Help 100 communities adapt to climate change

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken an undeniable toll on people around the world. Several months into this emergency, Latin America continues to see a rise in cases as many countries attempt to return to normal. As quarantine measures continue, hunger plays a larger and larger role in the everyday life of communities across El Salvador and Honduras.

Despite these challenges, resilient communities are working together to survive this disaster. Local community groups have become a saving grace for those unable to leave their homes for food or medicine. Environmental leaders have become relief project coordinators. 

Our partners have been learning from, working with, and serving their communities for decades. When the Mangrove Association helped 98 families in surrounding villages establish their own home farms, they weren’t strangers handing out needless items to nameless faces - they were helping their neighbors and friends in the best way possible.

The Women’s Association of Barra de Santiago (AMBAS) set up sanitation stations because they knew how many community members barely had enough water to drink or cook with, let alone practice regular hand washing. Red COMAL was able to improve food security in 7 Honduran communities by working with local producers to provide basic grains to over 200 families.

Years of working hand-in-hand with communities has built trust between these small organizations and those they serve. Our partners have helped thousands survive by listening to the needs of their communities and giving everything they had to get them through this ongoing tragedy. With your support over the years of our partnership, they have built the experience and capacity needed to care for their communities in the face of this disaster.

Thank you for the dedication, care, and solidarity you have given to our partners and their communities when they have needed it most.

Hi Friends,

I want to let you know how grateful we are for you. Because of people like you - donors, stakeholders, and incredible advocates - we are able to support resilient communities in Central America as they create safer, stronger, and more sustainable futures. Thank you for believing in our partners and helping them face challenges like poverty, food insecurity, climate change, and, now, COVID-19. 

Collective, community-based efforts have helped communities in El Salvador and Honduras adapt to a changing climate and contribute to the food security and economic well-being of thousands of people. The success of these projects comes from working directly with local communities and engaging different leaders, including women and young people, to advance sustainability, conservation, and protection of natural ecosystems. The resilient and collaborative leadership of our partners has increased community-led natural resources management in the Bay of Jiquilisco.

Because local leaders are working together at a grassroots level, goals and regulations can be tailored to specific species in specific communities, allowing resource users to maintain their livelihoods while at the same time conserving the resources they depend on for survival. Groups who are dependent on fishing and the extraction of natural resources have become more conscious of the regulations in place and best practices available to protect their vital resources. Community members are invested in conservation and have a higher level of environmental awareness and education as a result of the workshops, events, and promotional activities our partners are leading. 

As El Salvador prepares to celebrate its very first National Mangrove Ecosystem Conservation Day on July 26th, we want to thank you for supporting collaborative, community-based leadership. By listening to and believing in the communities we seek to help, we can continue to make a difference.

With gratitude, 

Mallory McDaniel

Communications and Outreach Manager