ANDECU
Empowering underserved women in Nicaragua
ANDECU (Association of Nicaraguan Education and Culture) offers job training for women from underserved areas of Nicaragua's Pacific Coast. This training enables them to take on skilled jobs and earn higher salaries.
ANDECU also helps women start or improve small businesses, commercialize their products and take advantage of micro-finance opportunities.
Since its inception in 1999, ANDECU has helped over 725 women start or expand small businesses.
For more information, visit andecu.org.ni.
To donate by check:
Make check out to American Initiatives for Social Development with the memo line “ANDECU” and send to:
American Initiatives for Social Development
PO Box 1670
New York, NY 10156-1670
Asociación Manos Amigas
Changing lives and communities in El Salvador
Since 2001, our mission has been to develop the capacities of materially disadvantaged families to achieve a better life through income generation, basic infrastructure and access to health and nutrition.
We are convinced that by offering the necessary tools for families to be transformed in a positive and complete way, they will influence the development of their own community.
Community Infrastructure · Generating Opportunities · Community Assistance · Health and Nutrition
Generating Opportunities Program
Manos Amigas has various projects that serve to promote an income-generating option for young people and women: Textile Project, Cosmetology Project, Health and Nutrition Program, and the Miraflores Clinic.
Miraflores Clinic:
Medical and nutritional assistance that serves the Miraflores community and its surroundings, providing medical consultation, medicines and food supplements to those who need them. They see approximately 3,500 consultations per year.
Learn more about their work and programs at: www.manosamigas.com.
To donate by check:
Make check out to American Initiatives for Social Development with the memo line “Manos Amigas” and send to:
American Initiatives for Social Development
PO Box 1670
New York, NY 10156-1670
Asociación Sendas
Empowering young women from rural areas with high-quality education and vocational training
Asociación Sendas is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the holistic development of women and their families in Bolivia, through professional training, dignified employment opportunities, and a strong focus on food security—particularly through culinary-based projects.
Sendas leads innovative, sustainable programs that improve the personal and professional lives of women—particularly those from marginalized communities. We specifically support women of Aymara descent and others from rural and peri-urban areas who face limited access to education and employment.
Our Core Program: The CEFIM Technical Institute
CEFIM Technical Institute is Sendas’ flagship initiative. CEFIM uses an innovative dual training methodology that combines classroom instruction with hands-on internships in culinary businesses. Students gain both practical skills and soft skills aligned with real-world labor market demands.
The professional training offered by CEFIM includes:
A three-year degree in Gastronomic Services Administration
A range of short-term culinary specialization courses
Our Impact
– 5,000+ women have earned professional certifications through CEFIM.
– 100% of graduates report improved working and living conditions.
Scholarship Opportunities
To ensure equitable access, Sendas offers a variety of scholarships:
– Graduation Support Scholarship – Assists students in completing the final stages of their education
– Academic Boost Scholarship – Supports those returning to finish their education
– Entry Scholarship for Gastronomic Services Administration (dual modality): Enables women to enter this transformative program.
– We’re also developing new scholarship types for short-term, specialized courses, making flexible, skills-based education more accessible than ever.
Testimonies
Eunice Cáceres:
“After high school, I dreamed of studying gastronomy, but opportunities were scarce. Now, I’m funding my own education while growing a small business. The scholarship I received was key to help me start—it was an investment in my future, and I’m deeply grateful. It gave me access to quality education, broaden my career horizons, and improved my family’s quality of life. My dream is not only to succeed but to give back by creating employment for others.”
Silvia Eugenia Chui Poma:
“I’m a 36-year-old single mother of two boys, Miguel and Pedro. I used to work as a nanny, but when I lost that job, I knew I needed to take control of my future. The scholarship I received gave me the time and support I need to pursue professional growth and secure a better life for my children. It gave me hope, stability, and the strength to keep moving forward—not just for me, but for my entire community.”
How You Can Help
Your financial support directly changes lives. It helps women develop small businesses, complete technical training, and access competitively paid jobs. Many students must reduce work hours to attend classes. Scholarships bridge this gap, covering expenses during training and enabling long-term economic independence.
$60 helps a Bolivian woman of Aymara descent grow her small business and break the cycle of poverty.
$720/year fully funds a student’s education for three years, empowering her to pursue a professional culinary career.
To learn more visit: sendasbolivia.org
To donate by check:
Make check out to American Initiatives for Social Development with the memo line “Asociación Sendas” and send to:
American Initiatives for Social Development
PO Box 1670
New York, NY 10156-1670
Citalá and Villanueva
Supporting low-income families in El Salvador so their children have the opportunity to receive a comprehensive education
Colegio Citalá and Colegio Villanueva are private educational projects for young people between 12 and 18 years old. Their goal is to support low-income families so that their sons and daughters with great human and intellectual potential have the opportunity to receive a comprehensive education. This program allows low-income children to continue their studies after higt school at the university or higher technical level and improve their quality of life.
