Projects in Latin America
Completed projects from 2024 – 2025
Healing Costa Rica’s soil through sustainable forestry practices
Costa Rica is renowned for its incredible biodiversity. Yet forestry production (for timber) in this small country is largely focused on economic gain with little regard for environmental care, especially soil health and the sustainability of food production for future generations.
Forestry expert Mónica Cortés is partnering with ECU, the IFES movement in Costa Rica, on a project which aims to raise awareness and promote dialogue about environmental stewardship among forestry engineering students at her university and those in the national movement. The project is rooted in the idea that a biblical approach to creation care includes promoting ecological balance so that the earth may provide a healthy resource for future generations.
Mónica will conduct a survey to understand students’ perceptions of theology and creation care and their experiences and views on monoculture exploitation and sustainable forestry practices. She will also work with an academic from her university to collect and analyze soil samples from a plot where sustainable practices (vegetation cover) have been used, providing scientific results that demonstrate the impact of such practices on soil quality.
Mónica will share her findings through a scholarly article and two events. The first event will be an “information lab” in the School of Environmental Sciences, designed to motivate future foresters and researchers to find and implement new sustainable forestry practices. The second will be a workshop for Christian students at ECU’s national camp.
— Mónica Cortés is studying for a master’s degree in organic agriculture and works as a research assistant in the Forestry Engineering Research Unit at the National University of Costa Rica. She also works part-time as a staff worker for ECU.
Strengthening science-theology dialogue in Chile
Discussions about science and the Christian faith are scarce in Latin America. In Chile, biotechnology engineer Dr Jaime Enrique Peña Álvarez says that society views such conversations as irrelevant. In some churches, dialogue on science and theology is discouraged or even shut down, due to fear that engaging with science will threaten church members’ faith, and because of a lack of training and understanding of the issues among church leaders.
In 2023, Jaime led an LCI pilot project – a course on science and faith for Christian academics – and identified a need for continued training in this area. Working with GBUCh, the IFES movement in Chile, Jaime’s project will equip students to engage in science and theology dialogue and to build bridges with people of other faiths.
The project will involve a mentoring scheme in which graduate students and final-year undergraduates hoping to enter careers in academia will be matched with Christian academics, preferably from a related discipline. The mentors will be drawn from the network of Chilean Christian scholars that emerged from the 2024 Christian Scholars Gathering organized by LCI alumnus Catalyst Pablo Gutiérrez in conjunction with GBUCh.
Jaime will also design and deliver an online course on theology and the sciences which will be open to GBUCh students and members of the public. Through the course and the production of a scholarly article, Jaime will discuss the relationship between his discipline (biotechnology engineering) and theology, demonstrating how God’s care for living beings, especially humans, can be seen through the design of proteins that protect us from disease.
— Dr Jaime Enrique Peña Álvarez is assistant professor and coordinator of internships and degrees in the Department of Industrial Civil Engineering at the Autonomous University of Chile, Temuco. He is also a volunteer with GBUCh.
Disability, science and theology: promoting accessibility in science communication and the academy
A declaration by the 1999 UNESCO World Conference on Science stated that: “Equal access to science is not only a social and ethical requirement for human development, but also essential for realizing the full potential of scientific communities worldwide and for orienting scientific progress towards meeting the needs of humankind.”
Many researchers disseminate their findings through books, journal articles, conference presentations and outreach to the wider public. But who has access to this knowledge?
Graduate student Johana Escobar wants to ask: is science being communicated in a way that is accessible and understandable to individuals with disabilities? For example, research has shown that blind individuals who use a screen reader to access academic journals face difficulties accessing images, graphs and tables because there is no description of their contents.
In Argentina, Johana is leading a project that will equip academics at her university to develop strategies to communicate science in a way that is more inclusive and accessible. Johana will conduct interviews and a survey among academics to learn more about how they disseminate their scientific findings and how accessible the communication is. She will organize a conference on accessible science, in which she will share her results and invite experts to speak. She will also prepare a series of short video clips about accessible science communication.
With her IFES national movement, Johana will lead a training workshop on the practical theology of disability, inclusion and accessibility, encouraging students, staff and professionals to reflect and take action to become a truly accessible, welcoming and inclusive community for individuals with disabilities.
— Johana Escobar is a Colombian graduate student who is currently living in Argentina where she is studying for a PhD in health sciences at the National University of Cordoba.
Equipping future engineers to understand and tackle corruption in Chile
Corruption is one of the most pressing issues facing Latin America today. IFES Global Trends Report cited it as a major challenge affecting student movements. A report by Transparency International (2019) found that more than 50 percent of Latin American citizens believe corruption is getting worse in their country.
