WOLA’s Advocacy Training Program in Central America was established in 1996, and ran until 2005.
It sought to train civil society organizations in the region in the use of advocacy methodologies and techniques. Ultimately, its goal was to help organizations in the region influence local, national, and international policy-makers on decisions about key policies and programs.
The program was envisioned as a way to help build democratic culture in the region, which was ravaged by divisive civil wars for much of the Cold War years. WOLA aimed to help local civil society groups move past this legacy by promoting values such as equality, gender and ethnic equity, respect for diversity, dignity, tolerance, and human solidarity.