Ficohsa Newsletter

Mr. Juan Carlos Atala, President of the Ficohsa Foundation for Children’s Education, this week joined U.S. Ambassador Laura F. Dogu, representatives of the Honduran and United States governments, and private sector leaders at the launch of a new initiative to support education reform and improvements to school infrastructure in Honduras.

As part of a tripartite alliance between USAID, the Honduran Ministry of Education, and the private sector, Grupo Financiero Ficohsa has committed to investing an additional US$1 million over the next two years to enable the Ficohsa Foundation to renovate more school classrooms.

Mr. Atala, said, “The Ficohsa Foundation for Early Childhood Education has benefitted over 150,000 children in 149 schools over the last 25 years.  But we want to do more.  I am proud that Grupo Financiero Ficohsa is expanding its support for education in Honduras by committing to invest US$1 million over the next two years to enable our Foundation to renovate many more school classrooms.”

The Ficohsa Foundation will use its extensive experience to focus investment where it is needed most: renovating 245 classrooms in 25 schools in seven cities in the center and north of the country.  In total, 10,700 students and their teachers will benefit from Ficohsa’s significant donation.

The schools selected for renovation will be located near to the kindergarten schools that the Ficohsa Foundation already supports, ensuring that those under-served communities are further strengthened and the children’s high quality education continues after pre-school.

Mr. Atala continued, “Ambassador Dogu has shown admirable interest in improving public education in Honduras, and Ficohsa is honored to be working closely with her and USAID on this important issue.    Ficohsa’s US$1 million commitment to Honduran schools will transform thousands more young lives, as well as enhance training for many teachers.”

Media contact: Michelle Zúniga, michele.zuniga@ficohsa.com, +504 9703-9726, www.ficohsa.com

Grupo Financiero Ficohsa is the leading Honduran financial services group, offering banking, insurance, pensions, brokerage and money exchange.  Ficohsa’s innovative online solutions enable customers to carry out their banking at any time or place, expanding financial inclusion across the region.  Ficohsa is a member of the United Nations Global Compact.

The Ficohsa Foundation for Children’s Education is committed to supporting underserved communities across Honduras and Central America.  Since its establishment 24 years ago, the Foundation has transformed the lives of 150,000 pre-school children, trained over 300 teachers, delivered over 12 million meals and created 29 technology centers equipped with over 500 computers in 149 schools in Honduras and Central America.

This material is distributed by Tricuro LLC on behalf of Banco Ficohsa.  Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.

The Ficohsa Foundation this month opened Angel Zuniga Huete Center, a new Kindergarten School in the town of La Entrada in the Copán department of western Honduras.  This is the 149^th kindergarten that the Foundation has supported as part of its commitment to strengthen the sustainable development of underserved communities in Central America by focusing on pre-school education.

Approximately 80 students at the kindergarten in La Entrada will receive high-quality education in their first year of school provided by regularly-trained teachers.  Each pupil will be provided with a daily snack.

Karla Simón, VP of Social Responsibility at Grupo Financiero Ficohsa, commented, “The Ficohsa Foundation is committed to expanding pre-school eduation in underserved communities across Honduras and Central America.  We strongly believe that, by providing boys and girls with the best start in life, we can help spark their interest in learning and lay crucial educational and social foundations for successful schooling in later years.”

Since its establishment 24 years ago, the Ficohsa Foundation for Early Childhood Education has transformed the lives of 153,000 pre-school children, trained over 300 teachers, delivered over 12 million meals and created 29 technology centers equipped with over 500 computers in 149 schools in Honduras and Central America.

Ms. Simón continued, “I am very proud of the work that the Ficohsa Foundation has undertaken over many years.  The provision of high-quality pre-school education contributes to the wider social and economic development of towns in disadvantaged regions.  But we want to do more.

Ms. Karla Simón

With the support of the Ficohsa Foundation for Children’s Education, the elementary school dropout rate in Honduras has dropped significantly and school attendance has improved dramatically.

Media contact: Michelle Zúniga, michele.zuniga@ficohsa.com, +504 9703-9726, www.ficohsa.com

Grupo Financiero Ficohsa is the leading Honduran financial services group, offering banking, insurance, pensions, brokerage and money exchange.  Ficohsa’s innovative online solutions enable customers to carry out their banking at any time or place, expanding financial inclusion across the region.  Ficohsa is a member of the United Nations Global Compact.

This material is distributed by Tricuro LLC on behalf of Banco Ficohsa.  Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.

For the 16th consecutive year, Ficohsa has been formally recognized as a socially responsible company for its ongoing commitment to the development of Honduras.

FUNDAHRSE – a nonprofit that promotes respect for ethical values, positive impacts on local communities, and environmentally sustainable business practices – presented Ficohsa with the prestigious Empresa Socialmente Responsable – or “Socially Responsible Business” – award at a ceremony in Tegucigalpa.

Receiving the award on behalf of Ficohsa Financial Group, Luis Atala Faraj, Executive Vice-President, said,

This award – presented to Ficohsa for the 16th year in succession – is testament to our 5,500 staff who care very deeply about driving positive change throughout Honduras, ensuring that our business impacts positively on the environment and the people of this great country.

luis atala faraj

Ficohsa published its Sustainability Report 2021 in June, highlighting many environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues where the company is using its size and economic strength for good:

• The Ficohsa Foundation for Early Childhood Education has benefitted 150,000 pre-school children in 148 educational centers since its inception in 1998.

• Ficohsa is working with the Government and the United Nations Development Program to support Hondurans whose incomes have suffered due to COVID19.  So far under the Bono Único Project, 170,000 vulnerable people have shared USD $13.8 million in exchange for food.

• In 2009, Ficohsa became the first bank in the region to develop an Environmental and Social Risk Analysis System (SARAS) to monitor the impact of its operations as well as those of its clients on the environment.

• In 2021, Ficohsa’s financial education program www.tuconcienciafinanciera.com – part of a campaign to increase financial inclusion in the region – was viewed by 1.3 million people

• In 2022, Ficohsa launched its Mujeres Adelante program to promote the economic growth of Honduran women.  Banco Ficohsa supports over 21,000 SMEs in Central America, of which over 50% are women-led.  Through loans and technical support, Ficohsa enables these businesses to grow, create sustainable jobs, and generate wealth and tax returns – particularly in those parts of the country that need the most support.

Mr Atala Faraj continued,

Ficohsa has made good progress on many of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, but of course there is much more work to do.  We shall be investing further in our local communities and protecting the natural environment in 2023.”

Luis atala faraj

Media contact: Michelle Zúniga, michele.zuniga@ficohsa.com, +504 9703-9726, www.ficohsa.com

Grupo Financiero Ficohsa is the leading Honduran financial services group, offering banking, insurance, pensions, brokerage and money exchange.  Established in 1994 and operating in the U.S., Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Panama, Ficohsa has 1.8 million clients, 5,500 staff, and 4,500 service points via Banco Ficohsa and TENGO.  Ficohsa’s innovative online solutions enable customers to carry out their banking at any time or place, expanding financial inclusion across the region.

Ficohsa is a member of the United Nations Global Compact, and adheres to the standards of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB).

This material is distributed by Tricuro LLC on behalf of Banco Ficohsa.  Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.