Municipal Partnerships for Violence Prevention in Central ...
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Municipal Partnerships for Violence Prevention in
Central America
Quarterly Report XVI
July 2013 to September 2013
Prepared for the U.S. Agency for International Development
Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean
Office of Regional and Sustainable Development
International City/County Management Association (ICMA)
Cooperative Agreement Award No. RLA-A-00-09-00050-00
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Isabelle Bully-Omictin Tel (202) 489-2780
Program Director
Municipal Partnerships for Violence Prevention
Ms. Brennan Dorn
Assistance Officer’s Technical Representative
USAID/W/LAC/RSD/DHR
USAID
1300 Pennsylvania Ave, NW
RRB 5.09-075
Washington, DC 20523
(202) 712-5942
Subject: Cooperative Agreement Award No. LAG-A-00-98-00060-00
Municipal Partnerships for Violence Prevention in Central America
Dear Ms. Dorn,
In compliance with 22 CFR 226.51 (d), Monitoring and reporting program performance, ICMA is pleased
to submit the following report for the subject cooperative agreement.
• Quarterly Report XVI – July - September 2013
If you have further questions about the technical content of these reports, please contact me directly. For
administrative matters, please contact Lisa Lau at (202) 962-3650. For contractual matters, please contact
Mr. Krishna Sob (202) 962-3504.
Sincerely,
Isabelle Bully-Omictin, ICMA
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Regional Partnership For
Decentralization and Local Governance
In the Americas
USAID Quarterly Report XVI
July through September 2013
Table of Contents
I. Introduction II. Major Accomplishments/Progress Towards Results
III. Challenges/Remedial Actions Taken
IV. Proposed Activities and Expected Results for the Next Quarter
Annex 1: Boletín AMUPREV – July-September 2013
Annex 2: Ayuda Memoria de la Reunión con las Asociaciones Nacionales de Municipios de
Centroamérica Annex 3: Acuerdo de Creación de la Red de Asociaciones Municipales de Centroamérica y
República Dominicana para la Prevención de la Violencia
Annex 4: Sistematización Taller de Intercambio de Experiencias Comisiones Municipales
de Prevención de la Violencia
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I. Introduction
ICMA has designed a program that began on October 1, 2009 which focuses on two key objectives: (1)
to promote comprehensive municipal-based violence prevention strategies and programs with key
Central American stakeholders and foster development of regional peer knowledge networks; and (2) to
provide training and technical assistance to local governments and community groups, in coordination
with national police efforts and other municipal-based programs.
ICMA has worked with key institutions in the region to promote the first objective and engage in
outreach. We developed a Toolkit for municipalities to use to promote the creation of municipal-led
mechanisms to provide leadership in bringing together key stakeholders to design and implement crime
and violence prevention programs. We have facilitated the participation of experts in national, regional
and international conferences and conducted workshops for municipal associations and municipal
stakeholders. We have developed a website (www.amuprev.org) which showcases daily examples of
municipalities throughout Latin America which are taking the initiative to develop programs that are
building the foundation for crime prevention in their communities. Furthermore, we have documented
via video the experiences of 8 municipalities in Central America which have demonstrated a
commitment to crime prevention through the leadership of their elected officials, the dedication of their
police forces and the collaboration of representatives from all sectors of civil society, as well as national
government agencies. We have shared these videos through our website and at events and workshops
throughout the Region.
To accomplish Objective 2, ICMA has engaged in a series of municipal partnerships with cities in the
US to share the model of community-oriented policing and governance with municipalities in El
Salvador and Panama. Through these partnerships, police officers, municipal staff, community and
private sector representatives from Santa Ana, California; Arlington, Texas and Pinellas County,
Florida, have provided information, training and technical assistance to their counterparts to bring about
a greater awareness of the need to prioritize and act upon violence and crime prevention programs in a
coordinated and comprehensive fashion. The lessons learned and knowledge gained from the municipal
partnerships have been shared with the broader network through the AMUPREV website.
In September 2012, USAID issued a six-month extension to ICMA through March 29, 2013.
