At least, four out of ten children that live In areas most affected by violence are out-of-school. Children faced risks such as forced recruitment and sexual violence. 

This three boys have returned to school through the NRC's education project. They were identify, participated in workshops to access to education. 

In Honduras and El Salvador, we help children to access to education in neighborhoods most affected by violence to protect their dreams. 

Funded by European Union (ECHO)

Photo: Up Studio/NRC, 2019
At least four out of ten children that live in areas most affected by violence are out of school in Honduras. These three boys have returned to school through NRC's education project. Photo: Up Studio/NRC

NRC in North of Central America and Mexico

For the second consecutive year, the number of people in need of humanitarian assistance in the North of Central America has increased. It is now estimated at a staggering 9.3 million, almost 30 per cent of the overall population.

Facts

A total of

35,551

people in need received our assistance in 2023.


 

Humanitarian overview

El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras (the countries constituting North of Central America, or NCA) and Mexico, are experiencing devastating humanitarian crises. These crises are driven by generalised violence, recurrent extreme weather events, structural poverty and inequality, political instability, and other factors. For the second consecutive year, the number of people in need of humanitarian assistance in NCA has increased and it is now estimated at a staggering 9.3 million (OCHA 2022), almost 30 per cent of the overall population.

Central America is the region with the highest homicide rate in the world and life is particularly difficult for women and girls. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), as of 2022, 4.8 million people are in need of protection assistance and over 8 million are food insecure.

Meanwhile, the number of people crossing or stranded in NCA and Mexico in increasingly dangerous conditions aiming to enter the United States keeps reaching new heights, adding more pressure to host communities and overwhelming migration and protection authorities across the region.  

 

  • 4,780
    people benefited from our education programme in 2023
  • 6,449
    people benefited from our food security programme
  • 8,110
    people benefited from our shelter programme
  • 12,563
    people benefited from our protection programme
  • 7,356
    people benefited from our ICLA programme
  • 2,762
    people benefited from our WASH programme

 

NRC's operation

NRC has been working in the region since 2014, meeting the needs of tens of thousands affected by violence and disasters, including the internally displaced, refugees, people in need of international protection, deported people, their hosts, and children and youth out of school or at risk of dropping out.

We contribute to the development of policy aiming to protect the rights of the displaced and we call for increased humanitarian funding and engagement on processes that will generate structural changes in protection and assistance in the region.

 

NRC EducationEducation

 

We work to ensure that children and youth have access to education and safe schools, despite violence and displacement. In collaboration with local communities and local and national authorities, our teams:

  • identify out-of-school children and youth and prepare them to resume education activities and gain basic skills to remain safe
  • promote and provide safe education opportunities, including flexible learning modalities, according to their needs
  • strengthen the capacities of local communities and institutions

 

NRC Information, counselling and legal assistance (ICLA)Information, counselling and legal assistance (ICLA)

 

To protect those who had to flee their homes, as well as those deported back to the region, we:

  • provide information and counselling on humanitarian assistance, asylum procedures, and other legal pathways for people in need of international protection
  • support authorities at local and national level to develop legal frameworks or improve practices to protect the rights of the forcibly displaced
  • provide services to ensure access to Refugee Status Determination and housing, land and property rights

 

NRC Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH)Water, sanitation and hygiene promotion (WASH)

 

To support those affected by displacement, violence and disasters, we:

  • rehabilitate schools to help children access a learning environment where safety requirements are met
  • work with school staff and communities to promote hygiene practices and messages
  • build the capacity of local organisations and institutions to respond to displacement emergencies, in line with the international humanitarian standards

 

NRC Livelihoods and food securityLivelihoods and food security

 

We support vulnerable displaced people to restore their livelihoods by providing resources, training and coaching on running small businesses.

We also work with community centres to offer livelihoods training to vulnerable populations by strengthening development plans, improving curriculum designs and investing in equipment and materials for training programmes.

Our teams work with communities in rural areas exposed to climate hazards and food insecurity. We help implement climate-smart agricultural practices and make food production systems climate-resilient, while supporting the most vulnerable households with emergency cash to cover immediate basic needs including food.

 

Protection from violence

We assist people affected by forced displacement to protect their rights, mental health and physical security. We take a case-by-case approach to working to reduce peoples’ exposure to violence and enhance their resilience.

We support communities to recognise protection risks and develop self-protection strategies. We aim to empower people facing protection risks, and support duty bearers to improve their protection responses accordingly to meet protection minimum standards.

In collaboration with other humanitarian actors, we also collect and analyse information on mixed migration movements. This informs our operations to achieve a better humanitarian response, especially at key borders of the migratory route.

Advocacy

We contribute to the development of policy aiming to protect the rights of the displaced, and we call for increased principled humanitarian funding and engagement on processes that will generate structural changes in protection and assistance in the region.

About NRC in North of Central America and Mexico

Established
2014
International staff
15
Areas of operation
Honduras: Atlántida, Choluteca, Colón, Comayagua, Copán, Cortés, El Paraíso, Francisco Morazán, Gracias a Dios, Intibucá, Islas de la Bahía, La Paz, Lempira, Ocotepeque, Olancho, Santa Barbara, Valle, and Yoro departments. El Salvador: La Libertad, Santa Ana, San Salvador Sonsonate, Usulután, Zacatecoluca, San Vicente, San Miguel, La Unión, Chalatenango, Ahuachapán, Cabañas, Cuscatlán, Morazán departments. Guatemala: Guatemala City, Alta Verapaz, San Marcos, Chiquimula departments. Mexico: Chiapas, Veracruz, Tabasco and Coahuila.states.
National staff
225

Contact NRC North of Central America and Mexico

Country Director

Ernesto Lorda