In Chile, engineers frequently come face to face with corruption since they are often responsible for planning, designing and executing large-scale projects. Dr Alexander Opazo has found that engineering students in his country are not being sufficiently prepared for this challenge. In 2023, he conducted a pilot study of university engineering courses and found that ethics is taught in a sparse and superficial way, often with a focus simply on following rules and laws.
Alexander’s project aims to strengthen ethics training in the engineering sciences so that students and academics are equipped to understand and grapple with corruption. He will establish a working group, made up of an interdisciplinary team of academics and students, that will design and implement new ethics teaching material in two civil engineering courses in the city of Concepción. The course content will be tailored to the Chilean context and will bridge science and faith through the incorporation of Christian ethics, which focuses not only on conduct but on character and purpose.
The team will evaluate the new curriculum and share their findings through presentations at scientific conferences, academic journal articles, and events with GBUCh, the IFES movement in Chile, so that academics and students may use or adapt their material.
— Dr Alexander Opazo is an associate professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Bio-Bio in Concepción, Chile.
Empowering Black Christian researchers in Brazil to combat racism in the academy
Much of Brazilian society believes that their country has racial harmony and democracy, but researchers of African descent still face structural racism. In particular, Brazilian students of African descent are underrepresented in graduate programs. Only 15 percent of graduate students are Black or mixed race while 53 percent of Brazil’s population is of African descent (survey conducted by the Brazilian League of Black Sciences in 2020; 2022 national census).
A pilot study conducted by teacher and graduate student Fabiana Pereira in 2023 found that Black Christian researchers in Brazil experience racism in both the university and the church. In focus groups, researchers reported such challenges as difficulties accessing grants and resources, prejudice from professors and advisors, unwelcoming church environments and racist readings of the Bible.
In response, Fabiana has designed a mentoring scheme to strengthen Black, Christian early-career researchers, contributing to a more diverse scientific output. The project is underpinned by a hopeful perspective focused on reconciliation, celebration of diversity and the idea that plurality is an inherent characteristic of creation and of the creator God “who loves difference and who loves differently.” (Smith; 2012; p20 and 157)
Through monthly online meetings, assigned readings and group therapy sessions, up to 10 researchers will be equipped to publish research and present at conferences, sharing knowledge on race and ethnic relations that is rooted in theological and social scientific foundations. Participants will also share their knowledge with members of ABUB, the IFES national movement in Brazil, through local meetings and through the new scholars’ network, which was launched as part of LCI Catalyst Deborah Viera’s project.
— Fabiana Pereira is a sociology and history secondary school teacher, a graduate student in pedagogy, and a part-time staff worker with ABUB.
Moving students from reflection to action on the environmental crisis
Guatemala is among the top 10 countries most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Pollution, biodiversity loss and land degradation are also problems in this developing nation.
Working with GEU, the IFES movement in Guatemala, agricultural engineer Venuz Pérez López, is integrating scientific, theological and indigenous perspectives on environmental care to mobilize university students to respond to the environmental crisis. In 2023 – 2024, Venuz organized a one-day forum and led a five-month-long, online course based on the BioLogos Seeing God in Creation course.
Through these activities, she identified that there is still much work to be done to encourage students to get involved in environmental care. She also observed the importance of not imposing a hegemonic model but working with indigenous people to develop environmental solutions that value their cultural wealth, symbols and habits and fit with their realities. In Guatemala, 41 percent of the population self-identifies as indigenous, including Venuz.
In 2024 – 2025, Venuz’s project has evolved to focus on rivers. Water in Guatemala is an abundant but poorly managed, highly polluted resource that causes multiple diseases. Rivers are mainly valued for their economic function with little attention paid to their ecological and other benefits.
Venuz will conduct qualitative research to explore the value of rivers from scientific, theological and indigenous perspectives and to identify patterns, common themes and differences between these perspectives. This will involve interviews with scientists, theologians, students and indigenous leaders. She will publish her results in a scholarly article.
She will interview students to understand their perspectives on the conservation and protection of rivers, and to propose possible solutions. The results will be developed into a second scholarly article. Finally, she will promote environmental awareness among students from the national movement and beyond through videos, infographics, posters and Bible studies.
–Venuz Pérez López works as coordinator of the environmental program at a Christian NGO called Centro Esdras (the Ezra Center). She is being assisted with her project by LCI “alumni” Catalysts Johnny Patal, an agronomist engineer, and Lorena Brondani, a communications expert.
Integrating virtue theology and Cognitive Behavorial Therapy to improve student mental health
The mental health crisis among young people is a global problem flagged by the World Health Organizaton, as well as by IFES in its Global Trends Report. In Latin America, mental health is aggravated by poverty, violence and human rights violations.
