About Us

Leaders who make CoCoDA strong
06 Sep

Leaders Who Make CoCoDA Strong

Companion Community Development Alternatives (CoCoDA) was established in 1992, as an extension of the work of Building With the Voiceless of El Salvador (BVES) which was founded by Tim Crouse and Peter Melberg (of DePauw University) in the United States alongside Salvadorans such as José Peña.The success of CoCoDA has always been due to the commitment to having Central Americans and North Americans working side by side in an effort to build not just a bridge, but a strong and equitable one that allows people to weave friendships. ...

27 Apr

Internship Opportunity with CoCoDA

The CoCoDA Internship program is designed to allow Salvadorians and Nicaraguans the opportunity to work side by side with CoCoDA employees in the areas of communications, social media, graphic design, public health, and delegation facilitation, project management while improving English language proficiency.While CoCoDA is open to applications from all students for possible internships, we will give preference to those in the following degree programs: Communications, English, Engineering, Graphic Design, Business Administration, Public Relations, Public Health, Medicine, and Social Work.CoCoDA is...

Febrero Fiesta 2022 - Thank you
17 Mar

More Dreams Will Come True Through Febrero Fiesta 2022!

Dreams will come true in Central America, thanks to the 225 people who attended one or more of the four nights of the Febrero Fiesta.  Together with the many Fiesta event and video sponsors, they raised over $23,000 for projects in El Salvador and Nicaragua.  You can read more about this exciting event below and see who made it a success.*At the bottom of this article are also links to each night’s program and to the videos from the Fiesta.Inhabitants of the Zacamil...

09 Nov

The Faces Behind CoCoDA

Over the years, CoCoDA has fulfilled its mission thanks to many people – staff, Board members, volunteers, donors, champions and our many partners in Central America.  These are people committed to our work, empathetic to the needs of those with less privilege or resource. North Americans and Central Americans have worked side by side, managing projects and creating programs for the benefit of the communities because, like CoCoDA, they have commited to improving the quality of life for those in Central America and creating connections between...

Continuing Education Program
02 Oct

CoCoDA Adjusts to the Pandemic

The pandemic has changed life for all of us – in the United States and in Central America.  One of the chief challenges for CoCoDA has been how to continue to meet our mission of connecting North Americans and Central Americans. We had to cancel all delegations during 2020 and 2021. With the Delta variant hitting Central America this month, we cancelled the delegations planned for January and February of 2022.  These challenges have forced us to be creative in continuing to...

28 Jan

Speakers Bureau – An approach to Central America

The CoCoDA Speakers Bureau is designed to create one-hour Zoom presentations that: Sustain positive connections between Central American and our partner universities, churches, and Clubs during the pandemic when face to face interactions in Central America are impractical. And, Generate revenue for CoCoDA during a period when we cannot sustain the income normally generated by delegations.These one-hour presentations could include one or more of the following:1.   A CoCoDA staff person presenting on a subject or theme.2.     A staff person...

09 Apr

Board of Directors

The CoCoDA Board of Directors represents CoCoDA partners and friends from the United States, Canada and Central America. Board members serve for three year terms. The Board meets via internet four times a year and face to face once a year, alternating between the United States and Central America. The Board meeting with our Salvadoran partners in June of 2015. Paul Smithson was asked to be on the Board of Directors shortly after this performance taking down the rest of the bombed...