USAID/Honduras Youth Assessment Situational Analysis

Honduras is one of the poorest nations in the Americas, with a per capita income that lags far behind the regional average. The country has a significant youth bulge, with approximately 65 percent of the population below the age of 29, and 42 percent between the ages of 10-29. Much has been written about the effects of the country’s poverty, violence and migration on youth, especially in Honduras’ central and northern regions where the largest cities (Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula) are located. However, there is less systematic and comprehensive documentation regarding the reality of youth in the departments of Copán, Santa Bárbara, Intibucá, La Paz, Lempira, and Ocotepeque in western Honduras.

As USAID prepares to update its Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) for Honduras, additional information is required to ensure that investments in the western region – where the agency concentrates its work under Development Objective 2 (DO2) of its current strategy – is targeted to effectively address youth needs. Therefore, to improve understanding of the status and aspirations of youth in western Honduras and facilitate its own strategic decision-making, USAID commissioned YouthPower Learning to conduct a Youth Assessment in the region using a Positive Youth Development (PYD) lens.