What Fundación Salesiana PACES does

Fundación Salesiana PACES is a non-profit foundation headquartered in Cuenca, Azuay, Ecuador, founded in 1988 by P. Guillermo Mensi under the Salesian Technical College community and currently managed by the Salesian Community of Yanuncay within the Inspectoría del Proyecto Salesiano Ecuador. The organization serves children, adolescents, and youth aged 13–20 in vulnerable and "street situations" through four interconnected work areas: Presencia Preventiva en Calle (street-based outreach and accompaniment in streets, plazas, markets, and neighborhoods across daytime and evening hours), Capacitación Técnica Artesanal (technical-vocational training in nine-plus trades including automotive mechanics, industrial mechanics, electrical installations, beauty, culinary arts, carpentry, plumbing, and gardening at the Centro de Formación Artesanal), Oficina de Inserción Laboral (job placement, internships, and micro-enterprise support including seed capital, tool kits, and savings groups), and Centros Organizativos Salesianos (community centers in strategic urban sectors such as Feria Libre and 9 de Octubre providing educational, recreational, and family support services).

The foundation's technology footprint is modest: an online learning management system called AVAC (Sistema de Formación en Línea) developed in partnership with Universidad Politécnica Salesiana supports face-to-face, semi-presential, and virtual modalities, and an internal socioeconomic record system (Fichas Socioeconómicas) manages beneficiary data. The underlying methodology is the Don Bosco Preventive System (Pedagogía Preventiva), a Salesian educational philosophy centered on reason, religion, and loving kindness rather than punitive approaches, and the organization delivers complementary sub-programs including Copa Don Bosco (annual sports event reaching approximately 600 children), Círculo de la Lectura (reading program), and the Proyecto de Asesoramiento Empresarial (university-led business advisory).

Funded entirely through donations, corporate social responsibility partnerships, and government/institutional linkages rather than service fees, PACES operates with 13 employees and depends on a network of named institutional partners including Universidad Politécnica Salesiana, Plásticos Rival, Jugend Eine Welt, VIA Don Bosco, the Gobierno Autónomo Descentralizado de Cuenca, and the Junta Provincial de Defensa del Artesano del Azuay, from which it received the Condecoración al Mérito Formativo in November 2022.

Name

Fundación Salesiana PACES

Legal name

Fundación Salesiana PACES

Website

https://paces.org.ec

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fundación Salesiana PACES is a Cuenca, Ecuador-based nonprofit foundation that delivers vocational training in nine-plus trades, street outreach, and job placement services to vulnerable children and youth aged 13–20 using the Salesian preventive pedagogy of Don Bosco.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vocational Training and Youth Social Services

NAICS

Technical and Trade Schools (6115), Other Technical and Trade Schools (611519)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Entrepreneurship & Small Business Workforce Programs (EDAAAOAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Entrepreneurship & Freelance Employability (Self-Employment Readiness) (EDAAAKAM), Food Entrepreneurship (Food Trucks/Small Business) (EDAOAKAK), Beauty Retail, Product Knowledge & Sales Training (EDAOALAL)

Keywords

• Vocational training services
• Youth social programs
• Community outreach services
• Technical education programs
• Job placement services

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Fundación Salesiana PACES provides free technical-vocational training in 10+ artisan trades (automotive mechanics, industrial mechanics, electrical installation, beauty, culinary arts, carpentry, plumbing, gardening, bakery) to vulnerable youth aged 13-20 in Cuenca, Ecuador, alongside street-based prevention and accompaniment, community centers, and job placement services. All programming is delivered under the Salesian Preventive System and funded by donations, sponsorships, and institutional partnerships.

Product overview

Fundación Salesiana PACES operates as a unified social-educational platform centered on the Centro de Formación Artesanal (technical/vocational training) and three interconnected service areas: Presencia Preventiva en Calle (street outreach), Oficina de Inserción Laboral (job placement), and Centros Organizativos Salesianos (community centers). Supporting these core offerings are online learning via the AVAC system, short intensive courses, the Copa Don Bosco sports program, Círculo de la Lectura reading program, and business advisory services. The organization serves vulnerable youth aged 13-20 in Cuenca, Ecuador, providing technical training in 10+ trades with the goal of employment insertion and life dignity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Centro de Formación Artesanal PACES: The vocational and artisan training center providing technical education in areas such as automotive mechanics, electrical work, carpentry, beauty, cooking, and more for youth aged 13-20.
• Centros Organizativos Salesianos
• Centro de Promoción Social P. Carlos Crespi

Products and services

• Centro de Formación Artesanal PACES
• Presencia Preventiva en Calle

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Jesuit Refugee Service Latin America: Jesuit-affiliated humanitarian organization providing education and livelihoods support to displaced and vulnerable youth in Latin America. Comparable to PACES in religious-affiliation delivery model and focus on vulnerable youth in Ecuador and surrounding countries.
• Aldeas Infantiles SOS Ecuador: Ecuadorian arm of an international NGO supporting children and adolescents without parental care or in vulnerable situations. Comparable in serving the same at-risk youth demographic in Cuenca and across Ecuador with holistic support services.
• Bánkada Fundación / Hogar de Cristo Ecuador: Faith-inspired Ecuadorian social services network supporting children, adolescents, and families in poverty. Comparable to PACES in operating territory (Ecuador), target demographic, and faith-based service delivery model.

Direct peers

• Fundación Forge: Latin American nonprofit focused on training and labor market insertion for disadvantaged youth. Comparable to PACES's Oficina de Inserción Laboral and Centro de Formación Artesanal in targeting the same demographic with employability training.
• Junior Achievement Americas: Pan-American youth entrepreneurship and workforce-readiness education nonprofit. Comparable to PACES Emprende in delivering entrepreneurship and employability training to at-risk adolescents across Latin America.
• Fe y Alegría: Pan-Latin American Jesuit-run education and vocational network serving marginalized youth. Comparable to PACES in mission (popular education for vulnerable populations), religious-affiliation delivery model, and technical training focus, though larger in geographic scope.

Broad incumbents

• Salesian Missions / Don Bosco Network: Global Salesian development organization supporting youth vocational training and education worldwide. PACES operates as a local affiliate within this broader network, sharing the Don Bosco Preventive System pedagogy and access to international donor channels.
• International Youth Foundation (IYF): Global nonprofit focused on youth workforce development and entrepreneurship in emerging markets. Comparable to PACES in mission and operating region, though at significantly larger scale with multi-country program portfolios.
• Fundación Telefónica (Proniño program): Large corporate foundation operating vocational and digital inclusion programs for vulnerable youth in Latin America, including the historical Proniño program. Comparable in target population and corporate-funded training model.

Emerging players

• Fundación Paraguaya: Latin American nonprofit operating self-sustaining agricultural and vocational schools for low-income youth. Comparable in combining technical training with entrepreneurship and family economic strengthening for vulnerable adolescents.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FundacionPACES
• Facebookfacebook.com/Fundaci%C3%B3n-Salesiana-PACES-156011401161984
• Instagraminstagram.com/fundacionpaces
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fundaci%C3%B3n-salesiana-paces

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fundación Salesiana PACES