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VPP Highlights
Ambassador Ford at the University of San Pedro Sula.

 Honduran Dream Project Returns Stronger than Ever

San Pedro Sula.  July 2008.  The Honduran Dream is an outreach partnership  project of the U.S. Embassy in Honduras with collaboration from the Covelo Foundation, the Ministry of Education and the University of San Pedro Sula.  Through the project , students from 14 public high schools are invited to  compete for $5,000 in startup funds to create their own small business.   This is the second consecutive year the contest takes place in the city of San Pedro Sula.  Last year a group of students from the Instituto Jorge Fidel Duron won, and they were able to start a small business by selling animal feed to milk producers from their home town.  “This contest is changing our lives, now we are able to own our business and built our own future”, said one of the members of the winning team from last year.  Business plans will be judged on their innovation, sustainability, and profit potential.  These plans will be submitted no later than September and the closing ceremony and prize award will take place on the first week of October.  Young people “are the future of Honduras, that much is clear,” said Ambassador Ford during the opening ceremony at the University of San Pedro Sula.           

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Ambassador Ford  and other executives during the ceremony.

USAID and Coca Cola Finance Water Project

 Tela.  March 2008.   Ambassador Ford headed a ground breaking ceremony for a water project in the northern city of Tela. Last year, the Coca Cola Company, and USAID agreed to form an alliance and co-fund the construction of a water project. USAID established contact with the Honduran Social Investment Fund (FHIS), and they agreed to partake in the alliance. FHIS will implement the project with members of the community using the PEC (Projects Executed by the Community) model.   Ambassador Ford highlighted the importance of the PEC model since it empowers communities to participate in system design, construction, operation, and maintenance.  Currently, USAID has invested more than $90 million in water projects, benefiting more than 1 million people all across Honduras.

The wining team showing their project.

The Honduran Dream will Continue

Santa Cruz de Yojoa. March 2008.  At the beginning of March, officials from the U.S. Embassy in Tegucigalpa visited the winning team of the “Honduran Dream 2007” contest, a group of nine students from the Jorge Fidel Duron Institute.  The youngsters were very happy and proud to show their almost completed project, ready to produce animal feed for many companies around the rural area where they live.  According to the group leader, the small company already has a waiting list for their soon to come out production.  The Embassy will be sponsoring the “Honduran Dream” contest this year, in which twelve public schools of the Cortes area will compete with their small company projects.  This year there will be more prizes and opportunities for all participating schools.     

 
Erin Nickerson during her presentation at the Conference on Domestic Violence.

 VPP Principal Officer Participates in Domestic Violence Conference

San Pedro Sula.  March 2008.  In conjunction with the National Women's Institute, the U.S. Embassy sponsored a domestic violence conference which focused on approaches to the problem by government entities and civil society.  Dr. Vivian Huelgo, Director of the Community Law Project of Sanctuary for Families headlined the conference, giving seminars and workshops to Government of Honduras officials, NGO leaders, and over 2000 students from Jose Trinidad Reyes High School.  The opening conference was addressed by first lady Xiomara Castro de Zelaya, President of the Supreme Court Vilma Morales, Minister of the Institute of Women Selma Estrada de Ucles, Fiscal General Leonidas Rosa Bautista and VPP Principal Officer Erin Nickerson.  Officials and NGOs alike agreed to work together to identify ways to combat domestic violence.


Robert Armstrong at the Honduran Technical University

Economic Counselor Visits the Honduran Technical University in San Pedro Sula

San Pedro Sula. December 2007.  More than 50 students and professors from the departments of business management, industrial engineering and trade and international business at the Honduran Technical University campus in San Pedro Sula participated in a discussion November 30 with U.S. Embassy Economic Counselor Robert Armstrong on CAFTA and U.S. international economic policy. The discussion focused on the historical background and philosophical underpinnings of U.S. free-trade policies, the opportunities and challenges for Honduras under CAFTA and what Honduras can do to improve its business climate and economic growth prospects.  The U.S. Embassy plans to conduct a series of discussions of this type throughout Honduras in the coming year. 


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