The Chávarri Foundation of Spain promotes a food project in Honduras

The caravans that thousands of Honduran migrants started in October 2018 towards the US In search of work or fleeing violence in their country, they left something positive, such as a food security project in favor of farmers in western Honduras who grow coffee.

This is the "Food security and promotion of a dignified life for coffee producing families in western Honduras" project, which was launched this Wednesday by Pastoral Cáritas, in Tegucigalpa, and the Chávarri Foundation, in Spain.

"Luckily, thanks to the situation in the country with the caravan of immigrants, a group of Spaniards from the Chávarri Foundation realized that the poverty of Honduras was so great that it had to be thrown away anywhere," he said. to Efe the executive director of Cáritas de Honduras, German Cálix.

He added that the Spaniards decided to come to the country, they were seeing western communities and, from there, they decided to create an aid program for some 150 farmers from six communities in the departments of Copán, Lempira and Ocotepeque.

Cálix explained that the first thing that guarantees the project is food security and, secondly, to help farmers improve coffee quality, since Honduras is the sixth largest producer of grain in the world is not receiving the resources it should receive. .

The study done by the Spaniards showed that "our quality is different, it is of low quality, contrary to Costa Rica, which has less coffee, but has better quality; then, the profits that that country receives are eminently superior," he said.

The proposal of the Chávarri Foundation is to improve the quality of coffee production, so that it has a wider market in Europe, especially in Spain, said Cálix.

The signing of the project, in which about 200,000 euros ($ 222,757) will be invested, was in charge of German Cálix and the director of the Chávarri Foundation, David López, who told Efe that the goal of his organization "is to do a job together with small coffee producers and cooperatives. "

The beneficiaries are supported so that they can establish themselves, organize themselves, end up being a cooperative where they are not yet, and in other cases that are already formed as such, develop social projects on gender issues, help young people and others with the objective The creation of a network where the main core is to work for the dignity of people.

The "concept" of the project "is of the common good and the generation of social wealth," said Lopez, who in March met the beneficiary communities in western Honduras.

When the caravans of thousands of Honduran immigrants began in October 2018, the Chávarri Foundation was an embryo, which until then had submitted all the documentation for its creation, so it could well be said that it was born in parallel with the massive mobilizations towards United States and, in fact, officially started in the first quarter of this year.

"We as a group of companies understand that we have to give back to society what society makes possible for us and, with that idea of ​​generating social wealth, also dedicate resources and funds to all these people so that they can promote themselves and be more dignified" said Lopez.

The Chávarri Foundation was born to support social projects in three areas: education, health and human development.

López, a connoisseur of Latin America, after his visit to western Honduras in March, left with the impression of "a noble people, good people, magnificent, with great enthusiasm, much effort, eager to commit, wanting to be, build your own future, enthusiasm and hope. "

The project that supports the Chávarri Foundation includes an item of 65,000 euros ($ 72,396) to improve the coffee that is being grown in western Honduras, where although some producers have farms with very good quality grain, there is some production that does not It has that feature.

"They are projects of hope," said the director of the Chávarri Foundation, who was congratulated, as well as the organization, by the Spanish ambassador to Tegucigalpa, Guillermo Kirkpatrick.

"I congratulate you for the good work done to make this project possible and for choosing the partners of this project so well," said the diplomat.

He added that the success of such a project is often defined by the local people and organizations they work with, such as the Episcopal Conference, Caritas and the collaboration of the Apostolic Nunciature.

"They are very effective partners, with experience, who know very well the reality of this country. So it is a first guarantee of success," said the ambassador.

He also noted that the project that supports the Chávarri Foundation is aligned with what are the objectives of the Spanish Cooperation in Honduras.