Citalá, which is specifically for boys, has been operating in the facilities of the Lamatepec School since 2012. It has a student population of more than 250 students, from 7th grade on, and has graduated 241 scholarship recipients: 46 students in 2016, 33 students in 2017, 49 students in 2018, 29 students in 2019, 35 students in 2020 and 49 students in 2021.
In 2022, Colegio Villanueva started for girls. It is a school that is operating in the facilities of Colegio La Floresta and provides opportunities for 43 girls from 7th grade on with scholarships, just like Citalá.
In 2022, 295 students from 7th to 11th grades will receive full scholarships, which include:
Use of facilities at Lamatepec and La Floresta Schools (classrooms, chemistry and computer labs, courts, physical and digital library, among others)
Access to highly qualified teaching staff
Didactic materials and school uniforms
Transportation
Counseling for the students and their families
Objectives
The main purpose of the Colegio Citalá and Colegio Villanueva is to open the minds and hearts of young boys and girls who are demonstrating exceptional capabilities for personal and academic development, but lack the resources needed to achieve their dreams. To accomplish this, Citalá and Villanueva provide resources and aid to bring educational opportunities to outstanding Salvadorian public school students, separating and saving them from dangerous gangs and domestic violence.
Achievements
Citalá has graduated 241 young students. All of them achieved outstanding results in the national secondary exams carried out by the Ministry of Education in El Salvador.
For example, in the national PAES exam (Test of Learning and Skills for Middle School Graduates), the average for the entire country of El Salvador in 2019 was 5.06, while the average for Citalá students was 8.06. (on a scale of 1 to 10). The highest grade of a Citalá student in PAES 2019 was 9.22.
Students from the program are admitted to a variety universities or technical colleges of higher education. More than 80% enjoy discounted fees or scholarships. In addition, dropout rates in the southern area of La Libertad, El Salvador have decreased during the lifetime of this initative. The young graduates leave Citalá prepared to find a decent job in El Salvador and continue their university studies.
Diego Vásquez graduated from Colegio Citalá in 2016. Thanks to the high quality education received at the Colegio Citalá, he obtained a full scholarship and graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering at John Brown University in the United States last year.
Real Opportunities
Education is the best route to personal development. Donations to this program support young Salvadorans who deserve support as they begin the challenging journey of their lives. Citalá and Villanueva give them hope and real possibilities.
To donate by check:
Make check out to American Initiatives for Social Development with the memo line “Citalá and Villanueva” and send to:
American Initiatives for Social Development
PO Box 1670
New York, NY 10156-1670
Hogar Faustino Llamas
Supporting Mexican Women with Intellectual and Psychosocial Disabilities
Hogares Faustino Llamas is a network of three Private Assistance Institutions in Querétaro, Mexico, dedicated to supporting women with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities. These women, many of whom have endured extraordinarily difficult pasts, now live in an environment filled with opportunities that are transforming their lives and futures.
Women with mental disabilities are particularly vulnerable, and are often exposed to abuse, neglect and violence. The late Dr. Faustino Llamas Ibarra, founded these institutions and devoted his life to protecting these women, offering them dignity, safety and care.
Your support — no matter how much — helps us provide essentials such as electricity, working appliances, clothing, crucial medical care, and much more. Together, we can give these women a safe, nurturing environment where they can begin to heal and thrive.
To learn more visit: https://www.hogaresfaustinollamas.org/
To donate by check:
Make check out to American Initiatives for Social Development with the memo line “Hogar Faustino Llamas” and send to:
American Initiatives for Social Development
PO Box 1670
New York, NY 10156-1670
Impaktemos Venezuela
Promoting human development through access to education in Venezuela
Impaktemos is a non-profit organization from Venezuela that promotes human development through access to education. It also supports access to food, healthcare, and other essential resources, providing basic human needs in the disadvantaged communities of Venezuela.
Impaktemos empowers people so that they can empower others. Started in 1983, today Impaktemos has seven active projects in seven states of Venezuela.
The projects are carried out with the help of donations from individuals and institutions that share our commitment. Regular donations, monthly or otherwise, are particularly important for its efforts to have a sustainable impact as Impaktemos strives to improve as many lives as possible.
The organization currently provides education to over 500 women and children throughout Venezuela and provides over 800 families with food and health supplies.
