Honduras—Creando Mi Futuro Aquí (Creando)

Instability, violence, and economic fragility are generating dislocation and disillusionment among Honduran youth, leading to record levels of outmigration. Honduras’s largest potential economic assets—its youth—are fleeing the country at an alarming rate. Comprising 53 percent of the population, youth represent an enormous economic opportunity for Honduras. The Honduras Creando Mi Futuro Aquí (Creating My Future Here) Activity works to increase the employment of young people at risk of irregular migration to the United States by increasing their educational and income-generating opportunities.

Working in partnership with public and private sector stakeholders, Creando aims to reach at least 500,000 youth at risk of irregular migration with a variety of services to assist them in becoming productively engaged in the Honduran economy and society. The Activity assists youth to secure viable employment; return to and/or complete their full formal education, alternative education, or technical and vocational training; and create innovative youth enterprises—including social enterprises—that will give youth a sense of accomplishment, stability, and financial security.

By the end of Creando—with 500,000 young people engaged and 100,000 newly employed—the project will have laid the foundation for an economically empowered generation of Hondurans to forge close ties to their communities and have confidence in a future where they can achieve their goals.

Sample Activities

• Launch a system for identifying and tracking school-aged, out-of-school youth at risk of migrating.
• Improve collaboration, increase investment by key actors, co-create market-driven solutions, and scale up proven approaches to motivate diverse groups of youth to enroll in and complete secondary education and skills training.
• Increase private sector exposure to secondary schools and technical and vocational education and training providers.
• Facilitate soft-skill and behavior change programs with the private sector.
• Improve the Government of Honduras’ capacity to engage youth in developing education and training programs.
• Introduce life and career counseling services in educational institutions, employment centers, and key community spaces for youth.

Select Results

• Supported the Honduran Ministry of Education in its nationwide launch of the 2022 back-to-school campaign “Te Queremos Estudiando.” By supporting the Government’s enrollment goal of 2 million students in more than 23 schools, USAID is ensuring that youth return to the classroom, complete their education, and secure a better future in Honduras.
• Incorporated USAID’s Influencer 504 Social Emotional Learning (SEL) program into the curriculum at Academia Yo Puedo Ser in Santa Rosa de Copán. SEL skills not only provide youth with the tools to navigate difficult personal and workplace challenges but represent critical life skills for new hires desired by employers.
• Delivered certificates to more than 2,000 final-year high school students who have completed the Career Preparation Course, a 100-hour workforce development training to help young people prepare for the workplace or future studies with soft skills and basic labor competencies desired by employers and necessary to succeed in higher education. More than 10,000 students have enrolled in the course.
• Facilitated the donation of internet connections in two project schools in Tela and La Ceiba by telecommunications company TIGO. The installations at Manuel Bonilla High School and Triunfo de la Cruz High School will ensure that more than 1,500 students have access to important digital resources to continue their studies. In total, TIGO will install internet connections in 12 prioritized schools, reaching more than 6,000 students. By leveraging the support of private sector partners, USAID is ensuring that at-risk youth can continue their studies, graduate, and build a future in Honduras.
• Delivered 1,534 recuperation workbooks to 400 students at risk of failing the 2022 school year.