Subsequently, USAID issued a no-cost extension to ICMA through April 30, 2013 and another cost
extension through September 30, 2013. During the last year of the Program, ICMA continued to support
both objectives. ICMA applied the tools and methodologies tested throughout the first Phase of this
Cooperative Agreement to new municipalities in Guatemala and El Salvador; provided continuing support
to the Municipal Crime and Violence Prevention Committees of Palencia and Santa Catarina Pinula,
Guatemala; provided continued strategic support to Nahuizalco and Sonsonate, El Salvador; continued
to share information and practices with its established network of violence prevention and other interested
practitioners in the Region; developed a sustainability plan to maintain the network after project end; and
facilitated the sharing of the Youth Services Eligibility Tool developed by the City of Los Angeles Gang
Reduction and Youth Development (GRYD) Office with stakeholders in Guatemala and Honduras.
In October 2013, USAID issued a two-year cost extension to ICMA to continue our work with supporting
the creation and strengthening of Municipal Crime and Violence Prevention Committees in Guatemala
and El Salvador (and potentially Honduras, pending USAID Mission approval). In addition, ICMA will
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strengthen the Municipal Association Network for Violence Prevention in Central America and the
Dominican Republic (the “Red”) formed in August 2013 so that it becomes a sustainable network which
carries on the work of AMUPREV in the Region.
This report summarizes activities and major accomplishments carried out during the period of July to
September 2013.
II. Major Accomplishments/Progress towards Results
A. Summary of trips in current Reporting Period: July to September 2013
Trip No. 54 – 7/9/13 – 7/13/13
El Salvador – Carlos Loría-Chaves
Purpose: Provide TA to Nahuizalco to update tax/fee structure and coordinate upcoming
Conference for Associations.
Trip No. 55 – 7/16/13 – 7/20/13
Guatemala – Carlos Loría-Chaves, Lisa Lau
Purpose: Participate in exchange trip with Santa Ana pro bonos Adrian Silva (Corporal
Detective) and Dr. Cristina Jose Kampfner (psychologist and co-founder of the Evergreen-Cedar
Center) to conduct training on community policing and working with the police and families in
youth and violence reduction activities.
Trip No. 56 – 8/6/13 – 8/10/13
El Salvador – Carlos Loría-Chaves
Purpose: Support Municipality of Nahuizalco to update its fees to fund crime prevention
activities and coordinate logistics for the upcoming Municipalities Associations Conference.
Trip No. 57 – 8/12/13 – 8/17/13
Guatemala – Carlos Loría-Chaves, Francisco
Purpose: Provide technical assistance to the Best Practice Forum in Guatemala with the
Municipal Crime Prevention Commissions.
Trip No. 58 – 8/20/13 – 8/24/13
El Salvador – Carlos Loría-Chaves, Isabelle Bully-Omictin
Purpose: Conduct the Municipal Associations Conference
Trip No. 59 – 9/10/13 – 9/14/13
Guatemala – Carlos Loría-Chaves
Purpose: Provide technical assistance to the Municipal Commissions for Crime Prevention in
Guatemala
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B. Accomplishments by Objective
Strategic Objective 1: Promote comprehensive municipal-based violence prevention strategies
and programs with key Central American stakeholders and foster development of regional peer
knowledge networks.
Intermediate Result 1.1: Orientation and information provided to local government, law
enforcement, and civil society representatives on municipal-based violence prevention.
➢ Integrate website and other ICT
The AMUPREV web site (www.amuprev.org) continues to be updated daily with news
(http://www.amuprev.org/noticias.php) and articles related to municipal-based violence
prevention. Quarterly bulletins continue to be prepared, posted on the website and on Facebook,
and sent by email to more than 1800 stakeholders in the Region. (See Annex 1 for copy of this
Quarter’s Bulletin)
The redesigned Website will be launched next Quarter once input is obtained from the Network
of Municipal Associations to Prevent Violence in Central America and the Dominican Republic.
See IR 1.2 below.
