The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) estimates that 60.2% of Honduran households live below the poverty level. What does that mean for us???? Well, poverty for Americans is likely a lot different than poverty there. In America, one may feel poor due to a lack of material things. This is quite common for us, especially since we live in a material world. For those who live in rural Honduras, poverty means a completely different thing. Remember in an earlier post I discussed the fact that many people living in Santiago had to hike for up to 2 hours one way to get clean drinking/cooking water for their families....that my friends is poverty. Additionally, almost 80% of rural Honduras lives on less than $1 a day...... I don't even know if that is physically possible for folks living in America. If you think about it, what can you buy these days that costs less that $1......... a gum-ball? I can't really think of anything that you could purchase that could sustain yourself (or family for that matter) and has a cost equivalent of $1/day....well, I take that back. If you bough twelve eggs, a loaf of bread, milk and some produce and spread it out it could maybe equal out to $1/day over a period of a few days.............. But, that isn't a lot. In American culture it is literally NOTHING to drop $5 on a cup of coffee.... $40 on a dinner for two..... etc. In Honduras, an entire HOUSEHOLD could live on that $40 for over a month....... This information is very humbling, and shows me how lucky we really are... It is also an eye opener as for I am guilty for doing a lot of....how do I put it...."useless spending". The next time you are going out with your friends and family think about this and be thankful that by Honduran standards, you are likely not poor, even though we often think so....especially us college students....regardless of our Mac computers, ipods, clothing, entertainment, etc. :)
Until next time, "adios"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love,
She who travels for justice! :)
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