Voices on the Border (Voices) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting just and sustainable development in the Lower Lempa region of Usulután, and Comunidad Segundo Montes (CSM) in the mountains of Morazán.

In 2012, Voices will celebrate 25 years of accompanying Salvadoran communities in their struggle for social justice and sustainable development. We began in 1987 by providing material and political support for refugees in the Colomoncagua camp in Honduras during El Salvador’s brutal 12-year civil war. When the refugees repatriated in the early 1990’s, we accompanied them back across the border where they settled in CSM. As other refugees returned from camps in Nicaragua and Panama, our local partners asked that we help them resettle in the Lower Lempa of Usulután.

To fulfill our mission of just and sustainable development, Voices has three objectives: 1) further local community development goals; 2) facilitate relationships with active and informed U.S. partners; and 3) increase our own institutional capacity. Our activities vary range from making small grants, advising community boards, disseminating information, and much more.

Voices is a small organization, but our strength lies in our experienced staff, knowledge of El Salvador, close relationships with our local partners, and willingness to look beyond traditional development paradigms.