Celebrated on March 8th each year, International Women’s Day is an internationally recognized day to honor and celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women around the world. International Women’s Day has been celebrated for over a century, with its roots dating back to 1911 (view full history here).
Thank you to Santiago Salazar, from La Mosquitia, Honduras for creating this video.
Song: “Women’s Brilliance”, by Ivan Ricardi
In honor of International Women’s Day, the PWW team in Honduras would like to take a moment to recognize a few of the thousands of amazing Honduran women who work to make safe water, improved sanitation, and healthy hygiene a reality for their children, families, schools, and greater communities.
Meet Elcy Rivera, Assistant for the Director of Departmental DECOAS (Department of Communication and Environmental Health of the Secretary of Education) in Intibucá, Honduras. She assisted PWW with the implementation of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in 80 schools, located in the municipalities of Masaguara, San Miguelito, Jesús de Otoro, and La Esperanza in 2020 and 2021. This year, Rivera committed to the supervision, monitoring, application, and replications in the five schools trained in WASH in La Esperanza. Her goal is to provide support and accompaniment to the 30 trained teachers as well as reach the 47 schools of the municipality.
Pictured right is Heidi Julissa Zepeda, a teacher and sub-director of the Froylan Turcios School, in the community of Cayantu, Honduras. After reflecting about her experience working with PWW, she expresses herself as being “very satisfied”, as she has received so much training, and it has helped her educational community (students, parents and teachers). Zepeda has been able to teach the practices of protecting water as well as the importance of handwashing with water and soap. She has worked with parents to create awareness and to help them bring healthy WASH practices into their homes. “Together, we can take care of the school, the community, and the planet!”
This is Arely Iglesias (left), from the Ramon Amaya Amador School, located in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. She has trained other teachers about managing WASH in vulnerable areas and how to implement practices into their areas of study. Iglesias has also supported the development and implementation of annual plans for WASH activities in local schools.
Meet Tania, a teacher at Chino Tatallon, located in Gracias a Dios, Honduras. Like Iglesias, Tania has also trained other teachers about managing WASH in vulnerable areas and how to implement practices into their areas of study. She has also supported the annual plans for WASH activities in their schools.
Finally, this photo highlights six incredible women who have joined efforts to plan celebrations for World Water Day 2022, March 22nd. Pictured, from left to right, Dr. Ilka Nuñez (Technical Assistant DECOAS), Dr. Teresa Matamoros (Technical Assistant DECOAS), Xenia Castellanos (Training Leader, PWW), Maria Regina Inestroza (Honduras Country Director, PWW), Dr. Arely Argueta (Head of the Department of DECOAS), Fanny Molina (LMT Marketing), and Gladys Sierra (Technical Assistant DECOAS).
In collaboration with PWW and UNICEF, Team DECOAS has been instrumental in the launch and follow-up of the integration of WASH-in-classes as well as the planning for WWD school activities with all municipalities.
Join us in celebrating these women who are helping to bring lasting health, hope and opportunity to the children, families and communities of Honduras!
We also take this day to honor and celebrate the amazing women across our planet for the contributions they make every day in support of a brighter, healthier future for all.