A trip through El Salvador with WFP

The pandemic forced Federico to run his business from home, where he promoted his pastries through social media. His story is a testament to resilience as he adapted and sustained his business despite the unprecedented challenges of the pandemic.

Through Gastro-Lab, WFP invests in the future of young Salvadorans

Two hours’ drive from San Salvador, in the seaside resort of La Libertad, the UN World Food Program is carrying out a joint vocational project with the Ministry of Tourism. The project, called Gastro-Lab, offers culinary training for young adults.

Photo: WFP USA/2024

Program participants explained that Gastro-Lab provided them with a unique opportunity to learn the skills needed to find a job in the hospitality industry and instilled confidence to pursue new opportunities.

A 2022 study by the UN World Food Program and the International Organization for Migration found that limited employment was the main driver of migration from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras to the United States. The most recent migrants had left in search of better jobs, wages and working conditions. Salvadorans also migrate in search of food and safety from violence.

The Gastro-Lab project offers young people culinary training and helps them find a job, thus combating forced migration. Participants receive training in food preparation and safety, entrepreneurship and business management. There are three Gastro-Labs in El Salvador, located in the cities of La Libertad, Santa Ana and La Unión, all funded with contributions from the World Food Program USA.

In El Salvador, farmers are working towards a climate-proof future

Agriculture is the main source of employment and income for rural families in El Salvador. These farmers already have intergenerational knowledge and expertise about the land they work on. However, as the planet warms and extreme weather events become more intense and frequent, their agricultural lands are changing. With additional training from the UN World Food Program, farmers are learning new techniques to help them adapt to the climate crisis.

In the El Melonal community in eastern El Salvador, the UN World Food Program helped farmers diversify their crop yields by teaching them how to grow sorghum, tomatoes, coriander and radishes. With more food to sell, farmers can earn more income while providing their communities with more diverse products at a lower cost. Sorghum is also a drought-resistant crop, meaning farmers can grow it to feed their families or even sell it at local markets during dry seasons.

Photo: WFP/Gabriela Moreno/2024

In the El Melonal community, farmers grow a variety of products and sell some of them in local markets.

Farmers are also encouraged to form savings groups and regularly contribute part of their income into a pooled fund. At the end of the savings cycle, the income is distributed among the participants and the farmers invest in equipment, seeds and fertilizer. In El Melonal, community members generously provided some of these funds to support their neighbors facing health challenges.

Gender equality is the key to ending hunger

In El Melonal, women prepare farmland for cultivation by removing heavy stones and digging through layers of dense red clay to find fertile soil. This effort not only demonstrates women’s physical strength, but also a deeper shift toward gender equality, as both men and women work to grow food for their families.

Photo: WFP/El Salvador/2024

Women who attended UN World Food Program gender equality training sessions reported feeling more independent, fearless and proud.

Through gender equality training sessions in El Melonal, the UN World Food Program is addressing traditional gender norms that have limited women to roles as caregivers in their communities. The trainings help women work in agriculture, serve as local leaders and create support networks. Through heartfelt testimonies, women shared the personal growth and empowerment they experienced during UN World Food Program training.

One program participant said: “Before we took part in the project, our hands were shaking and we were afraid to say anything. We learned that women are worth so much and started standing up for ourselves. We broke barriers and grew as women.”

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As our group left El Melonal, a woman asked if we would remember her community. We hope these stories bring you closer to the people and programs we support in El Salvador.

The UN World Food Program, made possible by supporters of the World Food Program in the US, provides people around the world with food and the opportunities to use their skills and knowledge to end hunger.