She is a theologian, ordained American Baptist minister,[1] permaculturist, educator, and artist.

After the military coup in El Salvador in 1979 and the outbreak of the Salvadoran Civil War, she became the leader of the Ecumenical Committee for Humanitarian Aid, a group sponsored by the Archbishop Óscar Romero.

In 1992, following the Chapultepec Peace Accords, Benavides returned to El Salvador and founded the organization Siglo XXIII, also known as the International Institute for Cooperation Amongst Peoples, which promotes cultural activities as a way of achieving sustainable peace.

[2][3] She has led workshops on sustainable agriculture, human rights, and the prevention of community and family violence.

[3] In 2009, she was awarded the Woman Peacemaker Prize from the Institute of Joan B. Kroc for Peace and Justice in the University of San Diego, California.