Typically, Greengrants takes a long-term view on social change. Our small grants are meant to build movements over time and increase the resiliency and strength of civil society as a whole. However, political situations can arise that our grantees must take advantage of quickly. These opportunities to advocate for justice and change are often the product of crisis. As you know, grassroots groups play a key role in mobilizing different sectors of society to come together around a common cause. They are also opportunities to build stronger movements for the future. This is exactly what is happening now in Honduras, and why our Central America Advisory Board has identified an urgent need to increase support for organizations protesting the forced removal of democratically-elected President Manuel Zelaya.
While mainstream media coverage of the June 28th military coup has died down, the battle is far from over for local groups facing increased repression and the suspension of their rights. The political crisis in Honduras has mobilized thousands of people from the campesino, environmental, indigenous, and labor arenas, who have come together to form The National Resistance Front. After months of protesting the coup, advocating for democracy and the protection of rights, and dealing with increased repression and violent retaliation from the new military leadership, this vibrant and diverse movement—the most active social movement in the history of Honduras—is in desperate need of resources.
Greengrants’ Central America Advisory Board is holding an emergency summit in Tegucigalpa to discuss how to best support the resistance movement and mobilize new resources. They have requested the support of the Greengrants community in raising $50,000 in additional funds for emergency grants.
Nelda Sanchez, the Coordinator of the Central America Board, says, “The current situation in Honduras has served to strengthen and coordinate a social movement. Nonetheless, at this time, this movement is reaching a clear point of exhaustion caused by the repression and persecution of the movement’s leaders and their families. The National Resistance Front is determined to maintain permanent demonstrations against the coup government, but they are running out of resources to coordinate the movement and its members across the country.”
With a donation of $100 or more, you will fund activities like covering hospital bills for those injured by government crack-downs of protests, buying cell phone minutes for movement leaders, providing food and shelter for protestors, and other strategic political work to strengthen the National Resistance Front’s platform for democracy. Please give as generously as you can.
While the U.S. State Department considers action against Honduras that would suspend hundreds of millions in development aid and pressure the de facto regime to move forward with reinstating Zelaya, it is absolutely essential to continue to support the internal movement for justice—especially in light of serious human rights abuses against protestors.
In order to give you a balanced view of the situation, here are two articles:
• An opinion piece in The Los Angeles Times
• An opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal
Additional sources of information can be found in The Huffington Post and The New York Times.
Please contact us if you would like to receive additional information.
With deep appreciation,
Terry Odendahl, CEO