➢ Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design Webinar
On Sept. 9 ICMA held an on-line discussion on Crime Prevention through Environmental Design
(CPTED) with the participation of nearly 40 representatives from crime and violence prevention
committees in Guatemala, El Salvador and Panama, representatives from municipal associations
in Costa Rica and other interested stakeholders from the Region and Mexico. The main presenter
was Macarena Rau, Executive Director of PbK Consulting and Vice-President of the
International CPTED Association, ICA, who explained the concept of CPTED, which focuses on
principles of natural vigilance and control as well as access to and maintenance of infrastructure
to create a sense of territorial belonging to a community. According to Macarena, neighborhoods
that are uncared for can oftentimes serve as breeding grounds for illegal activities. The objectives
of CPTED include reducing crime and insecurity, as well as increasing community cohesion. She
specifically emphasized the importance of engaging youth in community activities such as
painting lively, colorful murals on neighborhood walls. By becoming more involved in these
activities, residents tend to gain a sense of ownership of their community, which can deter crime
and violence. After Macarena’s presentation, participants eagerly asked questions about
community engagement and how to link CPTED with community policing. The representatives
of the crime and violence prevention committees and the municipal associations were interested
in engaging in further discussions to possibly incorporate CPTED into their strategies in the
future. As a result of the Webinar, Dr. Willer Patriz, Mayor of Nahuizalco, who was in
attendance at the Webinar, will be presenting at a CPTED Workshop in Chile, as a guest of PbK
Consulting. AMUPREV opened a Facebook group AMUPREV-CPTED to continue the
discussion with Macarena: https://www.facebook.com/groups/543900625681037/. Her
presentation is also available on-line at: http://www.amuprev.org/publicacion.php?id=54.
➢ Below are the statistics of the AMUPREV site traffic during this Quarter.
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INFORME ESTADISTISCO DE PAGINA WEB AMUPREV
JULIO-SEPTIEMBRE 2013
CONCEPTO SUBTOTAL JULIO AGOSTO SEPTIEMBRE
Visitas 1,765 1,919 1,902
Páginas por visita 2.30 2.24 2.38
Tiempo por visita 2:05 2:03 2:14
Páginas visitadas 4,061 4,291 4,520
Noticias 61.75% 60.45% 57.83%
Página principal 4.20% 5.05% 3.78%
Experiencias Municipales
13.82% 14.65% 14.24%
Varias 12.70% 10.79% 11.96%
Index 3.57% 3.75% 4.10%
Publicaciones 3.96% 5.31% 8.09%
Origen de Visitantes Centroamérica 60.57% 66.60% 62.88%
Estados Unidos 14.90% 10.79% 8.41%
Otros (Latinomérica) 18.58% 17.82% 21.45%
Otros 5.95% 4.79% 7.26%
Objetivo de búsqueda
Búsqueda general 64.40% 66.50% 69.00%
Búsqueda directa 26.80% 23.30% 18.50%
Búsqueda por referencia
8.80% 10.20% 12.50%
Otros 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Correos electrónicos Confirmados 1,815 1,815 1,860
Contactos Facebook 1,332 1,345 1,362
Intermediate Result 1.2: Regional peer network(s) established and municipal coordination
mechanisms strengthened.
➢ Establishment of Network of Municipal Associations to Prevent Violence in Central
America and the Dominican Republic
From August 22-23, 2013 ICMA organized a conference in San Salvador of municipal associations to
create a network of associations dedicated to violence prevention and to the sustainability of AMUPREV.
Presidents, vice-presidents, executive directors and communications coordinators from the municipal
associations of Costa Rica (Unión Nacional de Gobiernos Locales de Costa Rica – UNGL), the
Dominican Republic (Federación Dominicana de Municipios – FEDOMU), El Salvador (Corporación de
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Municipalidades de la República de El Salvador – COMURES), Guatemala (Asociación Nacional de
Municipalidades de la República de Guatemala – ANAM, and Asociación Guatemalteca de Alcaldes y
Autoridades Indígenas – AGAAI), and Honduras (Asociación de Municipios de Honduras – AMHON)
participated in the event. Opening remarks were provided by Barbara Ellington Banks, Director of the
Office of Democracy and Governance, USAID-El Salvador. Throughout the day, participants heard
presentations from the AMUPREV Director, Isabelle Bully-Omictin; the AMUPREV Regional Director,
Carlos Loría-Chaves; Hefer Morataya of the SICA Office of Democratic Security; Santiago Flores, Ex-
Director of the PRE-PAZ Program, Ministry of Justice and Public Security, El Salvador and Humberto
Rodríguez, Coordinator of the “Municipios mas Seguros” Program, Security Secretary of Honduras. Each
of the municipal associations also presented on their current programs and strategies with respect to
promoting crime and violence prevention. A detailed account of the presentations and the conclusions of
the event are included in Annex 2 and is also published on the AMUPREV Website:
http://www.amuprev.org/publicacion.php?id=55
The representatives of the municipal associations agreed to create the network, known in Spanish as the
Red de Asociaciones Municipales de Centroamérica y República Dominicana para la Prevención de la
Violencia, (“Red”) to ensure the sustainability of AMUPREV. The Agreement document is attached in
Annex 3. The association representatives agreed to present a letter of understanding/commitment for
ratification by their respective boards within 6 months of signing the Agreement. AMUPREV will draft
the letter during the next Quarter.
