Studying and employment opportunities for young people in Honduras

In 2018 it was estimated that in Latin America one in five young people between 15 and 24 years old was a “ni-ni” (‘Ni estudian, ni trabajan’, in Spanish) i.e. they neither studied nor worked. Honduras is no exception to this statistic. In Aldeas Infantiles SOS Honduras they are aware of this situation but prefer to refer to these young people as having had no opportunities, i.e. no opportunity to study and no opportunity to work.

This critical situation for young people throughout the country also occurs in towns such as Tela, Santa Rosa de Copan and Choluteca, which are very underdeveloped economically, educationally and in terms of training. There are simply no opportunities for young people here whatsoever. This lack of options forces them to migrate to the country’s capital in search of work. However, since they do not possess the right skills, knowledge or abilities needed to access decent work they often end up forming part of the poverty belts and inevitably heading towards a worse situation than the one from which they wanted to escape.

Aldeas Infantiles SOS Honduras has developed a program over the years which responds to the needs and interests of young people. Life skills training and employability, computer literacy, and encouraging their participation are just some of the areas in which the organization works.

The project supports teenagers and young people in vulnerable situations, in three lines of work: boosting knowledge; internships in order to get work experience and preventing the violation of childrens’ rights.

The organization also supports young pregnant women. In 2013 the State of World Population report for Latin America ranked Honduras as the country with the second highest rates of young pregnant women. Aldeas Infantiles SOS Honduras helps them mature and forge a future, while watching their children grow up.