The Supérate Program was founded by the Sagrera Palomo Foundation in El Salvador in 2004.  With private sector funding, Supérate serves students from at-risk public schools, ages 13 through 18, who have demonstrated high academic performance and a high desire and potential for self-improvement.  The program helps reduce illegal immigration by giving youth the opportunity to realize their full potential in El Salvador.

Through an alliance with the Sagrera Palomo Foundation and Microsoft, USAID supports Supérate, a program that complements the public school curriculum with English, computer and values courses.  Students attend classes for a period of two hours a day, five days a week, either before or after the regular school day.  Through the English and computer curriculum, Supérate provides students with the critical skill-sets needed to help them make a successful transition to higher education or a promising job after high school.  The course on values addresses the growing concern for youth-at-risk in the country, given that students come from areas affected by crime and violence.  Students learn leadership skills, problem solving techniques and conflict resolution alternatives.

The Supérate program works in coordination with the Ministry of Education, recruiting students from public schools in high crime communities, where people are more likely to attempt to illegally immigrate to the United States.

The majority of Supérate graduates have successfully obtained university scholarships and/or employment, earning at least double the minimum wage.

Given its success, other private companies in El Salvador established centers and the model has been replicated in Panama and Nicaragua.  As of this year the program has 10 centers (seven in El Salvador, with support from USAID; two in Panama; and one in Nicaragua).