Dr Elías Coreas Soto is a Mexican clinical psychologist who is integrating psychology and theology to improve student mental health in Latin America.
In 2023 – 2024, Elias conducted a survey of students and staff in COMPA, the IFES movement in Mexico, to understand their attitudes and experiences related to mental health. Based on the findings, he led training for staff and created a mental health handbook that will equip staff to provide better pastoral accompaniment to students.
In 2024 – 2025, Elias is continuing his project with a focus on how the theology of virtues can be brought into dialogue with techniques from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).
In the last 20 years, interest has grown in psychology on how developing certain character virtues can lead to greater wellbeing. The four classic cardinal virtues are prudence, fortitude, temperance and justice. The three theological virtues are faith, hope and charity. Recently, positive psychology (which focuses on flourishing rather than reducing symptoms) has focused on the four classic virtues as well as the virtues of humanity and transcendence (connection to spirituality, creativity and purpose).
In collaboration with other therapists, Elias will lead an experimental group therapy program for students (from IFES movements and beyond) that will incorporate virtue theology and CBT. He will evaluate its effectiveness through clinical questionnaires and will develop his results into a scholarly article. Two new chapters on this topic will be added to his mental health manual (currently an e-publication), and it will be distributed as a printed resource.
This year, Elias has expanded the scope of his project to include the IFES movements in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Mexico. He will lead mental health trainings for 70 percent of staff from these countries.
— Dr Elías Coreas Soto works as a clinical psychologist in a hospital setting and is a professor of psychology at the Universidad de Estudios Avanzados. He also volunteers with his IFES movement, COMPA.
Bioethical and theological approaches to human genome editing
As scientists have developed faster, cheaper, and more precise methods to edit the human genome, gene therapy has gained support as a promising way to treat a wide range of diseases. Some Christians have taken a stand against it, arguing that scientists are trying to “play God” while others recognize that these new ways to treat disease help us love our neighbor as ourselves.
In Ecuador, Álvaro Pérez, a Christian biotechnologist, is leading a project to promote dialogue about bioethical and Christian perspectives on gene editing. Working in partnership with CECE, the IFES movement in Ecuador, he aims to move the conversation from “Is gene editing right?” to “How can it be done righteously?”
In 2023 – 2024, Álvaro led a project to promote dialogue about bioethical and Christian perspectives on gene editing for the treatment of human diseases. It included an academic forum held at the University of San Francisco, Quito, a video interview with an expert, and a scholarly article.
In 2024 – 2025, Álvaro is continuing his project with a focus on the ethical and theological concerns regarding human germline gene editing – a process by which an individual’s genome is altered in a heritable way. This kind of gene editing is illegal in some countries, but some scientists have proposed it as a possible future method of correcting mutations and preventing hereditary diseases.
In collaboration with university lecturers, Álvaro will design and deliver a three-month-long online course on the bioethics and theology of gene editing. This will be open to eight students or professionals from the IFES movements in Ecudor and Peru. Participants will be equipped to lead dialogue on this topic and will be awarded small grants enabling them to lead mini projects such as talks, workshops, blogs and videos. Álvaro will also produce a Bible Study guide about this topic and write a scholarly article.
— Álvaro Pérez works in a biomedical research lab at the University of San Francisco in Quito, Ecuador, and volunteers with CECE.
Exploring the relationship between theology, food and nutrition security
Access to food is a basic human need. Communities need both food security (having enough to eat) and nutrition security (consistent and equitable access to healthy, safe, affordable foods). Brazil is one of the world’s leading agricultural producers, but income inequality and high inflation means food and nutrition insecurity has plagued millions of poor Brazilians, causing suffering and loss of life.
Faith communities often play a key role in knowing who is hungry and why, and they are well placed to meet these needs. A pilot project conducted by LCI Catalyst Liliane Alcântara Araújo, however, found church and student ministry leaders in Brazil had difficulty connecting their faith with food and nutrition security.
In 2023 – 2024, she worked with ABUB, her IFES movement, to lead workshops for students and staff exploring food production systems, use of natural resources, economic systems and physiological aspects of food. She also led a mentoring program which guided students through theoretical foundations, Bible studies and development of projects that respond to food issues in their contexts.
In 2024 – 2025, Liliane is continuing her project with a focus on the relationship between theology, food justice (which considers the root causes of unequal access to adequate nutrition) and food sovereignty (the right of local peoples to control their own food systems rather than corporations doing so).
She will develop a guide for leaders of the IFES movements in Brazil and Uruguay, including theological reflections on food justice and sovereignty, and on food and nutrition security. Composting, preservation of native seeds, community cooking and sustainable landscaping will be among the topics covered. She will write a scholarly article and share her learning through student workshops. Liliane will also lead monthly training sessions for seven student leaders, equipping them to run food-related projects. The goal is to mobilize students to tackle food issues in practical ways and contribute to a more equitable society and better care of the environment.
