Summer plans: Honduras!

Katie D.

May 4, 2011 - 4:46 PM

This summer, I will be doing research and an internship in Tegucigalpa, Honduras!

I will be working with a nonprofit organization that addresses issues of immigration in the Honduran context. The umbrella organization, the Foro para las Migraciones en Honduras (FONAMIH) or the National Forum for Migration in Honduras, works with government agencies, research groups, religious organizations, and direct aid groups to provide resources and information and aid. In a country where approximately 15% of the population lives outside of the country (both legally and illegally) and 25% of the Honduran economy is measured in remittances (money sent from migrants in other countries to family members in Honduras), the issue of migration is a central part of Honduran culture and society. I will spend ten weeks of the summer working to assist FONAMIH with its work in providing direct aid to migrants returning to Honduras, as well as undertaking research for the organization.

I can hardly wait.

Every chance I've had so far to research and travel abroad have led to massive changes in my life and my understanding of my role in the world. My first blog I ever wrote (almost two and half years ago!) was about my travels in Peru. When I travel, I remind myself what a small slice of the world I really know, and that there are myriad of ways to live and experience life and culture. In meeting new people and learning from these new places, I feel closer to understanding my own life and identity. It brings me alive in a way I seldom feel when living my daily schedule here in Eugene. And it's been three years since I lived in Chile for my study abroad. It's time.

An internship in conflict resolution is a cornerstone of the UO CRES program. Each of us is required to put our classroom learning into direct practice. I will be working abroad for mine, continuing to interact with migration studies and humanitarian aid efforts, while living in a place so intricately tied with the United States in economy and population.

I will have more details about my specific internship project very soon. But I also want to tell about how I got this position. Fall term, in Professor Jane Gordon's "Perspectives in Conflict Resolution" class, we had a presentation about Peace Journalism by Paul Jeffrey, who is a photojournalist, writer, and blogger for a variety of publications concerned with social justice. I was extremely impressed by his class presentation, and was presumptuous enough to approach him later to ask if I could accompany him on a journalism assignment. Although he explained that such an undertaking would not be possible due to the nature of his work and the complexities of travel insurance and an ever-evolving schedule, he was kind enough to continue to talk with me about other options for working abroad. As we talked, I discovered that he had a wealth of contacts working for peace and justice in Latin America, after living in Honduras and Guatemala for twenty-three years. I refined and broadened my internship request and cover letter, and Paul sent my information out to his friends.

Imagine my joy when the emails started to come in. Environmental justice positions in Peru. A shelter for women and orphans in Mexico. Work with street kids in Nicaragua. Farmworker rights political organizing in New Jersey.

But when I heard from Karen at FONAMIH in Honduras, I felt an immediate and intense sense of rightness. In this internship position, I will be able to combine all my interests, passions, and skills. I will be living with a host family, working in direct aid as well as research, and engaging again in issues of human rights and displaced persons. The migration to the United States is extremely dangerous, resulting in missing persons and many deaths and injuries on the path north. Poverty, displacement, and gang violence within Honduras pushes people north, and an established network of connections of Hondurans in the United States ease the transition into the country. At the same time, the United States government catches and repatriates many thousands of Hondurans each year: on Friday, March 4, 2011, one hundred and one Honduran migrants were flown to Tegucigalpa, bringing the number of deportations for this year above 3,000. This summer, I will be there in the airport to offer resources as the returned migrants step off the plane.

Yesterday I spoke with Karen, who will be my host and boss in Tegucigalpa. She is so kind, and has many enthusiastic plans for my time with them. She knows Paul Jeffrey from many years of working together. With their mutual support, I am becoming ever-more confident that this summer will shape up to be one of hard work and intense learning. I will be traveling, living in Spanish, and seeing a piece of life I have never experienced before.

I truly cannot believe my luck. I am so grateful to Paul for sharing his connections with me, and for helping me envision the perfect internship for the summer. As I've learned more and more about theories and techniques of conflict resolution, I have become increasingly aware that I want to be in the field, meeting people in the midst of hardship. I want to hear their stories and share them with the world. I want to do what little I am able to alleviate the injustices at work in the world, and to create systems of equality and justice.

This summer I'll be doing that work in Honduras.

There's so much more to tell! I will keep you posted with more information as it develops. For now, I'm doing what I can to prepare, and I'm counting down the days.