT), Gerardo Zepeda, the potential of Honduras is great, not only because of the creativity and innovation of solar villages that take advantage of the tropical sun, but also because of the structure of the government with municipalities and mayors in each area.

The maquilas law will also be taken advantage of in areas other than industrial.  Zepeda commented that Etzkowitz and Protasio were very happy with the progress and ties created with their meetings in Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula last week.

The next step is to obtain a report from the two men working with COHCIT as to how they will begin to implement the Incubator Project in Honduras, and to obtain financial support from organizations such as the Central American Bank of Economic Integration (CABEI) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).  On Oct. 9, COHCIT will meet with IDB officials as the bank is interested in providing technology to small villages.

With industrialized countries being superior not only in industry but in informative technology, the plan is to reduce poverty by improving communications and technological knowledge in remote villages, according to Zepeda.  Projects with the FONAC and indigenous groups, as well as the AMHON and mayors, will allow for a more educated and business-oriented society, which in the end creates development.

National Teaching University opens graduate level programs 

By WENDY GRIFFIN

(Second of three parts) 

As part of its commitment to help Honduras meet the challenges of the 21st century, the National Teaching University (UPN-FM) has begun offering master's degree programs in Honduras.

Its first program was curriculum development, which has already graduated 14 people.  A second class has begun with 36 students in Tegucigalpa and 29 in San Pedro Sula.  The program costs Lps. 37,000, which is payable in 24 monthly payments.  Traditionally, bank loans have not been available to parents with children in college, but some Honduran banks and the Honduran Teacher's Pension Fund (INPREMA) will make loans available for graduate education.

Soon, the UPN-FM will open a second Master's degree program in education in conjunction with the Central American Technological University (UNITEC), a private university.  UNITEC offers its master's programs together with the Technological Institute of Higher Education of Monterey, Mexico (ITESM) through a virtual education program.  This helps overcome the shortage of professors qualified to teach at a graduate level in Honduras.

Students interested in this degree can specialize in communications, cognitive development, humanities, applied linguistics, and mathematics.  The applied linguistics major includes specializing in teaching either Spanish or English as a foreign language.  It will take two and a half years to complete the program.

Beginning in August 2000, the UPN-FM will begin offering a master's degree program in geography.  This degree will have three sub-areas in which students can specialize -- geography and population; environment and development, and surveying and land titling (ordenamiento territorial).  Press reports on the many problems of land titles, indigenous land claims, tax problems and national park issues show the tremendous need for this program.

Honduras, in fact, does have all the necessary personnel to teach this master's program.  Many classes will be taught by visiting professors, beginning with a Chilean professor.  Because of the need for foreign professors and the travel expenses, this program is much more expensive, costing Lps. 77,000 for the whole 2-year program.  Although expensive by Honduran standards, that amount would not pay for one semester's tuition at some U.S. universities and the schedules are at night or on the weekends so people can continue to work.

Within the next year, the UPN-FM has plans to open more master's degree programs.  An agreement has already been signed with the National Autonomous University of Honduras (UNAH) to offer a master's degree in history, reports Dr. Roger Soleno, assistant director of Graduate Education at the UPN-FM.

A master's degree program in gender studies offered by the Home Economics Department of the UPN-FM is working its way though the approval process of the Council of Higher Education, made up of all public and private universities including the National Agricultural School (ENA), the National School of Forestry Sciences (ENACIFOR) and the Pan-American Agricultural School at Zamorano.

Master's degree programs in educational mathematics, the teaching of science, technological education, physical education, the teaching of Spanish and the teaching of English are also in various stages of planning.

The principal needs of these programs are exchange programs for professors, says Dr. Soleno.  Another problem is a lack of books for the students to consult for their thesis and classes.  The university is also interested in recruiting international students to its program.

In order for foreign students to attend, they will need to authenticate their foreign university degree.  In the United States, this means getting a notarized photocopy of the degree (not the transcript), and having it authenticated by the prothonotary in one's county, by the Secretary of State at the state level, and then by the Secretary of State of the United States, and the Honduran Embassy in Washington, D.C.  Finally, this copy and all of its authentications must be translated and sent to the Honduran Ministry of Foreign Relations who authenticate it again.

For more information on the UNITEC program, contact UNITEC at e-mail: <mvirtual@campus.unitec.hn>.  For more information on the UPN-FM programs, contact Roger Soleno or Iris Erazo, Directora, Direccion de Pos-Grado, UPN-FM, Col. Miraflores, Tegucigalpa, MDC; Fax 231-1257 e-mail: <rogersdaniels@yahoo.com>.

Black community against govt tourism projects 

While the Honduran Tourism Institute (IHT) works on a new mass media awareness campaign, members of the Black Fraternal Organization of Honduras (OFRANEH) have raised their voices once again to protest the arrival of large foreign interests to the North Coast, since the rights and points of view of the Garifuna community have not been considered and their culture may actually be in danger.

"The interest of organizations such as the World Bank to encourage the tourism industry in the country is very important," said Jose Serrano, OFRANEH's president, in a recent press release.  "The question is: Who will reap the real benefits?" According to OFRANEH's leader, the history of the indigenous and black communities around the globe is infested with examples in which the original inhabitants have become victims rather than beneficiaries.  He mentioned several cases such as the experience of the Massai of Kenya and the Yaguas of Peru, who were removed from their ancestral lands so that large projects could be implemented by multinational companies.

In the press release, Serrano said he wonders whether his people will be sacrificed in exchange for the supposed benefits derived from tourism, or if they will be the small-scale managers of a healthy and profitable ecotourism industry.  "In most of the cases, 80 percent of the profits go back to the countries where the investors came from," he said.

OFRANEH accused another non-governmental organization called ANED of acting in complicity with IHT through a series of polls that apparently do not reflect the real opinion of the Garifuna people.  "The polls are not taken at a community level, but only among a small group, which will indirectly give the green light to the entities in charge of the North Coast Development Plan."

The document also criticized the ineffectiveness of the National Agrarian Institute (INA) concerning the issuing of land titles to the Garifunas, and it warns current promoters of the new tourism plan about the risk of losing control over prostitution and drug use.

"We can look at the effects caused in Thailand, with 1 million prostitutes, or the 5,000 children who participate in the sex business in Costa Rica," said Serrano.

On the other hand, he referred to examples of ecotourism managed by local tribes, such as the Huaorani and the Cofanes of Ecuador, who control the whole process and have replaced the traditional tour operators.  "We hope to turn those examples into a paradigm, before we are reduced to a condition of slaves," he concluded.

For more information, call 443-2492.

Locals oppose Babilonia dam project 

Residents of Gualaco, Olancho issued a public statement last week announcing their opposition to the proposed construction of a hydroelectric facility in the Sierra de Agalta National Park, known as the Babilonia dam project.

In their declaration, they stated that 100 of the 12 community organizations (patronatos), representing 98 percent of the population in the area, oppose the project.  They based their opposition on Article 61 of the Forestry Law, which states that areas in national parks can only be used without destroying any part of them.

Opponents believe the project will have a negative impact on the environment and consequently will be unable to support sustainable development of the area.

The president of the Central Community Organization also said they have been physically threatened on several occasions due to their opposition.

At the same time, the Gualaco Mayor's office has also endorsed the coalition, stating that they are working hard toward developing the area in cooperation with residents and during their administration they have reforested the town, built a Lps. 300,000 water supply tank, as well as an ecological park, among other projects.

Mayor Rafael Ulloa also said he has had serious problems with the National Forestry Development Corporation (AFE-COHDEFOR) due to the fact that forestry activities have destroyed several watersheds and deforested several surrounding areas, while transferring a mere 1 percent of the Lps. 30 million earned yearly from logging activities to the municipality.

He added that he is prepared to fight the continued deforestation of the area as well as support community-based decisions concerning development projects. -- La Tribuna

SPS businesses closed for tax evasion 

Due to a staggering Lps. 78 million debt owed by businesses to the municipal government of San Pedro Sula, municipal representatives accompanied by law enforcement officials have closed more than 50 business during the last 15 days.

This temporary measure was enforced as a means of forcing businesses to pay up their debts.  The municipality has also hired 16 lawyers to handle pertinent lawsuits. -- La Tribuna

Cause of death: negligence 

According to Dimitria Reyes, her husband Santos Matute died last week from gunshot wound in San Pedro Sula's Mario Catarino Rivas public hospital because no one bothered to attend him.

Reyes stated her husband was shot by thieves last Friday night around 11 p.m. as he was leaving a bar in Choloma.  Three of the bar's employees rushed him to the hospital in a taxi, but the taxi was not allowed to enter the hospital grounds by the guards and Matute had to walk into the facilities.

Reyes said she wasn't notified about the incident until the following morning, but that when she did arrive at the hospital around 7 a.m. her husband had still not been attended and that at 11 a.m. he complained of asphyxia at which point emergency personnel tried to assist him, but it was too late and he died. -- La Tribuna

Politics have promoted leprosy 

Liberal congressman, Manuel Antonio Vides warned health officials in the departments of Valle and Choluteca last week to start taking better care of leprosy patients in the area.

According to Vides, the high incidence of leprosy in these areas -- 70 cases have been registered -- can be attributed to living conditions and to the fact that local health officials are more interested in campaigning for the next election than doing their jobs.  Vides stated that several health officials are possible candidates for mayoral and congressional offices.

Meanwhile, the nationalist representative for Choluteca agreed with Vides, stating that the current situation is deplorable since leprosy had previously been eradicated in the zone. -- El Heraldo

U.S. to hold visa lottery 

The U.S. Department of Immigration recently announced the dates of the 2002 visa lottery for Oct. 2 and November of the year.  Every year, the department awards 55,000 visas to foreigners from six different geographic regions, favoring those with the lowest immigration rates to the United States.

Participation in the lottery is free and personal, requirements include being a national of a qualifying country, having high school diploma or equivalent, and having two years of work experience during the last five years in a job that requires a least two years work experience or training.

Forty-seven Hondurans won visas in the 2001 lottery. -- La Tribuna

199 calls to be computerized

An official of the Tegucigalpa Police this week announced that the Emergency 199 Center run by operators has been substituted by a computerized system at their in Casamata.

As of Tuesday, a computer is answering 199 phone calls and automatically transmitting messages to the patrols nearest to the emergency.  The system is also taping the messages, recording the time of the phone call and recording the distance of police patrols in relation to the emergency. -- La Prensa