USAID/Guatemala Community Roots Performance Evaluation
Problem
High rates of violence in Guatemala cause insecurity and fuel migration.
USAID/Guatemala sought to evaluate the effects of the Community Roots program in reducing violence and stemming the tide of migration from Guatemala to the United States. The Community Roots activity was one of a number of initiatives supported by USAID to address the root causes of irregular migration and violence in Central America’s Northern Triangle (Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras). The project was a large-scale initiative to address the root causes of migration by promoting sustainable development and decreasing violence in target areas in Guatemala.
Solution
NORC conducted a mixed-methods evaluation to assess the project’s effectiveness.
NORC conducted a mixed-methods evaluation that included interviews, focus-group discussions, surveys, and secondary data. The evaluation team collected qualitative data from youth, community, and municipal violence prevention committees, municipal authorities, private sector stakeholders, and the national police. It also conducted a survey of youth in both target and non-target communities.
Result
Findings suggest that the intervention contributed to violence and immigration reduction.
Respondents perceive that the Community Roots activity had positive effects on reducing violence. Notably, members of the community-level prevention committees supported by the activity reported that the committees made progress in tackling the “culture of silence” around domestic violence, which is a key barrier to violence reduction. In addition, while limited economic opportunities continue to fuel migration, most informants expressed that they believe that the Community Roots activity made some impact on its reduction.
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Project Leads
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Protik Ali
Principal Research ScientistProject Director
