Texas Promotoras Provide Critical Link

Information by State  Print version   Promotoras receive training in Progreso Community Resource Center

Texas A & M Colonias Program

Texas A&M University used a Community Outreach Partnership Centers (COPC) grant from HUD to answer a fundamental question: How can you link colonias residents to available resources? They trained local residents as Promotoras - trusted fellow community residents – to get the word out about housing, education, workforce development, health, and other programs.

Promotoras hit the streets

Researchers discovered that colonias residents do not trust official written notices. They often feel embarrassed about their limited education and English language skills. The answer is to get away from the traditional methods of delivering information - flyers and surveys - and use trusted community leaders to hit the streets and talk face to face with local residents. The Texas & M Colonias Program trained Promotoras to do just that.

In addition to telling residents about services that could benefit them, Promotoras have provided critical links to other successful Texas A & M projects, such as a micro-enterprise development initiative launched in 2001 in the Laredo area. Working with Dr. Cecilia Guisti from Texas A & M and with Texas Rural Aid, Promotoras identified colonias residents interested in starting small businesses. The Promotoras combined home visits with training sessions offered by local partners in the financial and microfinance world and began to build the skills of interested residents.

Expanding on what works

Since its humble beginnings in Laredo, the Promotoras initiative has become the signature aspect of the Texas A & M Colonias Program. The initiative has been replicated in 18 other colonias areas along the 1,248 mile Texas-Mexico border from Brownsville to El Paso.