Collective Agency and Community Interaction For Pacamán

The Central America Regional  Initiative (CARI) is a USAID/OTI program implemented by Creative Associates International in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador that aims to reduce irregular migration and increase community and institutional resilience. The program supports underserved communities in response to government neglect and the lack of basic services that diminish the community’s hope for the future.  

CARI Guatemala is working in the Caserio Pacamán, a rural community in the municipality of Santa Catarina Palopó in Sololá with a population of approximately 90 families, to address services delivery issues in the areas of potable water, health, and education, in addition to limited economic opportunities for women and youth. Longstanding neglect by the local and national governments is the primary issue in Pacaman, CARI Guatemala works with community partners to strengthen their capacity for inclusive development. The program designed a case study on the impact of its work in Pacamán (https://express.adobe.com/page/xQhmDgwWyiUKr/) as part of the project’s focus on CLA to apply learning in iterative programming through analyzing qualitative data on changes in perceptions, behaviors, and social norms. However, the program faces challenges in transferring CLA to partners, so the program has focused on orienting partners in CLA as an approach to monitoring and evaluation.  

The team also holds frequent Pause and Reflect sessions to critically analyze the activities for aspects that are functioning well and possible improvements in community engagement. These events include technical staff from geographic clusters and provide opportunities for evidence-based learning and analysis of approaches and methodologies across clusters.