SUPPORT FOR THE PEOPLE OF LA LIMA, HONDURAS
THE CHALLENGE
Decades of economic instability, driven primarily by the growth and decline of the banana industry, have left the working people of La Lima struggling to meet the basic needs of their families.
OUR MISSION
La Lima, Inc. helps provide funding for education, healthcare, food, and housing for underprivileged people in and around the municipality. Contributions from our supporters are sent directly to organizations in the region that work to provide these essential needs.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
You may make a one-time contribution or set up ongoing donations. La Lima, Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) and all contributions are tax-deductible.
ENJOY DELICIOUS COFFEE AND HELP REBUILD THE SCHOOLS OF LA LIMA!
Right now, we are focused on helping restore two schools that are important to the people of La Lima: Escuela Esteban Guardiola and la Escuela Bilingüe Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe. Both are in dire need of your support for immediate rehabilitation to restore resources and services as educational institutions.
We have a great way to support this effort: buy a 12 oz. bag of gourmet Honduran coffee! All proceeds will go directly to support our work in La Lima.
YOU CAN HELP
The people of La Lima need your help. Whether you make a one-time donation or set up an ongoing contribution, every little bit helps to improve the lives of families in the region.
WHAT WE DO
La Lima, Inc. helps provide funding for education, healthcare, food, and housing for underprivileged people in and around the municipality of La Lima, Honduras. Contributions from our supporters are sent directly to organizations in the region that work to provide these essential needs.
EDUCATION
The key to creating more economic opportunity in La Lima is providing a good education for its children. Although primary-school enrollment in Honduras overall is near 100%, educational quality is poor, the drop-out rate and grade repetition remain high, and teacher and school accountability is low. La Lima, Inc. will help improve education in La Lima by supporting the development and maintenance of school facilities and by providing supplies, technology, and support for teachers.
HEALTHCARE
Honduras overall faces a significant shortage of medical resources, with only 0.31 physicians for every 1,000 people (2017). With poor sanitation, limited access to clean drinking water, and frequent floods, the risk of infectious disease is high. Work-related injuries and disabilities are prevalent. La Lima, Inc. will help improve healthcare by supporting the construction and maintenance of healthcare facilities, providing supplies and education for healthcare workers, and making quality healthcare more accessible to at-risk populations.
FOOD
As in any economically challenged population, food insecurity and nutrition are ongoing problems in La Lima. In Honduras overall, 23% of children suffer from stunting as a result of chronic malnutrition. La Lima, Inc. will help alleviate these problems by working with local organizations to make nutritious food and clean water more accessible for the poorest residents of the area.
HOUSING
The people of La Lima face challenges when it comes to both the availability and the quality of affordable housing. A 2016 Habitat for Humanity study found that in Honduras overall, 11.5% of homes don’t have access to tap water and 24% have dirt floors. In La Lima, rents are high and the purchase of a home is out of reach for most people. La Lima, Inc. will improve the quality and affordability of housing for impoverished residents of La Lima by partnering with organizations that provide rent assistance, renovations, building supplies, and other services.
SUPPORT LA LIMA INC. TODAY
The people of La Lima need your help. Whether you make a one-time donation or set up an ongoing contribution, every little bit helps to improve the lives of families in the region.
THE STORY OF LA LIMA
“LA CAPITAL DE ORO VERDE”
In the early 20th century, La Lima was central to the banana industry of Honduras, earning the nickname “The Capital of Green Gold.” The United Fruit Company (now known as Chiquita Brands International) built a company town where business people and agricultural scientists from around the world came to work. Housing, healthcare, education, and other necessities for banana plantation workers and their families were subsidized by the company.
HURRICANE MITCH & HARD TIMES
However, in the early 1970s, United Fruit began to suffer significant losses in its banana-producing operations. In 1998, Hurricane Mitch destroyed 90% of the banana industry in Honduras, plunging much of the population into poverty. Today, Honduras is the second-poorest country in Central America; it suffers from extraordinarily unequal distribution of income, as well as high levels of underemployment.
TODAY’S CHALLENGES
The banana industry continues to play a large part in the economy of La Lima. However, many of today’s “limeños” are among the 66% of the population of Honduras living in poverty. The working people of La Lima no longer benefit from the subsidies formerly provided by Chiquita. In 2017, the company-funded healthcare facility in La Lima was moved to a location more than an hour away. In 2018, a typical banana industry worker in La Lima made 350 lempiras ($14) for a day of hard work – a paltry amount considering that monthly rents can reach $125 and a basic food basket, which includes rice, beans, sugar, butter, and coffee, can cost up to $700 for a family of six. Workers in La Lima continue to strike for better working conditions and wages.
YOU CAN HELP
Your contribution will help improve the lives of at-risk families in and around La Lima.
GET IN TOUCH. GET INVOLVED.
Contact us for more information about La Lima, Inc. and how you can help.