Two Jesuit organizations in Honduras, Radio Progreso and ERIC (Reflection, Investigation and Communications Team), accompany the people of Honduras and provide education to strengthen human rights and promote economic, social and political alternatives for the well-being of marginalized communities.
These actions take place within the Honduran context of widespread poverty, inequality and corruption, where journalists and human rights and environmental activists face violent opposition and frequent death threats because of their work. In recent years, a number of journalists and activists have been assassinated, including several people working with Radio Progreso.
The project for strengthening civil society engagement in Honduras aims to continue efforts that contribute to the kind of social change that ERIC and Radio Progreso advocate. In particular, it is working to strengthen the capacity of several groups in Honduras and the solidarity between them. They include the Network of Journalists, the Network of Community Radio Stations, and a number of grassroots, Garifuna and Indigenous organizations.
The main capacity-building and alliance-strengthening activities in the project are to visit community radio stations and their correspondents on a regular basis; to hold 4 annual workshops involving 9 radio stations; to enhance program editing and presentation skills; and to conduct intensive interviews, analysis and debate in different parts of the country on topics related to democracy, human rights, violence, gender, natural resources and Indigenous territories.
ERIC/Radio Progreso Director: Fr Ismael Moreno Coto SJ (aka “Padre Melo”)
Visit Radio Progreso’s website: http://radioprogresohn.net. Please note that visits to this website are an important way to safeguard radio staff — widening the radio’s audience is their best protection from harassment and direct attack.
Please support the Defence of human rights project in Honduras by making a donation:
Honduras news and articles:
• Reflections on the visit of Padre Melo by Miriam Lopez-Villegas
• My reflections on Fr Melo’s visit by Isabel Perez-Doherty
• Beyond the Headlines by CJI staff
• The loss of Berta Cáceres by Ismael Moreno Coto SJ
