Today we’re happy to kick off our 6th Annual Viva Fund campaign to support young leaders in El Salvador!

We created the Viva Fund five years ago to further our partners’ work for locally-led, sustainable development in the Lower Lempa region of El Salvador by focusing more resources on youth leadership.

The Viva Fund has accomplished a lot these last five years. For three years, the fund provided scholarships for promising youth leaders, helping them finish high school, get a technical degree, or attend university while organizing for change in their communities. Viva Fund grew to support more programs, including radio, arts, recreation, and literacy. Mangrove Radio is one product of the youth-oriented programs sustained by Viva Fund that has become a leading entity within the communities we work with. Youth involvement has continued to expand with the creation of Local Youth Groups, youth committees that work to address social, economic, and environmental challenges within their communities.

This year’s Viva Fund campaign is as important as ever. Just like in 2014, we’re seeing record numbers of unaccompanied children and families coming to the United States. Violence and economic need continue to be major forces in the rural communities we work with.

Our goal is to rase $7,000 by August 24. The money raised through Viva Fund supports critical youth programs, paying for things like classroom supplies, support for young entrepreneurs, materials for solar-powered irrigation systems in school gardens, youth coordinators’ staff time, and the like. These resources help strengthen initiatives to integrate young people into community development projects.

You can empower young leaders in our partner communities by giving generously to Viva Fund. We are proud that, for the last five years running, we have met our fundraising goals thanks to the unwavering support of donors like you. Let’s make this year another successful one by showing our support for and solidarity with young leaders in the Lower Lempa!

Give today, and stay tuned for more stories from our partners over the next six weeks about the fantastic work being done by the young Salvadorans we work with.