In El Salvador, more than 70% of people with disabilities do not have formal employment
Only 3 out of 10 people with disabilities manage to complete basic education
By Gabriela Méndez
According to the 2023 analysis on the situation of persons with disabilities in El Salvador, 1 in 5 people in the country lives with some disability, which represents more than 1.14 million citizens. This figure shows a reality that shapes the daily lives of thousands of Salvadoran families and that continues to be marked by inequality and limited opportunities.
Across the country, stories of quiet resilience are repeated. In many cases, serious disability conditions turn simple daily tasks into major challenges, limiting access to employment, education, and social participation. Since 2008, Fundación Red de Sobrevivientes y Personas con Discapacidad has taken on the commitment to create real and lasting change, promoting inclusion through a human rights approach.
“For us, providing dignity through opportunities means creating the conditions for each person to make decisions about their own life, develop their autonomy, and actively participate in society, promoting true inclusion of people with disabilities. It is not just about providing support, but about opening up real paths for people with disabilities to exercise their rights and build a meaningful life project.,” said Evelyn Martínez, Communications Coordinator of the Foundation.
In this context, access to decent employment remains one of the greatest challenges. The lack of inclusive education, workplaces that are not accessible, and the prejudice that still exists in society continue to close doors, reduce opportunities, and deepen cycles of exclusion and dependence.
Promoting a Dignified Socioeconomic Condition
One of the organization’s most representative projects is its wheelchair repair and maintenance training program, which provides technical instruction in welding, upholstery, and painting. To date, 72 young people have graduated, gaining practical skills that now allow them to generate income, strengthen their autonomy, and move toward the independence of people with disabilities, significantly improving their quality of life.
Along the same lines, there were developed business training sessions on How to Run Online Businesses, designed to open new opportunities in the digital world and support the sustainable growth of businesses led by persons with disabilities.
Since 2015, Fundación Red de Sobrevivientes y Personas con Discapacidad has operated the Unidad de Inclusión Laboral (labor inclusion unit), a strategy that connects persons with disabilities with companies committed to inclusion. This process includes skills assessment, career guidance, technical training, mentoring, psychosocial support, and follow up during job placement. Thanks to this effort, 450 people have been integrated into formal employment, strengthening their self esteem, autonomy, and social participation.
“Disability does not reduce talent or dreams. What truly holds them back are prejudice and the lack of opportunities. When doors are opened, not only are lives transformed, but an entire community is strengthened,” Martínez concluded.
Currently, the Foundation is promoting its sponsorship program, an initiative that invites individuals, companies, and institutions to join as partners to strengthen its programs and expand its impact, creating more real opportunities for persons with disabilities.
Estela Valiente, the Strength to Begin Again
At eleven years old, Estela Valiente’s life changed forever. A traffic accident left her unconscious, and when she woke up at Hospital Nacional de Niños Benjamín Bloom, she learned that she had lost her left leg. Fear, uncertainty, and sadness marked her first days as she faced a new reality.
The path toward independence was challenging, but in 2006 she found a light that would change her story: Fundación Red de Sobrevivientes y Personas con Discapacidad. Through its peer support spaces, Estela received emotional support, guidance, and access to tools that helped her strengthen her self-confidence, regain trust in herself, and begin to see a future again.
Today, she uses a prosthesis that gives her mobility and independence, and she is pursuing a degree in Social Work, convinced that her experience can inspire and support other persons with disabilities. “For me, the Foundation was a light of hope in the middle of the darkness I was living in. I am deeply grateful that they believed in me and allowed me to move from being a beneficiary to becoming part of their story,” she says.
Her testimony reflects the power of timely support, inclusion, and a genuine belief in human potential. Because when support networks are created, not only are realities transformed, but destinies are changed.
How to donate?
The NGO invites anyone who wishes to contribute to the continuity of its work in El Salvador. One of its main commitments is transparency and accountability; therefore, donors receive reports on the impact of their contribution, as well as the corresponding receipts for each donation made.Learn more on the website, its profiles on Facebook and Instagram, or email to comunicaciones@reddesobrevivientes.org.
