Of El Salvador’s 7 million inhabitants, an estimated 2 million live in the United States. The 12-year civil war left approximately 70,000 dead. Poverty and economic exclusion that led to that conflict persist and social violence has intensified. The municipality of Jayaque, where Ignacio Martín-Baró served as a pastor during the 1980s, is no exception. Violence related to gangs and/or associated with drugs and extortion, primarily committed by youth, is increasing, and the principal victims are youth themselves. Most families are relegated to work in maquilas, construction, or domestic service, and rely on remittances from their family members living in the United States. Internal migrants from previous conflict zones including Chalatenango and Morazán have moved to Jayaque which is vulnerable to natural disasters, earthquakes, and mudslides.

Strengthening the psychosocial capacities of women, youth and children seeks to enhance community engagement through recruiting youth volunteers who will join project staff to diagnosis and assess community problems. Community members will prioritize the most pressing issues and collaborate in developing interventions under local leadership. Project staff include Jayaque residents who were recipients of university scholarships through the Ignacio Martín-Baró Cooperative and are now “returning home”, giving back to neediest in their communities through community-based participatory research, youth training, and mental health resources. [Seehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MNhVyeS1o , for more information about the Cooperative]