El Salvador: Strengthening families and supporting education

In El Salvador, poverty and violence are tearing many families apart, and a lack of prospects is driving young people to migrate, putting them in danger. The ChildInvest Foundation and SOS Children's Villages are therefore strengthening local families, promoting education, and opening up new prospects for children to build a better future in their home country.

El Salvador is a country where hope and despair are often closely linked: According to World Bank estimates, more than 30 percent of the population lived in extreme poverty in 2023.

Daily threats and violence are driving many young people to seek refuge. About a quarter of the population - roughly 1.6 million people - has already taken the risky journey to the U.S. to escape poverty and danger.

But migration carries its own dangers. Many young people travel unprotected through Mexico toward the U.S., often under inhumane conditions. For many, the journey ends with a forced return to El Salvador, where they face the same lack of prospects that once drove them to flee.

Opportunities at Home: Education, Stability, and Social Cohesion

A project by SOS Children’s Villages, implemented with support from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), focuses on stabilizing vulnerable families at two locations. It also provides educational opportunities for young people and supports returning migrants - particularly single mothers and children without parental care.

SOS Children's Villages Education Programs. Photo: Jakob Fuhr

The program, which is largely funded by the ChildInvest Foundation, focuses on the two communities of San Vincente and San Miguel, where poverty, unemployment, and violence have torn many families apart. Both cities are affected by high levels of migration.  

Author

Lena Rauch

Editor

Writes about the global work of SOS Children's Villages.

Through educational and vocational training programs, psychological support, and close collaboration with the local community, families are empowered and their living conditions are sustainably improved. SOS Children’s Villages and the ChildInvest Foundation create long-term opportunities that enable people to shape their own futures in their local communities. In doing so, we focus on three key areas:

Strengthening Families and Creating Opportunities for Children and Youth

    • Training and educational programs: Young people learn about their rights and discover how they can actively advocate for a future in their home country. At the same time, selected participants are trained so they can pass this knowledge on to families in the region as advocates.
    • Support for Starting Small Businesses: Young people receive vocational training and start-up capital. This enables them to build a self-determined and independent livelihood- for example, by operating a mobile hair salon.

    Psychosocial Support for Returning Families

    • Employees of SOS Children's Villages provide comprehensive psychosocial support to help families process their trauma after returning home. Children and adolescents receive play therapy and psychological first aid tailored specifically to their needs.

    Building Partnerships for a Strong Social Safety Network and Greater Awareness of Children's Rights

      • Launching a community-based migration prevention system: Local professionals are trained in human rights- and gender-sensitive approaches to ensure competent and respectful support for both families at risk of migration and returnees.
      • Raising public awareness of children’s rights: Through educational campaigns in schools, communities, and on social media, the often-hidden challenges of migration are brought to light, and prejudices are gradually reduced. In this way, SOS Children’s Villages creates an environment that protects and empowers affected children and families.

    Hope Instead of Refuge: A New Future at Home

    With their support, SOS Children’s Villages are giving people in El Salvador the opportunity to shape their future in their homeland with hope and self-determination – for a life without fear, poverty, and displacement.

    Author
    Lena Rauch

    Editor

    Writes about the global work of SOS Children's Villages.

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