Casa Alianza Honduras
National Director: Jose Guadalupe Ruelas Year Established: 1987
Poverty and political instability have had a profound impact on Honduras and crucially, a generation of children that have become increasingly vulnerable to violence, gangs, human trafficking and insecurity. The need to care for and protect children and adolescents is more urgent than ever before.
In urban slum communities in the capital Tegucigalpa, children are tortured and murdered for refusing to join the street gangs who dominate everyday life. These gangs are notorious and have a reputation for horrific and indiscriminate violence and murders, often preying on vulnerable children, coercing them into joining with the reward of a fast-track way out of poverty, respect and protection or threatening them or their family with murder for not joining. The reality is that children become trapped into a vicious cycle of criminality, are often forced to commit or witness extreme torture, violence or murder. Girls who join gangs are systematically raped and sexually exploited. Children have shared with us that the only way to leave a gang is via prison or the morgue. Leaving means persecution and the threat of violence or murder – not only for that child, but for friends and loved ones.
Casa Alianza Honduras has specialised programmes working with children who are highly traumatised from their experiences with gangs. They have two residential centres providing children in need with urgent round the clock care for children and adolescents who have fled violence and exploitation and turn to Casa Alianza as their only hope. The home provides a safe space for 180 boys and girls each night.
Casa Alianza staff teach children the values of respect, trust and collaboration, providing them with tools and strategies to resist peer pressure and builds self-esteem for children to build healthy relationships with friends and family.
Casa Alianza Honduras also has a specialist unit dedicated for child trafficking survivors – children who have been rescued from establishments where they have been commercially sexually exploited and often trafficked across countries. This centre provides them with a secure safe house where they can receive psychological and medical care and access legal aid to charge and begin proceedings to prosecute traffickers. Casa Alianza has a strong legal team, working to demand justice for children (both alive and that have tragically passed away). They produce a monthly update of statistics and information on the deaths and violent crimes affecting children and youth in Honduras, which has been globally used as a tool for advocacy.
We are always seeking funding for the following programmes in Honduras:
- Educational Programmes
- Football/ Sport activities to support mental health
- Advocacy
To make a donation for Casa Alianza Honduras visit
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Capital city: Tegucigalpa
Population: 9,112,867
Size: 43,433 sq mi
GDP ranking 135 (out of 185)
Peace index 123 (out of 163)