Community Empowerment Tour Guidebook

2015 Community Empowerment Tour Guidebook

Photo: Jeanne Muller

February 2015

1904 Franklin St, Suite 203 • Oakland, CA • 94612 510.835.1334

Community Empowerment Tour Guidebook

Table of Contents Part 1: Logistical Trip Information ...... 4 Introduction ...... 4 Why Community Empowerment Tours? ...... 4 Trip Preparation ...... 5 Entering and Leaving ...... 5 Emergency Number...... 5 Housing and Food ...... 5 Environmental Policies ...... 6 Health, Safety and Packing ...... 6 Health ...... 6 Safety ...... 7 Packing list ...... 8 Maps of El Salvador ...... 11 EcoViva gift and donation policy ...... 13 Preparing for your Return ...... 14 Readjusting to your own culture ...... 14 Ideas for Staying Involved When You Return Home ...... 15 Part 2: Important Background Information ...... 16 Recent History ...... 16 Who’s Who – ...... 20 2

EcoViva’s Partners in El Salvador ...... 20 Local Programs ...... 23 Basic Infrastructure: Water, Housing and Sanitation ...... 23 Environmental Protection ...... 25 Building a Green Economy ...... 28 Youth Empowerment ...... 31 Helpful Links and Suggested Reading ...... 34

Part 1: Logistical Trip Information

Introduction

Thank you for participating in a Community Empowerment Tour to the El Salvador. We hope that this information packet will familiarize you with the country and our work, as well as answer some of your questions regarding the trip. We will be happy to answer any further concerns or questions you may have.

Why Community Empowerment Tours?

We have invited you on this Community Empowerment Tour so you can:

1) Participate in an experience that you might not otherwise be able to have.

As a tourist or backpacker, you might visit famous sites and maybe even stay in someone's home. We seek to go further. We want to give you a taste of life in a rural community, a community of former refugees who have rebuilt their lives from scratch, people who depend on agriculture and fishing for their survival. What would it be like to grow up here? How would you make a living? What projects would you get involved in? We want you to walk in the shoes of someone with a very different life.

2) Learn how local people are addressing some of the most pressing issues facing our planet.

Climate change, natural disasters, environmental degradation, poverty, gender inequality, malnutrition and food (in)security, gang violence, lack of opportunities for youth... these issues are present virtually everywhere in the world. We hope you leave with a sense of how the community projects people here are building offer the potential not just to improve their own lives but to offer a way forward for other communities as well. We hope you will be inspired by what they have accomplished, and continue to accomplish, in spite of the very daunting challenges they face.

3) Contribute to the local economy and be part of a model for low-impact tourism, one where local people are in charge and local people benefit.

The Salvadoran government has identified the Bay of Jiquilisco as a focal point for tourism development due to its beauty and rich natural resource base. We would like to ensure that all tourism in this area protects the environment and support local communities. The Community Empowerment Tour program was created to show that tourism can help accomplish these goals.

4) Engage in new friendships.

We hope you'll have a chance to chat with your guides, the families you eat with and other folks you meet along the way, and move beyond any preconceived notions you may have about what people whose lives are different than yours may be like.

5) Become involved with EcoViva.

We hope that your week with us will motivate you to stay involved with our work for years to come. At the end of this guidebook you will find ideas for how to share your experience with your community when you return home, and invite your friends to join in organizing in solidarity with the people of El Salvador. We hope you’ll approach this journey as part of a long-term engagement with communities in El Salvador. It will make your experience much more meaningful.

We are open to your feedback along the way – please let us know how we can make this an enjoyable, rich and meaningful experience. Trip Preparation

Entering and Leaving

Entry Requirements: Immigration requires that visitors entering El Salvador have their passport and one of the following documents: a visa or a tourist card. U.S. citizens only need their passport (valid for at least 6 months past your trip) and a tourist card, which is generally issued for 90 days and can be purchased for U.S. $10 at the port of entry. Passports of certain countries might need to obtain a visa before entering El Salvador. A visa for U.S. citizens is free. Some countries pay a fee for the issuance of a visa. If you are not a U.S. citizen and are unsure whether or not you need a visa, please contact EcoViva at [email protected].

