Monitoring, evaluation and research
We treat evidence as a form of respect — toward the communities we work with and the partners who invest in this work. We research, evaluate and publish what we learn, including what didn't work. Here you can download, with no sign-up, our studies on masculinities, the digital manosphere, youth and LGBTQI+ organizations in Central America.
Published studies
Algorithms and narratives on masculinity in El Salvador and Honduras. One of the region's first empirical studies of how manosphere discourses reach young men through short videos, memes and self-improvement messages on mainstream platforms. Online survey with 185 valid responses.
Full study in Spanish · 50 pages · PDF, 10 MB · Also as an audiobook
Download the full study (PDF, Spanish) →
Listen to the audiobook here (free) →
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Summary of the two studies of the project "Promoting non-violent masculine identities in Nicaragua and El Salvador", carried out with Promundo (now Equimundo) and Centro Bartolomé de las Casas: a survey of 1,063 men in Managua, Ciudad Sandino and Tipitapa and a qualitative study of men who do not use violence.
Supported by Canada's IDRC · PDF in Spanish
Interviews with 12 men identified by their communities as non-violent and 12 women close to them. It describes their everyday practices — care, housework, dialogue, shared decisions — the patriarchal practices that persist, and the factors that made a different masculinity possible.
Reyes, Chanut, Navarro and López · Puntos de Encuentro · PDF in Spanish
An assessment developed with 201 adolescents and young people from Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Costa Rica, plus interviews with a gynecologist, a content creator and a feminist organization. It analyzes barriers, needs and digital disinformation from a sexual and reproductive rights perspective.
Available in Spanish
A qualitative assessment of rights, living conditions and collective action among sexual and gender diversity organizations and activists in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica: 52 participants in five focus groups during the pandemic. Revised and expanded edition, September 2026.
Carcache, Castillo Aramburu and Bojorge · PDF in English
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Descargar el diagnóstico (PDF, español) →
The external evaluation documented completed activities, exceeded coverage targets and the changes produced by sustained psychosocial support.
2023–2026
Historical library
The documents that explain, with evidence, the model Puntos de Encuentro built with Sexto Sentido and that sustains its digital platforms today. The impact evaluation is available in English and Spanish. Free download, no registration.
Impact evaluation of Puntos de Encuentro's communication strategy in Nicaragua (We're Different, We're Equal), conducted by Puntos de Encuentro, CIDS/UNAN-León, PATH and the Horizons program of the Population Council. It measures changes in attitudes, conversations and use of services among young people who watched Sexto Sentido.
Arvind Singhal and Virginia Lacayo, with Oxfam Novib. It documents the edutainment approach of three pioneering organizations —Puntos de Encuentro, Soul City (South Africa) and Breakthrough (India and the U.S.)—: concepts, strategies, theories, evaluation challenges and Puntos’ own working principles.
Study · The digital manosphere
Fernando Carcache B., Vilma Castillo Aramburu and Álvaro López-Espinoza · Puntos de Encuentro · June 2026 · Research with financial support from Calala Women's Fund and Diputación Foral de Bizkaia.
The manosphere is an ecosystem of communities, influencers and content creators that produce narratives about masculinity, sexuality, relationships, discipline, autonomy and status. The study starts from a premise the data confirm: in Central America these discourses do not circulate mainly in extremist forums, but embedded in everyday life on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, as short videos, memes and self-improvement advice.
How it was done. A self-administered online survey, distributed through algorithmic targeting on Meta under the campaign "Voces de hombres C.A.", aimed at men aged 18 to 45 living in El Salvador and Honduras. The campaign reached 484,400 impressions and 11,769 visits to the questionnaire; 185 valid responses were obtained and 147 completed the attitudinal block of 21 statements, organized according to Han and Yin's (2023) taxonomy: public antifeminism, Red Pill, MGTOW, PUA, NoFap, Incels and traditional values.
What we found.
What we recommend. Build alternative narratives of masculinity in the same formats and platforms where the manosphere circulates; open spaces of emotional support for young men; strengthen media and algorithmic literacy; and create observatories and alliances with local creators and non-violent male role models.
Suggested citation: Carcache B., F., Castillo A., V., & López-Espinoza, A. (2026). The digital manosphere: Algorithms and narratives on masculinity in El Salvador and Honduras. Puntos de Encuentro.
Audiobook · Listen here
The full study, narrated in Spanish, chapter by chapter. Listen for free from any country — on the commute, at the gym or in the classroom. Pick a chapter or let it play through.
Resumen
On Spotify the audiobook is available in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia and other markets. Here you can listen to the whole study wherever you are.
Studies · Masculinities and violence · Nicaragua and El Salvador
Puntos de Encuentro (Nicaragua), Centro Bartolomé de las Casas (El Salvador) and Promundo (United States, now Equimundo) · 2016–2018 · With financial support from Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC).
The binational project "Promoting non-violent masculine identities in Nicaragua and El Salvador" set out to describe and explain the factors behind men's violent attitudes and behaviors — and also those that make it possible for many men not to use violence. Similar studies were conducted in each country; the Nicaraguan ones, coordinated by Puntos de Encuentro, are published here. The Center for Sociocultural Analysis of the Universidad Centroamericana (CASC-UCA), Redmas Nicaragua and MenEngage Latin America collaborated.
