Partnering for Safer Communities

Speeches Shim

Gerardo Tablas, Regional Public-Private Alliance Advisor for USAID/El Salvador, shares how a partnership with the private sector is working to reduce crime and violence in El Salvador by helping at-risk youth succeed.

Video Transcript 
USAID partners with the private sector to promote a more secure and prosperous world. (Gerardo Tablas) El Salvador is one of the most violent countries in the world. And, in order to solve this complex problem, engaging the private sector is helping us a lot to advance our mission's objective. We have been successful in having them at the table with us to work together for crime prevention, for example, in a way that we hope will decrease the level of violence in El Salvador. One of the partnerships I feel proud about is an alliance we have made that's called ¡Supérate! That will tackle the root causes of violence. It's for youth at risk that seeks in transforming them into real leaders. What I've seen is kids at the beginning that are so shy, so unassertive, they don't look you in the eye. And when the program finishes, their mental attitude has changed. So when at the graduation classes of the ¡Supérate!, I see all this youth that see the future with confidence, and also work together with their peers instead of engaging in violence. Through USAID's partnership with Microsoft and local private sector partners ¡Supérate! is able to provide conflict resolution, leadership, computer training, and life skills 100% of ¡Supérate! graduates go on to advanced education or Helping to build stable, empowered communities that advance peace and security in the region.employment. This new way of seeing the world is combined with USAID. The expertise of over 50 years makes a magic combination, and I'm proud to work in it. To learn more about partnering with USAID, visit usaid.gov/partnerships