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"Ghost in the Machine: The Poverty of Honduras that No One Created"

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Ghost in the Machine
A 'new' study by the Ministry of Employment, the Honduran Institute of Children and Family, and UNICEF (UN Fund for the Protection of Children) concludes that 2,000,000 children and adolescents in Honduras live in poverty, obliging them to work in exploitative conditions. On a monthly basis, children between 10-14 years might earn 100-500 Lempira ($7-35). Some of what they produce may end up in "first" world stores at "affordable" prices. In their elegant and elaborate study, decrying child poverty, the experts come up with no explanations as to why there is so much poverty. [elHeraldo, 00-03-21, p.21]

Rule of Law
The Ministry of Security is legalizing armed civilian "vigilance" groups in Honduras, "because there is so much crime". And there is a lot of crime. In the Northeast of the country, along the Caribbean coast, COPA (Coordinadora de Organizaciones Populares del Aguan) leaders receive death threats from armed civilian groups, perhaps in the hire of land owner Miguel Facusse, uncle of the President of Honduras. COPA advocates for the land rights of the Garifuna population and protection of the environment from rapacious foresters who covet Honduras' best land to export African palm tree oil and host international sun-seeking tourists. The thugs have attacked Garifuna campesinos, burnt the homes and property of local leaders and killed a few leaders. Sounds like death squads to me. [El Tiempo, 00-03-13]

Faces
The human rights work and political-economic analysis of historical and structural inequalities that I am involved with touch only a part (albeit an important part) of the human experience. There is also the toothless smile, on the friendly wrinkled face, of the poorest of poor old women, carrying a huge bucket of water, along the road. There is the anger and tension of the well-manicured man, driving an urban Ranger, cell-phone in hand, not seeing the people of the street, and hating them anyway.

The US Will Also Help Fight Poverty!
The director of the US Agency for International Development announced --to orchestrated fanfare-- that AID will provide $400 million dollars to finance programs to fight poverty. Part of these funds were used to help the government carry out its Preliminary Diagnosis, leading to the design of a Strategy to Combat Poverty. Soberly, the AID director warned: "It won't be easy to reduce the levels of poverty.

Nevertheless, once the underlying problems and causes of poverty have been identified, it would be easier to achieve higher levels of development."

There it is, again, a commitment to not only put Band-Aids on the suffering of the poor, but actually attack the root causes of poverty.

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"The time of justice is near, … Not."
With no apparent understanding of the inherent contradictions in the AID economic development policy, the AID director went on to say that "a program would be initiated to support those sectors of Honduras that produce cantaloupe, watermelon, bananas and platanos for export." Using ever more of the best arable lands, exporting ever more crops will not help the poor majority, but will certainly help the minority landowners, plus "first" world consumers who enjoy fresh fruit at "affordable" prices. [elHeraldo, 00-03-25, p3]

Death squads
Human rights and union activist Jairo Ayala is dead, but not just killed. First he was tortured and dismembered. Recently, Jairo had brought a complaint to CODEH (the Committee for Human Rights in Honduras) against three members of the Ministry of Security, alleging they made death threats against him.

To dismember someone, in such a way, is to say to other human rights and union activists that they are being watched, and that they too might be captured, and have their genitals cut, like Jairo Ayala, or … whatever … before being assassinated and dumped in a public place. [El Tiempo, 00-02-12]

Trickle Down Tuberculosis
"The situation of Tuberculosis is serious in Honduras," conclude experts from the PanAmerican Health Organization, US-AID and the Honduran government, participating in a panel discussion on the International Day of Tuberculosis. The experts argued that the "key to stopping the disease is in the treatment of the patients … because the disease is treatable".

Way down in the article one reads: "This disease is closely related to the person's conditions of life, such as guaranteed access to potable water and a daily nutritious diet, and to health services if necessary." There, again, is that nasty issue of poverty. [elHeraldo, 00-03-25, p5]

Trickle Down Leishmaniasis
In the past three months, the government has detected at least 600 cases of Leishmaniasis that comes from the Leishmania parasite, transmitted via mosquitos. It attacks all ages, particularly children under the age of 5, producing fevers, loss of appetite and weight, and increasing the size of the kidney. Fatal stuff, without treatment.

Prevention of this disease is based on having clean living conditions, where mosquitos don't breed and feed, and guaranteed access to potable water and a nutritious daily diet. Most cases of Leishmaniasis have been detected in the region of Olancho, an impoverished region of the country. Shh, don't say the "p" word. [elHeraldo, 00-03-25, p18]

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