Honduras: Choluteca 4-H Program

Empowering Choluteca Youth Through 4-H: Tackling Honduras' Dropout Crisis

Honduras faces a pressing educational challenge: many teens are leaving school. According to government statistics, only 37% of youth ages 15–17 currently attend school (INE, 2017). In Choluteca, our research confirms that strong extracurricular programs are one of the most effective ways to keep young people engaged, motivated, and on track for graduation.

The 4-H program is part of a comprehensive plan in Choluteca. We believe that the church is the foundation of all educational programs. If children attend church, have good options for studying in a school, have financial support in the form of scholarships, and are involved in extracurricular activities, they are more likely to stay in school and become successful adults.

The Choluteca 4-H program is rising to meet this challenge. Our mission is to equip youth and their adult mentors with practical knowledge, life skills, and positive values that prepare them to become self-reliant, productive members of society—living out the 4-H motto: "To Make the Best Better."

Building Skills, Inspiring Change

A dedicated extension team—Pati, Esmilda, and Diana—contributes to the program's success by applying the extensive training they completed to expand and strengthen the 4-H initiative. The program offers hands-on learning experiences that directly address the dropout crisis and foster a lifelong love of learning.

Through weekly sessions focused on practical skills and personal development, youth discover that education can be exciting, relevant, and life-changing. The results are inspiring: eight 4-H groups are active, reaching around 400 adolescents.

Teachers at Apacilagua School report noticeable improvements in behavior and classroom engagement among 4-H participants. At the school's request, the 4-H curriculum is now integrated into the formal classroom program, giving every student access to 4-H activities.

Expanding Impact Beyond the Classroom

The ripple effect of 4-H in Choluteca is extending into the community. School teachers frequently observe and participate in the sessions, and parents have taken notice of their children's growth. In a surprising and exciting development, 45 mothers requested the opportunity to learn the same skills and knowledge their children are—gaining skills they never had the chance to develop in their youth. Today, these mothers participate in "4-H-style" learning groups, multiplying the program's impact across families and communities.

The Choluteca 4-H program is more than an extracurricular activity—it is a movement for transformation, cultivating a generation of confident, capable, and community-minded young people while strengthening the families that support them.

Instituto Nacional de Estadística. (2017). Educación 2016. Retrieved August 17, 2017, from http://www.ine.gob.hn/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=90