Helping youth escape violence and abuse on El Salvador's streets.
Sofía looks like a true champion. She stands tall and proud in her royal blue jersey. The 17-year-old’s team just won a soccer tournament organized by our partner in El Salvador. “My whole team is very happy,” said Sofía. “We were up against our rival, but today, things fell into place for us, and we emerged as the champions.”
The teenager knows what it means to face giants. She lives in a low-income neighborhood once rife with gang violence. “I remember the screams of people pleading for their lives,” she shared.
Now, Sofía’s community is a militarized zone. Anti-gang police have silenced the streets, but fear still runs rampant.
Even though the threat of gangs has significantly reduced, marginalized youth remain at risk. On the other hand, a mere whisper that minors are connected to an illicit group can land them in jail.
It’s often safest for underprivileged teens like Sofía to stay indoors. That’s why—in this mountainous nation called ‘the land of volcanoes’—we work with our partner to passionately shine the light of Jesus Christ like “a city that is set on a hill” (Matthew 5:14).
“IN ALL THESE THINGS WE ARE MORE THAN CONQUERORS THROUGH HIM WHO LOVED US.” – ROMANS 8:37
Our project’s community center is a home base for youth in need. Boys and girls can use computers, watch faith-based movies, listen to Christian speakers, receive a Bible, take discipleship classes, play games, and more. The team also addresses hunger by providing agricultural training and meets a unique need by fitting amputees with prosthetic limbs.
Our partner’s sports programming is especially popular. Soccer camps and tournaments enrich young lives with physical exercise, friendly competition, and a sense of community.
Every aspect of the project is saturated with God’s love and Gospel hope. Instead of a life of crime, youth are offered eternal life in Christ. They’re given joy and purpose—just like Sofía, who’s been blessed by pre-game devotions.
“The truth is that we all need God,” she said, speaking for her friends and teammates. “The meditation on Biblical passages helps us to open our eyes.”
Sofía and her mother live alone. Every day can be a struggle. “I realized I need God and His support in my life and my family’s,” she said. “My mother has suffered a lot, but I’ve seen very positive changes in her. One is that today she’s here. She watched me play, and she saw us win the championship final.”
As Sofía considers the future, she’s asking God to guide her steps. “My big dream is to obtain a university scholarship to study industrial engineering,” she said. “It’s complicated because my mother can’t help me with that, but God can.
“I ask Him every night to help me reach that goal,” she continued. “I also pray for more communities like ours to be reached with assistance and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
In answer to Sofía’s prayers, more than 3,000 people will hear the Good News through the project this year!
Your support can help fill the void in the hearts of El Salvador’s next generation. They need to know that no matter what giants they face, Jesus has the victory. “In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:37).
