November 2023 through January 2024

English ASJ-US calls for the Honduran government to protect and promote a strong civil society. ASJ-US expresses concern over continuing and escalating intimidation against non-governmental organizations that advocate for effective and transparent governance. In particular, it calls attention to attacks against ASJ-Honduras following the release of Transparency International’s annual report on the perception of corruption, which disclosed the country's stagnation in the fight against corruption, lack of accountability and high impunity. For over twenty five years, ASJ-US has supported ASJ-Honduras’s work on behalf of the most vulnerable Hondurans. Inspired by the commitment of brave Hondurans to advocate for justice, ASJ-US has provided financial support, including the full funding for ASJ-Honduras’s offices that opened in 2020. ASJ-US will continue to stand beside ASJ-Honduras’s work identifying areas needing improved government accountability and solutions to bring about that accountability. The independent and non-partisan monitoring and advocacy provided by ASJ-Honduras and Transparency International are essential to protect the interests of the Honduran people. Attacks and restrictions on civil society organization stifle the robust dialogue and engagement of the Honduran people essential to ensure a transparent government that meets the needs of the electorate. ASJ-US calls on the Honduran government to work with ASJ-Honduras to address the public’s concerns about impunity and corruption identified in the Transparency International report. Español ASJ-US pide al gobierno hondureño que proteja y promueva una sociedad civil fuerte. ASJ-US expresa su preocupación por la continua y creciente intimidación contra las organizaciones no gubernamentales que abogan por una gobernanza eficaz y transparente. En particular, llama la atención sobre los ataques contra ASJ-Honduras tras la publicación del informe anual de Transparencia Internacional sobre la percepción de la corrupción, que reveló el estancamiento del país en la lucha anticorrupción, rendición de cuentas y alta impunidad. Durante más de veinticinco años, ASJ-US ha apoyado el trabajo de ASJ-Honduras a favor de los hondureños más vulnerables. Inspirados por el compromiso de los valientes hondureños quienes abogan por la justicia, ASJ-US ha proporcionado apoyo financiero, incluyendo el financiamiento completo de las oficinas de ASJ-Honduras que se abrieron en 2020. ASJ-US continuará al lado del trabajo de ASJ-Honduras identificando áreas que necesitan una mejor rendición de cuentas del gobierno y soluciones para lograr esa rendición de cuentas. El monitoreo independiente y no partidista y la incidencia que proporcionan ASJ-Honduras y Transparencia Internacional son esenciales para proteger los intereses del pueblo hondureño. Los ataques y las restricciones a las organizaciones de la sociedad civil ahogan el diálogo sólido y la participación del pueblo hondureño necesarios para garantizar un gobierno transparente que satisfaga las necesidades del electorado. ASJ-US hace un llamado al gobierno hondureño para que colabore con ASJ-Honduras a fin de abordar las preocupaciones de la población sobre la impunidad y la corrupción identificadas en el informe de Transparencia Internacional.

On January 30th, 2024, ASJ unexpectedly became the target of a ferocious attack by the Honduran government—an attack that is escalating and has put ASJ and our staff at risk. I am writing to ask you to raise your voice in prayer, support, and advocacy as we determine how to best respond to this situation while continuing to work for justice in Honduras. The Situation: ASJ has the honor of being the Honduran chapter of Transparency International (TI), which produces the most influential corruption index in the world. On Tuesday, January 30, ASJ held a press conference to share Honduras’ ranking in the index published by TI early that morning (Honduras' rank had stayed the same as the previous year--154th out of 180 countries). Government officials, furious that Honduras’ ranking had not improved, immediately began to threaten ASJ and our staff in the media. First, the president of Congress, in his opening session of the year, said that “there would be consequences” for ASJ’s report. An hour later, another high-level official warned that “ASJ’s days are numbered.” On Wednesday, the minister of transparency announced that government authorities “would definitely be taking legal action against ASJ.” This is certainly not the first time that ASJ has been attacked and threatened for speaking up and telling the truth. We know from long experience that doing justice makes those who abuse their power angry. But this is the first time these attacks are coming directly from the Honduran government, which has the power to use legal and physical force to intimidate and silence its critics and seems increasingly willing to do so. The government’s threats are a stark example of the threats to democracy that are increasing around the world. We are taking these threats seriously and doing everything we can to ensure that our justice work continues uninterrupted. My friend and co-director, Carlos Hernandez, reminds us often that “Truth has power.” At ASJ we are committed to telling the truth —through our investigations and our press conferences. It is how we carry out God’s call to do justice for those most vulnerable, and it is not negotiable. But we know we cannot do this alone, especially in these moments. Our staff is always encouraged and sustained by the knowledge that thousands of people around the world care about what happens in Honduras and walk alongside them as they do this difficult work. Here are three ways you can stand with us today: Pray for wisdom as we respond to this threat, for the safety of our staff, and for a path forward as we continue our work. Sign up for prayer alerts here . Support us financially as we increase security measures in Honduras to make sure our staff stays safe during this volatile time. Call your congressional representative to tell them what is happening and urge them to speak out against the attacks against ASJ and against the Honduran government's increasing disregard for democratic rule. You can enter your zip code here to find your representative's office phone number. Feel free to use this script as a guide: My name is [NAME], and I am a constituent from [CITY]. I’m calling to tell you about very concerning attacks on a civil society organization that I support in Honduras called the Association for a More Just Society. Simply for publishing an independent report on corruption in the country, they are now being threatened and attacked by the Honduran government. Please do all you can to speak out against this abuse of power and to support civil society—in Honduras and around the world. Thank you for standing with us!

