Fatima Martinez Mobilizes San Pedro Nonualco Youth to Take on Peace and Public Safety Issues

Fatima Martinez is 18 years old and one of COFOA’s younger leaders, active in St. Peter’s Catholic church COFOA ministry in San Pedro Nonualco. She is one of COFOA’s key leaders in the United Neighbors, Safe Community campaign in her town, and helped to organize all six neighborhood meetings that were held to prioritize safety issues.

Fatima is in her second year of high school and hopes to attend college to study business administration. By international standards, university is not that expensive in El Salvador, but most rural families cannot still afford it and so Fatima will seek scholarship support. Fatima has played key roles in every action at St. Peter’s, growing in confidence and poise. She is excited about their upcoming peace action in March and was part of a team that got all of the schools and over 400 youth to commit to a peace march as part of the event.  They will join in a public safety action where COFOA leaders hope to turnout over 1000 people along with all of the public safety and police officials and the San Pedro Nonualco mayor to make a plan to reduce violence and gang activity as well as improve youth development in their community. Fatima says that organizing has taught her how to be a leader and how to improve her community.