The Puentes Project

  • A Advocacy Campaign/Project

I Inactive

Key Information

The Puentes Project is a five-year United States Agency of International Development (USAID)-funded cooperative agreement that runs from April 10, 2017 to April 9, 2022. The project is implemented by World Vision as prime. The project is implemented in five departments of Guatemala’s Western Highlands: Quetzaltenango, Huehuetenango, Totonicapán, Quiche, and San Marcos. The project aims to support young people between 15 and 29 years of age from the Western Highlands, Alta Verapaz and Guatemala City, to take control of their future by providing them with the information, knowledge and skills to access opportunities and improve their income. The project also helps them design and pursue a Life Plan that may be focused on education, employment, or entrepreneurship. Puentes involves the Guatemalan government, the private sector and civil society in improving the skills that youth need to respond to the needs of emerging markets, thus supporting vulnerable youth to find employment, entrepreneurship and improve their quality of life. The Project’s Gender Specialist provided technical assistance to DMMs (Dirección Municipal de la Mujer - Municipal Office for Women’s Affairs) in the municipalities of Todos Santos Cuchumatán, San Sebastián Huehuetenango, Nebaj, and Santa Cruz del Quiché, focusing on the National Policy for the Promotion and Comprehensive Development of Women (PNPDIM) and specifically on Pillar 5: Eradicating Violence against Women. Another activity consisted of coordinating with the Presidential Secretariat for Women’s Affairs (SEPREM) through their delegates in the departments of Quetzaltenango, San Marcos, Huehuetenango, and Quiche, together with Nexos Locales and Community Roots to hold a webinar.


Lead Implementing Organization(s)

Location(s)

Latin America & Caribbean

Guatemala

Government Affiliation

Government-affiliated program

Years

2017 - 2022

Partner(s)

Juarez & Associates (J&A), Asociación Kemow Eta´manik Bilingüe Intercultural (AKEBI), Fundación para el Desarrollo Integral (FUDI), FundaSistemas, Vitruvian Consulting, Asociación Grupo CEIBA, Fundación para el Desarrollo Integral de Programas Socioeconómicos (FUNDAP), Mundo Posible, Red Nacional de Grupos Gestores, and Universidad Galileo.

Ministry Affiliation

Ministry of Education – DIGEEX, Ministry of Labor, Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources (MARN)

COVID-19 Response

Adapted

Geographic Scope

Sub-national

Meets gender-transformative education criteria from the TES  

Unknown

Areas of Work Back to Top

Education areas

Attainment

  • Secondary completion

Other

  • Transition from school to work

Other skills

  • Financial literacy
  • Life skills/sexuality education
  • Rights/empowerment education
  • Vocational training

Skills

  • Civics education
  • Literacy
  • Numeracy

Cross-cutting areas

  • COVID-19 Response
  • Digital literacy
  • Economic/livelihoods (including savings/financial inclusion, etc.)
  • Empowerment
  • Gender equality
  • Mentorship
  • Social and gender norms and beliefs

Program participants

Target Audience(s)

Boys (both in school and out of school), Girls (both in school and out of school), Other community members - female, Other community members - male, Youth

Age

15 - 29

School Enrolment Status

Some in school

School Level

  • N/A

Other populations reached

  • Community leaders

Participants include

  • Indigenous
  • People with disabilities

Program Approaches Back to Top

Community engagement/advocacy/sensitization

  • Technical assistance/capacity building to civil society organizations or governments

Mentoring/psychosocial support

  • Adult (non-teacher) mentors

Policy/legal environment

  • Public-private partnerships

Reducing economic barriers

  • Financial literacy training
  • Income-generating activities

Program Goals Back to Top

Education goals

  • Improved academic skills (literacy and numeracy)
  • Improved critical thinking
  • Improved social and emotional learning/skills and mindsets

Cross-cutting goals

  • Increased advocacy/civic engagement
  • Increased employment/job-related skills
  • More equitable gender attitudes and norms