A. M. Six salvadoran community organizations benefited from more than US$210,000 in funding delivered under the SEMILLAS Project, an initiative financed by the government of Italy through the Agencia Italiana de Cooperación al Desarrollo (AICS), in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of El Salvador. The main objective of the project is to prevent irregular migration by creating opportunities for economic and social development in vulnerable communities.
The ceremony was presided over by the Vice Minister of Diaspora and Human Mobility, Cindy Mariella Portal, and the Ambassador of Italy in El Salvador, Paolo Emanuele Rozo Sordini, who highlighted the financial impact of these funds to implement the selected initiatives. “These resources will allow development ideas to become realities that directly benefit the population”, said the official.
Winning organizations include Fundación Viva Juntos por la Niñez, which will improve its educational infrastructure; Asociación de Desarrollo Comunal Los Conacastes, which will renovate its sports complex; and Asociación Nuestro Esfuerzo, which will build a comprehensive development center. Other initiatives benefited include drinking water projects, technical training in footwear, and care services to prevent migration.
The coordinator of the footwear cluster in Santa Ana, Douglas López, explained that his project will train 100 people in footwear and leather goods manufacturing in four strategic communities, thus contributing to the generation of local employment. Lorena Linares, representative of the project “El Taller de Jesús”, said that with the financing they will improve the furniture of the space where they serve children at social risk.
The activity also recognized the contribution of members of the salvadoran diaspora in the development of their communities of origin, strengthening the ties between migration and local growth. The financial investment, in addition to promoting concrete projects, seeks to lay the foundations for economic and social roots as a sustainable strategy to reduce forced migration.