Throughout our anniversary week, staff and board members from ASJ Honduras, the US, and Canada came together in person and remotely to celebrate and encourage each other. The work ahead of us will not be easy, but we know there is a great cloud of brave witnesses who support us and a faithful God who sustains us. While some sat together and others showed supporting posters and balloons through a computer screen, one uniting declaration resounded beyond all barriers: “Ebenezer! Thus far, the LORD has helped us.”

Dear Friend, Many people have been asking me how things are going in Honduras, and honestly, that’s a hard question for me to answer. Lately, it feels like things have been heartbreakingly difficult and unexpectedly good at the same time. So, I think I will tell you stories about both those realities because woven together, they describe this hard and complex work of justice that we have committed to do together. First, the heartbreakingly difficult part. 2023 has been such a hard year. Let me share some of the stories my friends have been telling me. At church, last Sunday, my friend Luis, who has been sick for a while now, told me how a few days earlier, he had decided to go to the hospital and stand in line with thousands of other sick people to try to get an appointment to see a doctor. He told me he had waited for over twelve hours in the sun! He finished his story by pulling out an official appointment card from his wallet, and I almost cried—both in relief that he would finally see a doctor and in total frustration over how hard it had been to accomplish. Last week, I stopped to chat with my neighbor Maria, and she shared how disappointed she was that her daughter’s school had combined two classes into one because they don’t have enough teachers this year. She is worried about how she will keep her daughter motivated to learn in a classroom with 52 other children. More and more, friends are expressing anger that the politicians they elected so enthusiastically two years ago seem more focused on staying in power than on doing the hard work that will create jobs, make their neighborhoods safer, and keep their children healthy and in school. This disappointing lack of action following such high expectations has been hard for all of us to take. That is the first part of my story, and it is the part that keeps me up at night worrying about what will happen next and strategizing about what ASJ can do about it. But the second part of the story is that 2023 has been a year of incredible creativity and remarkable progress for our staff at ASJ. ASJ staff have spent the year focused on doing what we do best: identifying problems in health, education, and security, looking for solutions to those problems, and publicizing our findings as a way to spur the government to action. Government authorities have not loved all the media attention our reports have received because they know it makes them look bad. But the interesting thing is that while they criticize us and our reports publicly, many have started reaching out for our help behind the scenes. A few months ago, the minister of education called Carlos Hernandez (ASJ-Honduras’ Executive Director) and told him that every time ASJ is on TV talking about our ideas for improving Honduran schools, he gets a call from the President saying, “Why aren’t we doing any of these things! Take care of it now!” Carlos laughed and said he was happy to help, and now he and the minister have regular meetings to talk strategy--how to get textbooks to every child, how to provide summer school so kids can make up for missed days, and how to get more teachers in the classrooms. The minister seems excited about the possibilities, and so are we! Jaime, our police expert, was surprised to receive an invitation to a high-level meeting to discuss the police strategy for working on homicides. Jaime went to the meeting where he carefully laid out ASJ’s ideas, and after two follow-up meetings, the police chiefs asked him and his team to do some training with the police before the end of the year. And this year, hundreds of people, from church leaders to businessmen to academics, are forming alliances with ASJ to work together to challenge the government to do better. For ASJ, this is what justice looks like- -working with a government that doesn’t necessarily want to work with us to make life better for the Hondurans whose lives are the hardest. It is difficult work, but it is not too difficult; it takes a long time, but not too long. Along the way, God reminds us of what is possible and of the impact our work can have. We do this work for Luis, Maria, and the millions of others who keep hoping that justice will reach them. We don’t give up because they don’t give up. Thank you for partnering with ASJ and leaning into the tension of progress and challenges in Honduras with your support and commitment to the work of justice and flourishing. We look forward to all God will do through each of us this year. Would you consider a gift to support the work of ASJ in Honduras? All donations to ASJ between now and December 31st will be matched up to $250,000, thanks to a generous ASJ partner. Your generosity fuels our ability to have an impact. Thank you.

Dear Friends, I have been spending a lot of time lately thinking about my time with ASJ, and as I reflect, I find my eyes coming to rest on a blanket that I purchased on my very first trip to Honduras in 2003. That blanket still hangs over the back of my couch (that is when I’m not curled up under it), and I realize that it has become a symbol for me of the work that I, along with so many of you, have done together to help create a more just society in Honduras. When I stand back and look at the blanket, I see a beautiful tapestry, a piece of art. The closer I look at it, the more I can see the intricate work that went into weaving each of the hundreds of threads together to make the whole. It reminds me of my journey at ASJ and how God, the ultimate weaver, has woven the experiences, passions, skills, gifts, and moments of hundreds of people all together to create something profound. Each thread may seem simple in the same way moments pass without us recognizing their significance, but when you stand back, you say, “Wow! What a thing of beauty.” I can see examples of these threads in my personal life and how they have been woven together to make me who I am today. I see my church growing up and how every week I had to recite Micah 6:8 for my teachers: "What does the Lord require of you, to do justice, to love mercy, to walk humbly with our God." This verse became the drumbeat of my heart - but it was a verse I didn’t fully understand until I was in Honduras seeing the work of ASJ. I see my family, people who showed me how to live out love, especially in other parts of the world. I see the thread of Calvin University where two professors, Kurt Ver Beek, and JoAnn Van Engen, exemplified for me how to approach life with both my mind and my heart when I did a semester abroad in Honduras. During that semester, they took me all over Honduras - Copán, Amapala, Olancho, maquilas (factories), banana plantations - and we studied Honduran history and various approaches to development work. This was pivotal as my love for Honduras began to grow, and my desire to be part of making life better for those living in vulnerable conditions took root. I have also been reflecting on the development of ASJ over the past 15 years and how God has been faithfully weaving threads together for ASJ as well. I see the thread of working for peace - ASJ co-founders Carlos Hernandez, Jo Ann Van Engen, and Kurt Ver Beek feeling called to do something to respond to the violence in their community, Nueva Suyapa. They initiated the peace and justice project, which reduced the homicide rate in their neighborhood by 75% from 2005-2010. This statistic alone could be the end of this story, but it wasn't because, at that time, Honduras had the highest homicide rate in the world, and everyone was looking for something that was working to address violence. Here was ASJ, a relatively small NGO at the time with a successful project, knowledge of how the system worked, experience with walking with victims, and now an opportunity to change national systems through a police purge and judicial reform - God is faithful.

On behalf of the Board of Directors, I am thrilled to announce that Rev. Kyle Meyaard-Schaap has been named the new Executive Director of ASJ-US. Kyle is a passionate, thoughtful justice seeker who has demonstrated strong leadership skills, deep advocacy experience, and a relationship-oriented way of being. We welcome Kyle to this position this week. Kyle was selected following a 6-month international search process led by the board, and he will be the third Executive Director in ASJ-US history. We are confident in his ability to embody our mission to strive to be brave Christians dedicated to doing justice in Honduras and inspiring others around the world to seek justice in their own contexts. ASJ co-founder Kurt VerBeek said “Jo Ann and I are really excited to have Kyle join the ASJ team! Kyle is gifted and experienced in many key areas and we know he will bring new perspectives and creativity to our team that will help us all to better carry out ASJ’s mission to do justice in Honduras. Hang on to your hat, Kyle! It’s going to be a wild and amazing ride!” Kyle and his wife began supporting ASJ in 2010 after they both traveled to Honduras together and were first exposed to the work ASJ was doing to make systems of health, education, and security work for the most vulnerable. A graduate of Calvin University and Western Theological Seminary, Kyle has been working for eleven years on educating and mobilizing Christians toward doing justice, with a particular focus on environmental and climate justice. His first book published earlier this year, Following Jesus in a Warming World: A Christian Call to Climate Action, is a Christian call to justice. His ability to communicate clear action that is rooted in a deep biblical understanding of the world is one of the reasons we are thrilled to have him join ASJ in creating a more just society in Honduras. Kyle lives in Grand Rapids, MI with his wife Allison, and two sons. Kyle said "I've admired the work of ASJ since I learned about it as a student at Calvin. God's kingdom of justice and peace has been breaking out all over Honduras for the last 25 years thanks to the brave and faithful efforts of ASJ. I am honored and humbled to join this incredible team as the next Executive Director of ASJ-US. Here's to the next 25 years and more of even more justice!" Please join us in giving Kyle a warm ‘ bienvenida ’ welcome to ASJ !  Russ Jacobs President, ASJ-US Board of Directors Association for a More Just Society

After closing our fiscal year (August 2022-July 2023), we're reflecting on our collective impact . Join us in looking back on a year of working for peace and justice in Honduras, and inspiring communities across the world to do the same.

