A Foundation to Build On
Five ways we’re making progress to address the root causes of irregular migration in northern Central America
This month we mark three years since the U.S. government launched the U.S. Strategy to Address the Root Causes of Irregular Migration in Central America. Today, we’re starting to see tangible positive impacts on the lives of hundreds of thousands of vulnerable women, men, and children across El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.
From generating decent jobs and improving security, to strengthening education and fighting corruption, USAID and our partners on the ground are making a difference. We’re seeing more Salvadorans, Hondurans and Guatemalans making the decision to stay in their communities and invest in their future.
Here are five stories on how we’re changing lives.
Expanding Economic Opportunity
Through a partnership between USAID and Mexico’s International Cooperation Agency for Development (AMEXCID) called Sembrando Oportunidades, we are empowering thousands of women to take control of their future and forge new paths for themselves, their families, and their communities.
Magaly Melendez, a 26-year-old from Mejicanos, a municipality in San Salvador, El Salvador, is a great example. Realizing temporary and informal jobs like being a nanny were not sustainable, she pursued a career in banking through a bank teller course offered by Asociación Bancaria Salvadoreña (ABANSA), a Sembrando Oportunidades partner. As a result, she secured a steady job as a bank cashier, providing her with financial stability and opening up new possibilities for personal and professional growth.
Improving Governance
USAID’s Trade Facilitation and Border Management project is contributing to efficient and transparent commerce across the region. One example: Customs Honduras implemented “Paperless Customs” in Puerto Cortés, one of the border crossings with the greatest commercial flow in the country.
Rosa Matute, a Honduran customs officer, said that prior to going digital, processing was delayed by the sheer amount of physical paperwork customs officers had to compile and track.
Now they can process shipments 30% faster and more transparently, meaning companies receiving their products don’t have to wait as long for their imported goods nor pay as much. This in turn is making companies more efficient, boosting their profitability, and generating more jobs for Hondurans.
Promoting Human Rights
With about 80% to 90% of persons with disabilities unemployed or outside the workforce in Latin America and the Caribbean, providing training in job readiness, job skills, job interviewing, and resume preparation can make a huge difference in their ability to secure a job.
Through a regional USAID project that promotes labor rights for persons with disabilities, Zoila Chacon, a 33-year-old Guatemalan woman who lost her leg at age 18 in a motorcycle accident, got the support she needed to get a new job as a cashier, and now can provide for herself and her family.
Preventing Violence
In the municipality of Choloma, Honduras, communities with high rates of violence are finding new ways to foster positive change so youth see that they can have a promising future in Honduras. USAID works with teachers, school counselors, and parents to identify and support youth at risk.
Kevin Saldívar, a high school teacher in Éxitos de Anach, has been instrumental in identifying and referring young people who are in urgent need of mental health support to the project’s family counseling program. This counseling is strengthening families, giving parents the tools to improve family cohesion, and keeping youth focused on their studies and forming positive relationships. As a result, youth participating in the program saw a 74% reduction in their risk level for joining gangs.
By addressing issues at all levels — individual, family, and community — we are improving youths’ ability to confront challenges, take advantage of opportunities, and solve problems without resorting to violence or irregular migration.
Combating Gender-Based Violence
Northern Central America has some of the highest rates of gender-based violence in the region, including femicides. This lack of safety can push people to migrate. In El Salvador, barbershops are playing a key role in challenging harmful gender norms and tackling gender-based violence.
Through a USAID-supported project, barbers such as Sam and Enrique have gained valuable insights into positive concepts of masculinity and the harmful impact their attitudes and actions can have on themselves and the women in their lives. Now, they’re paying it forward and sharing their insights with their clients, helping their communities become more equitable and inclusive.
While there is still much more progress to be made, just last year USAID and our partners:
- Helped businesses create or sustain more than 70,000 jobs;
- Helped more than 63,000 farmers in Guatemala and Honduras use innovative technologies to increase production and income, and nearly tripled their access to finance;
- Provided technical support to about 5,000 government officials and non-governmental organization representatives to improve systems of accountability and take action against corruption;
- Improved governments’ abilities to provide basic services like waste collection, public lighting, water treatment, and nutrition services;
- Doubled our reach since 2021 to protect civic space and support human rights defenders;
- Launched new gender-based violence programs that reached 27,000 people; and
- Reached more than 90,000 at-risk youth with crime and violence prevention programs.
We are proud of our work in El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala, and remain committed to doing more.
About the Author
Jessica Hartl is a Senior Communications Advisor for USAID’s Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean.