AMUPREV will initially serve as the Technical Secretariat of the “Red” and provide support to the
associations so that they can guide the dialogue on municipal-led crime and violence prevention and play
an important role in the development and implementation of public policies related to the issue.
AMUPREV will provide training and guidance to the communications coordinators of each association,
as well as other relevant staff, to provide input to the AMUPREV Website and Facebook account, expand
the number of Website users and disseminate information and best practices related to municipal-led
crime prevention initiatives in the Region. The support would end by September 30, 2015 when the
“Red” would become sustainable.
The association representatives agreed to promote legislation and norms in their own countries to improve
citizen co-existence and promote municipal-led prevention initiatives; create mechanisms for permanent
regional dialogue on local crime prevention and community/municipal policing and participate in national
and regional forums to promote approaches and disseminate good practices regarding these issue;
promote inter-institutional violence prevention strategies and strengthen the competencies and capacities
of local governments; include support to the development of public policies in violence prevention
focused on municipalities in municipal association plans; develop communication strategies using
existing technologies, and reach out to mass media to change the focus of reporting to issues related to
prevention led by local governments; and coordinate different regional instances to ensure that initiatives
related to municipal-led violence prevention are integrated and coordinated.
On the second day of the event, ICMA presented a preliminary content redesign for the AMUPREV
website to the municipal association representatives. Valuable input was provided by the association
communications coordinators. The primary objectives of the redesign are to provide adequate space on
the site to upload content from the municipal associations as part of the overall strategy to directly engage
the associations in managing the network; prioritize news items; add a calendar feature; and create
opportunities for interaction with users. During the meeting, the Association representatives promised to
provide designs for a logo for the “Red” as a way to provide an identity to the new network. ICMA
proposes to keep the AMUPREV website URL and Facebook page for the next year and slowly transfer
the “identity” from the Program name, AMUPREV, to the “Red,” although continuing to acknowledge
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USAID support and funding on the site. It is anticipated that by September 2015, all content provided to
the site will be managed by the associations.
Strategic Objective 2: Support comprehensive municipal-based violence and crime prevention
programs in select municipalities
Intermediate Result 2.1: Training and technical assistance provided to pilot local governments and
community groups, in coordination with national police efforts and other municipal-based programs
1) El Salvador
➢ Mejicanos - On July 2 and 3, an exchange of experiences took place between representatives of the
members of the Municipal Violence Prevention Council of the Municipality of Mejicanos and
Sonsonate and Nahuizalco. The delegation from Mejicanos were given a tour of Sonsonate by
members of the Sonsonate Citizen Security and Co-existence Committee, including the Mega Plaza,
a project to rehabilitate a public space and reorganize the commercial sector and the Thomas
Jefferson Institute which has implemented a School Resource Officer Program modeled after the
programs in Santa Ana, California. The tour was followed by a workshop where the Technical
Secretary of the Sonsonate Citizen Security and Co-
existence Committee presented its history and
accomplishments, initially with the support of the
UNDP and subsequently with AMUPREV. The
projects which were of particular interest to the
participants included: gender diploma focused on
the family; training to social workers in rights and
obligations for their work with early education; and
strategies for promoting youth employment
opportunities. The delegation from Mejicanos
identified the need to incorporate a School Resource Officer Program in a couple of the most
problematic schools in their municipality and provide training to the Municipal Police (Corporación
de Agentes Municipales) in community policing. A delegation from Nahuizalco’s Social Prevention
and Citizen Security Council also presented their experiences and programs on the second day. The
delegation included members of the National Police which have been very active in Nahuizalco and
the Council’s programs. They explained the change that occurred in their vision from a traditional
police vision to one focused on community policing and citizen engagement, thanks to the
partnership with Santa Ana and the AMUPREV Program.
