The Secretariat for Social Development is involved in many infrastructure programs in rural and urban areas, and seeks to stimulate production in the social sector. From 1990 to 1994, SEDESOL invested 3.294 billion new pesos in Oaxaca, of which 28% was invested in productive projects and only 1.6% in the development of indigenous communities.

Among the main programs of SEDESOL that could be relevant to young people are the following:

• The Fondo Nacional de Empresas en Solidaridad uses risk capital to finance microenterprise projects to create jobs and provides small sums for technical assistance.

• Mujeres en Solidaridad supports production and services microprojects carried out by women's groups. In most cases, these are mills for grinding corn for tortillas, breeding of sheep, goats, and pigs, and artisan work.

• The program Jornaleros Agrícolas, implemented in the Coast region, the Central Valleys, and the Mixtec region, the main labor-sending areas, seeks to keep people in their communities by promoting community development. This program provides funds for building social infrastructure and for job creation.

• The objective of the Fondo de Conversión Social is to strengthen the socially beneficial activities of nonprofit organizations to combat poverty and obtain social gain, and multiplier effect. The fund is active in education, community development, the environment, and health. A special fund is earmarked to assist the disabled.

• The objective of the program Escuelas de Solidaridad is to improve the internal efficiency and quality of education in the primary schools with the lowest indicators, which are located in marginalized communities. The support involves resources for education and scholarships for students to address the problem of students being held back, and dropping out. In the last school year 41,000 scholarships were awarded in the state of Oaxaca, and more than 51 million new pesos were invested in its educational infrastructure.

• Of the monies of the Fondos Municipales de Solidaridad, 16% was earmarked for school infrastructure.

• The program Jóvenes en Solidaridad is directed by the Social Organization office of SEDESOL, Oaxaca. Its objective is to foster youth activities and youth organization. The program works mainly with adolescents and youth ages 16 to 26 organized in their urban neighborhoods or small cities. Last year the program served eight groups of 15 to 40 young people each in three underprivileged neighborhoods of the city of Oaxaca and small cities in the Central Valleys. Priority has been assigned projects related to the environment, culture, and community well-being. The program involves awarding scholarships (N250 per student) and has a person in charge of providing support to groups in the different stages they go through and steps they take to achieve their objectives. In 1995 this program plans to award approximately 180 scholarships.