Journal Supplement
Paper Making
While on our volunteer visit to Choluteca in the south of Honduras, we visited a small Aldea(town) outside of Choluteca where there was a group of women working with the volunteers we visited as well as USAID. The volunteers and USAID were assisting the women in creating a sustainable business which focused on the production of homemade paper. The paper was then sold as stationary and envelopes and used to cover pottery. They are currently trying to develop a market in the US, however they have run into some production problems with the vendor they are buying the clay pottery from. There was also some miscommunication between them and the person USAID hired to help them with the project. We have purchased some of the paper and the pottery is very beautiful. If you would like to purchase some of the paper or have an interest in the pottery or have a market for either product you can email or call the department of Commerce Choluteca Honduras at ccicholuteca@hondudata.com or call 011-504-822-0660.
The women in the group make the paper out of local materials and it is %100 natural. It is a very involved process and the only market they have now is their volunteers selling to other Peace Corps volunteers. The overall goal of the project was to improve the lives of the women and their families by increasing their income. That hasn't really happened, and the project is scheduled to be up and on its "own two feet" in November when USAID pulls out of the project.
This is the core of what we are doing in Honduras. We are here to help the people, such as this group of women, create sustainable systems of income, management, and technology so their lives are better. This is primarily done through education and experience, and is carried out on many different levels including municipal development, economic development, natural resources management, water and sanitation management, and health education. These all cover a wide variety of projects and programs.