3-20-11 Maria de los Pobres and learning about Cabanas

Today we visited a marginal neighborhood in San Salvador named La Chacra. While in La Chacra we attended mass at Maria de los Pobres Church and talked with Padre Luis, walked around the neighborhood, and then met with one of the parish leaders named Milagro. After having lunch at Alfalit Guest House we met with attourney Hector Berrios and Supreme Court Justice Mirna Perla.

In La Chacra there are numerous people who have built up houses on the banks of one of San Salvador´s most contaminated rivers. During our walk through the neighborhood we stopped to look at the river and the shack like houses built up the sides of the river bank. From our vantage point I was able to notice piles of garbage and plastic in the river and there was this yellowish foam collecting around the trash. What shook me most was the color of the water, itself. The water was brick red and even purple in some parts. I cannot even conceive how water could become that color in such quantity. It is obscenely tangible evidence of the environmental issues still going on in El Salvador.

To further understand the environmental (and social) issues in El Salvador we met with Hector Berrios who shared his personal and professional stories about the mining crisis in the northern department of Cabañas. Something that struck me about this issue is that under CAFTA (Central American Free Trade Agreement) El Salvador is required to allow transnational companies (namely from the US) to mine for metal in El Salvador despite the proven environmental consequences. One huge environmental consequence is the contamination of the Lempa River with toxins such as arsenic and heavy metals. The Lempa River flows through 70% of the country and is very much a life line for the people. To contaminate it in the north is to contaminate the entire river. This would deeply affect millions of Savaldorans and through CAFTA it is completely legal.

Thinking about the pollution in La Chacra, the utter disregard for human well being displayed in Cabañas, and the coming visit of President Obama weighs pretty heavy on my mind. Our (the US) involvement in these issues is emense. During this evening´s reflection we were instructed to write some thoughts about today´s experiences. Mine came out, roughly, in the form of a poem.

Daughter, Sister, Mother, Grandmother, Auntie.
Have you seen the colors of your river?
Water flows brick red and purple over piles of trash,
Foam trapped amongst the plastic.
How does water become this?
That which I thought gave life
Leaves namely death in its wake.
Do you liken us to your river?
Big Brother America pouring false love into your country,
parading our purplish brick red presence.
Big Brother is always watching
And yet somehow we´ve failed to see a G-d damned thing.
But I saw your river.
Daughter, I have seen your river.
Sister, I see your river.
Mother, I have seen you.
Auntie, I have seen you.
Grandmother, I see you.

Lindsay.

Saturday 3-19-11 San Salvador

Saturday morning we arrived at the guest house, got our room assignments, and had our first meeting with our leaders, Rosie and Danny. During the meeting we discussed the week´s schedule, health and safety rules, and what we could expect during our stay in El Salvador. After that we had lunch which was amazing. I have been dreaming of Salvadoran tortillas since our last trip down here!

After a rest period we went, by coaster, to the Salvador del Mundo Plaza. Salvador del Mundo is a monument to the patron saint of El Salvador, who is in fact Jesus. The monument is one of the biggest in San Salvador. Once there we joined the multitudes of pople who had already gathered and began the 3 mile candle light procession to the National Cathedral in honor of the anniversary of the assasination of Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero. We participated in this same procession last year and it was, by far, one of my favorite parts of the trip. This year it was no different. The feeling of legitmacy I felt while participating in such an emotionally charged celebration pf this country´s national hero is unlike anything I´ve ever experienced. I feel like in the States there is such a focus on being ¨number 1¨in some fashion, but I felt like my presence had much more worth walking as one of so many. I felt this especially during the chants.

Chanting and shouting and even jumping around are a big part of the celebration, especially for young people. I really enjoyed the chanting. For me, it really solidified the feeling of unity with the crowd. One of the chants was as follows,

caller, Romero Vive!      Romero Lives
crowd, La Lucha Sigue!    The Struggle Continues
caller, Romero Vive, Vive!     Romero lives, he lives
crowd, La Lucha Sigue, Sigue!     The Struggles goes on and on.

Lindsay

Arrived safe in El Salvador

What an amazing welcome with 80 degree weather, welcomed by Danny of Voices on the Border at the airport. After a little delay and not quite enough sleep on the plane, our adventure and delegation has officially started.

We are enjoying our hospitality at our guesthouse in San Salvador, enjoying healthy lunch, getting to know eachother, and feeling truely grateful to be here together in solidarity with the people and their work on peace and justice.

The streets are clean and there are extra welcoming signs in anticipation of Pres. Obama later this week.
We are a little tired and will take some extra rest and water to acclimate. All is good.

Elsbeth

Cultural Enhancement Projects

Cultural Development and Enhancement Project

        Opportunity to be part of it!

Nineteen of us including 10 students from Stanford University are going on the South Bay Sanctuary Covenant March 2011 delegation to El Salvador. We are raising money to help people in our partner community Comunidad Octavio Ortiz and the other 28 communities of the United Communities of the Lower Lempa River enhance their cultural development.

