Mérida Initiative

Children practice tae kwon do at an after school program in Cuidad Juárez, funded by the Merida Initiative.

How do you fight organized crime in Mexico? With small business loans and after-school programs

For the last six years, a little-known infusion of American tax dollars has played a part in the fight against organized crime in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juárez. Part of the money for the Merida Initiative is used to keep young people out of drug cartels and help boost the economy.

The World

The Merida Initiative: The United States takes the War on Drugs to Mexico

Global Politics
The World

Mexico battles drug traffickers