FHI 360 is partnering with a network of local civil society organizations to implement the Education for Children and Youth Program in El Salvador. Funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), this program aims to improve educational opportunities for economically disadvantaged El Salvadorian students and out-of-school youth living in municipalities with high crime rates.

The Education for Children and Youth Program will work with lower secondary schools in high-risk municipalities to enhance academic achievement and increase 9th grade completion. In addition, the project will strengthen safe learning environment programs to reduce school violence and provide innovative education incentives to low-income, lower secondary students in these communities. It will also focus on increasing access to education by providing assistance for out-of-school youth to return to formal schooling, complete a lower secondary education diploma and engage in community-based skills training programs for local labor markets.

This program marks the first FHI 360 USAID Forward program in Latin America. USAID Forward programs work to better align resources with the priorities of local civil society and partner countries, promote sustainable development through building local capacity and identify new innovations that can be scaled up to achieve better results. FHI 360 will partner with the Foundation for the Comprehensive Education of El Salvador (FEDISAL), who will take the lead on the program to build local leadership in youth education and development in the country.  FHI 360, along with a network of local nongovernmental organizations, will work to improve the delivery of educational services to youth. FHI 360 will also support these organizations by leveraging its experience working in El Salvador to strengthen the technical and administrative capacity of its local partners in planning, managing and engaging with large, complex education programs.

About FHI 360: FHI 360 is a nonprofit human development organization dedicated to improving lives in lasting ways by advancing integrated, locally driven solutions. Our staff includes experts in health, education, nutrition, environment, economic development, civil society, gender equality, youth, research, technology, communication and social marketing — creating a unique mix of capabilities to address today’s interrelated development challenges. FHI 360 serves more than 60 countries and all U.S. states and territories.