We’re in the fifth week of the Viva Fund campaign to support youth leaders in El Salvador. This post was contributed by Cara Hagan, a recent graduate of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey who traveled to El Salvador with EcoViva in March. She is serving as an ambassador for the fifth annual Viva Fund. 

Dear friends of EcoViva,

I traveled to El Salvador in March as part of a team of students from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey to work on an MBA capstone project. We worked with an emerging dairy cooperative to help them increase profitability while staying true to their social mission. This May I graduated, completing my MBA with a specialization in Sustainable Supply Chain Management, and soon I’ll be heading to Ecuador to begin a job as a production manager.

My team and I were humbled by the resilience and strength of the community members of Ciudad Romero with whom we worked and lived. Despite being displaced by civil war and facing agricultural challenges, this community and the Mangrove Association continue to fight for environmental protection and sustainable economic growth. The young people of this community, while one of the most vulnerable groups,  are active leaders empowered to make positive change thanks to the opportunities  the Mangrove Association’s Youth Program provides.

El Salvador’s youth represent well over a third of the population. A contribution to the Viva Fund to support emerging leaders will have a powerful and lasting impact. Join me in donating today!

Warm wishes,

Cara Hagan