From the beginning, Voices has sought to empower our local partners with the knowledge and technical skills they need to achieve just and equitable development. Instead of identifying and solving problems for our partners, we develop local capacity for prioritizing needs and problem solving. And instead of injecting money into a community, we help local partners manage resources and develop fundraising skills so they may secure funding for their initiatives and projects.

Our capacity building activities are true to our philosophy of empowerment by ensuring that our Salvadoran partner communities are be able to continue their growth and development once the outside assistance has ended. Our capacity building projects include:

Comunidad Segundo Montes "Unity" Project

Voices is assisting Comunidad Segundo Montes develop a community organizing body that brings people together to improve quality of living, address social issues, and unite around common threats such as mining. Though the participating organizations and individuals are able to design and manage small development projects and advocacy initiatives on their own, they have yet to overcome the differences that have prevented their cooperation in recent history. Voices helps participants develop the skills they need to communicate and identify common interests and priorities, so they are more united and successful in their development activities.

Youth Leadership Development

For the past few years Voices has supported and trained youth groups in our partner communities to ensure they develop the skills necessary to serve as the next generation of leaders. We accompany them as they develop projects such as a historical memory, mobile cinema, crafts workshops, theatre groups, youth festivals, local field trips, and many others.

Women's Committees

Working with United Communities and other organizations, Voices assists with the development of women's committees that organize and train women to be empowered leaders at home and in their communities, and develop alternative incomes to ensure greater economic security for their families.

Lower Lempa Rescue Squad

Voices and United Communities are are partnering to develop a strong emergency response team, which includes the Lower Lempa Rescue Squad. We have organized and funded training opportunities for the rescue squad members to increase their capacity to respnd to emergencies.