Departure Taxes: Passengers leaving the country by air must pay a tax of about $30. Most airlines now include this tax in the total airfare cost. For those traveling by sea or land, the tax varies according to the area. Any travel agency can check the actual amounts.

Please note these important details:

 Your passport must not expire for at least 6 months after you return home.  If you are a U.S. or Canadian citizen, you only need your passport and a tourist card (purchased at the airport when you arrive) to enter El Salvador.  Someone from EcoViva will pick you up at the airport and return you to the airport for your departing flight.

Emergency Number

If someone back home needs to get in touch with you while you are in El Salvador, they should contact the EcoViva office at 510-835-1334. The office will put you in touch. If it is an emergency, please call José María “Chema” Argueta at 011-503-7925-1876. He works with the Community Empowerment Tours program in El Salvador, speaks English, and will be able to help in an emergency situation. Please make sure that your emergency contact you listed on your trip application has this number.

Housing and Food

Community Empowerment Tour participants generally stay in a dormitory in the rural community of Ciudad Romero. It is quite rustic by U.S. standards, though rather nice by local standards. It is 5

comparable to staying in a youth hostel, as the rooms are shared. You will have a bunk bed with a mattress and linens (including mosquito nets and towels) provided. Since the rooms are shared, it is suggested you bring an eye mask so you can sleep if someone needs to turn on the light, as well as earplugs (local roosters, goats, cows start in early at around 5 am). The sleeping rooms are small and can get stuffy, though there are fans which help. During waking hours, most people like to socialize in the common areas which are quite pleasant and airy, with beautiful landscaping and a large organic tree nursery. There are cold, but (in El Salvador’s heat) refreshing showers. You may want to bring flip- flops to wear in the shower.

The community dormitory is a demonstration site for rural ecology. You will see a tree nursery, seed bank, and livestock rearing center. As part of the effort to reduce our waste stream and its negative ecological impact, we recently installed composting latrines in the dormitories. Appropriate use of these is described on page 7.

While in Ciudad Romero, you will likely have breakfast and lunch each day with a local family that is well-versed in international hygiene standards. Dinners will be at the community dining hall. The meals are hearty, but there may be times when our community visits last longer than expected and the meals are delayed. We suggest you keep in your shoulder bag or backpack some emergency snacks for this moments. Trail mix is a good option. Please remember to minimize waste when you can, by using resealable bags.

If your group is going to San Salvador or the beach, you will stay in shared, comfortable accommodations and be served meals at your hotel. If you require a room to yourself, it is sometimes possible to request this in advance.

Environmental Policies

We do our best to minimize waste while in country, as you would in a national park when you are camping. There is no trash pick-up in rural El Salvador, and certainly no system for appropriately handling hazardous waste. All trash is burned or dumped in waterways. So, if you need to get rid of disposable batteries, wrappers for candies, plastic bags, anything made of plastic, please take non- biodegradable trash home with you and dispose of it back in the US. You may want to bring a small plastic trash bag for keeping in your suitcase.

Health, Safety and Packing

Health

 Vaccinations: You should speak with your personal physician about what he or she recommends in terms of preventative health measures. The most commonly prescribed vaccines for people traveling to El Salvador are: typhoid (70-90% effective for up to three years), and hepatitis A and B. Pills to prevent malaria are also commonly suggested by physicians, although malaria is not common in the Lower Lempa region.

 Disease Prevention: While vaccines and pills can prevent you from contracting a disease or virus, there are simple ways to prevent sickness. The easiest way to prevent disease is to bring plenty of mosquito repellant, pants and long-sleeve shirts, to drink plenty of water, and to wear sunscreen. In the Lower Lempa, malaria isn’t a concern but there have been some cases of dengue and chikungunya. Travelers should take precautions.  “Turista” (travelers’ diarrhea): PRECAUTIONS: Drink only bottled or otherwise purified water. We will have potable/purified water available at all times. Avoid ice cubes (often made with impure water) and food from street vendors at all costs. The shaved ice and other items may look tasty, but they may be crawling with bacteria. Do not eat uncooked meats or vegetables. As a rule of thumb: “boil it, peel it, cook it, or forget it.” Do not share water bottles with anyone, including other trip participants. Brush your teeth using bottled/purified water. TREATMENT: Drink lots of pure water. Imodium and Pepto Bismol help relieve symptoms. In certain cases, antibiotics are recommended. Consult a travel clinic for a prescription and to find out the appropriate time to use antibiotics.  Hygienic Use of “Ecological” Latrines: At the community dorms and in many of the communities there are composting or “ecological” latrines. They are perfectly hygienic as long as they are correctly maintained, and they are much more environmentally friendly than flush toilets. The latrine has 2 compartments: a front one for liquids and a back one for solids (including toilet paper). If you make a “liquid deposit” in the front section, no further action is necessary (men can also use the urinal on the wall). If you make a “solid deposit” in the back, however, you’ll need to add some powder to help absorb moisture and reduce odors. The powder – often either ash or a natural lime mineral powder – is usually provided in a bag, together with a scooper, next to the toilet. Generally one scoop of powder should be sufficient. Please make sure not to dump any powder in the small front compartment for the liquid waste, or it may clog. Proper use of toilets and latrines will be covered during your on-site orientation. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.  Disposal of toilet paper: If you use a flush toilet anywhere in El Salvador (such as at hotels and restaurants), all toilet paper must go in the trash can, NOT in the toilet, for plumbing to work properly.

Safety: Whether traveling to a foreign country or to the local grocery store one can never be 100% safe. However, by adhering to the following precautions we can keep our risk to a minimum.

 Valuables: don’t bring them if you don’t need them.  Money: U.S. dollars are the official currency, and the smaller bills are better (ones, fives and tens). Traveler’s checks are not necessary. Most businesses you will visit will not accept credit/debit cards. Instead, bring $30 to $60 in pocket money for soft drinks or over-the- counter medicine in case it is needed. You can bring additional cash ($50 to $300) in case you have the opportunity to buy souvenirs such as handicrafts and youth art.  Keeping your money: a money belt or neck pouch is a good way to keep your money safe. You can leave extra money tucked away in your room when traveling around in the villages.  Documents: make two photocopies of all your important documents (passport, credit card, visa, driver’s license). Keep one copy with you (separate from the originals) and leave the other with someone in the U.S. who you can contact easily.  Equipment: Please don’t leave your belongings (camera, backpack, etc.) unattended in any area outside the room where you are staying, or entrust them to people you don’t know well. Please close and lock your door when you leave your room.

 Streets: Personal safety is a concern in San Salvador and at night. At any time of day, do not leave the dorms or hotel without informing the trip leader where you are going, and always go with a buddy. Please walk in groups from the community dining hall back to the dorms at night. If you do get separated, do not panic. Stay where you are and we will come look for you.  Swimming: Groups may be provided the opportunity to swim in the Bay of Jiquilisco, the ocean, or a pool. Participants should be aware that EcoViva does not provide trained lifeguards and that El Salvador´s beaches often experience strong rip tides. We cannot guarantee your safety. Do not enter the water unless you are a confident swimmer. Please be cautious and follow all safety instructions from group leaders, EcoViva staff, and local people. For boat trips, EcoViva will provide life jackets. It is the responsibility of each participant to keep a life jacket close at hand while on the boat, whether or not he/she chooses to swim.  Alcohol: Please remember that, in signing your Intent to Participate Form, you agreed to “comply with all the laws, including laws pertaining to alcohol, of both El Salvador and the United States.” While the consumption of alcohol may be legal for those above the age of 21, it is not always a responsible decision, as it can easily lead to behavior incompatible with our Code of Conduct. In addition, staff members working directly with a Community Empowerment Tour group – including guides, interpreters, and drivers - do not drink alcoholic beverages during the entire duration of a tour, even during the evenings. Please do not buy alcoholic drinks for staff or otherwise pressure them to participate in drinking.  Transportation: EcoViva will provide the group with a vehicle or vehicles that are equipped with enough seats for all participants. Other forms of local transportation, such as a pickup truck in which passengers ride in the back, are not as safe. We are not responsible for your safety if you choose to ride in a vehicle that has not been specifically provided for your group. You should have no reason to travel on buses.  First Aid: Local tour staff are equipped with a basic first aid kit, but we cannot guarantee the availability of any one medication or treatment. Please feel free to bring your own personal or group first aid kit.

