Communities of Faith Organizing for Action (COFOA) is growing its organizing presence and power in El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala and providing a model to launch work in Mexico.
In El Salvador, 2,335 COFOA leaders organizing efforts in138 communities to secure nearly $23 million for local improvements like water, roads, electricity and schools. COFOA leads national campaigns to secure the property titles for 350,000 families valued at $1 billion, restore cuts and add a hospital to the health care system, create an unemployment compensation system, fight proposals to restart dangerous mining, and protect El Salvador’s fragile democracy.
In Honduras, COFOA leaders organize in 16 communities. Residents in four rural communities in the Francisco Morazán Department won electricity, clean water, a sewage system and a critically needed bridge. Collectively they are building support for a regional hospital that would serve thousands of families in rural areas who must travel 5-7 hours to receive medical care.
In Guatemala, COFOA continues to deepen its work on youth development and climate adaptation in six parishes in Sololá where leaders began a campaign to address environmental contamination in Lake Atitlán, With support from Bishop Domingo Buezo Leiva, COFOA began work in the Chimaltenango Department.
Seeing the work in Central America, clergy from the Archdiocese of Guadalajara, Mexico invited Faith in Action International to work with parishes in the diocese to develop a grassroots faith-based organizing effort.
Through the Root Causes Initiative, we’re supporting efforts to promote human rights and democracy in the United States, Mexico and Central America; and shift the U.S. Agency for International Development’s approach to supporting locally-led development.
Support grassroots organizing in Central America.
