[ I am proud to reproduce the below article as one of the founding members of Honduras Global.  Our country is in much more need than we can tackle . But even if our help is a "drop of water on a hot pan" at the macro level, we want to make a difference to those we are able to reach.  Feel free to reach me at webmaster@europa-honduras.eu for any comments or questions about Honduras Global ]

I just returned from Houston, Texas, where I was glad to be included as a founding member of a new international organization called the Honduras Global Foundation. The group is a public-private entity supported by SEPLAN (Secretaria Técnica y de Cooperación Internacional), ANDI (Asociación Nacional de Industriales de Honduras), the Fundación Salvador Moncada, and GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH). The foundation has three specific aims. First, it seeks to stimulate learning and development in the areas of science, technology, and innovation in Honduras. Second, it aims to strengthen the country's human resources capabilities through the development of programs and services that promote the transference of knowledge through training, mentoring, summer school, and networking programs. And third, it wishes to support the preservation of Honduras' national identity and improve the image of the country through the promotion and diffusion of the achievements of Hondurans worldwide and their benefits through presentations on leadership and motivation and open forums in which to share experiences.

The fundamental idea behind Honduras Global is to locate and coordinate the efforts of Hondurans around the world who have the ability and desire to actively share their expertise with their home country for the sake of building its "human capital". The premise is that there exists an abundant supply of knowledge, experience, and talent on the part of Hondurans living abroad that can be used to support their native country. The key is to locate, coordinate, and channel these resources in meaningful ways that contribute to the development of Honduras.

Honduras Global is off to a good start. It has a website at http://www.hondurasglobal.org. It has adopted its Articles of incorporation. It has elected a president, Dr. Salvador Moncada, and a support team. Its founding members have signed its charter. And the foundation's first major activity -- a "Summer School" for some of the brightest students in Honduras -- is tentatively scheduled for November. Now, efforts are underway to reach out to more Hondurans abroad and expand the membership of the organization.

I'd like extend an invitation to the founding members of Honduras Global to contribute to Honduras Weekly on any topic they wish that has some relevance to Honduras. There is no better way to discern the full range of expertise available to Honduras than by reading the thoughts, opinions, and visions of those who actively wish to give back to their country of origin.

I would also like to invite all Hondurans living abroad to visit the Google Map that I'm constructing at Honduras Global Map and let me know if you would like to be included, or if you know of someone who should be listed. You can e-mail me at editor@hondurasweekly.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .