Latin American civil society can inspire change around the world
Latest Stories
Esperança é o último que morre: if you’re searching for hope and inspiration in dark times, give a look at South America.
By using citizen media and supporting local NGOs and governments, Shine a Light has been able to have an impact far beyond our small size. We monitor our work constantly and engage in regular evaluations, so that we use donor money and volunteer time as efficiently and effectively as possible.
Our ten year evaluation in 2010 showed that 83% organizations expanded their services as a result of their collaboration with us.
79% of projects changed government policy in a progressive direction.
63% of participating youth became leaders in their community.
83% of participants became mentors to other kids.
And perhaps most shockingly: 38% of participants went on to higher education, in comparison to fewer than 3% of poor children in Brazil, Colombia, or Argentina.
Since 2010, our FavelaNews project reduced homicide rates in four of the most violent favelas of Recife from 600/100,000 to fewer than 10.
FavelaNews now reaches 200,000 viewers a month, almost all of them young people in the favelas of Recife.
YouTube and Facebook have registered more than a million views of our films made in collaboration with marginalized children.
Our work in the Amazon won the 2016 Intercultural Innovation Award from the united Nations.
En Busca de la Vida, our telenovela made with indigenous youth in La Paz, was shown on national TV in Bolivia.
Film Festivals in Europe, Asia, Latin America, and the US have shown our films.