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

Tell us about your experience accessing The World

We want to hear your feedback so we can keep improving our website, theworld.org. Please fill out this quick survey and let us know your thoughts (your answers will be anonymous). Thanks for your time!

We respect your time, attention and privacy

This is a news website, not a click casino. We do NOT employ deceptive behaviors, display annoying ads or use third party cookies and trackers to monetize your visit or help advertisers track you across the internet.

Simply, we ask that you would consider a donation to support the journalism we produce every weekday. Thank you.