1000+ Beneficiaries · 200+ Volunteers · 4,000+ Women Received Vocational Training
To learn more visit: sendasbolivia.org.
Every donation has a specific impact. Impaktemos and the families it serves are grateful for your help!
$600 Donation: Educational support for 20 people
$1200 Donation: Educational support for 20 people; food and hygiene support for 20 families
$2400 Donation: Educational support for 30 people; food and hygiene support for 13 families
$3600 Donation: Educational support for 50 people; food and hygiene support for 17 families
To donate by check:
Make check out to American Initiatives for Social Development with the memo line “Impaktemos, Venezuela” and send to:
American Initiatives for Social Development
PO Box 1670
New York, NY 10156-1670
Las Retamas Rural Vocational High School
Empowering young women from rural areas with high-quality education and vocational training
Challenges for Young Women in Rural Areas
Young women in rural areas face significant barriers to education due to limited access to technology, distance from cultural centers, and inadequate public transportation.
For over 17 years, Las Retamas has been dedicated to supporting and empowering this underserved demographic in rural areas of Maipú in the Province of Mendoza, Argentina. Las Retamas high school is part of the Pedro Antonio Marzano Foundation (https://fundacionmarzano.org.ar).
Our aim is to help these young women complete their secondary education and to provide specialized vocational training in agriculture, food security and entrepreneurship. This training helps them overcome the constraints of poverty and limited opportunities prevalent in rural and agricultural settings.
Short and Long-Term Impact
Our efforts have yielded tangible results. We have a graduation rate exceeding 90%, far surpassing the national average of 50 to 60%.
Currently, we enroll approximately 90 students per year, from about 85 different families. Our impact extends beyond the direct beneficiaries, reaching an estimated 1,000 indirect beneficiaries annually.
A distinguishing feature of Las Retamas' academic program is the hands-on practicum. These immersive opportunities involve relocating classrooms to local centers of production and commerce, including wineries, shops, and health centers. Here, students engage in a variety of tasks for a total of 300 hours annually. This hands-on approach is pivotal for developing the fundamental skills required for a successful transition into the workforce.
Graduating students receive a High School Diploma in Agriculture and Environment. We aim to prepare responsible young people committed to the sustainable development of their community's natural and agricultural environment.
A Comprehensive Approach
We pursue a comprehensive approach to education, fostering academic excellence while equipping young women with the skills and knowledge needed to thrive in their communities.
Las Retamas is committed to improving the lives and futures of young women from rural areas, ensuring they have the opportunities and support they need to succeed.
We provide additional help to students through:
A pedagogical system of integral human formation and practical experiences designed to strengthen the academic and professional performance of each student.
Tutoring.
Collaboration with and support for the students’ families, recognizing their key role in the education process.
Food assistance to ensure that our students have their basic needs covered.
Be Part of the Solution
Scholarship Program. Help a student!
With your donation of $180 annually ($15 monthly), you support the academic trajectory of a student for one year.
Infrastructure Program.
Support the building improvements and the construction of the laboratory and production factory. A donation of $1000 contributes to 1 square meter (3.3 square feet) of the new lab and production factory.
To donate by check:
Make check out to American Initiatives for Social Development with the memo line “Las Retamas” and send to:
American Initiatives for Social Development
PO Box 1670
New York, NY 10156-1670
Los Rosales
Supporting Mexican Women with Intellectual and Psychosocial Disabilities
Casavalle is a neighborhood located in the periphery of Montevideo, Uruguay. It has a high poverty rate, characterized by high unemployment, food insecurity and poor formal education.
For over 30 years, Los Rosales has been transforming the lives of children and families in Casavalle, providing K-12 education, after school programs and job training for adults. Los Rosales receives 700 families each day. It offers a personalized education for all its students, helping each one reach his or her potential and develop the skills and character they will need to grow as a person.
Los Rosales offers FIVE educational programs:
Preschool:
Ages 0 to 3
Los Rosales School:
The K-12 school offers girls an integral education, with high academic standards, personalized attention, sports, as well as cultural, spiritual, civic, artistic and social activities.
The high school prepares young women to go to college. The curriculum has a strong STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) component so that students can have a solid background for today’s job market.
Job Training center for women:
The courses offered aim at empowering women, helping them develop the skills they need to succeed in their personal and professional lives, including having access to dignified work and protection from violence and abuse.
Girls Club:
An after school and leadership program for girls.
Grandmothers Club: craft club once a week to foment creativity and community among grandmothers.
Los Rosales also offers ad-hoc programs for women and families in the following areas:
- Resources and prevention of domestic violence
- Conflict Prevention
HOW YOU CAN HELP
A donation of $2,040 (or $170/month) gives a girl with a full scholarship in Los Rosales School for one year, including meals, books and supplies.
A single or monthly contribution will be used for scholarships.
To donate by check:
Make check out to American Initiatives for Social Development with the memo line “Uruguay – Los Rosales” and send to:
American Initiatives for Social Development
PO Box 1670
New York, NY 10156-1670
Montemira
Vocational Training in Hospitality
Montemira provides a three year technical degree program in the hospitality field. Students at Montemira are young girls from rural or urban, marginal areas from across the country. The school encourages its students to start school at an early age so that they will have a proper education and qualify for future career opportunities.
Facing an El Salvador fraught with violence, teenage pregnancy, and few economic opportunities, a Salvadoran NGO called Asociación de Fomento Cultural y Deportivo (AFCyD) created Montemira in 1974 as a boarding school for economically deprived young women, primarily from rural areas. In 2021, AFCyD donated Montemira to Fundación para la Educación Superior (FESAL), a Salvadoran NGO dedicated exclusively to educational activities, human promotion, and social development.
In 2000, the Ministry of Education gave Montemira approval to start a secondary school. In 2004, it approved Montemira to give a technical secondary education degree in the hospitality field; this is the only degree of its kind accredited by the Salvadoran Ministry of Education.
The school’s program provides education for the entire person, cultivating academic, technical, human, and spiritual growth. Once the students obtain their degree, they can work in the service industry, in places such as restaurants, bakeries, hotels, and hospitals.
Montemira’s students usually pay 15% to 20% of their school and boarding costs. Montemira offers scholarships to cover the rest, using income from donations and the sale of baked goods produced in the school to support the young women.
600+ Alumni · 500+ Families Benefited · 2,400+ People Impacted
Student Testimonies
It was a huge change for me to come to Montemira because my basic education was deficient. At the beginning it was very difficult for me, but I leveled up, making an effort and putting my head into understanding and learning, and I have been growing in knowledge in many subjects. I love all areas of the school: academic, technical, and human. Studying here has changed me a lot because I did not see beyond, and I wanted to grow as a person. In that, the values that the school teaches have made it possible and Montemira made me know virtues that I didn't know existed. I learned to be more independent, after two years of living away from home, and now I appreciate and love them much more.
Andrea Duque
Third year of high school, 18 years old
Being at Montemira has been a very nice experience. My previous experience was difficult because in my first school I was a victim of bullying. Here I felt welcomed by everyone: the students, the instructors and the directors, and the coexistence has been very nice. Montemira is helping me to form myself as a person, to correct attitudes that are not good and has helped me in my spiritual life, even though I am not Catholic. It has taught my family and me to value each other and to look for the good and happiness for each one of us.
Adilene Hernández
Third year of high school, 18 years old
Montemira has been and is my home; it may sound strange. At first, I saw it as a boarding school, and I didn't think we were going to receive classes on the values that must be lived every day. I have learned a lot. It has made me see life from another perspective to solve problems in the right way. My family has told me, and I agree, that being away has taught us to value each other more and they tell me that they are proud of me. I know that one day I will be able to help them and to thank them for everything have done for me to grow as a person.
Zaida Yaneth Ramírez López
Third year of high school, 18 years old
I studied at Montemira from 2003 to 2005. Now, I am married and a mother of 3 children, and we are currently living in New York. I own a bakery called Rubio’s Amazing Cakes, in which we make custom cakes. For me, Montemira means a lot. It is a place of love, learning, and teaching, where they teach you many values: faith, family. You meet wonderful people, whom I always remember and carry in my mind.
Sonia Rubio
Graduated 2005
Saraí is originally from the Department of Morazán. She began her studies at Montemira in January 2011 and graduated in 2013. In 2014, she opened her own restaurant, Di Cuore, located in San Francisco Gotera, and in 2016 she won the Womed Award. In 2017, she received the Woman Entrepreneur Award from Queen Mathilde of Belgium. Recently, she added a line of Mexican food in her restaurant menu.
Saraí Argueta
Graduated 2013
For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/escuelamontemira/.
To donate by check:
Make check out to American Initiatives for Social Development with the memo line “Montemira” and send to:
American Initiatives for Social Development
PO Box 1670
New York, NY 10156-1670
Salud Y Familia
Providing healthcare services and nutritional/health education in vulnerable communities of Venezuela
For nearly 25 years, Salud Y Familia has provided access to health care to women and children in vulnerable communities of Venezuela.
Salud Y Familia outpatient clinics, located in Anauco (Distrito Capital), Baruta (Estado Miranda) and Catia la Mar (Estado Vargas), provide healthcare services and nutritional and health education in a variety of areas, as outlined below.
