Creative Associates has engaged in more than a decade of USAID-supported work in El Salvador. In April 2000, the Citizen Participation and Governance (CPG) project began creating new avenues for communication between citizens and government, encouraging the development of an active, influential citizenry. Grants and technical assistance support civil society organizations in advancing their agendas and developing successfully. Greater citizen participation with the Legislative Assembly was encouraged through a constituent services program; government transparency and electoral reform were other key areas of focus.

Improving Civil Society Organizations’ Ability to Influence Policy Change
CPG—its full name is Strengthening Mechanisms and Channels for Citizen Participation in Democratic Decision-Making Processes—nurtured civil society organizations by helping them learn how to use the media as a vehicle for public advocacy. Financial and institutional sustainability workshops helped to strengthen organizations for the long term. CPG assisted organizations in setting concrete goals; addressing fund-raising, leadership and human-resource challenges; and expanding and strengthening their networks. Community-based organizations worked with the project to present more than 30 formal public policy proposals to the national and municipal governments for approval. Specific grant cycles were introduced that promote transparency and budget monitoring by civil society organizations. CPG produced El Salvador’s first practical citizens’ advocacy guide, which was presented to the Assembly and made available in print and online.

Supporting Citizen Involvement in the Legislative Assembly
The University of Texas at Austin served as a partner on a Legislative Assembly Constituent Services Program that sought to increase citizen input into the legislative process. Regional offices of the Assembly were opened in two areas of El Salvador. An Office of Citizen Attention kept citizens apprised of legislation before the Assembly, established a public library and information center and acted as a resource for organizations lobbying on civic issues. A constituent hotline was designed to further increase citizens’ ties to government processes. The program launched a Web site for children to instill the values of civic participation at an early age. An internship program helped the Legislative Assembly bridge the information divide.

Promoting Transparency and Probity and Strengthening the Electoral System
CPG helped the Supreme Electoral Tribunal face challenges of modernization. It provided advice on how to separate administrative and jurisdictional functions to improve efficiency, and it assisted in the drafting of new electoral reforms by the tribunal. Citizen groups that monitor government spending and try to prevent corruption were created under CPG. In nine municipalities across El Salvador, an initiative on municipal transparency involved public officials and local leaders in the public monitoring of government funds. Local organizations came up with the initiative in response to communities’ desire to stamp out corruption. Organizations such as the Association for Education in Women’s Enterprise changed the civic landscape not only by promoting legislative reforms, but by encouraging their government partners to host accountability workshops, thereby mobilizing clients to demand openness on the part of government agencies.

For more information, please contact Creative at Creative@CreativeWorldWide.com