Trust for the Americas

The democracy, governance and human rights (dghr) unit implements programs that promote culture of lawfulness, respect for human rights and The strengthening of democratic institutions. These programs are carried through a participatory approach that involves training of non-profits, human rights activists and media in mobilization, advocacy and coalition building techniques. It also works with vulnerable groups such as afro descendants, women, people with disabilities, youth, people impacted by conflict and journalists in conflicted regions, teaching them about their rights, how to exercise those rights and how to demand compliance from The government. Dghr also provides training to government officials, members of The judiciary and congress people from across The Americas on human rights, freedom of expression, open government, among others. The ultimate goal of all dghr programs is to foster a collaborative environment where governments, civil society and communities work together in The promotion of human rights, The rule of law and democracy.

The citizen security & economic opportunities (cseo) unit aims at equipping vulnerable populations with technical and job readiness skills to help them become self-sufficient and engage in productive activities, thereby promoting economic and social inclusion. A special emphasis is placed on people affected by violence, giving them opportunities and alternatives to improve their quality of life through positive social engagement in their communities. The program is implemented in 20 countries of The Americas. It functions through a network of community training centers across The region. These centers become hubs for services for vulnerable groups and also as spaces where The communities come together to hold discussions about The solutions to their most pressing challenges. These programs also foster innovation, by promoting The development of applications and technology platform that respond to common problems.since 2001, when a program to train and place people with disabilities in jobs was first launched, The Trust has impacted more than 4.7 million people. We are on track to hit The goal of our strategic plan to reach 5 million people by 2025. We have grown from a local presence of two centers in guatemala, funded by a grant from The us department of labor to a network of 367 centers and labs supported over The years by companies such as microsoft, aes, mastercard, ncb foundation, citi foundation as well as several public institutions such as The idb, caf, usaid, us department of state, and The government of canada (gac/idrc).the Trust continues to evolve as our understanding of The needs of The communities where our beneficiaries' live changes. We have recognized three important cross cutting issues confront us now: promoting gender equity, entrepreneurship and adaptation to risks resulting from climate change. All of our projects going forward will, to a greater or lesser degree, take account of those issues depending on The nature of The project. Gender equity is a core value of The Trust. This is a time when The historic bias against giving girls and young women The best possible education and equal opportunity can finally be put behind us in most places in The hemisphere. The Trust wants to take full advantage. Our projects now take into account, in most cases explicitly in The project proposal, The need to be gender inclusive.