MOROCELI VILLAGE IN THE
YUSCARAN AP, HONDURAS

IN PROGRESS

STATUS

people impacted

dollars funded

FUNDED NOVEMBER 15, 2023

CURRENT LIVING CONDITIONS

Moroceli is a municipality just outside the town of El Plan, Honduras. It is within the boundary of World Visions’s Yuscaran Area Program (AP). There is one small system located in the community; however, it is not sufficient to meet the needs of the full community. A new water system will be installed at Moroceli. This new system will provide basic water access for approximately 537 community members who did not have sufficient water access from the previous system, many of whom will benefit from new water taps piped directly to their homes.

[Note that] Honduras has the fifth-highest homicide rate in the world, and almost half the population lives on less than $5.50 per day (World Bank 2021).

The rickety latrine in Escarlet’s school was so deep and dangerous, students were forbidden to use it. Instead, “we had to go to our homes and walk long distances, or in some cases, hold on until the end of the school day,” said the sixth grader.

With the support of donors like you, World Vision built a latrine and handwashing station and taught students about sanitation and hygiene. Escarlet became president of a school hygiene club. The improvements “motivate us to happily attend our daily classes,” she said. “We pray to God to bless World Vision and all donors.”

OUR EXPERIENCE IN HONDURAS

World Vision’s WASH program in Honduras started in 2013, which is part of the Climate Change Adaptation technical program, and seeks to strengthen the resilience of children, families, and communities to the variability and effects of climate change. WASH is part of this technical program because water (and by association, sanitation and hygiene) is directly impacted by climate change. The WASH program works with stakeholders, such as local authorities, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), the central government, international corporations, and community-based organizations to propose joint solutions to WASH challenges and to empower communities to efficiently and effectively manage water resources.

From 2016-2020, the Honduras WASH Program reached 172,123 people with safer, more accessible drinking water, 6,222 households with basic sanitation facilities, and 14,535 children with sanitation and hygiene facilities in schools. This was made possible by 14 WASH staff members (including four women, one of whom is the national technical coordinator), who have led life-changing WASH programming. Faith leaders also play a critical role in sharing essential WASH messaging, with 938 faith leaders promoting healthy WASH behaviors throughout their communities.

See the map of World Vision’s WASH interventions in Honduras below.

FUTURE IMPACT

In the majority of our water systems in Honduras, we protect and capture spring water at the source. Helped by gravity, we pipe water miles to large tanks that then serve household water taps. As we increase our installation of these systems, we help ensure equitable water access, reduce WASH-related diseases (such as diarrhea) and deaths, and improve child well-being.

Children celebrate as water starts flowing in our project in La Virtud.

This water system [in Moroceli] is one of many planned for Honduras as part of our Finish the Job plan – a commitment to reach everyone, everywhere we work in Honduras with clean water by 2027. This particular system is one of many planned installations where we protect and capture spring water at the source and pipe water to large tanks that serve household water taps. Installing these systems helps to ensure equitable water access, reduce WASH-related diseases (such as diarrhea) and deaths, and improve child well-being. We also partner with the government, community leadership, and private businesses to equip them with the tools and systems needed for ongoing operation and maintenance. By partnering with us in the installation of this water system, you are helping to finish the job in Honduras.

This project will construct a gravity water system with the following infrastructure components: 1 capped spring, 1 water distribution box, 3.5 km of conduction line, and one water storage tank with a capacity of 10,000 gallons, impacting 537 people.

Construction of the gravity water system

REPAIRS AND MAINTENANCE

Forty-one community WASH committees will be formed and trained, taking ownership and control of repair and maintenance. Local businesses are active in the repair of WASH facilities and provision of WASH products.

Sandy Perez Hernandez, 12, and her father, Roberto, wash outside their home. Like all the residents of Yamaranguila area program, their family has clean water for washing and drinking. Roberto serves on the community water board.

CHRISTIAN DISCIPLESHIP

As a Christian, faith-based organization, World Vision is uniquely positioned to engage and mobilize local religious leaders from across faiths as agents of change and advocates for WASH programs and behaviors. Faith communities play a key role in promoting sanitation and hygiene behavior change due to the established trust that communities already hold in their faith leaders.
In Honduras, we have cultivated relationships with faith leaders who develop devotional materials and participate in conflict resolution. Through our Healthy School and Home methodology, faith leaders share messages on WASH issues with their parishioners and champion practices in their communities. By strengthening the capacities of faith leaders and churches, we make sure they remain equipped and strong to advocate for sustained WASH far into the future. In Honduras, we train faith leaders to become WASH champions in their communities by teaching the “Jesus, the Source of Living Water” handbook, which demonstrates healthy WASH behaviors through biblical stories. We provide access to clean water to people regardless of their faith or if they have a faith at all.
We partner with 1000 churches in Honduras. It’s the bedrock of how we do our work. It’s the faith leaders who interface with people in the area. Faith leaders are often food insecure. We come alongside churches to do our work. People know who we are, for sure. We work in urban and rural context in Honduras. We work with gang members. We’re only NGO allowed in urban areas because of our faith. Often gang members send kids to our programs so they don’t turn out like they did. Most people in Central America are Christians. We have a program called “Biblically empowered worldview program”. It’s all about how to strengthen identity in Christ. It’s all integrated in the work. Faith is carried out in any intervention we do.