Cause For Hope | Choluteca, Honduras



	Choluteca, Honduras

	Comayagua, Honduras

	Chinandega, Nicaragua

	Managua, Nicaragua

	Masaya, Nicaragua

	León, Nicaragua

	San Miguel, El Salvador

	Quetzaltenango, Guatemala

	Retalhuleu, Guatemala

Choluteca's new Project Manager

Nelson Mendoza has worked with CFH since March of 2007 as an assistant of Dario Lorenzana, Manager of the Choluteca Office in Honduras. Recently, Nelson was promoted as our new Manager with the departure of Dario as Mission President in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala.

Nelson was born in Choluteca, Honduras. He is an international trade lawyer, who had worked in different state projects where there is a high poverty. As a member of the LDS church he had many callings, at the moment, he is serving as bishop of the Iberia ward.

Nelson is married to Marlenis Gomez and has a beautiful young daughter. He says that his past jobs help him prepared to assume responsibilities of a CFH manager.

Summary of Status of Programs

Program	Status as of September 2007
Micro-credit and small business training	There are 600 individuals participating in village banks. Their enthusiasm to overcome their challenges is incredible.
Vocational loans	82 people have completed some kind of training. 26 currently enrolled in school.
Economic development and job creation	Grandway currently employs 180 people with an additional shift soon to be added with 150 additional employees.
Pre-mission assistance	129 missionaries have received assistance that enabled them to go on a mission. Some are now returning.
English Class	30

Choluteca Economic Condition

Choluteca is a city of between 55,000 and 60,000 inhabitants. The LDS church has one stake in the city that has 9 wards and branches. There is a smaller area called San Lorenzo close to Choluteca and the LDS Church has a district of 9 branches there.

The economic needs are very great in this area and they are still suffering somewhat because of Hurricane Mitch that inundated the area in 1998. The poverty level is very high and the unemployment rate likewise is high.

We chose Choluteca as the first location to begin because of the high level of poverty and the extreme conditions that existed because of Hurricane Mitch.




		Soloman Jarr with a factory worker in Grandway Ltd. See the programs page for more information on Grandway.

The CFH History in Choluteca

The area was opened in 2001 with Salomon Jaar as the manager. Approximately one year later Salomon left to be the manger of Grandway and Dario Lorenzana was hired to replace Salomon. Our programs were started immediately and are doing very well.

In the area of Micro Credit and small business training, we currently have 359 individuals in our village banks and when you consider the families of these individuals, we are improving the lives of between 1500 and 2000 people. And we continue to grow. We have new people continually coming into the program through the Small Business Training classes and preparing to organize more Village Banks.

In the area of Vocational Loans we currently have 26 people going through programs at technical schools preparing to join the work force. Others have completed their schooling and have or are looking for work. In addition we have 30 people enrolled in our English Classes. Many others have completed our course.

We have assisted 71 young men and women to go on missions for the LDS Church . There are many more that want to go and have expressed their desires to our managers and that they will also need help in preparing to serve missions.

Grandway continues to be a great work place and is currently employing 180 people. There is a plan to add a second shift this fall employing an additional 150 workers .

CHOLUTECA OFFICE

Centro comercial Plaza del Sur,
cubículo 12, arriba del Banco Ficohsa
Choluteca, Honduras, C.A.
T. 504-780-1275

Nelson Mendoza - Manager