Meet Honduras’ young change-makers

Honduras is one of the poorest countries in Latin America, with two-thirds of its population living in poverty. But new opportunities are being created through youth programmes, which are equipping young leaders to use their skills to make a difference in their local community. They are helping heal this deeply divided country.

Shaping a new generation
Cynthia is 22 and lives with her family and works as a financial assistant. She was invited by her church to participate in the Transform Youth programme, led by one of Tearfund’s local partners.

In taking part in the course, she began to understand the wider message of the gospel and how to help those in her community in need. Before, she wasn’t sure how to apply this to her life, and helped out at home only. ‘Now I’m able to see things more clearly through other people’s eyes. And God has shown me that there are many people in need,’ she shares.

The training led to the participants in the Transform Youth group working with their local community to see how they could best serve it. They got together with other young people and organised groups to collect rubbish, build play areas for children and help out in lessons to support children in schools.

Creating unity
‘We live in a community that is deeply divided… [but] I feel happy to know that I’m not alone. There are other young people who also dream of seeing our families, churches and communities transformed by the power of God,’ Cynthia shares. Transform Youth brings together young leaders from different churches and backgrounds, all who have the potential and drive to transform their communities.

Cynthia is just one of the incredible people who have graduated from the group and want to continue to serve their local community. She is now a facilitator on the programme, and is passing on what she's learned to other young leaders. She’s hoping to train as a missionary in the future, to continue to help empower others to overcome poverty.

PLEASE PRAY:

• Praise God for how he is continuing to use Cynthia and other young leaders to help transform local communities and bring hope to those in need.
• Pray for the work of Transform Youth; that it will continue to reveal God’s heart to a whole new generation of people and help people find solutions to overcome poverty.
• Pray for the positive impact graduates of Transform Youth will have in communities across Honduras. Pray they will help heal wounds and bring peace to deeply divided communities.

This story originally appeared on Tearfund Learn, our hub for sharing our learning resources around the world.