Packing list:

 Clothing: It will be hot and humid during the day and warm at night. Bring a light raincoat or poncho, and an umbrella if you like (also works well in the sun). Bring sturdy shoes with good tread for walking; sandals or flip-flops for the beach and the shower. Bring lightweight, loose pants and a long-sleeved shirt for the sun and mosquitoes. Bring a hat to protect from the sun and a bandana or two to keep hair out of your face or sweat out of your eyes in the heat. Don’t forget a towel and shorts/swimsuit for the beach. You should also bring a light sweater or sweatshirt just in case there is a cool night.  Water bottle(s): Bring a sturdy 1-liter bottle to fill with water, preferably labeled with your name. Purified drinking water will be available at all times to refill your bottle. Hydration is extremely important. We will have 5 gallon jugs of water on hand at all times.  Mosquito repellant: The stronger the better, although anything with more than 30% DEET does not have any added benefit. We recommend wearing mosquito repellent at all times. While mosquitoes are less common in the dry season (late November to mid-April), other biting flies can sometimes show up unannounced.  Sunhat and sunscreen: We recommend a full brimmed hat and sunscreen with 30 SPF or higher. The sun is very strong and will burn.  Flashlight: There are no/few nightlights or streetlights in the countryside. To safely walk around after dark, a flashlight is very important. 8

 Eye mask: You will probably be sharing a room for at least a few nights with other travelers. You may want to wear your eye mask when sleeping so that another person can turn on the light without disturbing your sleep.  Earplugs: The wee hours in a small community is a loud time of day. There are crowing roosters, very loud frogs and an abundance of barking dogs. Sometimes when there are community events there will be loud techno and reggaeton music thumping into the night.  Emergency Snacks: You will be eating regular and filling meals three times a day. However, you will get hot and sweaty, and there may be moments where an extra snack will come in handy to keep you feeling good, especially on long car rides out to far-flung communities. We suggest that you keep some trail mix, fruit rollups or granola bars – whatever you most enjoy – in well- sealed bags (e.g. Ziploc) in your day pack to keep out bugs. Remember to take any plastic wrappers back with you to the US for disposal: there is no trash service in rural El Salvador.  Toilet paper: Carry a small roll when you are visiting community projects. Toilet paper is not abundant in the countryside. See page 7 for proper disposal of toilet paper in ecological latrines and flush toilets.  Small notebook: You may find a small notebook helpful for journaling or chronicling each day’s activities, especially as you reconstruct the activities to share with others when you get home.  Family photos: While you should not bring any irreplaceable items of any kind, the local people you meet may enjoy seeing a few pictures of your family, hometown, etc. These are a good way to share and interact, and you don’t have to speak any Spanish to do it!  Camera: Be sure to bring extra batteries and memory cards. These are not readily available in the countryside. (See Environmental Policy about hiking out your trash, including batteries.) Please keep in mind that there can be times when using a camera can cause discomfort either for yourself or others by appearing to invade another’s space or exploiting them. Be respectful, sensitive, and ask permission. When visiting community projects, we recommend that the group designate one or two people to take photos so that the others can focus their attention on listening to the local community members.  Carry-on luggage: Bring a change of clothes and put all of your essentials (prescription medications, etc.) in your carry-on bag. The airline representatives in San Salvador are not as helpful with lost luggage as their U.S. counterparts.  Travel Medicine: A great all-purpose antibiotic for traveling is Ciproflaxin. It is very effective for bacterial food poisoning and skin infections. You can get a prescription for it from a travel clinic. We keep some other supplies on hand (such as band-aids), but in general you should be prepared to be responsible for your own health needs.  Prescription Medication: Be sure to bring adequate supplies of any prescription medication you might be taking.  Cell phones: Your U.S. cell phone might work in El Salvador if you have the right configuration and provider, but be prepared for expensive calls. The staff person who accompanies you will always have a cell phone and it is available to make short calls back home.  Laptop computers: Laptop computers: If you choose to bring a laptop, please make sure it is properly insured and that you have all your files backed up at home. Be aware that expensive electronics are easy targets for theft and are often sensitive to the heat, humidity, dust, and rough roads of the Lower Lempa. We used to have internet access at the community dormitory in Ciudad Romero; however, as of October 2012, this service has been temporarily suspended. We will let you know if this changes.  Trash bag: for packing out any non-biodegradable waste.

