I-Search+by+Adela

Poverty in Honduras and it Affect on Culture by Adela Honduras is a country in South America that has suffered many economic and political hardships. My cousin, a member of the Peace Corps. spent a few years in Honduras, sending back pictures by mail, or bringing them with him when he came to visit. Honduras is a very poor country where not much has been industrialized so they are a country behind America when it comes to technology and products. What items they do get from other countries are rare, so expensive, so that the citizens can't even afford them when they are available. My cousin had to hitchhike his way home because: 1. the airport was too far away. 2. it was cheaper for somebody who had been helping out in a country heavily affected by poverty and corruption. Honduras is small, and the living conditions are horrible. The villages consist of mainly small mud huts and there is no easy access to medical help. Another thing that I know is that it was recently aired on the news that the Honduran president was dragged out of his house in his pajamas. My cousin also mentioned that now that Honduras has qualified for the world cup, the second time in recorded history, more Honduran flags have been waving her in America.
 * Part I--What I already know about my topic **

How did Honduras become such a poor country? Was it always so poor? What in the history of the country led to such an economic struggle? How does the poverty affect the people of Honduras' way of life? How does it change circumstances and opportunities for education and occupation? Are there people who think of leaving Honduras in search of better financial situations? How much has the United States as well as other countries done to aid the people of Honduras. Has anybody or any government tried to do anything to anything to correct the situation and help Honduras prosper and grow? Has there been or is there indication that there would be conflict among the people of Honduras because of the extreme poverty? How would that be resolved? How has poverty affected the people and their culture? Has the corruption in the government and the American companies working there changed the Honduran's way of life? How has qualifying in the World Cup of soccer changed the moral in the country and the way of life?
 * Part II--What I Want to Find Out **

I chose to books to use to research my topic, __Honduras...in Pictures__ by The Lerner Publications Company, and __Honduras:__ __Adventures in Nature__ by James D. Gollin and Ron Mader(see citations below) because I wanted to get an overall feeling fo what regulaer life was like in Honduras before I dove in to answer my questions having to do with the country's poverty. They are also the books that my cousin chose when he wanted to do his initial research about the country, so I thought that they would be a good place to start. Plus, they were east to get my hands on- my cousin left them at my grandma's house when he left. Another reason I chose these books was because they had pictures! I wanted to have pictures in my books so I could get images in my head for what my end project, a serious game, would look like. The books are useful because they provide a full history of the country, as well as a history of the country's economic situations from past to almost-present. The books showed that Honduras is a country with beautiful wildlife and people, who have just fallen into a severe economic rut. I wanted books like these so I could have a very broad image of the country in my head before I started adding facts and statistics. Some of the internet sources that I used were: Honduras- Recent Economic Developments from [|www.iadb.org], Economy-Honduras- located, export, growth, crops, power, sector from [|www.nationsencyclopedia.com], and Honduras (11/09) from [|www.state.gov]. I chose these websites for a few reasons. One of the reasons was that they are very closely related to my topic, and there are tidbits in them that could prove to be very helpful when I am trying to answer my big questions. Another reason for choosing these websites was because when researched under very precisely-worded searches about my topic, these were the ones that came up, seemed the most valid, and had useful facts that would be worth knowing. From the book, Honduras in Pictures, I learned many thiongs about the Honduran's economy. For instnce, I gathered information that told about how most of the Honduran's economy is based on agriculture, actually almost two-thirds of it. Most of the economy surrounds the exportation of two crops, coffee and bannanas. Because the Honduran's economy is so sensitive to the country's agriculture even slight changes in the weather or in foreign markets can hurt the Hondurans. Take, for example, the hurricane Fifi, a storm from 1974, that killed almost 70% of the Honduran's bannana crops. I also found out that there hasn't been a middle class in Honduras for a very long time. That is because the rich people own almost everything and the poor have to work for them ot earn money. The economy also effects the Hondurans diets. Since the poor can earn little, their diets are often low in nutrients which can lead to health problems. From the books and the internet sources, I have been thinking about the information that I have been compiling. I have been thinking about the common information that was mentioned on almost all of the site. It seems as if the root of Honduras' poverty comes from a long list of economic problems from inside the government and those related to the trading and exporting to America, and that the famers who raised crops to export were cheated for low wages.
 * Part III--The Search **

