Peace Corps Honduras has a Safety and Security Office to deal with issues of personal safety, Medical Officers and a host of certified in-country doctors to deal with medically issues and site staff, managers and support groups to help with cultural adjustment, projects problems and general Volunteer well-being.

Carpets, hand-made of saw dust, are a Honduran tradition during Semana Santa

Safety and Security

Honduras is a beautiful and friendly country. Unfortunately in the past two decades it has also become one of the most dangerous countries in Latin America. The vast majority of the crime in Honduras takes place in the two largest cities, Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula. As a result Volunteers are not allowed to work there and are required to limit their time in these cities. Still, crimes against Volunteers do occur. Between 1999 - 2003, the yearly average was 13 robberies, 13 thefts, 9 burglaries, 5 assaults, 1 major assault and 1 minor sexual assault per year; 2 rapes over four years. With 200 Volunteers in country, the chances of being a victim of crime are small but significant. All Volunteers receive hours of training and drills to avoid crime and safety protocols for various situations. Volunteers will never be placed in a site deemed to be too high in crime.

Volunteers are also given an Emergency Action Plan (EAP) for times of unrest or natural disaster. Each region in Honduras is assigned an emergency coordinator which Volunteers must report to when leaving their site. If an emergency takes place Volunteers congregate to a common safe location and wait for the situation to resolve or evacuate. It is expected that emergency coordinators and/or Peace Corps staff know the location of Volunteers at a given time to reduce risk.

From time to time Volunteers may come down with a number of common or even serious illnesses. Typical sicknesses that affect most Volunteers are bouts of diarrhea, upset stomach or vomiting, malaria or dengue and skin conditions. To protect Volunteers from these and other medical problems, Peace Corps Honduras has a staff of five medical doctors and one nurse whose sole responsibility is the health of Volunteers. Additionally, throughout the country Volunteers have access to local doctors where they may receive treatment.

Peace Corps takes a preventative approach to Volunteer health. All Volunteers are given anti-malarial medication and mosquito repellant to avoid malaria and dengue. They are also given a medical kit which contains a small pharmacy of supplies and medications. If at any point more supplies or medications are needed, they are immediately given at no cost. If a condition needs treatment a Volunteer can contact their Medical Officer at any time and may travel to Tegucigalpa to treatment or even be flown to Washington if additional resources are needed. In all cases, all treatment, travel and expenses, drugs and supplies are covered by the Peace Corps.

Volunteers are given a host of vaccines and screenings once they arrive in country, after one year of service Volunteers come to Tegucigalpa for a check-up and teeth cleaning and finally at Close of Service Volunteers are given a final medical exam.

While much attention is given to taking care of a Volunteers' physical well-being, Peace Corps also gives support to Volunteers' peace of mind. Project managers provide resources and guidance, other Volunteers offer perspective and Volunteers Offering Support (VOS) is a group which is made available to Volunteers who may feel depressed, lonely or need to talk. See Volunteer page for more information about VOS.