Carnaval

Today is a quiet day in La Ceiba. I imagine that people are resting up. The past two weeks, Ceiba has come alive with Carnaval. The festivities that celebrate La Ceiba’s patron saint blew in to town last week, but the celebratory storm had been brewing for weeks, building up to its [...]

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A couple weeks ago, while I was visiting El Progreso – the subject of my last blog entry – one of the women I spoke with described a challenge that is not uncommon among women involved with the Fundacion Adelante. This woman – I will call her Maria, the most ubiquitous of Spanish names – [...]

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El Progeso

Last week I visited the Fundación Adelante office in El Progreso, which is a couple hours west down the highway, towards San Pedro Sula. El Progreso is a small city in the department (state) of Yoro, which lies next to Atlantida. The town has an attractive central park, and busy downtown streets that come alive [...]

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Recycling Poverty

This morning, as I was walking to work, I passed a young girl pulling a small, make-shift wooden cart on wheels. She is a girl I have seen before in my neighbourhood, often in the mornings. I have seen other children like her – young boys who walk through the streets in pairs, often with [...]

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Kiva

A common response when I tell people I’m working with a microfinance organization is: “Oh, you mean, like Kiva?” Many people have heard of this organization – Bill Clinton and Oprah have spoken of and supported Kiva – and the organization is strongly associated with microfinance.
Rising in popularity, Kiva is an organization and web site [...]

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Vicenta’s Pulperia

One of the Asambleas that I have visited most often is in a barrio (neighbourhood) outside of La Ceiba, and is held on a patio in front of a pulperia (small shop) of the Asamblea’s Jefa. I really enjoy this Asamblea – the women are all very friendly and open, and the air is usually [...]

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