Honduras Activates Early Action Protocol to Mitigate Drought Impacts

The Honduran Red Cross, with support from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the German Red Cross, has activated an Early Action Protocol (EAP) to reduce the humanitarian impacts of droughts associated with the El Niño phenomenon. The protocol aims to protect 10,000 people in historically drought-affected areas, prioritizing households dependent on subsistence agriculture and livestock farming. The EAP addresses three priority impacts: losses to agricultural and livestock livelihoods, food insecurity, and limited access to safe water. The activation is based on official information issued by COPECO/CENAOS, requiring a 60% probability of an El Niño event and below-average rainfall in the Dry Corridor of Honduras. The protocol includes proactive measures such as awareness-raising campaigns, multi-purpose cash transfers, water treatment and distribution, and community participation and accountability mechanisms.