A Brief History of Honduras (and other random information)

Most of this comes from what I've learned from Hondurans and missionaries, although I'm using Wikipedia to bolster my information. I like to make sure I'm getting the most reliable stuff ;).

Earlier this century Honduras' economy was powered by the presence of a handful of international fruit companies, Dole being the major player. They were responsible for a majority of the national infrastructure, building railroads, highways, and providing jobs for a significant portion of the population. In the 1980s (I may have the decade wrong), the government took control of the country by imposing heavy taxes on these companies. Lacking the efficiency of Dole and its competitors, the government allowed much country to fall into disarray.

Now, the country has an unemployment rate near 30% and a very poor educational system that fails to teach its citizens how to take advantage of the vast amounts of land and other resources at their disposal. The school system is very ineffective, with unmotivated teachers and students. The term "vacante" is used when a teacher simply decides not to show up and students go without learning for a day. Strikes are frequent (right now, kids in Belfate have two weeks off of school because the teachers refuse to teach), damaging on the children and the future of Honduras. Very few students move on to higher education and most simply continue the lifestyle of their parents. The missionaries of Loma de Luz Hospital do a good work by going into schools and not only teaching about Jesus, but teaching English (which is not normally taught in the single-room public school buildings) and the equiping students with the ability to teach others. God has clearly blessed their work and has enabled them to help many in the area of Belfate, not only changing lives, but enabling Hondurans to help other Hondurans.

Property laws in Honduras allow for undeveloped land to be taken after two years of nonuse by its owner. This results in mini towns forming on foreign-owned property. In one case (on the outskirts of Belfate) a cult community has formed. Those that took over the land stockpiled weapons, so that they could drive away the landowner, should he or she return. Power was then seized by the cult leader, who chooses who gets married and who gets divorced. I have also heard rumors of these folks being involved in kidnappings. We truly are blessed to be protected by law in the United States!


Random Facts:
-Around 3% of Hondurans are University educated - about 1% in Belfate
-The name "Honduras" came from Christopher Columbus - it means "depths"
-Honduras recently lost to the United States in World Cup prelims
-Although many Hondurans cannot feed their families, most have cell phones
-Toilet paper goes in the trash - not the toilet
-There are probably more Hondurans living in the U.S. than Honduras
-There are only 4 highways in the entire country
-Coka Cola comes in 3 liter bottles