Measured Decline in Reef Health Continues Credit: HRI December 14, 2022 Resilient Mesoamerican Reef Healthy Reefs for Healthy People Initiative 2022 Report Card Documents Fifth Year of Declining Ecosystem Health The Healthy Reefs for Healthy People Initiative (HRI) released its latest Mesoamerican Reef Report Card in December 2022. Working with more than 70 partners across the region, HRI collects data on the condition of the ecosystem, measuring corals, harmful algae, and important fish species, and computes a Reef Health Index. The 2022 report shows that, after a decade of improvement, overall reef health has declined over the past five years and now is at its lowest level since HRI’s measurement began in 2006. Driving this drop is a gradual increase in harmful fleshy macroalgae, which is linked to nutrient pollution and a decrease in herbivorous fish, and a dramatic decline in herbivorous and commercial fish biomass, particularly in Belize. Science-based management reforms are needed throughout the region to reform and rebuild currently unsustainable fisheries, address nutrient pollution from inadequately treated sewage and agricultural run-off, and dramatically increase the coverage of fully protected fish refuges. Healthy Reefs Initiative Report card media release
RECARGA: Supporting Educational Recovery in Central America Credit: Global Fund for Children December 07, 2022 Equality for Women and Girls News Children in Guatemala and Honduras face persistent barriers to their educational success, which were further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, Global Fund for Children (GFC) launched the RECARGA initiative in 2022 which is resourced primarily by a funder collaborative that includes Tinker Foundation, The Summit Foundation, International Community Foundation, Luis von Ahn Foundation, Focus Central America, and Vibrant Village Foundation. RECARGA is an acronym for Recuperando la Educación en Centroamérica: Activando Redes y Grupos Asociados (Educational Recovery in Central America: Supporting the Critical Role of Civil Society Organizations). The initiative supports the recovery, renewal, and improvement of learning environments. It provides funding and organizational capacity strengthening support to the partners, with the goal of increasing their influence and impact beyond direct service delivery. As the manager of the initiative, GFC provides direct support to local organizations and facilitates networking, convening, and collaboration in Guatemala and Honduras, supported with research and resource partners Population Council in Guatemala and CIPE Consultores in Honduras. The local partner organizations have varied missions and focus, including addressing gender inequality in education, providing education to children rejected from public schools, alternative or supplementary education, literacy and life skills programs, sustainable development and livelihoods, technical education in traditional handicrafts, invigorating libraries in schools, and providing education in violence-prone regions. Resources: Global Fund for Children – RECARGA Partner Links: Global Fund for Children Population Council Guatemala CIPE Consultores Honduras
Invisible Threads: Addressing Migration by Investing in Women and Girls Credit: Population Council September 01, 2022 Equality for Women and Girls In recent years a significant proportion of migrants at the US southern border have come from Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. The large number of migrants from Central America has prompted the US government to seek to better understand and address the root causes of migration from the region, including through its foreign assistance. The Population Institute published a report in 2022 entitled “Invisible Threads: Addressing the Root Causes of Migration from Guatemala by Investing in Women and Girls,” examining the factors that are driving migration from Guatemala, specifically that of women and girls. Many migrants seek greater economic security for themselves and their families, but the burden of economic insecurity is heavily borne by women. Guatemala has the lowest proportion of women participating in the paid labor market in Latin America. Women in Guatemala, particularly Indigenous and Afro-descendant, also face educational and occupational inequities, creating “glass ceilings” that limit their ability to progress. Climate change also plays a role in people’s decisions to migrate from the region. Crime and violence, demographic pressures and limited investment in sexual and reproductive health are other factors driving migration. Summit grantees FUNDAECO, WINGS, and Population Council collaborated with Population Institute on the report. It highlights innovative programs across Guatemala that demonstrate how targeted investments can yield benefits that cut across many of the root causes of migration. Resources: Invisible Threads: Addressing the Root Causes of Migration from Guatemala by Investing in Women and Girls Partner Links: Population Council Guatemala FUNDAECO WINGS
Mayra Pop’s Dream Credit: Carol Guzy/Ripple Effect September 01, 2022 Equality for Women and Girls According to UNICEF, out of every ten girls in Guatemala, only six complete their primary education, two complete secondary school, and only one attends university. Mayra Pop is the first person from her community to go to college, but the road there was challenging. Thanks to the scholarship program of FUNDAECO, a local NGO dedicated to environmental conservation, sustainable development, and promoting women’s and girls’ rights, Mayra completed the highest education level available in her village. However, in order to continue high school, she had to travel to another community, which meant additional expenses that her family could not afford. Mayra seemed destined to follow in the footsteps of generations of girls from her small indigenous community. At 14, Mayra’s father decided she would not finish school and instead would marry a 21-year-old man who she did not know. But Mayra had learned about her rights in FUNDAECO’s program and decided to defy her father’s decision and the community’s customs and take her case to the justice system. In a landmark ruling, the judge declared that Mayra’s rights were being violated and ordered her family to allow her to continue her education. She received scholarships to attend secondary school and is currently completing a university degree in forest engineering. Mayra’s dream was the same as so many girls in Guatemala who find joy in going to school and who want to keep studying. Still, a combination of economic insecurity and gender norms do not allow them to pursue their dreams. According to Girls Not Brides, in Guatemala, 30% of girls get married or enter an informal union before they turn 18, and the figure is higher for rural, indigenous girls. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the risks of child marriage, but Mayra’s story serves as an inspiration for other girls in her community to defy societal expectations and pursue their dreams. She aims to use her education to help other girls in similar situations, a reminder of the power of education to change lives and communities for the better. FUNDAECO’s Healthy and Empowered Women and Girls Program continues to reach hundreds of girls and young women like Mayra each year with sexual and reproductive health services, scholarships, leadership development, and connections to economic opportunities. Resources: Radio Ambulante Univision Partner Link: FUNDAECO
Innovative MAR+Invest Conservation Finance Project Launched Credit: Brian Skerry July 01, 2022 Resilient Mesoamerican Reef Global Fund for Coral Reefs Awards Mesoamerican Reef Fund and Partners $1.7M Grant for Inception Phase of New Effort Responding to the need to reverse the declining trajectory of reef health as well as bolster investment and business opportunities in the region, the Mesoamerican Reef Fund (MAR Fund) and partners launched MAR+Invest in July 2022 as an innovative blended finance mechanism focused on cultivating regional reef-positive business opportunities across the region. Services provided by MAR+Invest include identifying promising business initiatives; providing capacity building, mentoring, and finance solutions; attracting additional funding/investment; and conducting environmental monitoring and analysis for the initiatives in its portfolio. By fostering enabling conditions for businesses that protect and better reef health while generating returns, MAR+Invest looks to close the gap in capital needed for regional marine conservation while creating income-producing opportunities for coastal communities. MAR+Invest is a region-wide collaboration of Mesoamerican Reef Fund, the Healthy Reefs for Healthy People Initiative, Sureste Sostenible’s MAR Leadership Program, Fondo Mexicano para La Conservación de la Naturaleza, and New Ventures/Viwala, bringing together regional experts in reef monitoring and evaluation, capacity building and development, finance, impact investing, and innovation. MAR Fund MAR+Invest GFCR announcement