The Organización Fraternal Negra Hondureña (OFRANEH) is a grassroots organization that works on behalf of the Garífuna people in a permanent struggle for their autonomy, as well as their collective social, economic, cultural, and territorial rights. The mission of OFRANEH is to erradicate historical injustices and the loss of the Garífuna peoples’ patrimony, and to recuperate and strengthen their ancestral cultural identity and spirituality.
OFRANEH struggles to defend and protect natural resources necessary for the survival of humanity based on a belief in “diversity and responsibility to our planet.” Together with other sectors and organizations, OFRANEH is working to consolidate a broad-based social movement in Honduras through the creation of alliances and collaboration on a local, national and international level.
In addition, OFRANEH has been involved in seeking the legal defense of ancestral Garífuna territory, assisting communities in three cases and four petitions before the Inter-American Comission on Human Rights (IACHR). To date, three cases have been admitted, and the IACHR has granted Precautionary Measures to the communities Triunfo de la Cruz and San Juan, as well as to various community leaders and board members of OFRANEH.
OFRANEH is also promoting the creation of a network of Garífuna community radio stations, operating in five communities and reaching 40% of Garífuna territory. The objective of the network is to defend Garífuna culture against the infiltration of mass media and a corresponding process of cultural homogenization. The community radio network is also a way to defend Garífuna territory, and a source of empowerment for the women and young people from the communities who manage broadcasting.
Other lines of action include the following: promoting the recuperation and strengthening of ancestral forms of governance and self-determination; advocating for the implementation of Intercultural Bilingual Education (IBE) in Garífuna communities; contributing to improvements in health and health care systems in Garífuna communities, guided by Garífuna spirituality; and pushing for national and international legislation that guarantees respect for, and recognition of the rights of indigenous and Afro-Carib peoples in Honduras.