Our History
OYE was founded in 2005 by Ana Luisa Ahern, Jessica Mockrin and Justin Eldridge Otero, inspired by a vision of society where young people have a powerful voice, knowledge and tools to inspire change in their lives and communities. From the beginning, our founders recognized that OYE's sustainability and success would depend on the development of strong and capable local leadership.
After living several years of their childhoods in Honduras and volunteering during the summers throughout their adolescent years with children and young people in El Progreso, Ana Luisa and Justin of Washington, D.C. witnessed the challenges facing young people in Honduras. Upon graduating from college and joined by Jessica Mockrin, they returned to Honduras in 2005 to start a scholarship program to help five young women go to college.
The following year, they were selected as YouthActionNet Fellows of the International Youth Foundation. Recognizing that access to formal education was just the beginning, they designed an integral program to engage young people outside the classroom, creating spaces to promote leadership and learning and take action to build a better future in and for their country.
In line with our founders' belief in youth and community-led development, more than half of OYE's staff are scholarship graduates and program alumni.
What We Do
OYE creates opporunities for young people to empower themselves and transform their lives, families and communities. We envision a society where young people enjoy their rights and contribute to equitable and sustainable development in Honduras.
Since 2005, OYE has awarded multi-year high school and university scholarships to over 430 economic and socially disadvantaged young people to continue their education; and led diverse youth-led, school and community-based initiatives that have empowered thousands of young people, parents, teachers and community leaders in El Progreso and beyond.
Where We Work
In the heart of Central America, Honduras is rich in natural beauty, with expansive green highlands, picturesque colonial towns and crystalline Caribbean beaches.
Honduras, meaning "great depths" in Spanish, is also the most unequal and one of the most impoverished countries in Latin America, where 65% of people live in poverty and 42% in extreme poverty. In 2009, Honduras suffered a political crisis that further deepened inequality and violence.
Since then, pervasive corruption, political and social crises—paired with 2020's coronavirus pandemic and hurricanes Eta and Iota—have devastated people and communities across the country. These crises disproportionately impact people living in poverty - especially children, young people, women and other marginalized groups.
68%
of young people from ages 15 to 17 are not enrolled in high school (grades 10+). They are either not in school or enrolled at a lower level. Once a young person drops out of school, (s)he is unlikely to return.
1 in 4
girls and young women from ages 15 to 19 have been pregnant at least once. This reality is closely tied to poverty and lack of education. Girls who are out of school are much more likely to marry and have children early.
56%
increase in returned migrants from Honduras from January to June 2018, as compared to the same six-month period during 2017. This was before the first of several major migrant caravans that originated in Honduras in late 2018 and continue in the present.
Our Team
Meet the incredible staff and young people who bring our organization to life! We are so proud to share that more than half of the members of our permanent staff are scholarship graduates and program alumni. They are distinguished here with a ★ next to their name.
Staff
RocíoMendoza
Executive Director
AmandaHall
Development + Partnerships Coordinator
DuniaPerdomo ★
Projects Coordinator
Diana Ruíz ★
Scholarships and Counseling Coordinator
FernandoFernández ★
Entrepreneurship Coordinator + Manager of Social Enterprise
HeidiReyes ★
Programs Coordinator
JeslyMejía ★
Entrepreneurship Assistant
LidisMadrigales
Accountant
OscarAlvarado ★
Administrator
ÁngelRodríguez
Assistant Psychologist
TrinidadCastillo †
Special Collaborator
Youth Leadership Team
As a youth-driven organization, youth leadership is an essential part of our organizational DNA. As such, we are intentional about creating opportunities for young people to assume formal leadership positions across all programs and projects.
AndersonChávez
Youth Leader, Monitoring and Evaluation
JuniorAcosta
Youth Leader, Projects Assistant
SoanyCenteno
Youth Leader, Art
CarlosBustillo
Youth Leader, Sports
KeyrinHernández
Youth Leader, Girls Leading Change
LeylaNuñez
Youth Leader, Communications
Social Enterprise Team
JuniorRodríguez
Graphic Designer
EugenioBenítez
Graphic Designer
Our Board of Directors
Ruth Varela
President
Barbara Myers
Vice President
Trish Ahern
Treasurer
dacia ramírez
Secretary
Keyla canales
Member + Legal Counsel
Suyapa Ayestas
Member
justin eldridge otero
Member + Co-Founder
amilcar chinchilla
Representante Legal
Our Partners + Allies
And every single one of our donors, volunteers and supporters who generously give their time, voices and resources - and without whom none of this would be possible. We can't thank them – or you – enough!
