Honduras: MSF phases out it’s Danlí migrant care project
MSF winds down migrant health and support program in Danlí due to fewer people in transit.
After four years, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has decided to end our program providing medical care, mental health care and social support to migrants in Honduras. This decision was made following a significant decrease in the number of migrants transiting through the country and the existing humanitarian response in the area.
Migration flows in the region have been volatile and complex over the last four years. Honduras – located along the southern to northern American migration route – has witnessed these changes. Since 2021, when MSF first began working with migrants in Honduras, more than one million people have entered the country irregularly, according to the National Migration Institute. This is due to many factors, including worsening socio-political crises in the region, poverty, widespread violence and administrative barriers that make it difficult to obtain legal migration status.
“The urgent need for a humanitarian response and the commitment of governments in Central America to guarantee this support are reflected in the migration route. As MSF, our mission is to provide a prompt response where the needs are greatest; so, we worked to reduce the main physical and emotional consequences of the harsh journey.”
Jorge Castro Armijo, MSF project coordinator in Danlí
This situation led to a humanitarian crisis in various parts of the region requiring critical attention. People on the move had multiple needs, many of which related to physical and mental health issues. In light of this, MSF decided to create teams composed of medical, nursing, social work, mental health and health promotion staff to provide a comprehensive response through mobile clinics at the points where humanitarian assistance was needed most.
The municipalities of Danlí, Trojes and Las Manos in Honduras’s El Paraíso department on the border with Nicaragua became the epicentre for people on the move. People were entering Honduras on their way north to Mexico and the United States. This is where MSF focused our activities.
“We witnessed throughout these moments the multiple medical and humanitarian needs that migrants faced and continue to face,” says Jorge Castro Armijo, MSF project coordinator in Danlí. “The urgent need for a humanitarian response and the commitment of governments in Central America to guarantee this support are reflected in the migration route. As MSF, our mission is to provide a prompt response where the needs are greatest; so, we worked to reduce the main physical and emotional consequences of the harsh journey.”
With the arrival of the latest U.S. administration and subsequent harsh changes to migration policies, the number of people travelling from south to north decreased. At the same time, some people voluntarily returned to their countries of origin or sought refuge in other countries in the region.
Basic healthcare needs
Due to the precarious conditions along the migration route, people on the move face various illnesses such as respiratory infections, gastrointestinal diseases and skin problems. Since 2021, MSF provided 58,045 basic healthcare consultations.
Our teams also saw mental health issues among people, which required specialized support. Many migrants told us they faced sadness, fear and anguish due to the difficulties of the journey, uncertainty about the future and living in hostile and dangerous places. During this time, MSF’s psychology team conducted 2,022 mental health consultations. People were also diagnosed with complex conditions, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, acute stress reaction, anxiety and grief.
We provided care to people who experienced various types of violence along the route. This ranged from assaults to threats, extortion, kidnapping, witnessing murder and sexual violence. During this period, MSF teams treated 878 cases of sexual violence. These incidents occurred at different points along the migration route.
Our response was interdisciplinary, including health promotion, social work and mental health, allowing our teams to identify needs, understand the context and develop a precise analysis of the priorities of people on the move. We also strengthened ties with other organizations and created a medical and social referral system with them. MSF also created safe spaces to empower migrants through group support sessions, reaching more than 138,000 people.
Much of MSF’s work over these last four years was achieved through the openness and support of various state agencies, local communities, humanitarian organizations and members of civil society. Together, we have contributed to strengthening public policies and increasing access to healthcare, p and other services, responding to the medical and humanitarian needs faced by migrants.
Continuation of the humanitarian response
People on the move are exposed to violations along the migration route, often multiple times. Existing immigration policies and practices in Honduras contributed to the protection of migrants and helped reduce the risks they faced while waiting or in transit. In recent years, an amnesty for immigration fines was approved and rest areas were created, including the Centre for the Attention of Irregular Migrants in Danlí, which demonstrates the government’s commitment to ensuring dignified and safe migration.
“As MSF, we urge for humanitarian and state response to continue working together to reduce health, security, language and shelter barriers for these people,” says Armijo. “We also urge more resources to be allocated to the care and protection of migrants, as well as continued discussions to advance the approval of the new Migration Law that guarantees the elimination of immigration fines.”
MSF is calling for improved coordination of humanitarian response. The Honduran government must continue mitigating the risks faced by migrants while transiting through this country, providing protection and respecting their rights from a social and humanitarian perspective.
MSF remains committed to continuing two other projects in Honduras. In San Pedro Sula, we provide access to sexual and reproductive healthcare for adolescents, sex workers and the 2SLGBTIQA+ community. In Tegucigalpa, our focus is the prevention of arboviruses, such as dengue, Zika and Chikungunya. MSF also remains on standby to respond to other humanitarian needs resulting from disasters, epidemics and other emergencies.
