The mission of El Hogar Projects is to provide a loving home and education in a Christian environment for abandoned, orphaned and hopelessly poor children, enabling them to fulfill their ultimate potential as productive human beings in Honduras.

Updates on the arrest of President Zelaya in Honduras

July 3, 2009 -
Yesterday demonstrations continued to take place around the
country. They were, by and large, peaceful ones. The larger
demonstrations have been in support of the new government, and have
taken on the nature of patriotic gatherings, with Hondurans
celebrating their independence and democracy. The demonstrations in
support of Zelaya are, as you would expect, more confrontational and
angry. Yesterday seven people from Nicaragua and El Salvador were
arrested for their role in fomenting these demonstrations.

Meanwhile, most people are trying to get back to their normal
lives. We all try to keep track of where the demonstrations are
taking place, and then take a different route to where we want to go.
Schools have still not begun classes, but most businesses are open.
There is no military presence evident on the streets except in those
areas right by the demonstrations. The curfew is scheduled to end
after tonight. It is strange to hear the city so quiet at night, but
one of the side effects is that the murder rate is down 50% .

Our volunteers came from the farm very early in the morning
yesterday, and were checked into their flight while things were very
quiet. As the day went on, the security at the airport increased, but
by then the volunteers were shopping and enjoying coffee and
hamburgers. The groups that were scheduled to arrive this week have
canceled, which I think is very smart.

The country is, in a sense, holding its collective breath as it
waits to see what will happen tomorrow. The deposed president has
announced his intention to return. He is supported by the US, the UN,
the OAS, ALBA, the European Union, and it seems everyone else in the
world. Meanwhile, the government here has solidified its opposition
to Zelaya, who is accused of subverting the constitution and also
financial irregularities. The latest is that the present treasurer
has tracked down 600 million Lempiras which were spent from petty cash
in order to finance the publicity for the referendum on changing the
constitution. It is hard for me to imagine any sort of effective
restoration of Zelaya's presidency. Once again, the rest of the
government is intact, and his own party is against his return. The
continuous use of the phrase "military coup" is probably not helpful
in conveying the situation here. A representative from the
Organization of American States is scheduled to be here today. He
says he is not coming to negotiate, but to lay down the conditions
Honduras must follow.

The paper also reports that taxi drivers have been offered 3000
Lempiras ($160) if they would transport people to greet Zelaya on his
return. There is an investigation to track down exactly where that
money will come from.

So, although there will be demonstrations today, in some sense
this day may be the calm before the storm. Please keep us in your
prayers!

Read more posts from Rev. Kunz on the ongoing situation in Honduras

Dates for the fall 2009 El Hogar Graduation celebrations are as follows: November 6 Agricultural School Graduation
November 7 Reunion
November 14 El Hogar graduation
November 13 Institute Graduation

All potential visitors to El Hogar for any of these events should contact the El Hogar Ministries office for scheduling: info@elhogar.org.


On Thursday May 28, in the early morning, an earthquake occurred in the northern coastal area of Honduras. The earthquake was a 7.1 on the Richter scale, and there was damage to houses and buildings in that area, with several deaths. In the Tegucigalpa area, as well as in Talanga where our Agricultural school is located, only small tremors were felt, and no damage was done. El Hogar, it’s staff and students, are all fine. We extend our concern and prayers to all those who have been affected by this earthquake.


October is National El Hogar Walk-a-thon Month! - We will have walk-a-thons occurring in many cities across the country. If you are interested in organizing a walk please contact us at elhogar@3crowns.org or 781.729.7600. Click here for more information.


Graduations at El Hogar - Graduation is an important event in the lives of our students, and of their families. Our students come from situations of intense poverty. Most of them have simply been surviving from day to day. Therefore, the completion of a phase of education is a significant accomplishment. Read more here.

Reunion 2008 - This past November, El Hogar held its third annual reunion of students who have graduated from El Hogar. Word was sent out throughout Honduras, from radio announcements and word of mouth, and over 30 young men came to a day of celebration, music, tears, triumphs and sharing of their life stories. Two of the alumnae graduated 20 years ago! Others graduated just last year, and almost every year between. Read more here.


Technical Institute Dedication - On Tuesday February 26, 2008 we held the Dedication of the El Hogar Technical Institute in the Amarateca Valley. It was a glorious event! The day dawned with a crystal blue sky, a gentle warm breeze, and much excitement in the air.

Read more about Dedication celebration here.

Click here to view a slide show of the Dedication

Click here to listen to speeches given during a dinner celebration

Click here to view a slide show of our new Technical Institute


The Episcopal Relief and Development office of the Episcopal Church USA has just granted El Hogar significant support to launch a new community development initiative through El Hogar’s Agricultural School and Farm. Read more here.


Please contact El Hogar Ministries at elhogar@3crowns.org or at 781-729-600 if you would like to schedule a visit from Rev. Rich Kunz on his next visit to the US.


Read our Spring 2009 newsletter, or look through our newsletter archives to view past issues.


Read Reflections from Rev. Kunz. about life in Honduras.