The Leadership Projects are an integral part of the Central America Leadership Initiative. Each Fellow, in the CALI tradition, will “give back” by carrying out a project designed to put into practice the principles of values-based leadership. These projects will start during the last 18 months of the Fellowship.

We anticipate that these projects will have a substantial impact in local communities, and will be one of the key “legacies” of the Central America Leadership Initiative. While it is difficult to predict the nature of the projects that the Fellows will take on, the following examples give us reason to keep our expectations high.

• Luis Javier Castro, through his presidency of AED and Mesoamerica Foundation, has been able to make mayor impacts on the education system in Costa Rica.
• Sylvia Gereda’s project is a magazine insert called Switch, conceived, designed and edited by young people, whose principle objective is to present role models for the youth of Guatemala. 
• Alexandra Kissling’s became a board member of the Rasur Foundation, an organization whose mission is to inspire, educate and facilitate a worldwide culture of peace, model after the Peace Army in Costa Rica. Kissling is also an active member of AED.
• Alejandro Poma’s project is Libras de Amor, which helps badly nourished children, pregnant and nursing woman in El Salvador.
• Miguel Angel Simán created Fondo Solidario whose mission is to generate opportunities for the poorest families in El Salvador, through economic and social development programs.
• Diego de Sola is one of the partners of Glasswing International, an organization that seeks to promote strategic social investment through the creation of ‘action networks’ - among businesses, foundations, governmental, and non-profit organizations - with the aim of encouraging broader societal participation in improving lives.
• Ricardo Terán, created AGORA Partnerships, an organization that operates a for-profit venture capital fund and a non-profit consulting firm that provides small entrepreneurs in Nicaragua with tools, networks, financing and support.
• Victor Vial created Fundación Vial al Futuro, an a non-profit organization that seeks to strengthen the quality and supply of education, by incorporating the benefits of Information and Communications technology in public schools and other institutions dedicated to the education of children in Panama.

Each Fellow has committed to a project to help tangibly improve their society, and it is expected that they will continue to apply the lessons learned during these sessions to help solve the pressing issues they face.  It is the hope of the Founders of this program that investing in greater leadership capacity will be the key to bringing forth the great potential they see in this region – both through the leadership projects, and the leaders themselves.