les dan fuerza, fortalecen.

and empowers them = y les otorga la facultad de

Ya que se refiere a la educación, entrenamiento, formación.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 48 mins (2015-02-05 23:12:59 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

"Empower" tiene 2 significados. El texto se refiere al significado 2:

em·pow·er (ĕm-pou′ər)
tr.v. em·pow·ered, em·pow·er·ing, em·pow·ers
1. To invest with power, especially legal power or official authority. See Synonyms at authorize.
2. To equip or supply with an ability; enable: "Computers ... empower students to become intellectual explorers" (Edward B. Fiske).
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/empower

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 50 mins (2015-02-05 23:14:26 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

En este caso no es EMPODERAR, ese sería el significado 1 (véase más arriba).

This is not an easy word to translate, and I don't think any of the answers proposed so far does the trick. The one that comes closest, in my view, is 'fortalecer'.

Let me explain my reasoning. The use of 'empower' featured in our source text began to be popular only 30 years ago (early/mid 1980s) and has grown dramatically ever since. If you examine its use thoroughly, I'm quite sure you'll see that its main sense is not 'to train' or 'to authorize' but, rather, that it's about giving people something more intangible: something like a combination of belief in themselves, self-confidence, a sense of their rights, an active rather than a passive role in furthering their interests.

When we speak of 'empowering' patients, or students, or citizens, it's less about giving them specific information or skills, and more about building their sense of self-worth and an active role in their own (fill in the blank: health, learning, lives).


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 4 hrs (2015-02-06 03:19:57 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

A few typical examples of how 'empower' is most commonly used:

bizblog.blackberry.com/.../how-to-empower-your-employees-and-help-t... : "By nurturing your employees and helping them grow within the company, in time you will empower them to be more confident, to make better decisions and take on more responsibility..."

strongyouth.com/services/ : "... leaders amongst their peers and discourage female gang participation. Girls are empowered to be active agents of change in their own lives and communities..."

www.kippla.org/empower/ : "Our mission is to empower our students to be strong in mind, body, and spirit so that they will thrive in middle school, high school, college, and the competitive ..."

www.magnificathousesinc.org/Volunteers.html : "Consider these opportunities (or bring your own suggestions–we're always open to good ideas). Remember, we empower our residents to help themselves by helping them gain new skills and new perspectives..."