Creating brighter futures for single mothers in Honduras

Carla was forced to quit her job when her employer discovered she was pregnant.

As a young single mother, employers weren’t willing to give her a chance. She needed to find work—a stable income to provide for her son and be a role model he could look up to.

“It was hard when I wasn’t working, and I didn’t want to live that way,” said Carla, now 32. “I want my son to be a true man, not a layabout.”

Then she discovered Cuso International partner organization Asociación de Productores de la Cuenca del Rio Choloma. The women-led agricultural cooperative has more than 100 producers and runs Kakaw, a chocolate production facility in Choloma Cortez.  

Kakaw hired Carla precisely because she’s a single mother, and Cuso International volunteer Luis Clavel trained her on chocolate production.  

“Women have to balance farm work, childcare, cooking for the family and managing the home—nobody helps them with that,” he said.  

Luis, a Halifax resident, is also working with Kakaw to grow its business and expand into new markets so it can hire more women full-time.  

“The people here identify with me and I identify with them,” he said. “We are doing things together to overcome obstacles. It’s like family—we solve problems together.” 

Luis said he’s seen remarkable transformations thanks to employee training offered by the association, its cooperatives and other Cuso International volunteers.  

For Carla, the co-op is helping her give her son a better life.  

“Everything I do is for my son,” she said. “I am building a strong foundation for him.” 

Please consider donating today to help send more volunteers like Luis where they are needed most to make a real difference.