The Jose Eduardo Lopez Scholarship

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A family that fled from Honduras to Canada 28 years ago, after their father was abducted and killed by the Honduran government, is hoping to keep his name alive.

They’re trying to honour his devotion to making a difference, so the Lopez family began raising money for scholarships to give to Latin American students pursuing a higher education here in Canada.

His name was Jose Eduardo Lopez. He was a human rights activist in Honduras, and highly critical of the Honduran government, which led him to be abducted, tortured and killed. The Lopez family couldn’t even bury his body.

Nora Melara Lopez still wells up with tears as she speaks of her husband Eduardo Lopez, a freelance journalist who often wrote of the Honduran government’s corruption in the 1980s. At age 38, Lopez left behind three young children. Osiris was nine the day her father was abducted, she says, “it was almost like he was saying goodbye because he said… you’re not coming today and make sure you take care of your brothers and your mom.”

Friday from 5 until 10 the Lopez’s are inviting the public to their first annual fundraising summer barbeque St. Gabriel Community Centre at 76 Macauley Street in Hamilton.

Their goal is to grant 3 scholarships per year to students who need the money to go to college or university. The more money they raise, the more they can help students achieve their goals.

You can visit jelms.org for more details about how to qualify for the scholarship.