 Towel(s): small towel is generally provided when staying at the community dormitory, but you may wish to bring your own as well. Many people swear by their camping towels, which pack down small and dry quickly. A normal cotton terry towel should work as well. Just remember that the thicker it is, the longer it takes to dry in the humid climate.  Sheets: Clean bed sheets are provided to all visitors at the community dormitory.  Checked bags: Usually the airlines allow 1 to 2 free checked bags for travel to Central America. If you are bringing any extra equipment down, check with the airline on restrictions. Boxes, for example, are often banned for 6 weeks around the holiday season.

Maps of El Salvador

Credit: Cacahuate, Mark (WT logo) Source: Image:Map of Central America.svg (based on commons:Image:BlankMap-World6.svg (public domain)

Made by User:Golbez.

Cities and Departments: San Salvador, the capital, is in the center. Usulután, where we work, is a Department in the southeast, with a western border on the Lempa River.

EcoViva gift and donation policy

During your stay you will undoubtedly be moved by the tremendous economic challenges confronting your host community. It is one thing to read in a newspaper about human suffering caused by extreme poverty, and quite a different experience to witness it first-hand with your own eyes.

Many of our participants and volunteers wish to respond to the experience of seeing the hardships of their hosts by offering gifts of clothing, household goods, medications or even cash. While we perfectly understand the emotional reasons behind this seemingly rational response, we kindly ask you not to provide any gifts, donations, or loans on a personal basis to the members of your host community during or after your participation in our programs.

It is the goal of EcoViva to partner with our hosts to find sustainable solutions to the problems confronting their communities. Providing members of your host community with handouts encourages foreign dependency and discourages individual initiative and self-development. A generous gift to your host family will feel very positive in the short-term, but will undermine their self-sufficiency in the long- term. As a participant remarked, “It is not about making us feel better – but about what is best for them.”

Many areas that have suffered through war and disasters have been harmed by well-meaning but ultimately harmful handouts. For example, after Hurricane Mitch, there were whole communities in El Salvador’s Lower Lempa region where nobody worked for more than two years because they knew that every so often some well-meaning foreign charity organization would come by to distribute food. Our local partners reject this kind of help because it breeds dependency. Instead, they work to transform external resources into locally-led, long-term community development projects.

There is also the touchy question of fairness. Although in Ciudad Romero you will see cases of poverty, it is actually one of the best off of the communities affiliated with La Coordinadora-Mangrove Association. Part of its relative prosperity is due to the hard work and organization of its people; however, it is also helped out by the many visits by Community Empowerment Tours from EcoViva and other organizations that provide money, materials, and volunteers for the schools and community. This has created an imbalance in the communities, resulting in some tensions.

For that reason, our partners have asked us to not make personal gifts to individuals in the community. Instead, we give the Mangrove Association any in-kind and money gifts for them to distribute fairly among the different communities. If you have in-kind or monetary gifts that you would like to bring, please contact us so that we can find the most appropriate way to distribute them. The best way for you to support the communities is to support their own organizing work through your presence and through your support of EcoViva.

It is fairly common for local people to ask guests from wealthy countries for gifts and loans. Sometimes these requests can be extremely compelling. Please contact EcoViva staff if you should find yourself tempted to provide gifts of loans, even after you return home. We recommend not giving host families

your contact information, to help prevent the situation of such requests arising even after your travel experience.

