El Salvador and Honduras are on the drug & human trafficking route to the USA - two of the world's most violent nations. We work with teenage boys from red-zone gang areas where we select those who are most at risk of gang violence, recruitment, and crime. Our fight is against poverty and a sense of hopelessness - not gangs. In addition to attending quality schools, the boys receive: extra tuition, group & individual counseling, and nutritious food - all within a warm family environment.
Our boys in El Salvador and Honduras have grown up in gang zones where gang life and activity are normalized. They have spent a lot of time unsupervised on the street and largely come from fatherless families - their parents may have "gone", are overseas or in prison. Oftentimes they seek out an "alternative family" - making them vulnerable to crime, being used to carry drugs and even carrying out murders. With a sense of hopelessness, some run the risk of trying to cross into the USA.
We have specific selection criteria used when inviting boys to join us. They must display enthusiasm to make the most of the opportunity (that we are offering) to grow beyond the glass ceiling that they have lived under for all of their lives. This is a long-term project where with the provision of quality education, and mental/physical/spiritual care, we will walk with them even beyond university graduation so that they may find secure & meaningful employment and live beyond hopelessness.
Our clear expectation is that our boys become solid and intelligent men working as professionals. From "Day-1" we are working with our boys so that they understand that having found meaningful employment, they will give back not only to their families but also to their communities. Over 35 years we, Empower Asia Latin America have raised doctors, school principals/teachers, civil and I.T engineers, community workers, pastors etc. We absolutely expect to do the same in Central America!
This project has provided additional documentation in a DOCX file (projdoc.docx).
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