Organization overview
Registered 501(c)(3)
EIN: 54-1995429
2001: Established as Orphan Helpers, Inc.
2024: Changed name to Counteract International
Our Mission
Our mission is to transform the lives of incarcerated youth across Central America. Counteract International is the only faith-driven organization that takes a holistic approach to equipping incarcerated and released youth across the Northern Triangle of Central America to achieve life turnarounds.
Our Work
Success Academy
Counteract provides incarcerated and released youth with access to the support that can help them achieve life turnarounds so they can reclaim agency over their futures. Each day, we send workers into government-run juvenile correctional centers across El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras to mentor and guide each one of these young men and women. We establish Success Academies where we provide life skills, leadership training, and Bible studies. We work with each Academy student to develop a personalized Success Plan so each one has a roadmap for life after incarceration.
Success Coaches
The foundation of Counteract’s work starts in the government-run juvenile correctional centers, but it doesn’t stop there. Once the youth are released from custody, they still face significant obstacles and many challenges. That’s where our Success Coaches go into action! Success Coaches identify opportunities in the community and support youth in their reintegration.
What does this look like? As the youth return to society, they:
- Enroll in university or a vocational education program
- Connect to a local church for continued spiritual growth
- Avoid any repeat offenses or gang activity
- Start family counseling to reconcile and mend broken relationships
- Acquire apprenticeships and jobs at local businesses
- Mentor other youth that are in similar life situations
Mentoring Project
Counteract’s mentoring project was launched last year in El Salvador to serve youth who were released from detention only to face a new set of challenges. They return to communities marked by stigma, limited job opportunities, and strained family relationships. What is often missing most is consistent, trust-based relationships with people who will walk with them over time. The mentoring program meets that need by mobilizing churches. The initiative pairs recently released youth with adult church volunteers or trained peer mentors, young adults who have also experienced incarceration and can offer guidance from lived experience.
Financials
Ratings + Accreditations
Executive Team + Board
Our Board of Directors and Executive Team provide strong leadership and oversight, ensuring Counteract International remains accountable and effective.
Your Support
Your support enables us to continue daily engagement with youth behind bars, guide them through the challenges of reintegration, and empower them to build meaningful and purpose-filled futures. Donated funds support core program materials, teacher salaries, and mentorship services. With additional resources, we can expand important services such as additional scholarships, curriculum development, leadership training, and parent and family education. These services are critical for youth seeking to leave violent pasts behind and gain dignified employment.
The first-year pilot phase of the mentoring project was funded through a grant from a private foundation. It will continue into its second year through the generous support of donors like you.
Our Impact
Currently, over 500 youth are actively engaged in our programs behind bars and in aftercare support with many more waiting to be served. We have established relationships with local governments, church leaders and international organizations who are working with us to provide high quality services behind bars, support during reintegration, and opportunities for youth to give back to the communities where they were once destructive.
In its first year, the results were strong for the new mentoring project in El Salvador. Over the course of five mentor training workshops, 60 church volunteers were trained. In addition, 20 formerly incarcerated youth were trained as peer mentors. Most importantly, 39 youth were matched in one-on-one mentoring relationships, with nearly all meeting consistently at least twice per month.
By the Numbers
Helen
Early this year, Helen Salgado enrolled at the Nursing Training Center in Honduras. Her healthcare training program studies will include both classroom instruction and clinical practice, preparing her for work in patient care settings.
At the same time, Helen works at her mother’s tamale stand to help grow the business and provide support for the family. But she remains focused on her long-term goal: becoming a healthcare professional who serves others with compassion.
Motivated by her faith and a desire to build a stable future, Helen is taking steady steps forward that will allow her to care for others and support herself with dignity.
Eduardo
Eduardo has reached a major milestone this year, receiving a competitive scholarship to pursue graduate studies in Chile. The award was formally presented at the Chilean Embassy in El Salvador, recognizing both his academic achievement and personal perseverance.
Eduardo’s journey began in the Success Academy in 2018, where he first started rebuilding his life. Upon release, he went on to complete his undergraduate degree at a Salvadoran university. Now he is preparing to begin a multi-year graduate program abroad.
His story reflects the impact of long-term mentorship and discipleship for youth who just need someone to believe in them.
Nahun
Nahun is in the final phase of a multi-month technical certification program in refrigeration and air conditioning systems in Honduras. His training includes both classroom instruction and practical application.
Nahun also holds a tough, labor-intensive job during the week moving agricultural products. Even with job demands and vocational training, he remains consistent in reviewing course material and completing assignments.
Nahun was released from detention in 2025. Nahun shared, “I feel satisfied and grateful for the support I have received from Counteract. I feel that entering the Success Academy program was the best decision I could have made.”