Please remember that gifts, however small, can cause envy and interpersonal havoc. If one family receives from their guest a new towel set, and their neighbors receive nothing from their visitor, this may cause some unintended yet very real negative consequences. What seems like a mere trifle to you might be an extravagant luxury to someone in the local community.

Please know that the host communities are being adequately compensated for their time and energy. Everyone is being reasonably paid for their work and they are satisfied partners in this joint venture without expectations of additional gifts and rewards. (But please do not think this compensation is enough to solve all of the problems confronting your host community. You will still hear about their many needs for funds, nutritious food, and quality medical care.) Your group may elect to pool their resources to provide an additional gift to express your personal gratitude, but it will be one that will be provided in an equitable and empowering fashion. Thank you in advance for helping us to observe this important policy.

Preparing for your Return

Readjusting to your own culture

After having spent some time in a new culture, meeting the people and sharing in their reality, some people experience difficulty readjusting to their own culture. Initially many are very excited to be home and share their experiences. Readjustment difficulties tend to come as a total surprise because people think they weren’t away “that long” and they are returning to something familiar. However, it is the depth of the experience for the individual, not just the length of stay that can profoundly influence one’s readjustment. Such rich experiences change people. One’s home culture may itself appear to have changed. While these changes may not be huge, nor be apparent to others, returnees are usually very aware of them, and this can be confusing. The best advice the experts give is to EXPECT a time of readjustment and begin to prepare for this BEFORE you even leave!

As you settle into your life back home, you may realize that through your experience, some or many of your perceptions, assumptions, and your ways of doing things have changed. This growth means that you can expect a short period of disorientation as you adjust to the “new” environment at home. Being aware of the changes and learning from them, makes adaptation smoother. –Adapted from The Study Abroad Handbook. Bill Hoffa, 1998

The University of Toronto offers some ideas for dealing with this time of readjustment, often called “reverse culture (or re-entry) shock”.

 Expect it and be reflective. Take some time to consider and plan your return. Predict what challenges lie ahead and consider strategies for dealing with them.  Enjoy it. The fact that you are experiencing re-entry shock is indicative of the depth of your experience of the host culture. Accept re-entry as one more part of the journey.

 Journal. Journaling may help you map out some of your difficulties and keep things in perspective.  Treat yourself to some of the experiences you enjoyed in your host community. Find ways to treat yourself to some of the things that you most enjoyed about being in a new culture. Go out for dinner to a Salvadoran restaurant. Listen to the music, etc. Ideas for Staying Involved When You Return Home

Here are some ideas to get you thinking about what you will do when you return – let them spark your own creativity to involve others and share your experience with your community!

 Send emails to your friends, or post a photo album or blog entries sharing your experience. Ask for donations to support the projects that most inspired you. EcoViva can help you set up a profile on Razoo to facilitate online fundraising or link you into our youth fundraising campaign. We can also help you set up a group photo album online through DropBox, and we encourage you to connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.  Organize a slideshow. Get food, entertainment, and drinks donated for the event and collect donations at the door. Sell raffle tickets for an Art Print or a Salvadoran craft. Make it fun!  Engage your student group or neighborhood association. Offer to give a presentation to your group on your experience. Invite them to support EcoViva and encourage them to go on a Community Empowerment Tour.  Make a presentation to Rotary, Kiwanis, Knights of Columbus, or similar local clubs, and request their support for the work in El Salvador.  Talk to churches or local synagogues about project sponsorships. Offer to give a presentation on your experience as a “thank you” for their generous support.  Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper about an issue that struck a chord with you during your trip and how it connects with current events.

We hope you’ll approach this journey as part of a long-term engagement with communities in El Salvador. You are more likely to be present and aware during your experience if you know you will be sharing your insights with your family and community when you return home.

