As part of SolucionES intervention in preventing violence, community organizations strengthen their bonds. 

In Reparto Los Angeles, a community located in San Martin, El Salvador, people live surrounded by violence; gangs proclaim their territory, the community lives in fear, and murder is not a rare occurrence.

A radical change needed to happen in order to strengthen this community and to create public spaces to coexist and interact peacefully.

Even though the Reparto Los Angeles’ Community Development Committee has existed on paper since 2012, it had not really done anything, because it had neither funds nor support to do so.

SolucionES worked together with the San Martin mayor and his outreach staff to help the committee organize meetings to identify viable small scale activities they could implement.

The first result is the July 2014 event “Together we change the face of our community” in which the community participated in painting and beautifying the only local park.

BEFORE The park in Reparto Los Angeles was the only place where community members could come together, but even there they felt unsafe and unwelcome. The Community Development Committee, with the help of SolucionES and the San Martin Mayor’s Office, decided to fix up the space and have a day of fun and teamwork for all the community.

AFTER On a Saturday, 221 community members got together to participate in a mural painting competition and other games organized by the committee, its first real project in two years.  It was a big success for all; most importantly, the community members learned that it is possible to improve their surroundings and their lives peacefully - if they work together. Today they are planning another community activity for 2015.