Although AMUPREV has been supporting Mejicanos only since May 2013, and no partnership
visits were planned for the municipality given the initial budgetary constraints and uncertainty as to
the continuation of the Agreement, the activities conducted with the Mejicanos CMPV have been
very beneficial. The Coordinator of the CMPV, Edwin Geovanny Aquino Ramirez, stated the
following in a recent email to ICMA:
“…[we] are more than thankful to ICMA [and] USAID for the support provided to the
Municipality of Mejicanos in the Institutional Strengthening of the CMPV, we believe that
this effort has contributed to improvements in the work and capacities of the municipality…
Representatives from Sonsonate presenting their public renovation program to the Mayor of Mejicanos
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with this support we have contributed to reducing the Violence indices in the Municipality of
Mejicanos… among the things we are thankful for we could mention the Exchange of
experiences with the municipality of Sonsonate and Nahuizalco which … made us aware of
the work experiences where you have had a presence in the municipalities.” [English
translation of Spanish language quote].
➢ Ayutuxtepeque— On Sept. 21, the CMPV of Ayutuxtepeque held a “Marathon for Peace” to launch
the communications campaign funded by AMUPREV. In addition to the Marathon, the CMPV
created a full-length video of the marathon: http://www.amuprev.org/video.php?id=102 and a
YouTube video of the campaign: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4a7_Q0ZIM4
In addition, the campaign included radio spots, interviews, murals, stickers for cars, posters, banners
on electrical posts and copies of a pocket ordinance on the norms of citizen conviviality.
➢ Delivery of Tablets to GRIP Program in Centro Escolar San Genaro, Sonsonate; Centro Escolar
Prof. Jorge Alfredo Mendoza, Sonsonate and Centro Escolar Los Lucas, Nahuizalco —
The 18 computer tablets purchased by AMUPREV to give to the highest performing children
participating in the three GRIP Programs in Sonsonate and Nahuizalco were delivered to the schools
this Quarter. Already, the School Directors indicated that there has been an improvement in the
behavior of the children in the program both at home and at school and an improvement in their
grades. The Program participants are continuing to get support from the police and municipalities,
and the Program is scheduled to end with the end of the school year in November 2013. ICMA will
conduct an evaluation of all three programs in November. An informal “mid-term” evaluation was
conducted in July but it was too early in the program to truly see results. Although the Work Plan
specified that we would do a formal evaluation in September, given the extension granted to ICMA
during this period we will systematize the experiences and produce a guide for future
implementation of GRIP in schools throughout the Region during the next Quarter, once the school
year is finished. The National Consultant will work with school teachers and administrators to
identify lessons-learned and improvements to the Program.
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In Nahuizalco the School Director indicated that violence
among students had dropped significantly since the start of the
Program. According to school administrators and teachers, one
of the children in the Program, Boris Pérez, has demonstrated a
radical change in behavior and in his school performance. He
was elected school president and has participated in the
activities with the National Civil Police. He commented that “I
thought that they [the Police] would come to the school to take
us to the Police Station, but this was not true, on the contrary,
they are our friends and give us talks and support us in this project so that we don’t get involved with
gangs or take drugs.” [English translation of quote from Boris Pérez.]
The school Director, Professor Danilo Candel, has indicated that he is interested in looking for
funding to continue the Program during the next school year from the municipality and the private
sector.
➢ Technical study on options for financing and sustaining citizen co-existence and violence
prevention
ICMA proposed to assist the Mayor and Council of Nahuizalco to conduct a study of its tax structure
to identify ways to raise additional revenue to support prevention programs aimed at youth and
adolescents. A working group was created which received support from the AMUPREV Regional
Director, Carlos Loría, in the revision of the Municipal Tax Law and existing Nahuizalco
ordinances. It was determined that the working group should review existing municipal service fees
which are approved by the Council through an ordinance, vs. proposing additional taxes which
require approval by the Legislative Assembly at the national level. Notwithstanding, Mr. Loría
recommended that the Municipal Council of Nahuizalco present to the National Legislative
Assembly a bill to approve an adjustment to municipal taxes in the short-run. The group conducted a
diagnostic of the budgeting structure of the Municipality of Nahuizalco; an evaluation of its revenue-
generation capacity and behavior, including a review of the potential for revenue generation of a new
municipal market, and a review of existing fees in neighboring municipalities (Santa Catarina,
Ataco, Apaneca, Juayua and Sonsonate). As a result, the working group came up with a proposal for
an estimation of the new fee structure for all services provided by the municipality to be presented to
the Municipal Council. The proposal includes adjustments to current fees, new fees for disposal of
solid waste and differentiated rates for public lighting according to rural/urban areas. If the proposal
is approved, the group estimates that revenues would increase by US$192,980.94, representing
103% of the own-source fee revenue for public services generated by Nahuizalco in 2012. The
Mayor has proposed that $50, 619.84 would be destined for prevention activities, with the remainder
to be used to pay for maintenance and administration of other services, including management of the
new market.
