Watch ProLiteracy Worldwide's Interview with Dr. Almendares, Humanitarian Award Recipient

Honduran doctor to be recognized for work in human rights, domestic violence, and with torture victims

To watch a conversation with Dr. Almendares: click here.

Syracuse, N.Y.
April 2, 2007

Dr. Juan Almendares, director of COHAPAZ, ProLiteracy Worldwide’s partner program in Honduras, has won InterAction’s 2007 Humanitarian Award for his work in human rights and environmental issues. The award, which recognizes leaders who have made significant contributions in their home countries, will be presented April 18 at InterAction’s conference in Washington, D.C.

Almendares started COHAPAZ, the Honduran Committee for Peace Action, in 1986. It now serves women in 20 communities in the poorest areas of Tegucigalpa and Comayaguel with initiatives such as basic literacy, home organic gardens, nutrition and natural medicine, and vocational skills training. Almendares also works with victims of torture and organized violence through his Center for Prevention, Treatment, and Rehabilitation of Torture Victims. He coordinates Tierra Madre (Friends of the Earth Honduras), which raises awareness about destructive practices of multinational companies, including displacement of individuals, and environmental pollution.

“A violent beginning in life led Dr. Almendares to become a builder of peace and solidarity,” says Dr. Lynn Curtis, ProLiteracy Worldwide’s vice president of international programs. “His work in environmental justice and human rights has brought those values to Honduran communities in urgent need. ProLiteracy is pleased to partner with Dr. Almendares in his efforts to create a more just and humane world through literacy and community development, and we were honored to nominate Dr. Almendares for this prestigious award.”

As a first grader in Honduras, Almendares was required to visit a prison to witness an execution. A few years later, during a land dispute, Almendares saw people being killed and dismembered with machetes; among them was his father. Every day he watched the effects that severe poverty, alcoholism, and prostitution had on the people around him.

As an adult, Almendares became a doctor and began working on human rights, domestic violence, and environmental issues. He organized volunteer health campaigns, built free clinics, worked with victims of torture, and engaged in peace activism. His activities made him a military target. Shots were fired into his house, his family received bomb threats, and eventually he was tortured by the military. Almendares was able to establish COHAPAZ only after the political situation in Honduras changed.

About InterAction
InterAction is the largest alliance of U.S.-based international development and humanitarian nongovernmental organizations. With more than 160 members operating in every developing country, InterAction works to overcome poverty, exclusion, and suffering by advancing social justice and basic dignity for all. For more information about InterAction and the Humanitarian Award, visit www.interaction.org.