A Glance Back at 2013: Adelante’s most popular blog posts

In 2013 Adelante was very busy with all kinds of activities: new partnerships, new staff members, clientele growth to 7,000 and the launching of a campaign to support a new secondary education initiative! Take a look back at our top five blog posts of last year to learn more about how we continue to succeed in fulfilling our mission to improve the standard of living of the poorest of the poor Honduran women primarily through microfinance and education.

1. Julieta Castellanos Receives Women of Courage Award, March 11: Perhaps unsurprisingly, our most popular blog post of the year focused on a well-known Honduran human rights activist and her recognition from the US Department of State on International Women’s Day. All of us at Adelante were thrilled to see a courageous Honduran activist acknowledged at the international level for the work that she carries out here every day. Click on the title to read more about the work that Castellanos carries out as well as the very well-deserved award presented to her by Secretary of State John Kerry and First Lady Michelle Obama.

2. Assembly Meetings Offer More than Education, June 10: Just a few days after starting her six month internship with us, former Development Intern Hannah Bick published this post highlighting what she was most impressed by during her first field trip outside of La Ceiba. In this post Hannah explains, “For me, this reinforced what I had already suspected. Adelante is not only providing economic opportunities for women to enable them to begin or grow their businesses and therefore provide for themselves and their families, but it also gives them hope that they can give their children a chance to break the cycle of poverty.”

3. Microfinance Along Honduras’ Northern Coast, May 23: Roos Saalbrink arrived just a few weeks before Hannah and got inspiration for her opening post from visits to the peri-urban communities outside of La Ceiba and rural areas of the department of Colón. Over the course of her four month term as Development Intern, Roos was often most drawn to the entrepreneurial spirit of the women she met. Her business-minded focus can be highlighted in the following excerpt from her post, “As you can see Adelante’s small business loans help women at very different stages of their micro-enterprises – helping some start up and others expand their businesses. However for each of these women, with a small amount of money and some business advice, they are able to make small but indispensable changes to their own, their families’ and their communities’ livelihoods.”

4. In the Field with Adelante’s General Manager, May 7: This post was inspired by General Manager Sophia Anderson’s visit to our most distant branch office of Choluteca. Not only was she moved by the potential held by the women she met, Sophia was impressed with the dedication that the branch staff commit to our mission. She explains, “These women and their families are pioneers in search of a better life. They are the epitome of the human spirit – full of life, love for their children and hope for the future. Our Choluteca staff’s dedication to our institutional mission as demonstrated by the initiative to open this new assembly was inspiring to me; and I was humbled by the warm, welcoming smiles that we received from our clients. For me, this visit re-affirmed my commitment to our work and reminded me how truly important it is.”

5. A Tragic Fire in Roatán, April 17: Perhaps one of the strongest women any of us could meet, Adeline has proven herself able to thrive under any difficult circumstance she may face. In an interview with International Development Coordinator Gina Cappuccitti, Adeline confided in her of the fire that destroyed her home just three weeks before. After visiting Adeline’s home with her Credit Officer Orville, Gina was impressed by his quick instincts to support her in the best capacity that he could. Since the blog post was published, Adeline received the loan for $971 and has moved into her new home. On a second visit to Adeline’s assembly in July, Gina was happy to watch Adeline proudly present her most recent deposit to her assembly and Credit Officer.

While you’re looking through these posts don’t forget to check out a few of our more recent posts including:

• Gloria’s Story: Breaking the Intergenerational Cycle of Poverty with a New Business, December 31: How one new client is working to offer her children a better future

• The Immeasurable Value of Microloans, December 4: Gina’s reflections on the value microfinance has on women in terms of character building and self-esteem

• A Grateful Goodbye: Closing thoughts from an intern, November 19: Hannah’s departing post on what her internship  experience has meant to her

• First Impressions from the Field, November 5: New Director of Development Nancy Hiester’s induction post