Histories, imaginaries and practices (quantitative study, 2016). A survey of 1,063 men aged 18 and over in 40 neighborhoods of Managua, Ciudad Sandino and Tipitapa, using an instrument adapted from the IMAGES studies. Even allowing for under-reporting in a self-reported study, the proportions are telling: 18% admitted physical or sexual violence against a partner, 34% hitting their children with objects and 46% threatening or assaulting other people. Half had experienced violence in their family of origin. Having witnessed violence against their mother, having been a victim in childhood, stress from lack of work or income, and controlling behaviors raise the probability of using violence by 60% to 388%. Conversely, attitudes favorable to gender equity significantly reduce that probability.
When they call you an "exemplary man" (qualitative study, 2018). Twelve men from low-income urban neighborhoods, identified by community leaders as non-violent, and twelve women close to them. The study describes their practices — sharing care and housework, resolving conflicts through dialogue, managing anger without violence, making decisions as a couple, apologizing — the patriarchal practices that persist, and the protective and resilience factors that made that way of being a man possible: the birth of a child, the good example of fathers and other men, women's resistance to domination and, in several cases, the decision not to repeat the violence experienced in childhood.
What it is for. Both studies guide Puntos de Encuentro's work with men and masculinities: they recommend opening spaces for reflection and mutual support for adolescents and young men in neighborhoods and schools, working on the expression of feelings and vulnerability, and supporting the equitable negotiation of care within couples. They are the foundation on which the Men's Story Project (2025) and the digital manosphere study (2026) were designed.
Suggested citation: Solórzano, I., Hernández, S., Vlahovicova, K., Mendoza, D. & Rocha Ulloa, O. (2018). Historias, imaginarios y prácticas: un estudio cuantitativo con hombres en Managua. Puntos de Encuentro. · Reyes, R., Chanut, M., Navarro, K. & López, F. (2018). Cuando te llaman "hombre ejemplar": un estudio cualitativo sobre masculinidades que desafían al machismo. Puntos de Encuentro.
On video · Masculinities
Short video that accompanies the masculinities studies (in Spanish). It opens on YouTube.
Assessment · Sexuality and contraception
Puntos de Encuentro / DKY Digital · May 2026 · Community assessment with 201 adolescents and young people from the five Central American countries.
The assessment analyzes the barriers, needs and factors that shape decisions about contraception, from a perspective of sexual and reproductive rights, gender, diversity, youth and mobility. It combines an online survey with interviews with three profiles: a gynecologist working in health services in Nicaragua, a content creator and communicator from Guatemala, and a member of a feminist organization in Costa Rica.
Who took part. 201 people aged 16 to 30: Nicaragua (25.5%), Guatemala (23%), El Salvador (21%), Honduras (16%) and Costa Rica (14.5%). 76.5% were women, 42% identified with diverse sexual orientations or preferred not to answer, and 5.5% were migrants.
What we found.
What it is for. It guides DKY Digital's editorial planning and digital communication strategies on sexual and reproductive health: clear, non-moralizing language, human support rather than automation alone, content on consent, bodily autonomy and life plans, and campaigns aimed at families to improve conversations about sexuality.
On video · Sexual and reproductive rights
Short video that accompanies the assessment on sexuality and contraception (in Spanish). It opens on YouTube.
Assessment · LGBTQI+ organizations in Central America
Fernando Carcache, Vilma Castillo Aramburu and Karla Bojorge · Puntos de Encuentro · 2021 study, revised and expanded edition September 2026 · Available in English and Spanish.
The assessment identifies capacity-building needs among sexual and gender diversity organizations and activists in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica during the COVID-19 crisis. Its main contribution is to show how income loss, discrimination, educational barriers and weakened support networks relate to the ability to sustain collective action.
How it was done. Five online focus groups, one per country, with 52 participants: 11 from Guatemala, 4 from El Salvador, 11 from Honduras, 11 from Nicaragua and 15 from Costa Rica. A qualitative, exploratory design: it describes participants' experiences and priorities and does not estimate prevalence.
What we found.
The 2026 edition academically revises the original report, separates testimonies, interpretation and sources, and adds a documentary update: the Inter-American Court's judgment in Vicky Hernández v. Honduras (2021), the ILO guide on LGBTIQ+ inclusion in the world of work (2022), the Human Rights Council resolution on intersex persons (2024) and the UN report on civic space in Nicaragua (2025). It recommends combining protection and support with education, decent work, organizational resources and territorial participation, and including lesbian, trans, youth and rural groups in decision-making.
Suggested citation: Carcache, F., Castillo Aramburu, V. & Bojorge, K. (2021). Diagnóstico: situación de los grupos de la diversidad sexual en Centroamérica [Assessment of the situation of sexual diversity groups in Central America]. Puntos de Encuentro. Revised and expanded edition, 2026.
On video · Sexual and gender diversity
Short videos that accompany the assessment of LGBTQI+ organizations (in Spanish). They open on YouTube.
How we measure
Every program reports its results with a figure, a period and a source. Puntos de Encuentro runs a digitalized monitoring, evaluation and learning system that integrates forms, platform analytics and tracking dashboards, feeding the semi-annual reports behind the figures on this site.
Three editorial rules we apply here as well: every claim of results carries a figure or a source; every figure carries a year; we don't publish what we can't back with evidence.
Need the data for an article, a thesis or a public policy? Write to info@fundacionpuntosdeencuentroinc.org and we will share the datasets or tables you need, always protecting the identity of participants.
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