HONDURAS: URGENT SUPPORT NEEDED - Women's organization attacked

=== Rights Action sends this appeal concerning losses suffered by the ADP women' s organization in Honduras, a long-term partner group of ours.

If you want on-off this elist: info@rightsaction.org.

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HONDURAS: URGENT SUPPORT NEEDED - Women's organization attacked

Tegucigalpa, Honduras, June 6, 2005

Dear Friends,

La LuciÈrnaga [The Firefly], a small business that makes handmade candles, was set up by the organization ADP [ACCIONES PARA EL DESARROLLO POBLACIONAL] in September 1999 as a way of generating funds to support their refuge for women and girl victims of violence. The profits from this business are used to maintain the women's refuge which offers physical and psychological support for victims of violence, many of them pregnant, and their children.

During their stay at the refuge many of the women work for The Firefly; it provides the opportunity to learn new skills, become involved in the functioning of a small business and boosts their self esteem.

On the night of the June 5, 2005 the workshop (in reality a double garage) was reduced to ashes by arsonists. Nothing could be done as the startled women from the refuge across the road watched in horror as gas tanks exploded and the factory went up in flames.

The fire fighter's report clearly points to arson; although it is not known who was responsible it is probable that it was the result of the difficult work that ADP does to protect women's and children's rights. The ADP is currently dealing with a couple of cases with particularly dangerous aggressors.

The fire has left the women of the refuge in a state of anguish; the owner of the property has asked ADP to pay for the damage caused and move out of the house that serves as the refugee. ADP has lost their only source of funding for the refuge, they have their entire stock of ready-to-sell candles and raw materials - wax, fragrances, wick, dyes, dried flowers, the equipment used to make candles - pots, stoves, and expensive moulds imported from the USA. They have also lost office equipment including fax, phone, filing cabinets and all their paperwork.

Despite this devastating blow to ADP and the refuge, Emma MejÌa project director and founder writes: "... neither the women and children of the refuge nor ADP will give up. ... We firmly believe that with our own personal strength and your help we can respond to this tragedy, many grains of sand can build a mountain."

The Firefly Candle workshop is an outstanding example of an income generating project that has been used to support ADP¥s important work in Women's Rights in the region during the last five years. ADP brought several heavy boxes of their beautiful candles on the bus from Honduras to the Fair Trade Foro-Feria hosted by Rights Action in Antigua, Guatemala in December 2004. For several years they have sold the candles through Ten Thousand Villages Fair Trade Program. ADP are currently putting together a list of all that has been lost but meanwhile ask for any donation however small, to help them quite literally rise from the ashes.

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Send tax-deductible donations for ADP's re-building work: make check payable to "Rights Action" and mail to: UNITED STATES: 1830 Connecticut Av, NW, Washington DC, 20009 / CANADA: 509 St. Clair Ave W, box73527, Toronto ON, M6C-1C0. Donate on-line in the USA and Canada: www.rightsaction.org.