Next Quarter the proposal is expected to be presented to the Council for approval. With the
extension, should the proposal be approved, ICMA will work with Nahuizalco to develop a
communications campaign to help the Mayor and Council explain the revised structure and the
benefits of increased revenue for the municipality. ICMA will involve the CMPV of Nahuizalco in
the campaign.
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2) Guatemala
➢ Palencia—
On July 25, the Municipal Violence Prevention Commission of Palencia participated in a “Citizen
Conversation for a Peaceful Co-existence,” led by the Unit for the Community Prevention of
Violence (UPCV) of the Vice-ministry of Violence and Crime Prevention of the Ministry of
Governance. The objective of the organizers of this Conversation was to identify the existing
problems related to violence in the municipality. Support for the event was provided by AMUPREV
as well as the USAID-funded Violence Prevention Program implemented by RTI, (PPV-RTI).
Members of the MVPC, including Community Police from the National Civil Police who work with
the UPCV to engage with citizens in the community, and specifically in schools, were also in
attendance.
Another activity conducted with the participation of the Municipal Crime and Prevention
Commission was the Palencia Youth Festival held on Sept. 1, with support of the Community
Commissions (COCODES), USAID/PPV-RTI, USAID/AMUPREV-ICMA, the Proyecto Barrilete,
ESFRA/Jugar por la Paz, Fundación Paiz, and the National Civil Police. More than 1,500 people (the
majority of them children and youth) attended the festival, which included sporting and cultural
activities and games. The National Civil Police and Municipal Transit Police, firefighters, health
center workers, among others, helped to facilitate the event which was aimed at creating a culture of
peace and co-existence in the community.
During the Quarter, ICMA continued to support Palencia in the development of its Municipal
Violence Prevention Plan which will be ready next Quarter. ICMA also discussed a plan with the
Commission to reach out to NGOs and other municipal departments to ensure that the Commission
is more representative.
➢ Santa Catarina Pinula –
AMUPREV worked with the Santa Catarina Pinula Commission during this Quarter to formulate its
Strategic Plan. The Plan is being reviewed by the Legal Advisor to the Municipality and the
Planning Office. In addition, the Commission is working on its Work Plan for 2014, programming
activities in accordance with the strategic objectives identified by the Commission. It is expected
that the Strategic Plan will be approved by the Council during the next Quarter.
During the Quarter, the Commission continued to monitor and promote its campaign “Pilas Contra
los Vicios, Usted Vale” and the practical guide for teachers against the use of alcohol and drugs.
The Commission also supported a dinner with pastors from throughout Santa Catarina Pinula to
discuss the work of the Commission and how they could support it. In addition, the Commission
hosted an event entitled “Cinema in your Community” which was held in one of the schools (Cantón
Rincón de la Piedra) where parents and kids watched a movie and listened to presentations by the
Commission regarding their work and that of the municipality to strengthen their ability to prevent
crime and violence.
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➢ CityLinks Exchange visit from Santa Ana to
Santa Catarina Pinula and Palencia –
During the week of July 15-20, two representatives
from Santa Ana – Detective Adrián Silva of the Santa
Ana Police Department and Dr. Cristina Kampfner, co-
founder and current Director of the Ever Green Cedar
Center – traveled to Guatemala to share their knowledge
with members of the Crime Prevention Commissions of
Santa Catarina Pinula, Palencia and Mixco, as well as
community leaders and police. Detective Silva discussed the 30-year trajectory of the City of
Santa Ana from when it first started to think about changing the way that police treated
citizens to its current community philosophy and practice which permeates throughout the
SAPD. Detective Silva also held a special session with Police Instructors of the Police
Academy for Officials (ESFOP), as per the request of USAID/Guatemala and in support of
the PPV (USAID/RTI). Dr. Cristina Kampfner also spoke to the officers and commission
members from the three municipalities and discussed her Center’s services, which include
mental health assistance, tutoring and after-school support, and programs which promote self-
discipline, and respect for parents and authority.