— Liliane Alcântara Araújo is a secondary school teacher and volunteers with ABUB, the IFES national movement in Brazil.
Equipping students to be agents of peace and justice in Latin America
Citizens of many Latin American countries, especially in urban areas, live with a permanent feeling of insecurity. Crime, corruption and gender-based violence are daily realities; democracy in several countries is in a critical state; and Mexico’s “war on drugs” has meant that thousands of people have been “forcibly disappeared.”
Dr Sandra Márquez Olvera, an expert in community psychology, has been working with IFES movements in the region to explore Christian students’ beliefs on these issues and how they can be equipped as peace-builders through grassroots initiatives.
In 2022 – 2023, Sandra collaborated with COMPA, the IFES movement in Mexico, and led training workshops for students and staff and organized an academic forum. She conducted a survey to understand student beliefs about war, justice and peace, and shared the findings in a scientific article.
In 2023 – 2024, Sandra collaborated with LCI Catalysts Areli Cortez and Remy Ocon on an expanded project that focused on social and gender-based violence in Mexico and El Salvador. They led an action-based research study in which students participated in two service projects and the Catalyst team surveyed them about these topics. The Catalysts also designed and delivered a peace-building training seminar for students and staff from the national movements in these countries.
In 2024 – 2025, Sandra and her team will continue their action-reflection model of research but with an expanded geographical focus including Mexico, El Salvador, Ecuador and Colombia. These countries are among the top 10 countries with the lowest peace indexes in Latin America (Global Peace Index; 2023).
They will promote justice and peace-building schemes among students, workers, and professionals associated with IFES movements in these countries by leading a course, titled Perspectives for Peacebuilding, and four community service projects. These activities, together with interviews with key actors, will allow the team to develop four ethnographies (scientific descriptions) of Christian social responsibility and how it is affected by gender, and intercultural and intergenerational differences. The results will be shared in a scholarly article and used to create an action plan for how these movements can integrate peace and justice initiatives into their programs over the next two years.
— Dr Sandra Márquez Olvera holds a PhD in community psychology and works as a research professor in the Psychology Faculty at the Autonomous University of the State of Morelos, Mexico. Areli Cortez is a history and anthropology of religion student in Mexico and Remy Ocón is a sociology student in El Salvador.
Watch a 2-minute video about Sandra’s project from 2022:
Reimagining a healthier academic culture through podcasts and collaborative communities
A pilot project conducted by Deborah Vieira, in 2021, in Brazil found that 60 percent of evangelical students surveyed believed Brazilians don’t understand how science and theology overlap. In addition, many students reported feeling isolated and lonely due to a lack of Christian peers in their academic environment.
In response, in 2022 – 2023, Deborah worked with ABUB, the IFES movement in Brazil, to design and deliver a theology and the sciences mentoring network called Emmaus which connected Christian undergraduate students with graduate mentors.
In 2023 – 2024, Deborah launched a network of researchers connected with ABUB and organized a three-day conference, focused on cultivating intellectual virtues and building bridges between one’s discipline and faith. The event attracted 150 students and researchers. Deborah self-published an e-book titled A benção da dúvida (The blessing of doubt), based on one of the conference’s themes. She continued her study of academic virtues by editing the ebook, Cartas para Junior: ética e vida acadêmica (Letters to Junior: ethics and academic life, available in Portuguese and English), written by Brazilian scholar Professor Paulo F. Ribeiro.
In 2024 – 2025, Deborah will further the conversation between Christian and non-Christian academics by examining the university culture’s high performance and output culture, which exacerbates mental health issues and abusive relationships between students and tutors.
These problems are not exclusive to Latin America, but little has been done to question the structure that generates the problems in the Global South or to propose collective solutions.
Deborah will produce a podcast that contrasts the prevailing academic culture with intellectual virtues and the concept of good living. The podcast will present the tools necessary for students and professors to reimagine academic culture and begin to build a counterculture. She will partner with at least ten institutions in Latin America for the distribution of the podcast and the creation of listening communities, guided by discussion guides. The podcast and discussion guides will also be published on IFES Engaging the University’s e-learning platform and she will write an ebook of Bible studies on these topics in collaboration with IFES Scripture Engagement team. Lastly, she will also support scholarly gatherings for Christian academics in Brazil, Chile, Ecuador and one other Latin American country.
— Deborah Vieira is studying for a PhD in literature at the Federal University of Juiz de Fora in Brazil and has worked in publishing. She is a volunteer with several arts initiatives at ABUB Brazil.
Watch a 2-minute video about Deborah’s project from 2022: