Based in Honduras, she has worked in support and advocacy efforts with human rights and women's organizations, and most recently in economic justice efforts. The statistics begin to shift a bit, some weeks after Hurricane Mitch devastated parts of Honduras and its neighboring countries. Category Five' hurricane is cleared, Honduras, a small country approximately the size of Tennessee, presents an alarming dossier of destruction-7079 confirmed deaths and 9,014 missing, with the expectation that the number of confirmed deaths will increase. Family and relatives of those who have not appeared conduct journeys to the affected areas throughout the country and conduct radio searches for their loved ones. Entire communities of people live in makeshift shelters in schools, churches, and warehouses, with relatives or friends, or simply in the rubble.
New categories appear daily.
There is increase in disease, particularly skin disease, conjunctivitis, malaria, and dengue. Of course, the numbers are only partial representations of the human condition. Nonetheless, there are figures which substantiate hope. Thousands of students and teachers offer volunteer service across the country in clean-up campaigns, in assistance to the new refugee population, in emergency food packaging and delivery. Hundreds of grassroots campaigns within Honduras and throughout the world raise emergency assistance.