SAN SALVADOR – The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and five Salvadorian foundations today announced a partnership to combat citizen insecurity and strengthen municipal responses to crime and violence in 50 dangerous communities in El Salvador. This public-private partnership is the largest in USAID history with local partners and ever in Latin America.

“This partnership is another example of how USAID is able to leverage private sector resources to multiply the impact of our funding,” said Mark Feierstein, USAID’s assistant administrator for Latin America and the Caribbean. “We are confident that with these five outstanding local foundations, we will be able to help reduce crime in El Salvador and remove the principal impediment to economic growth.”

SolucionES, the five-year partnership of $42 million, will:

• Work with five municipal councils (consisting of local government, youth leaders, civil society, churches, the private sector, and civilian police) to assess local resources and develop crime prevention plans.
• Train communities in conflict prevention.
• Provide youth with after-school clubs, leadership programs, and employment opportunities.
• Offer psychological counseling in schools traumatized by violence.
• Increase the social investment of local private companies.

The partnership is part of USAID’s Central America Regional Security Initiative (CARSI) work and builds on the agency’s mission to foster local capacity and sustainability. The SolucionES partners include: Fundación Nacional para el Desarrollo, Fundación Salvadoreña para la Salud y el Desarrollo Humano, Fundación Crisálida, Fundación Salvadoreña para el Desarrollo Económico y Social, and Fundación Empresarial para el Desarrollo Educativo.