COAR is a community

Neighbors standing in faithful solidarity

COAR has never been an outside organization coming in to do work in El Salvador. We’ve been deeply embedded in the community we serve since opening our doors in 1980.

Our heart is in the community

The COAR campus sits in Zaragoza, a small town nestled between the capital city of San Salvador and the Pacific coast beach town of El Puerto de la Libertad.

The broader communities that COAR is a part of, including both the Archdiocese of San Salvador and the town of Zaragoza, are crucial to fostering a sense of belonging among the children we shelter and teach.

That’s why we work so closely with our community partners: because we know that the community these kids need is larger than our campus walls.

We're supported by locals

Salvadorans are keen to help their Church, community, and vulnerable children. But they are so often limited by poverty.

While many local people cannot donate money, outside groups do volunteer their time, services, and supplies. In fact, every weekend brings a different group of concerned and resourceful adults as role models for our children.

In this way, COAR lives the community value that we hold so close. Only together can we make the lasting impact worthy of St. Romero’s legacy.

Salvadoran volunteers include…

A local women’s Catholic group that brings crafts and entertainment
Local university students who practice art and music therapy
A local health group that explains eating disorders
A local business that supplies books and paint for a learning center

What it means to be community-based

We work together with Salvadorans

COAR staff (and donors) aren’t the only ones nurturing these children.

We’re a deep part of the local community and have been for almost half a century now. We not only work to support the community but actively invite them to be part of what’s happening at COAR.

As a result, our children see just how many people care about them and want to be part of their resilient future.

We partner with the local parish

COAR’s life in Zaragoza is anchored at Nuestra Señora del Pilar, the local Catholic parish.

Here our children celebrate the sacraments and mark the milestones of their faith. The parish is also the home of COAR’s school, and its relationship with the Archdiocese of San Salvador shapes how decisions are made and how the mission stays grounded in the faith-led values that have guided our work since 1980.

We give "family" a new meaning

How? Through our grandmothers-in-residence!

Several years ago, a small congregation of Spanish nuns— the Congregation of Nuestra Señora del Pilar — made COAR their home. They became, quite simply, grandmothers.

They offer tutoring, a shoulder to lean on, and catechism. They stand as godparents at baptisms and sponsors at Confirmations.

Three young women sit together in front of a black wall with yellow text that reads Gracias por estar aquí.

You are the part of the COAR community, too

Some community members share a postal code; others share a commitment.

By that measure, COAR’s community stretches from Zaragoza to Cleveland to wherever you’re reading this. We’re bound together not by geography but by a common calling embodied by St. Romero himself: to protect the vulnerable.

Will you stand with us?

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