Building long-term social change by developing a culture of volunteerism
Laureate
Diego de Sola
Venture
Glasswing InternationalProgram
McNulty PrizeLocation
Central America
McNULTY PRIZE LAUREATE
Glasswing International is a holistic model of community resilience, rallying all segments of Salvadoran and Central American society to invest in its next generation. It is an innovative non-profit that addresses the root causes of poverty and violence through education, health, and community empowerment.
It’s about putting into practice the idea that everyone is a leader. You empower people, and then you get out of their way
Glasswing works to implement a wide-ranging set of initiatives guided by a trauma-informed approach at the community level to address the root causes of poverty, while simultaneously fostering a culture of giving back and volunteerism among business leaders and employees of large companies. Its flagship program of 30 integrative community schools offers high-quality education in a safe and secure environment, and involves thousands of volunteers from the community. Glasswing’s schools graduate three times as many students as traditional schools, improve relationships between peers and with students’ families, and reduce teen pregnancy to zero among girls enrolled in Glasswing’s Girls Clubs at those schools.
Glasswing was founded by siblings Diego and Celina de Sola and husband Ken Baker. The de Solas grew up in El Salvador, and after extensive careers in the private sector and public health, decided to return to the area to empower others to change the social and economic realities of the region. Since its founding, Glasswing has grown to offer programs in 11 countries in the US and Latin American region.
1.6
million lives directly impacted
92%
of children and youth reported improvement in their relationships with peers and family
1,000+
after-school programs in 9 countries
Schools are the centerpiece of Glasswing’s efforts, because adolescence is a critical development point to interrupt cycles of violence and to prevent gang membership. Working holistically in the community, though, other initiatives include improving infrastructure like roads, offering employment skills to kids who have left the school system, and fostering entrepreneurship and small business creation. Each project is designed with a specific community in mind, allowing for flexibility and local empowerment in creating deep solutions.
Ultimately, Glasswing will help these communities develop their capacity to maintain programs without the support of the larger organization. Through leadership training, community mobilization efforts, and structured monitoring and data collection systems, Glasswing successfully gives local leaders the skills and resources they need to guide their community toward self-sustainability and success.