Santa Lucia is located in the southwest of Honduras in the Department of Intibuca. Honduras itself is a country about the size of Missouri and has a population of roughly 5 million. The Capital City is Tegucigalpa.
The social realities of Honduras include substandard living conditions with bare necessities such as food and clothing often going unmet, high unemployment and rising inflation. The negative consequences of unemployment and substandard living conditions contributes to a high rate of delinquency and violence as well as drug use and prostitution. Due to the high price of paying for basic necessities, health care and education in Honduras are available for only the most privileged. Children suffer from malnutrition as a result of lack of adequate food. Education is typically limited to children living in the cities; most children in the rural areas attend for only the required three years and then work the fields or in the home.
Medical and dental care is provided but there is a lack of health care centers and hospitals as well as medicines. Folk medicine is practiced in rural areas. The Ministry of Health does direct medical care which is provided by foreign entities. It is in this climate of need that Shoulder to Shoulder has committed its resources and support.
Shoulder to Shoulder
