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Asociación Andar is a Honduran non-profit organization founded in 1987 in connection with similar projects of the same name in other Central American countries. Andar was founded by Narda Meléndez, a Honduran visionary who dedicated her life to human rights in her country. In recent years, Narda’s sister, Santa Meléndez, has served as the director of Andar, while Narda dedicated increasing time to working with the Honduran government around questions of human rights. In October of 2004, Narda passed away unexpectedly at the age of 50 and her absence has been felt deeply by many individuals and organizations in Honduras who are dedicated to equality and justice. The name Asociación Andar comes from a line by the poet Antonio Machado, “Caminante, no hay camino, se hace camino al ANDAR.” (“Seeker, there is no path. The path is made by walking.”) This phrase inspires Andar to create and recreate proposals that are relevant to the realities of the individuals and communities they work with. The overarching vision that guides their work is the dream of “an equitable and respectful Honduran society working in solidarity for the quality of life of all its citizens.”
Since the devastation of Hurricane Mitch in 1998, Asociación Andar has focused most of its energy in the southern region of Honduras, near the Gulf of Fonseca. Working in nine communities in the municipality of Marcovia, department of Choluteca, Asociación Andar built 200 houses and rebuilt over 60 that were damaged or destroyed in the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch. This work focused on empowering local people to organize and form housing committees in each community where they worked, ensuring that local people played an active role in the entire process, from initial planning to the final stages of building. Andar also worked to guarantee property rights for women in that process. In the years immediately following Hurricane Mitch, they also constructed 100 water filters for family use, 19 community wells, and 142 latrines using appropriate technology for the region. Andar also conducted studies on the quality of the water and its effects on the health of local inhabitants. They conducted 20 health campaigns in the region around themes such as reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, prenatal health, and disease prevention for common diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, respiratory illnesses, and sexually transmitted diseases. Andar also helped families to construct 196 improved adobe wood-burning stoves, to lessen the damaging effects of smoke on the health of women and children. In each community where they worked, Andar participants organized an educational program for women called “Siemprevivas.” This on-going program helps to empower women and teaches them about important issues related to self-esteem, domestic violence, sexual health, and motherhood, among other topics. Siemprevivas also teaches women how to organize effectively, so that they can become active forces for change in their communities. These Siemprevivas groups continue to operate in each of the nine communities in Marcovia.
The CEDIF is also more than just a preschool program. It works closely with the families of the children, providing bimonthly classes for mothers on such subjects as Early Childhood Education, Importance of Play, Child Development, Health and Wellness, and Domestic Violence, among other themes that are relevant to rural family life. The CEDIF also has the goal of providing mothers of young children with free time that can be used to improve their financial situations, to organize, or to participate in other aspects of community life. The program relies on active participation on the part of mothers, fathers, and other community members, helping to reinforce the value of early childhood education and respect for children within the community. Since 2002, the CEDIF has been supported by Andar staff and also by long-term volunteers from the United States who have backgrounds in education and development. Four teenage girls serve as “educadoras” or teachers in the program, with ongoing training and supervision from Andar staff and volunteers. This promotes further community development by teaching valuable skills to young women in the community.
The other project in Cedeño that has thus far received its sole support from committed individuals and groups here in the U.S. is the Thomas Montgomery Scholarship Program. Emily Montgomery, who went to Honduras on a Fulbright scholarship in 2002 to study community education, worked with Andar to start the CEDIF in Cedeño. During that year, she also became acutely aware of how many intelligent and motivated young people in Cedeño were unable to continue their education beyond sixth grade because of extreme poverty. The program began with the idea of connecting interested donors in the U.S. to exceptional students in Cedeño. Emily and Andar imagined that they might be able to help five or six students in that first year. However, overwhelming support and generosity from friends and groups in both the U.S. and abroad made it possible to assist 29 students in 2003 and 38 students in 2004. We will be assisting 38 students again this year. These students range in age from 12 to 35 and they are studying both at the junior high and high school levels. The program is named in honor of Emily’s deceased father, a man who was dedicated to education and the pursuit of life-long learning.
BIOGRAPHIES: Emily Montgomery is currently a high school English teacher in Eugene, Oregon and also serves as the primary contact for Asociación Andar here in the U.S. Emily first became connected with Asociación Andar in the summer of 1999, when she traveled to Honduras on a scholarship from Carleton College to work with Andar’s CEDIF programs in the department of Yuscarán. During that summer, she observed at three of the CEDIFs in the region and returned home to complete a research project and photographic display on community-based education for Carleton. In the spring of 2001, after completing her education credentials in secondary education, Emily was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to return to Honduras for the 2002 Honduran school year. Emily’s focus was to further study community-based education, while working together with Asociación Andar to implement the first CEDIF in the municipality of Marcovia in southern Honduras.
During her work with Andar, Santa has been involved in numerous investigations related to human rights and women’s rights in poor rural communities. These investigations have included recent studies related to the working conditions of women and girls in the melon, shrimp, and sugar cane industries in southern Honduras, diagnostic studies of the functioning of existing women’s organizations in the department of Choluteca, and studies related to nutrition and health among rural women and children. Santa was responsible for the creation of the “Siemprevivas” books and tapes, a radio education program that is used by non-profits across Central America to promote self-esteem development and organization among rural women. She also recently helped produce another radio series related to human rights, in collaboration with USAID, which has aired in many regions of Honduras. Santa currently oversees the organization’s functioning from their main office in Tegucigalpa and is responsible for supervising Andar’s current projects, including the CEDIF and Thomas Montgomery Scholarship Program. Contact:Primary Contact: Donations:
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