➢ Mixco–On July 4, 2013 the Violence Prevention and Security Commission of Mixco was formed.
The Board of Directors was also selected, with Roberto Zapeta, the Security Manager of the
Municipality of Mixco, selected as President.
On September 26 and 27, the Commission hosted the first “Youth Conversation” with the
participation of 800 youth from different educational institutions in the municipality. The objective
of this “Conversation” was to conduct a diagnostic of
perceptions of violence and risk and protective
factors in the community to be used in the
development of the Municipal Prevention Plan which
the Commission will work on in the next Quarter.
AMUPREV provided assistance to purchase sound
equipment, a computer and projector for the event
and t-shirts and buttons handed out to the
participants. The equipment is part of the donation that AMUPREV has provided to all municipal
committees and will be used to further the objectives of the Commission. The event led to the
identification of the following problems in the community: sale and consumption of alcohol and
drugs; extortions (houses and businesses); robberies in urban buses; robberies (cell phones and other
objects) and assaults in general; and sexual assaults and other violations in dark alleys of the
municipality. It is expected that this information will lead to the development of public policies to
create a culture of peace and co-existence in the municipality and in educational centers reflected in
a strategic plan for violence prevention.
➢ Exchange of experiences on municipal violence prevention in Mixco, Palencia and Santa Catarina
Pinula – The MVPCs of Mixco, Palencia and Santa Catarina Pinula participated in a workshop in
Guatemala on the 14th and 15th of August to share information and experiences and obtain inputs to
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help the development of their work plans. ICMA also invited Amparo de Cano from the Colón,
Panama MVPC and Dr. Willer Patriz, Mayor of Nahuizalco, to present their experiences with crime
prevention and the support they have received from AMUPREV to strengthen their Committees.
Representatives of USAID/Guatemala attended the two-day workshop, including the Deputy
Democracy and Governance Director, Sr. Eduard Gonzalez, who gave the opening remarks, and
Carlos Rosales from the Office of Democratic Governance, as well as Candance Bannerman, COP of
the USAID-funded PPV-RTI . During the first day representatives from each MVPC presented their
accomplishments and plans for the future. On the second day the participants were divided up into
groups according to different themes as follows: 1) Strengthening and sustainability of MVPCs; 2)
Education and Values; 3) Sports and Culture; 4) Family, Women and Youth; 5) Communication,
Accountability and Indicators. The groups discussed the advances they had made and difficulties and
challenges they encountered, along with recommendations. The results of the group discussions and
additional information on the workshop are in Annex 4 and have also been posted on the
AMUPREV site: http://www.amuprev.org/publicacion.php?id=56.
III. Challenges/Remedial Actions Taken
The visit to Santa Ana for representatives from Palencia, Santa Catarina Pinula and Mixco
planned for the end of September had to be postponed because the police officers were not vetted
in time. With the extension to AMUPREV, ICMA has rescheduled the exchange to early
November 2013.
IV. Proposed Activities and Expected Results for next quarter – October
1. Prepare and submit Work Plan and revised M&E Plan by Dec. 2.
2. Continue working to support the Security Commissions with a focus on Violence
Prevention in Mixco, Santa Catarina Pinula and Palencia to help them finalize their
municipal violence prevention plans.
3. Meet with USAID Missions in Guatemala and El Salvador to schedule visits with
additional municipality in Guatemala (possibly Coban) and El Salvador (possibly
Suchitoto).
4. Prepare and conduct visit to Santa Ana from 8 (total) representatives from Palencia, Santa
Catarina Pinula and Mixco: November 2013.
5. Draft final evaluation/lessons learned report for the GRIP activities in Nahuizalco and
Sonsonate. Develop guide for the replication of GRIP.
6. Provide focused technical assistance to Ayutuxtepeque and Mejicanos.
7. Launch redesign of website with “Red” logo
8. Develop Guide for municipal associations for posting information onto the website and
provide training and guidance to municipal association communications directors
9. Draft letter of understanding/commitment for approval by Board of Directors of
municipal associations (members of the “Red”)
10. Continue to update website daily and Facebook account; prepare and disseminate
quarterly bulletins.