An interview with my cousin, a man who spent a couple of years volunteering in the Peace Corps. in Honduras who could add a bit of personal insight on the answers to my questions about how the exterme poverty effects the Honduran's culture and way of life:

What are the conditions for the poor people in Honduras? The conditions in which some of the poorer Hondurans live and work in differ. It depends on whether they live in rural or urban communities. It is an example of the farm economy versus the market economy. The people who live in the rural communties mostly work on farms and sell their goods in a small local area. The Hondurans who live in cities mostly work in factories or small shops, and then have to spend the money that they earn on food, clothing, and rent. The people who live in urban communities have more access to schools and hospitals while the rural communities do not. How does the poverty affect their culture and their ways of life? Poverty does effect the Hondurans' culture and way of life because they have to spend most of their time working to support themselves and their families, and when they have any time off the make music or art, there aren't enough resources to do it. How does having their team in the world cup affect the Hondurans' moral? As soon as it was announced that Honduras' soccer team was going to play in the world cup this summer, you started to see more and more Honduran flags hanging all over New York, in shop windows, car antenae, and such. Since the Honduran soccer team had played so few times at the World Cup, the Hondurans are excited that they were chosen to play. Since it is only the second time in history that the Honduran team gets to play, it is a huge source of pride and a huge moral boost for the native Hondurans and those of Honduran decent living in the United States. I reached my cousin at my grandma's house in Long Island, where he is currently staying after two years in Ecuador. The interview was surprisingly easy to conduct, and the questions asked were suprisingly easy to answer.

As I researched more and more about this serious topic, the extreme poverty that plagues most of Honduras, I thought more about how lucky I am to have a house, clothes, a good education, and smaller luxuries which many Hondurans cannot afford. I felt that I could empathize more with people after learning more about their situations and how difficult it made their everyday lives. The more results to my searches that I found and the more that I talked to people who had first-hand experience with these important issues up close and personal, the more I knew that this poverty was an issue that more people should know about than the small number of those who do. I also learned that we take everything that we have for granted and we only appreciate them when we see how little others have. Some of the most important things that I learned about my topic were: most of the Honduran's economy was based on the country's agriculture, and that the smallest changes in weater, as well as in foreign markets can really change the economy of the whole country. I also learned that the country is made up of mostly poor and rich people, there is no middle class, either they are really poor or really rich. I also learned that smaller things, like being oart of the World Cup can boost the moral of even the poorest of countries. After being included in the World Cup this year, we have been seeing more and more representation of Honduran pride. I have concluded that the issue of poverty in Honduras is just as important and just as news-worthy as some of the other stories that appear there. More people need to know how hard it is for most of these people to go about their daily lives with so little. More people need to know about this issue, and I intend to spead the awareness among my peers. That is the least I can do to help these people. Doing this I-search report made me realize how important it is to have people like my cousin who volunteers their time to help those who need it. THis report has made it easier for me to connect to my cousin and it made me think much more about how important operations like the peace corps are. Gollin, James, and Ron Mader. //Honduras: Adventures in Nature//. 1st. 1. N.M., United States: John Muir Publications, 1998. Print Lerner Publications Company,. //Honduras... in Pictures//. rev., ed. United States: Lerneer Publications Company, 1987. Print. Advameg, Inc,. "Honduras-Economy." //Encyclopedia of Nations//. advameg,Inc, Web. []. "Honduras (11/09)." //Honduras (11/09)//. U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Public Affairs, n.d. Web. 21 Apr 2010. []. "Honduras Recent Economic Developments." //Honduras Recent Economic Developments//. InterAmerican Development Bank, Feb 7-8, 2000. Web. 21 Apr 2010. <http://www.iadb.org/regions/re2/consultative_group/honduras "Honduras News- Breaking World News." //New York Times// (2010): n. page. Web. 22 Apr 2010. []. Interview: C., Michael. //I-Search by Adela//, 4 May 2010. Intervew by Adela. 4 May 2010. Web. http://tech2010.wikispaces.com/I-Search+by+Adela.
 * Part IV--What I Learned **
 * Part V-- Works Cited**