Physical health
Primary care, internal medicine, pediatrics, OBGYN and endocrinology
Traumatology, otorhinolaryngology and clinical nutrition
General and specialized dentistry
Clinical laboratory and ultrasound services
Mental health and family counseling
Child, adolescent, and adult psychology
Speech therapy and occupational therapy
Family counseling and social work services
Workshops for families
All donations to Salud y Familia help women and children access health care in Venezuela! To learn more, visit: saludyfamiliaid.wixsite.com/syfamilia
To donate by check:
Make check out to American Initiatives for Social Development with the memo line “Salud y Familia” and send to:
American Initiatives for Social Development
PO Box 1670
New York, NY 10156-1670
Serranía
Combating Poverty and Illiteracy in Jarabacoa, Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic, despite being one of the largest economies in the Caribbean, faces significant challenges with about 40% of its population living below the poverty line. Rural job market participation is low, especially among women, with only 29% of the 50% participation rate being female.
To address these issues, the Serranía Technical School of Hospitality offers specialized training for women and girls from rural areas in various fields such as nutrition, culinary arts, hospitality, event planning, business management, and entrepreneurship. This training enables women to secure higher-paying jobs and encourages many to start their own businesses. Since its establishment in 2008, Serranía has trained hundreds of women, resulting in numerous new business owners and product creators.
Additionally, Serranía provides short training programs in underserved communities, further empowering women with essential skills that improve their living conditions and those of their families. This initiative is part of the work done by Iniciativas de Educación Superior y Complementaria, Inc. (INDESCO), a non-profit organization founded in 1987 by professionals and entrepreneurs focused on the socio-educational development of the Dominican Republic.
To read a recent article featuring Serranía, click here.
To donate by check:
Make check out to American Initiatives for Social Development with the memo line “Serranía” and send to:
American Initiatives for Social Development
PO Box 1670
New York, NY 10156-1670
Siramá
Accompanying and encouraging Salvadoran women to build opportunities according to their reality through our programs
Since 1970, Siramá Foundation has guided Salvadoran women to discover strengths, skills and abilities that allow them to develop their career and contribute to their community. To date, more than 50,000 women have found tools for their personal and professional development with Siramá.
Women in El Salvador have to balance their role as the head of their households with often underpaid jobs. They are underserved in professional training opportunities, conflict resolution skills training, and mentorship.
Siramá aims to create a multi-dimensional support network of opportunities for women based on mentorship and training. Its structure encompasses technological, material and human resources and, in addition to mentorship and training, provides multi-disciplinary resources, tools, channels and spaces for women to develop personally. With Siramá, women in El Salvador accomplish their small business entrepreneurial objectives and achieve independence.
"Women are called to bring to the family, to society, and to the Church characteristics which are their own and which they alone can give: their gentle warmth and untiring generosity, their love for detail, their quick-wittedness and intuition, their simple and deep piety, their constancy...A woman’s femininity is genuine only if she is aware of the beauty of this contribution for which there is no substitute and if she incorporates it into her own life.”
— Conversations with Monsignor Escrivá de Balaguer
Siramá Programs
Empowerment in Peacebuilding.
The areas in which most of Siramá’s beneficiaries live suffer from high rates of violence. Through the Artisan Women of Peace Program, each woman is encouraged to be a light for their families and society. The program contributes to the inner strength of women so that they can educate themselves in peace, becoming agents of peace throughout the country.
For more information, visit http://fundacionsirama.org/ or visit their Facebook page.
To donate by check:
Make check out to American Initiatives for Social Development with the memo line “Siramá” and send to:
American Initiatives for Social Development
PO Box 1670
New York, NY 10156-1670
Surí Educational Project
Serving Pavas, a vulnerable community the outskirts of San Jose, Costa Rica
Surí Educational Project breaks the poverty cycle and improves the human and socio-economic conditions of the women and families living in Pavas. Currently, Surí runs two centers. The Job Training Center, with over 500 students, helps women develop the skills they need to improve their job opportunities or start small businesses. The high school prepares young women to go to college, if they wish to do so, or to enter the professional world.
To learn more, visit proyectosuri.org.
All the students need and receive scholarships, full or partial.
$600 Donation: provides a full scholarship for one year, including the costs of tuition, books, a uniform, and other supplies.
$300 Donation: covers the full tuition of one student for one year.
$20, $50 or $100 Donations: partially cover scholarships and supplies for students.
To donate by check:
Make check out to American Initiatives for Social Development with the memo line “Surí Educational Project” and send to:
American Initiatives for Social Development
PO Box 1670
New York, NY 10156-1670