An announcement from ASJ-US Board President, Russ Jacobs

Mario the Bus Driver

ASJ’ Work Building a Safe Home Brave Christians working for justice in Honduras.

In recent issues of Justicia, we have shared about the melodies that inspire us to continue working for justice and why our staff call Honduras home . In this issue, we want to share with you what it means for Hondurans to build a safe home. We often see many people leaving other countries and coming to the US, searching for a better life. Although immigration is a complex topic, we understand there are always push and pull factors that motivate people living anywhere to either leave or stay in their home countries. Extortion in Honduras is one of the most pressing push factors displacing people from their homes. Gangs have been the traditional perpetrators of this crime. It’s so common Hondurans have a colloquial name for it: the “war tax.” Typically, extortionists will force business owners like bus and taxi owners, produce vendors, restaurant owners, and other members of the community to pay them a recurring fee under the threat of committing acts of violence against them or people they love if they fail to pay. Over 200,000 Honduran households are forced to pay extortion fees every year. On my first visit to Honduras as Executive Director in January, I witnessed the tremendous beauty of the country and its people. I also learned about the challenges Hondurans face. These two realities–beauty and challenge–exist side by side. But what we hear most clearly every day at ASJ from our Honduran friends and partners is how much they love their home. Many Honduran immigrants will say they would have stayed if they had felt safe enough to stay–if they knew their businesses could thrive and they could raise their children in peace. Staying true to our mission of being brave Christians, ASJ has been investigating the topic of extortion and developing proposals for how to address it in Honduras. With our work, we aim to build a safer Honduras for people like Mario, whose story you will read in this issue. As Mario will tell you, there is no place like home, and we are honored to participate in this work of building a safe home alongside our Honduran brothers and sisters.

November 2023 through January 2024

Hi Friend,  It’s hard to do justice to the view of the mountains surrounding the town of La Union. Words (and even pictures) don’t quite capture it. I had caught glimpses of its panoramic majesty during the steep uphill drive into the mountain range the evening before, but its full beauty only hit me the next day. The morning had started with some cows in the dark and a handful of men coaxing milk from grateful udders. After the jugs had all been filled, a new task presented itself. A group of cattle had broken out of their enclosure on the other side of town and would need to be driven back. I mounted my horse, looking more at ease in the well-worn saddle than I felt, and joined the procession through the town's streets to the pasture where the cattle belonged. When we rounded the corner, my breath caught in my chest. “Pasture,” it transpired, meant something different here than it did to my Midwest mind. Rather than flat grassland, we found ourselves on a gently sloping hillside with a soaring vista of the surrounding mountains dotted with lavish forests, coffee fields, and other grazing livestock. Thousands of feet of ancient elevation pulsing with beauty and life. I couldn’t stop staring.

