![Elena Rosemary & Maira Lisette from Palos Ralos, which was relocated to make way for the Entre Mares goldmine [Annie Bungeroth]](/var/storage/images/about-cafod/where-we-work/honduras/images/children-from-mining-communities/69270-9-eng-GB/children-from-mining-communities_1column50_12space_landscape.jpg)
While the richest 20 per cent of Hondurans receive nearly two-thirds of the national income, the poorest 20 per cent receive less than three per cent.
As in other Central American countries, many people depend for their survival on the money sent home by family members working abroad.
Those working in the US are now the country's largest source of income, yet the country is rich in resources such as gold which could be used to fund development.
Instead, the government allows foreign mining companies to exploit the gold while giving relatively little back to the country or to local communities.
CAFOD spent £91,797 in 2011/2011 in support of human rights, farming and health programmes.
People in the Siria Valley speak out about the damage gold-mining has caused their community
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![Maria Isabel Guzmán works for Puerta Abierta (Open Door), which provides home-based holistic healthcare for people with HIV [CAFOD]](/var/storage/images/about-cafod/where-we-work/honduras/images/maria-isabel-guzman-works-for-puerta-abierta-open-door-/805368-1-eng-GB/maria-isabel-guzman-works-for-puerta-abierta-open-door-_0column75_06space_landscape.jpg) |
Maria Isabel Guzmán talks about how her personal journey with HIV has helped her better understand the needs and emotions of those she helps cope with the illness for Puerta Abierta (Open Door) in Honduras |
![COMAL's new currency "the Unit of Solidarity Exchange" [Marcella Haddad]](/var/storage/images/about-cafod/where-we-work/honduras/images/the-unit-of-solidarity-exchange/110497-2-eng-GB/the-unit-of-solidarity-exchange_0column75_06space_landscape.jpg) |
To compete with US imports, COMAL is linking local consumers and producers in Honduras through its community shops, which even have their own currency. |
 | Unearth Justice Update – Gold Mining Many of you may have seen the recent Channel 4 Dispatches programme, ‘The Real Price of Gold’, and so we wanted to update you on our work in relation to mining and how you can help. |
 | 'Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights' published Following six years’ research and consultation, the United Nations has released a set of ‘Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights’. The ‘Guiding Principles’, led by UN Special Representative John Ruggie, aim to provide for the first time, an authoritative global standard that will ensure businesses respect the human rights of the communities in which they work. |
