Completed project
Violence Prevention
March 2010 to December 2014
USD $ 26 million: $ 22,572,190 - USAID $ 3,250,454 - CECI
160,000 young people
Research Triangle Institute International (RTI) Other local organizations
Guatemala: Safety is everyone’s business
In Guatemala, public safety remains one of the major problems confronting the people and the government. In recent years, violence and crime among Guatemalan youth has risen dramatically, which has had negative repercussions on both economic development and quality of life. The Violence Prevention Project (VPP) is an initiative of CECI and its partner RTI International dedicated to improving public safety within crime-ridden communities.
The project is based on the principle that violence and crime need to be addressed at the local level, with participation from all facets of society. This bottom-up approach includes community leaders, civil society organizations, and local governments in addition to national authorities. Participants from this wide array of backgrounds then form Inter-institutional Working Groups (IWGs), organizations with highly diverse memberships which constitute the cornerstone of the project’s operations.
Crime – and particularly juvenile crime – is thereby met with a coordinated effort at the community level, focusing on three major areas: creating economic opportunities for young people, enhancing crime prevention programs that target the very young, and improving leadership within local governments and the provision of basic services. By focusing on young people and offering them alternatives, Guatemalan society does appear to be planting the seeds for a peaceful future.
Impacts:
- 160,000 young people benefited from the Violence Prevention Project in 85 communities;
- 27 infrastructure projects benefited to 700,000 people; among these projects were the refurbishments of schools, police stations, soccer and basketball fields, areas of recreation.
The “Impact Evaluation of USAID’s Community-Based Crime and Violence Prevention Approach in Central America", made by University Vanderbilt, indicated:
- 60% less murders reported in the Guatemalan targeted communities;
- 43% less extortions reported;
- 50% less sales of illegal drugs reported;
- 27% less robberies reported;
- 21% more confidence in the National Civil Police and 19% more satisfaction with police performance;
- 22% less insecurity perception among the members of the commnunities.
“When we started with this work to prevent violence young people didn´t know what to do, they used to remain seated and sad. Now young people have their heart happier, have seen new things, and know that there are more opportunities not only to study but to take related between them”.
Ana Quej, Community Leader in Tamahú, Alta Verapaz