Danilo Manzano has been an activist for LGBTIQ+ rights for 15 years. Danilo is a conflict resolution mediator for Chamber of Commerce of Quito and the Director of the Dialogo Diverso Foundation, which works to promote and defend human rights, with an emphasis on LGBTIQ+ people, gender and democracy. Danilo is a Producer of "Dialogando Ando,", an alternative communication platform on YouTube and Facebook that promotes young leaders in Latin America and social issues. He is a worldwide representative of LGBTIQ+ people for the General Assembly of Allies of HABITAT III, United Nations.

IVLP Impact Award Project: School for Strengthening Local LGBTIQ+ Organizations

The project created a training program to strengthen the technical capacities and knowledge of the people who make up LGBTIQ+ organizations in Quito, Ecuador. Participants were provided with practical knowledge and tools to improve their organizational management and effectiveness through a series of eight training modules. Training sessions focused on legal processes, administration and finance, communication, political advocacy, discrimination, and safe spaces. 

“The school helped clarify doubts about the guidelines that managers should take to improve organizational management and project proposals.” – Project Participant

IVLP Exchange Experience 

Danilo participated in the IVLP Project Minority Participation in the Democratic Process, organized by the U.S. Department of State and Meridian International Center.

Danilo's exchange experience led to the development of his IVLP Impact Award Project: "The IVLP experience I had while participating in the program “Minority Participation in the Democratic Process” allowed me to demonstrate the enormous need that community-based organizations have in terms of strengthening their capacities for the sustainability of their organizations, the technical knowledge to develop programs and proposals in a coherent and organized way. There are several similarities between the challenges that LGBTIQ+ organizations experience in the US and in Ecuador, such as the lack of opportunities, discrimination and the lack of public policies."

U.S. Communities Visited

Washington, DC; Denver, CO; Milwaukee, WI; San Antonio, TX

Country: Ecuador

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