About

Who We Are

Counteract International is the only faith-driven organization that takes a holistic approach to equipping incarcerated and released youth across the Northern Triangle of Central America to achieve life turnarounds.

We meet with youth behind bars daily, providing access to consistent mentorship, life and job skills training, and biblical guidance. The personal relationships we build with these youth are key to helping them build positive identities, transition back to the community, and pursue fulfilling lives.

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Our Mission

To transform the lives of incarcerated youth across Central America.

Our Story

In early 2000, Virginia realtor Greg Garrett acted on his entrepreneurial spirit and Christian faith to find a way to serve orphaned and abandoned children. He sent an email to his international business network asking if anyone knew where he could serve “the least of these.” Garrett received one response. A businessman in El Salvador offered to show him around his country. During the visit to El Salvador, Garrett identified the greatest needs were inside the government-run institutions for children and youth. That’s where Orphan Helpers started.

Over the next decade, Orphan Helpers expanded from El Salvador to Honduras and from orphanages to juvenile correctional facilities. Then, in 2014, the government-run orphanages in Honduras shut down and the ones in El Salvador were scaled back.

At the same time, new opportunities opened in additional juvenile correctional facilities. The organization refocused with intensity to make an impact in the lives of young offenders. The work grew into guiding youth once they were released and also expanded into Guatemalan correctional facilities.

In 2024, Orphan Helpers changed its name to Counteract International. The name reflects the work the organization carries out across the Northern Triangle of Central America to battle against the adversity and challenges youth face – poverty, crime and violence, unemployment, family breakdown, lack of education. Counteract provides incarcerated and released youth with access to support and guidance so they can achieve life turnarounds and reclaim their futures. There is hope beyond bars.