YWCA of Honduras strategise their way forward

Ms Arriaga, one of the World YWCA’s youngest Board members, is in Geneva for a 3-month internship at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). Valeria will then begin work at the. Permanent Mission of the Republic of Honduras to the United Nations Office.

Valeria explained to us that her mother, Mrs Lucia Mejia Villela, President of the YWCA of Honduras, officially founded the association in 2003 after meeting with, and being inspired by, former World YWCA President, Monica Zetzsche in Taiwan, and with the support of the YWCA of Taiwan.

Both Valeria and her sister were immediately taken in by the project and participated alongside their mother. As Valeria put it “our main motivation came from the opportunity to contribute and give back”.

Many other women joined them in their enthusiasm, and the association today includes some 30 members.

The former First Lady of Honduras, Mrs Aguas Ocana de Maduro, was also instrumental in building the YWCA of Honduras, by having a house and its surrounding property given to the association to administer. The association plans to construct a shelter for battered women on the property.

Valeria explained to us that, in a difficult country such as Honduras, where women experience much violence, the main focus of the local YWCA was to promote and sustain women’s dignity through leadership and offer them a safe space.

The YWCA of Honduras’ main challenge is that it does not yet have the funds to hire permanent staff and must entirely depend on volunteers who give their time generously. This signifies that the development and scope of programmes is, for the time being, more limited than they would like.

The World YWCA has, however, actively supported the capacity building and development of the young association since its inception through various visits and training opportunities.

Valeria also shared with us that the YWCA of Honduras is very excited about a joint project, to be shortly developed with the YWCA Canada and funded by the World YWCA Power to Change Fund. Discussions for this project initiated at the 2009 World YWCA Board meeting. Two members of the YWCA Canada will travel to Honduras to assess the association’s needs and offer guidance, as well as implement, both in Honduras and in Canada, a series of workshops on subjects ranging from violence against women to strategic planning and fundraising. Members of the YWCA of Honduras will also travel to Canada to visit and learn about YWCA Canada programmes. The continued relationship of cooperation between the two associations will be ongoing.