EMPOWER EL SALVADOR 

It would appear that during 2022 the Salvadoran government – in an attempt to decrease the country's massive homicide rate – had in some way been negotiating with the country's largest gang, Marasalvatrucha (aka MS-13 or MS). The negotiations broke down. Some have said that senior MS gang members were arrested by the government while others have claimed that MS were after greater gains than what the government were prepared to offer. Whatever the reason, there was a breakdown. It seems like, in order to punish or push the government, in just one weekend MS killed 87 people on the street. Many of these people were unarmed citizens simply going about their business. In fact 62 people were killed on Saturday alone.

Resulting from this, there has been a huge government crackdown (with the cooperation of police and army) on the Salvadoran gangs. As of July 2024, about 81,,000 people suspected of being gang members have been arrested following the enactment of new laws. In effect the government has said that any gangster is a terrorist, and any gang organization is a terrorist organization. And now anybody seen on the street with gang tattoos or anything that may incriminate them receives an automatic jail term of 10 - 15 years.  It is anticipated that initiated gang members may well never be released.                                                                Gang members have gone underground while others have fled to neighboring Honduras, Mexico, and the USA. Human rights groups are crying foul saying that not all of those who have been arrested are gang members. And, having proven innocence some 8,000 people have been released

Within El Salvador, there is a calm now. Whilst we are not criticizing the Salvadoran government here, nevertheless, what happens to the families (and especially the children) of those whose fathers will be locked up for 20 years? We have a huge concern for these fatherless children. Sometimes the partners of the gang members are being arrested as well. And, will those not-yet-arrested gang members simply “wise up” and stop tattooing their bodies with gang insignia and find other ways of operating?

This video shows the lives of brash young men (both unemployed and unemployable), along with an explanation of how the gangs were first formed. And then finally, life inside a Salvadoran prison. But keep in mind that these gang members have now been sent to a new super-prison - two meals a day (rice and beans) with metal bunks (no mattresses).

Gang lifestyle is entrenched in these communities. In the local Christian school in Soyapango, San Salvador where we will work, 90% of the children are from MS-13 gang families. Despite the positive school environment there, half of the kids who graduate will still end up being in the gang.         

Governance:  We have established a strong Empower El Salvador board that has successfully completed registration with the Salvadoran government.  Empower is registering and partnering with an existing Salvadoran NGO. known as Asiste.

In El Salvador we are establishing a new work in Soyapango, San Salvador - a very significant gang area within the nation. We will have the same modus operandi as everywhere else where we work – partnering with local Christian leaders as opposed to sending missionaries. Our main leader there will be Alexis Coto. He and his team of staff and professionals work and live among the gangs.

We have the funds to refurbish the buildings and now have the regular support to month by month operate the program. Refurbishment of the buildings will commence in October and the program will start in January, 2025.

The photos below will be the site of our first “Education Centre” working alongside our Soyapango church/school partners. See a description of the building project here.

The Education Centres will operate like this: It is for boys aged 12-16 years from gang families who are desperate to study, to get ahead in life. They will be well-behaved, but despite their positive enthusiasm, they nevertheless may well end up in the gangs anyway. The Center will open at midday, three days per week. Initially, 10 boys will be selected for the program. We will ensure that they will all be enrolled at the same private school (in El Salvador, school commences at 7 am and finishes at 12 pm) then they will walk to our Center arriving at about midday when they will have lunch together with the mentor. Then they will study English, computer/I.T studies along with mathematics and Bible. The kids will build their own computers. Together they will make dinner and eat together as a family while being actively discipled by our mentors. Both group and individual counseling will be available. The mentor who runs the program is an assistant pastor at our partner church.

You can read more here if you wish.