So some of you might have seen my facebook post about the "bad news" of the possible shut down of Peace Corps Honduras. I thought that I should explain a little more and give you the official documents so that you can understand whats going on. Attached are letters from my country Director and the regional Director for central and South America. Basically I'm going to be in a state of limbo for a while. The life plan up to this point is I fly out to AZ to be with my family as scheduled for pre-approved vacation days I leave on the 29th and I am supposed to come back the 5th of January. This closure conference to talk to everyone does not have an official date yet besides beginning of January if it is before the 5th Ill have to sly back to Honduras early to attend. After the conference ALL volunteers will be packed up and sent back to the states for at least 30 days- and there we wait in limbo to see if we can go back at some point to Honduras to serve or if the country will be closed down. If the country is re-opened not everyone will likely come back and not all projects or sites will be reopened.
SEE BELOW for the offical version of this info:
STANDFAST: Peace Corps/Honduras
All PC/Honduras Volunteers have been placed on Standfast, effective December 20, 2011. This means that Volunteers must remain in their sites until further notice or as authorized below.
We will advise all Volunteers of the date of the Volunteer Conference as soon as logistics are finalized. Some Volunteers may need to change their travel plans in order to attend the Conference.
Conditions of Standfast: We have closed Honduras’ borders to Visiting Volunteers from other posts. All Peace Corps posts have been notified. If you are in need of medical care, please contact the Duty PCMO for support and guidance. Volunteers with pre-approved Annual Leave to the USA, France, Mexico, China, Costa Rica and Nicaragua can continue with their travel plans depending on Volunteers’ transportation within Honduras. These Volunteers must have their in-Honduras transportation approved by the Country Director before traveling and/or returning so that we can reduce risks. Volunteers with pre-approved Annual Leave to El Salvador and Guatemala need to abide by Standfast within Honduras. Thus, your trips must be cancelled. Volunteers who currently are in El Salvador or Guatemala need to return to their sites in Honduras, after consulting with PC/Honduras staff about transportation options. All Personal and Annual Leave within Honduras is prohibited, except in the rare exceptions of those Volunteers who have family visiting.
o A case-by-case decision will be made on Standfast exceptions for Volunteers who have family visiting.
o Those Volunteers must have their in-Honduras (mainland) transportation and lodging approved by the Country Director before traveling.
o Volunteers traveling to Roatán must fly from/to either San Pedro Sula or Tegucigalpa, with pre-approval of ground transportation within Honduras. Overnighting on the north coast is not permitted unless a waiver is granted by the Country Director. Volunteers who do not comply with the above protocols will face Administrative Separation, loss of non-competitive federal eligibility, and loss of PC/Honduras’ letters of recommendation for future graduate school and job applications.
Emily Untermeyer
Country Director
Peace Corps/Honduras
December 20, 2011
December 20, 2011
Message to Volunteers in Honduras:
As we stated in our message to you last Friday, Peace Corps made the difficult decision to cancel the arrival of the next group of trainees in Honduras scheduled for February 2012. It was not an easy decision, but based on a series of meetings last week with Country Directors, Peace Corps Safety and Security staff, and other headquarters staff, along with input from current Honduras Volunteers, we know it is the best decision in order to ensure the safety and security of all Volunteers.
During the course of our meetings, we also reviewed existing policies and procedures and developed additional actions that need to be implemented if we are to maintain operations in Honduras. These additional actions may include:
Assess moving the main Peace Corps office out of Tegucigalpa and closer to the regions where Volunteers will be placed in the future; The establishment of regional support offices closer to Volunteers; A reduction in the number of Volunteers in country; A redefinition of the geographic areas where Volunteers will be placed in the future; An analysis of all current Volunteer sites and a re-assessment of the overall security environment at each site; Extension of the off-limits areas; and, A review of alternative transportation and logistical support systems.
These actions will require careful planning and execution, in addition to significant amounts of time from our staff in Honduras and Washington. Consequently, we have made the hard decision to temporarily pause our operations in Honduras while we evaluate and implement the proposed actions. Prior to potentially re-starting operations, our regional and headquarters-based safety and security staff will conduct a new assessment of the security environment to ensure that we can operate safely in Honduras.
In order to implement this temporary pause in our operations in Honduras, we are taking the following steps:
Standfast
Effective immediately, we are placing all Volunteers on standfast, and all Volunteers should remain in their sites. If you do not feel safe in your site, I want you to contact our staff in Honduras so that we can pick you up, and transport you to a safe location.
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If you have travel plans over the upcoming holidays, please check with our staff in Honduras to review transportation options and to obtain permission to travel outside of your site. We are currently working on defining additional off-limits areas in Honduras and neighboring countries which may affect your vacation travel plans. We have attached standfast instructions to this letter. Remember that Honduras is off-limits to visiting Volunteers from other countries.
Volunteer Conference
You will be invited to participate in a Volunteer Conference in early January to work with staff to review your options and assist you with next steps.
Administrative Hold
After the January conference, all Honduras Volunteers will be placed on Administrative Hold for a period of at least thirty days and will return to their Home of Record in the United States while Peace Corps assesses the future direction of the program. We are currently working on the details of this process and will provide you with additional information at the Volunteer Conference. Administrative Hold means that you will remain a Volunteer, but will be away from your country of service for the convenience of the Peace Corps. The Peace Corps will, among other things, continue to be responsible for your medical care. While you are on Administrative Hold, our staff will analyze our options and decide whether we can implement the steps that are necessary to ensure your safety and security.
Interrupted Service / Early Close of Service
Please note that you may request Interrupted Service at any time. Interrupted Service is granted when a situation beyond your control prevents you from completing your full tour of service. Any Volunteer granted Interrupted Service can seek re-enrollment in another country program. Furthermore, Volunteers who are within 90 days of their Close of Service date will be eligible for an early Close of Service. Volunteers who are traveling home for the holidays will also be given the option of not returning to Honduras and will be provided with the option of Interrupted Service or, for eligible Volunteers, early Close of Service.
I understand that seeking Interrupted Service or early Close of Service is a difficult decision. All of you joined the Peace Corps with a desire to make a difference, and you are currently doing that. However, I urge any Volunteer with concerns about their safety and security to give serious consideration to the above options as appropriate. As you review your options, keep in mind that even if we are able to continue to have Volunteers in Honduras, it is likely to be a much smaller program in a smaller geographic area. Thus, there is a strong likelihood that many Volunteers will not have the option of continued service in their current site or even in Honduras.
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We are taking these measures because your safety and security is the agency’s highest priority. Our staff in Honduras, supported by our team in Washington, will be working diligently to provide you with the support you need.
We will continue to provide you with additional information over the next few days and weeks, and ask in advance for your patience and understanding as we work through these important changes.
Sincerely,
Carlos J Torres
Regional Director
Inter-America and Pacific Region
