Nelsa Curbelo

Participating in the Truth and Life Commission in Ecuador, Curbelo listened to first-hand accounts from former police officers of their roles in the torture and murder of hundreds of people. While working in Guayaquil, an unmarked grave used as a dump by the government containing some 200 corpses was found. This event profoundly affected Curbelo, and she decided to focus her activist efforts on a more personal level rather than in courts.^[4] Guayaquil, the largest city in Ecuador with a population of three million at the time, is also the country's most dangerous, being home to over 200 gangs, of which some 60,000 disaffected youths were members.^[5]

On 16 April 1999, Curbelo founded the non-profit organization Ser Paz,^[6] in English "Being Peace," to help the city's youths and reintegrate gang members into society.^[5] Beginning in her resident barrio of Guayaquil, she established mediation workshops and small businesses to settle gang disputes and give their members employment.^[4] For the first two years of operation, Curbelo met with and heard the grievances of many Guayaquil youths.^[7] In 2006, the NGO began the "Barrio del Paz" program, which would cover 42 of the most violent and criminally active blocks in the city. Twelve small businesses, such as a print shop, salon, and furniture store, were established and staffed by mixed groups of youths from various gangs.^[6]

The effect of Ser Paz was immediate and impactful; in one instance, gangs that had been enemies until Ser Paz mediated their conflict allegedly piled their weapons in the street and drove over them with a steamroller.^[5]

• Nelsa Curbelo on Ashoka's website
• Nelsa Curbelo on Twitter
• Website of Ser Paz