FHI 360 is partnering with a network of local civil society organizations to implement the Education for Children and Youth program. Funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development, this program aims to improve educational opportunities for economically disadvantaged students in lower secondary schools (grades 7-9) and out-of-school youth living in municipalities with high crime rates.

The Education for Children and Youth program works to enhance academic achievement and increase 9th grade completion, while also strengthening safe learning environment programs that help reduce school violence and provide innovative education incentives to low-income students in these communities. The program focuses 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 geared for local labor markets.

As the primary implementing partner, the Foundation for the Comprehensive Education of El Salvador is taking the lead on building local leadership in youth education and development in the country. FHI 360 collaborates with a network of local nongovernmental organizations to improve the delivery of educational services to youth. This partnership allows FHI 360 to leverage its experience working in El Salvador to strengthen the technical and administrative capacity of its local partners in planning and managing large, complex education programs.