When it comes to passion and commitment to her life’s work, FAU social work professor Dr. Cecilia Campoverde takes top honors. Her lifelong dedication to social justice by helping to empower the under-served has garnered national attention. “Her work to empower and sustain impoverished communities is a testament to her dedication to social justice,” says Elizabeth Clark, executive director of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), which named Campoverde the 2007 National Social Worker of the Year.
Campoverde is founder and voluntary director of the Guatemalan Project, Inc. The non-profit, tax-exempt public foundation was established in 1992 after Hurricane Mitch devastated the small Guatemalan town of El Triunfo, leaving most of the villagers homeless and without resources to rebuild.
By helping the village women establish sustainable micro-enterprises, Campoverde has seen El Triunfo develop into a viable community that boasts new homes, wells for potable water, schools for the children, a medical clinic facility, and a vocational and technical school where adults can learn employable skills. The population has grown from 120 to 232 families.
“Dr. Campoverde has brought hope to thousands of people who thought they could never get ahead in life by giving them an opportunity to provide a home and income for their families,” says Jannette Porta-Avalos, dean of academic affairs at Keiser University.
The Guatemalan Project has Campoverde traveling to Guatemala frequently to organize and direct various projects. Many of her students have traveled with her to employ their social work skills and provide assistance to the villagers. “I hold the belief that all students can learn and that my job is to motivate and inspire them to seek knowledge and to share it,” says Campoverde, who is an associate professor of social work in FAU's College of Architecture, Urban and Public Affairs.
In addition to her award-winning work in Guatemala, Campoverde is active in several other community organizations in New York and Florida that help to improve the living and working conditions of Latin American immigrants. She is co-founder of the Latin American Immigrant and Refugee Organization Inc. and the Guatemalan Maya Quetzal Organization Inc., and currently serves those organizations as a consultant.
