An LWF member church works with partners, offering alternatives to emigration
(Lutheran World Information) – While the building of a wall along the length of the southern border of the USA continues to provoke contradictory reactions, the Christian Lutheran Church of Honduras (hereinafter – CLCH) is working hard to support young people who are weighing the possibility of fleeing the ever-rising levels of poverty and violence in the country.
Over the past year, thousands of Central American refugees have set out on foot, traveling northward through Mexico toward the heavily guarded US border. These journeys in search of work and better living conditions are full of dangers – ranging from gangs of smugglers and human traffickers to the police and paramilitary units that detain and deport many forced migrants back to their countries of origin.
According to statistics, about 80 percent of these refugees come from Honduras. They flee because of a combination of several factors. Among them are extreme poverty, a high level of youth unemployment, the breakdown of families, gang violence, networks of drug trafficking and prostitution, as well as widespread corruption, which causes political instability.
Offering alternatives to migration
Pastor Rolando Antonio Ortez leads the CLCH. He notes that the majority of the members of the so-called migrant caravans are young people, especially young mothers traveling with their small children. “With each month,” he says, “violence against women in Honduras increases and has already reached an alarming level.” Even sadder is that 90 percent of the murders of women go unpunished, and women also experience a high level of discrimination.
“With each month, violence against women in Honduras increases and has already reached an alarming level,” – Rev. Rolando Antonio Ortez, pastor and president of the CLCH.
Rev. Rolando Ortez explains that this year the CLCH, with the support of “Misión un Mundo” (Mission “One World”), is implementing a project that will respond to the challenges facing young people by offering them alternatives to emigration. The project includes creative workshops and training in bread baking, jewelry making, and fish farming, providing skills that will allow people to earn a living and care for themselves and their families.
Strengthening lay and ordained women
The CLCH, at the urging of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), is likewise striving to combat the patriarchal structures that function as fertile ground for violence against women and where the impunity of such wrongdoing continues to flourish. By strengthening lay and ordained women in the church, the CLCH models inclusion in its decision-making, while also offering a space for dialogue, healing, and concrete care for young people.
Another project offered by the church focuses on developing the musical and artistic talents of young people – teaching them to paint, to take photographs, or to play a musical instrument. Children are likewise invited to take part in the “Culture of Peace” initiative, working on overcoming their feelings of anger and rejection, thereby striving to reduce the level of violence in society.
The CLCH works together with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), as well as with ecumenical partners, such as the Latter-day Saints in Tegucigalpa and the Mennonite Church, coordinating these activities.
The recent visit to Honduras by the ELCA’s presiding bishop (and LWF vice-president for North America) Elizabeth Eaton served to strengthen these partnerships and to implement the AMMPARO strategy (Accompanying Migrant Minors with Protection, Advocacy, Representation and Opportunities).
This strategy was created when ELCA members noticed the dramatic fate experienced by children who are forced to leave their communities in several Central American countries. Its aim is to address the root causes of this regional migration, while at the same time ensuring the preservation of the safety and rights of all traveling children and families.
Tegucigalpa, Honduras/Geneva
20.02.2019.
Photo; LWF/P. Cuyatti
Source: Lutheran World Federation