 This project is a top priority for the United Communities. All of the 29 communities were formed after the civil war that ravaged El Salvador for over 12 years (1980 – 1992).  These communities are rural and poor and lack adequate access to health care and education.  Local youth are especially vulnerable to outside influences and some want to leave.  Communities want to ensure that youth are aware of their identity, proud of their culture, and will stay and be good citizens.

The project has four goals:

• Improve the abilities of local citizens to understand and experience their culture;
• Create open spaces that encourage independent civic participation at the local and national levels;
• Increase the knowledge of culture in the Lower Lempa;
• Decrease the influence of the materialistic culture around fashion and mega projects.

 

Activities under the project will include developing and strengthening local programs that promote theatre, dance, music, art, and other areas, as well as conserve their cultural heritage through documentation, historical memory projects, and a cultural study.   This will include a mural in our partner community.

 

Will you please help us with this wonderful community project?

Our goal is $3,000.  This will be TRIPLED by 2 Canadian support groups.

Please make a tax deductible check to University Lutheran/SBSC and mail to

South Bay Sanctuary Covenant

3290 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto, CA 94306

We welcome prayers and/or positive thoughts that we may be channels of God’s love and justice and receive inspiration from those we are with.

Positive Thoughts in Preparation for our March 2011 Delegation

Prayers and/or Positive Thoughts and Visualization for

El Salvador Delegation

In support for and anticipation of our trip, please pray and/or have positive thoughts and visualization relating to our preparation for, time in El Salvador, and action when we return on our South Bay Sanctuary Covenant (SBSC) Delegation, led by Voices on the Border.

Many find it helpful to make prayers and thoughts positive – not asking for protection from potential dangers, but rather affirming and giving thanks/visualizing being protected and that our experience will be a blessing for all.  Here are suggestions of what to pray for/have positive visualizations about.  Please include whatever appeals to you and use wording with which you are comfortable.

1.  Thanks (God) that we on our delegation to El Salvador March 18/19 - 27 will be a blessing to each other, to those whom we meet, and to people in the US with whom we will share our experiences.

2.  Thanks (God) for Archbishop Oscar Romero, the way he followed Christ, cared for the poor and oppressed, spoke out against evil and the systems of evil, that he is living in his people now, and that we are celebrating Romero alive in his people on the 31st anniversary of his martyrdom, March 24, 2011.   (Delegation will participate in commemoration events of Archbishop Romero.)

3.  Thanks (God) that people of Cabañas (where activists were murdered in their peaceful struggle against metallic mining) are being helped to resist injustice, are being protected from killings, threats, and fears, and being given courage and faith.  Thanks that our SBSC delegation will meet with Hector Berrios, a young Salvadoran attorney in San Isidro, who has been a leader in the struggle for human rights and social justice in Cabañas. Hector was a close friend and colleague of Marcelo Rivera who was killed in June 2009. Together, they organized their community against Pacific Rim and efforts to mine gold, as well as a plan to open a landfill.  Hector, Marcelo and others organized community members to denounce election fraud by a network of mayors.

4.  Thanks (God) that the Spanish National Court is bringing a lawsuit against some Salvadoran military leaders for the massacre of the six Spanish Jesuit priests, which is a crime against humanity, and that this will help improve justice and human rights.  (Delegates will be at the UCA, the Jesuit University, see where the Jesuits were assassinated, hear why this happened, and the pending case.)

5.  Thanks (God) for wonderful hospitality by people in our partner community, Comunidad Octavio Ortiz, with whom we will spend two nights.  Thanks (God) that we are raising money which will enable people in our partner community Comunidad Octavio Ortiz and the other 28 communities of the United Communities of the Lower Lempa River to enhance their cultural development.

6.  Thanks (God) that we are being guided on how to be instruments for liberation from injustices and to be channels for human rights and love on our delegation and when we return.

From our last year's SBSC El Salvador Delegation

To get some context and history, here are some notes and pictures of our last year's delegation, enjoy, how greatful we are for the community in El Salvador hosting us.
http://www.sbscelsalvador2010.blogspot.com/

Getting Ready for our SBSC 2011 El Salvador Delegation

With only a few weeks to go we are looking forward to our 2011 SBSC El Salvador Delegation. 19 of us including 10 Students from Stanford Universitfy enrolled in the Liberation Theology and Struggle for Justice class and community members are joining in to visit El Salvador the end of March. We look forward to be in solidarity with the community in their work for justice and community development. What a great opportunity to learn, share and be together again. Some of us are looking forward to go for the first time, others to re-visit the wonderful communities in El Salvador and re-connect with the wonderful work in the communities.
Our partner organization is Voices on the Border, and we are grateful for the leadership and preparation they are putting in place to host our delegation again this year. Thank you!