English ASJ-US calls for the Honduran government to protect and promote a strong civil society. ASJ-US expresses concern over continuing and escalating intimidation against non-governmental organizations that advocate for effective and transparent governance. In particular, it calls attention to attacks against ASJ-Honduras following the release of Transparency International’s annual report on the perception of corruption, which disclosed the country's stagnation in the fight against corruption, lack of accountability and high impunity. For over twenty five years, ASJ-US has supported ASJ-Honduras’s work on behalf of the most vulnerable Hondurans. Inspired by the commitment of brave Hondurans to advocate for justice, ASJ-US has provided financial support, including the full funding for ASJ-Honduras’s offices that opened in 2020. ASJ-US will continue to stand beside ASJ-Honduras’s work identifying areas needing improved government accountability and solutions to bring about that accountability. The independent and non-partisan monitoring and advocacy provided by ASJ-Honduras and Transparency International are essential to protect the interests of the Honduran people. Attacks and restrictions on civil society organization stifle the robust dialogue and engagement of the Honduran people essential to ensure a transparent government that meets the needs of the electorate. ASJ-US calls on the Honduran government to work with ASJ-Honduras to address the public’s concerns about impunity and corruption identified in the Transparency International report. Español ASJ-US pide al gobierno hondureño que proteja y promueva una sociedad civil fuerte. ASJ-US expresa su preocupación por la continua y creciente intimidación contra las organizaciones no gubernamentales que abogan por una gobernanza eficaz y transparente. En particular, llama la atención sobre los ataques contra ASJ-Honduras tras la publicación del informe anual de Transparencia Internacional sobre la percepción de la corrupción, que reveló el estancamiento del país en la lucha anticorrupción, rendición de cuentas y alta impunidad. Durante más de veinticinco años, ASJ-US ha apoyado el trabajo de ASJ-Honduras a favor de los hondureños más vulnerables. Inspirados por el compromiso de los valientes hondureños quienes abogan por la justicia, ASJ-US ha proporcionado apoyo financiero, incluyendo el financiamiento completo de las oficinas de ASJ-Honduras que se abrieron en 2020. ASJ-US continuará al lado del trabajo de ASJ-Honduras identificando áreas que necesitan una mejor rendición de cuentas del gobierno y soluciones para lograr esa rendición de cuentas. El monitoreo independiente y no partidista y la incidencia que proporcionan ASJ-Honduras y Transparencia Internacional son esenciales para proteger los intereses del pueblo hondureño. Los ataques y las restricciones a las organizaciones de la sociedad civil ahogan el diálogo sólido y la participación del pueblo hondureño necesarios para garantizar un gobierno transparente que satisfaga las necesidades del electorado. ASJ-US hace un llamado al gobierno hondureño para que colabore con ASJ-Honduras a fin de abordar las preocupaciones de la población sobre la impunidad y la corrupción identificadas en el informe de Transparencia Internacional.

On January 30th, 2024, ASJ unexpectedly became the target of a ferocious attack by the Honduran government—an attack that is escalating and has put ASJ and our staff at risk. I am writing to ask you to raise your voice in prayer, support, and advocacy as we determine how to best respond to this situation while continuing to work for justice in Honduras. The Situation: ASJ has the honor of being the Honduran chapter of Transparency International (TI), which produces the most influential corruption index in the world. On Tuesday, January 30, ASJ held a press conference to share Honduras’ ranking in the index published by TI early that morning (Honduras' rank had stayed the same as the previous year--154th out of 180 countries). Government officials, furious that Honduras’ ranking had not improved, immediately began to threaten ASJ and our staff in the media. First, the president of Congress, in his opening session of the year, said that “there would be consequences” for ASJ’s report. An hour later, another high-level official warned that “ASJ’s days are numbered.” On Wednesday, the minister of transparency announced that government authorities “would definitely be taking legal action against ASJ.” This is certainly not the first time that ASJ has been attacked and threatened for speaking up and telling the truth. We know from long experience that doing justice makes those who abuse their power angry. But this is the first time these attacks are coming directly from the Honduran government, which has the power to use legal and physical force to intimidate and silence its critics and seems increasingly willing to do so. The government’s threats are a stark example of the threats to democracy that are increasing around the world. We are taking these threats seriously and doing everything we can to ensure that our justice work continues uninterrupted. My friend and co-director, Carlos Hernandez, reminds us often that “Truth has power.” At ASJ we are committed to telling the truth —through our investigations and our press conferences. It is how we carry out God’s call to do justice for those most vulnerable, and it is not negotiable. But we know we cannot do this alone, especially in these moments. Our staff is always encouraged and sustained by the knowledge that thousands of people around the world care about what happens in Honduras and walk alongside them as they do this difficult work. Here are three ways you can stand with us today: Pray for wisdom as we respond to this threat, for the safety of our staff, and for a path forward as we continue our work. Sign up for prayer alerts here . Support us financially as we increase security measures in Honduras to make sure our staff stays safe during this volatile time. Call your congressional representative to tell them what is happening and urge them to speak out against the attacks against ASJ and against the Honduran government's increasing disregard for democratic rule. You can enter your zip code here to find your representative's office phone number. Feel free to use this script as a guide: My name is [NAME], and I am a constituent from [CITY]. I’m calling to tell you about very concerning attacks on a civil society organization that I support in Honduras called the Association for a More Just Society. Simply for publishing an independent report on corruption in the country, they are now being threatened and attacked by the Honduran government. Please do all you can to speak out against this abuse of power and to support civil society—in Honduras and around the world. Thank you for standing with us!

“At its simplest, justice is the way God intended for things to be.” -Kyle Meyaard-Schaap

“It is so gratifying to see children laughing heartily after having suffered for so long.” - Francis Martínez