EcoViva
Community-led initiatives for a Sustainable Future
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
El Salvador has lost 60% of its forest cover since 1950, and continues to lose mangroves at a rate of 681 hectares per year. Climate change, deforestation, pollution, large scale agricultural development, and overexploitation of natural resources continue to threaten this critical resource. 90% of El Salvador is at risk from climate-related events and 95% of the population lives in areas considered to be extremely vulnerable to climate change threats. These events, including flooding and severe drought conditions, not only threaten fragile ecosystems, but also the livelihoods of thousands of families in vulnerable rural communities whose food security has been affected by severe drought and frequent flooding.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Environmental conservation in El Salvador
EcoViva works with local communities in and around the Bay of Jiquilisco, El Salvador to protect and restore mangrove forests, endangered sea turtle populations, and fisheries.
Strengthening small producers
Providing capacity building, technical assistance, and grants to organizations that support small producers in Honduras and El Salvador
Where we work
External reviews
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of acres of land protected
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, People of Latin American descent
Related Program
Environmental conservation in El Salvador
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
4,735 acres of mangrove forest are protected by community patrols
Number of released animals
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Environmental conservation in El Salvador
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Numbers reflect sea turtles released from community-run hatcheries in and around the Bay of Jiquilisco and Barra de Santiago. 2017 was a record year. In May 2015, flooding wiped out the hatchery.
Number of youth receiving services (e.g., groups, skills and job training, etc.) with youths living in their community
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
At-risk youth, Adolescents, People of Latin American descent
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
500 youth have participated in empowerment programs such as literacy promotion, art, theater and community organizing since 2011.
Number of people receiving safe drinking water from community systems
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Since the inception of the program, 15,200 residents now have access to clean drinking water. Water tanks were constructed with support from Rotary Club International and other groups.
Acres of natural habitat restored
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Related Program
Environmental conservation in El Salvador
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Ecological Mangrove Restoration (EMR)
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
We aim to help rural Central American communities thrive, building local economies while protecting ecosystems and combatting climate change. We envision vibrant, democratic communities where everyone has the opportunity for education, access to basic services, and a dignified livelihood, and communities who are stewards of their natural resources.
In addition to our ongoing work in El Salvador, for the last five years we have begun to channel funding to similar community-led initiatives in Honduras and Panama. Over time, we seek to grow those relationships into strong and successful partnerships that replicate the success of our work in El Salvador.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We offer direct financial support to our local partner organizations and provide them with ongoing technical assistance with program planning and policy advocacy. We help them build strategic alliances locally and internationally, and recruit skilled volunteers to support their efforts. We also bring dozens of people from the United States to El Salvador each year on Community Empowerment Tours to learn about what's happening and build grassroots support for our work in the United States.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
EcoViva leverages a core team of development, program, and marketing professionals, as well as a dedicated Board of Directors, to support our Central American partners' programs financially and technically. Since our founding twenty years ago, we have helped our partners develop and strengthen strategic alliances with academic institutions and foundations in the United States, bringing needed expertise and resources to their initiatives. We connect our partners with national policy initiatives and major international funding streams from which they would be typically excluded otherwise.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
- The Bay of Jiquilisco, an important natural site in the area we work in, was designated as El Salvador's largest national protected area (156,000 acres), a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and UN-recognized Ramsar Wetlands site legally co-managed by local communities.
- Over 18,000 residents now have access to clean, low-cost, reliable drinking water thanks to the construction of a community-run water system.
- 4,735 acres of mangrove forest are now protected by regular community patrols
- 1,500,000 endangered sea turtles have been hatched and released into the ocean by local villagers.
- Over 500 composting toilets have been built by villagers and volunteers to decrease groundwater pollution and gastrointestinal illnesses.
- 84 communities are equipped with an Early Warning System for disaster response; 5,500 people in 40 villages safely evacuated after largest floods on record in October of 2011.
- 500 youth have participated in empowerment programs such as literacy promotion, art, theater and community organizing.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
EcoViva
Board of directorsas of 03/16/2022
Mary LaPorte
Karina Copen
Nature and Culture International
Jeffrey Haas
Mary LePorte
Erik Schnabel
MEDICC
Eleanor Stein
Albany Law School
Cam Duncan
National Labor College
Lisa Oppenheimer
Eric Oppenheimer Family Foundation
Salvador Menjivar
Beneficial State Bank Foundation
Ed Baron
University of Oklahoma
Nathan Weller
California FarmLink
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes