(26 June 2008) An estimated 88% of the cocaine smuggled into the United States crosses Central America, and 40% of the drug that enters Europe passes through the Caribbean, transported mainly through Caribbean and Pacific waters or the Central American corridor, says the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) report for 2007. The growing participation of national and international criminal groups in drug trafficking undoubtedly undermines the rule of law in the region.
In El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, the situation is aggravated by street gangs (known as "maras") that often control street sales of cocaine hydrochloride and crack. Through its programme "Prevention of Drug and Street Gang Phenomenon in marginalized urban and rural areas", the Guatemalan organization Ceiba Group Association has been able to reduce the damage inflicted on children and youth from marginalized sectors in Guatemala and adjacent areas in neighboring countries due to their socioeconomic exclusion.
The programme, which won third place in the 2004-2005 cycle of the "Experiences in Social Innovation" contest organized by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), with support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, offers a comprehensive approach implemented within the communities themselves, in areas considered high-risk, violent and unstable. It works with members from the community itself, young peers who have suffered the drama of displacement, ties with street gangs, and social exclusion.
The Ceiba Group filled a gap in the marginalized areas of Guatemala City. The disintegration of families, very frequent in peripheral zones, leaves youths vulnerable to profound desperation, making them easy prey for street gangs. These groups replace the family role by offering them a sense of belonging and protection, but they also lead to drug use and trafficking, dropping out of school, and even death.
These are the conditions the Ceiba Group strives to change through its programmes, which include Street Mentoring, the Street University, Alternative Formal Education, and Education for Employment. "These educational proposals are very interesting, humanist, and above all, focused on the student and his or her characteristics, which help them to insert in society in a better way, based on their particular skills," explains Marco Castillo, Executive Director of the Ceiba Group.
Testimony of a Ceiba Group youth
Ceiba is an open-door house that offers a place to sleep, food, and alternative education to anyone in need, without expecting anything in return. It becomes a true family for these youths, replacing the role of street gangs and providing the support they need to build a better future.
That is what happened to Cristian, a teenager educated in Ceiba:
"I never knew my father, and my mother migrated to the United States in search of better opportunities, so my grandparents took care of me. I lived on the streets. I dropped out of school and started getting together with bad kids. I learned bad things on the streets. I sought refuge in a street gang. We would go to the market and steal food to eat. I survived this way for several years."
Many like Cristian have found in Ceiba an opportunity to study and specialize in areas such as computer science, or business and technical training through the Education for Employment programme. They can then become part of the community as responsible adults, make a living, and progress; through the programme, they also develop their self-esteem and a sense of pride.
"When I was 13, I didn't study, and I went to Ceiba because it was an open-door center. They invited me to do things. I went into the computer laboratory and learned. I went every day and spent all day there. I specialized in that and then started teaching for almost two years. Then I stopped going. Ceiba kept growing, and I was already a teen-ager, I was 16. I asked myself what I would do for myself. I started searching, and went back to Ceiba. I studied webpage design," recalls Cristian. Now 23, Cristian works as a webmaster in the offices of an international cooperation agency in Guatemala City.
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