Fellows

In Panama, 440 children are born yearly with congenital heart disease, the leading cause of neonatal deaths worldwide.

Obsequio de Vida J. Thomas Ford Foundation fights for children with congenital heart problems through a children's cardio program that guarantees medical interventions, curative procedures, diagnoses, and open heart operations to survive.

Since 1962, the Foundation's work has benefited 750 children. Each year, 12 to 15 children undergo open-heart procedures.

In 2022, in El Salvador, there were more than 520,000 families in extreme poverty and without access to quality health and education services.

The mission of FUSAL is to improve the quality of life for Salvadorans living in poverty. Together with more than 20 local municipalities, FUSAL strengthens sustainable communities for human development.

Since 1986, they have benefited more than 600,000 people through 700 projects, programs, and volunteering initiatives in 20 regions of El Salvador. During 2022 alone, 38 children recovered from anemia within the Early Childhood Program, and all births were born healthy at the appropriate weight.

La secundaria es el siguiente gran desafío para lograr una educación universal. Para 2035, solo el 63% de los jóvenes del mundo habrían completado la escuela secundaria.

Educate2Envision (E2E) aporta con educación secundaria y formación en liderazgo a jóvenes vulnerables de comunidades rurales en Honduras con poca o ninguna financiación gubernamental.

Educate2Envision ha otorgado más de 1000 becas y más de 30.000 horas de servicio comunitario. La tasa de graduación de E2E es del 90 %, mayor al promedio nacional de 30%. Además, el modelo E2E redujo los gastos domésticos en más del 50%.

Over 60% of schools in Peru lack adequate access to tech education, and only 14% of students know basic programming. The digital gap affects rural areas and women the most.

Code en mi Cole brings computer science to underserved schools. Using project-based learning, gamification, and flipped classrooms, it trains students and teachers in digital skills.

Since 2018, Code en mi Cole has trained more than 30,000 people, expanding educational opportunities in low-tech communities.

In Peru, citizen participation is limited due to low levels of trust, fragmentation, and insufficient coordinated efforts to increase social well-being, political participation, and solid economic growth.

PerúTeQuiero acts collectively to attract, connect, and coordinate key actors to mobilize systemic changes in citizenship, mental health, and education. Through this model, they have developed four national projects: Psychological Care, School Reinforcement, Better Return, and Homeland.

PerúTeQuiero has reached 25 regions of the country, establishing over 50 organizations and 6 action fronts. Together, their projects have strengthened education, citizen participation, and mental health for over 20,000 people nationwide.

In Guatemala, 13% of children don’t finish primary school and 26% don’t complete secondary school. Dropout rates are highest among Indigenous and rural youth due to low-quality education.

ConnectED expands access to quality education for rural youth in Central America. Through its community-tailored Fellowship Program, it provides seed funding, mentorship, and project leadership training.

Since 2013, ConnectED has reached over 10,000 people through digital literacy, school nutrition, and vocational training initiatives that promote community development.

In 2022, food insecurity affected over 35 million Mexicans living in vulnerable situations, a figure that continues to rise year after year.

The Hermosillo Food Bank rescues and distributes food according to each community's needs. Through its comprehensive impact programs, the Bank diagnoses communities, families, and institutions to plan social support strategies.

In 2022, the Hermosillo Food Bank distributed 3.5 million kilograms of food, serving 7,000 families in 29 locations in Sonora.

In Puerto Rico, 52% of the 18-year-old youth live below poverty levels, and 58% of the adult population does not have a post-secondary degree. In Loiza, the Afro-Puerto Rican core, the problem deepens. Post-secondary education enrolment in Loiza is 16% points below Puerto Rico’s enrolment.

ColaborativoPR provides opportunities for students from Loiza, Puerto Rico, facing poverty and inequality to obtain post-secondary education.

ColaborativoPR is succeeding in linking Loiza’s youth to education. In 2018, 173 students graduated from Loiza's public high schools, representing a 7% increase in enrolment. 80% rated their first year of post-secondary studies as excellent. 94% of ColaborativoPR alumni matriculated in post-secondary education, and 74% continued after their first year.

High-potential youth from diverse backgrounds often cannot access leadership paths due to poverty, discrimination, lack of resources, or limited education.

LALA identifies high-potential youth and develops their skills to become transformative leaders in their communities. Alumni join a lifelong community working together to tackle Latin America’s most urgent challenges.

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LALA has trained more than 1,300 youth leaders, 70% from underrepresented backgrounds. 56% of alumni have launched social projects reaching over 85,000 people. Among those who pursued higher education, 57% received collective scholarships worth over $7 million.

In Peru, one out of every 700 children is born with cleft lip and/or palate. However, the costs of reconstructive surgery and treatment are difficult to afford for people with low resources.

Misión Caritas Felices provides free treatments to achieve complete rehabilitation of patients with cleft lip and palate, focusing on those with low economic resources nationwide.

Since 2018, Misión Caritas Felices has impacted over 3,000 people with reconstructive surgery. Additionally, they educate the national society about cleft lip and palate from a medical and psychological perspective.

The identity and rights of Aymara youth are at risk due to lack of representation, intercultural education, and recognition. Globalization and territorial violations weaken their roots and limit participation.

UJIA Wayna Wila promotes intercultural education and Indigenous leadership through a community-centered approach. It develops projects that elevate Aymara culture, empower Indigenous women, and amplify youth voices in decision-making spaces.

UJIA Wayna Wila has reached 1,000 Indigenous youth in Peru, advancing identity, rights, and active participation in cultural defense.

In Peru, 8 out of 10 people in need of mental health care do not receive treatment.

De-Mentes promotes mental health through awareness campaigns and stigma reduction initiatives. It shares real-life stories to challenge stereotypes and foster understanding of mental health conditions.

Since 2016, De-Mentes has supported over 70,000 people with mental health education and outreach, helping to break taboos and normalize conversations around psychological well-being.