Part 2: Important Background Information

Recent History

The War in El Salvador

El Salvador is still recovering from a brutal civil war that raged from 1979 to 1992 (For more history, see www.lonelyplanet.com/el-salvador/history). At the root of this conflict is a deep-seated inequality within Salvadoran society, in which the vast majority of the population lives in poverty while a privileged few live in wealth and opulence. The elite maintained their power by installing military governments from the 1930s until the 1990s, with strong backing from the United States.

In the 1970s, a mass movement of peaceful protest supported by Catholic priests, including Archbishop Oscar Romero, rose up against the military regime. It was violently suppressed by soldiers or by right- wing death squads linked to the Salvadoran government (which was, in turn, supported by the U.S. government). Left-wing guerrilla movements rose up to challenge the military, and the government responded by burning down entire villages in an effort to destroy the families and communities of anyone suspected of sympathizing with the guerillas. At least 75,000 people were killed, and over 300,000 people fled to exile.

Refugees Return, Violence Erupts

In the early 1990s, thousands of the Salvadorans who had fled to Panama, Honduras and Nicaragua returned to El Salvador during the peace negotiations. Most did not go back to their home communities in the remote and rocky highlands. Many settled instead on coastal lands in the Lower Lempa region that had been former cotton and sugar cane plantations. Here each family laid claim to agricultural plots which were finally granted to many of them as part of the 1992 Peace Accords.

A number of communities were never granted land titles, and the majority of the new communities were granted virtually no basic services at all: roads, electricity, sanitation, water, schools or clinics. Many refugees had hoped that these lands would be more fertile than what they had left behind, but to their distress found the soils overtaxed and depleted from years of highly concentrated use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides that contaminated the groundwater. Tensions and violence grew further as refugee youths were deported from the United States: many had become involved in Los Angeles street gangs and brought the drugs and violence back with them. Poverty increased, deep-seated conflict persisted, and violence worsened.

Founding of the FSSCA

The Foundation for Self-Sufficiency in Central America (FSSCA) – now known as EcoViva – was formed in 1996 by Father José “Chencho” Alas, Father John “Juancho” Donahue and historian Harold Baron to support an emergent grassroots movement to build long-lasting peace in the Lower Lempa area. This local peace-building initiative is called La Coordinadora del Bajo Lempa y Bahia de Jiquilisco (The Coordinating Network of the Lower Lempa River and Bay of Jiquilisco, or La Coordinadora).

La Coordinadora (pronounced la CORD-eena-DORa) originally brought together people from fourteen local villages to address the flooding that destroyed countless homes and fields each year. Working alongside Chencho and the FSSCA/EcoViva, local leadership emerged to transform conflict into common action. As La Coordinadora slowly evolved, it grew into a major grassroots social movement involving strong participation throughout the local communities of the Lower Lempa and neighboring Bay of Jiquilisco areas.

The Local Zone of Peace and the Gang Truce

In 1998, the communities affiliated with La Coordinadora-Mangrove Association committed themselves to ending the violence that had been endemic to the region since the end of the civil war. They declared their communities to be a Local Zone of Peace and resolved to promote reconciliation, collaborative problem solving, and non-violent conflict resolution. Although the United Nations Regions of Peace served as a model, this was become the first Zone of Peace in the world built from the grassroots.

In 2000 and 2001, as part of the peace-building process, the FSSCA worked with La Coordinadora- Mangrove Association to address gang conflicts. Members of the 18th Street and Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gangs, with origins in the Salvadoran refugee communities of Los Angeles, had infiltrated rural areas of the Lower Lempa, bringing with them a culture of drug trafficking and teen-on-teen violence. With guidance from our co-founder, visionary Salvadoran priest Chencho Alas, volunteers from the FSSCA provided training in conflict transformation to key community leaders, who in turn brought together key gang leaders. They negotiated a gang truce which lasted for over a decade.

In return for laying down their arms, the gang leaders asked La Coordinadora-Mangrove Association to create meaningful social and cultural programs. The most successful of these, the Rays of Light Youth Art Project operated on its own for many years before being integrated into a set of Youth Empowerment Programs that includes theater, radio, visual arts and community organizing. We are working for a future in which the brightest young people of the Lower Lempa can use their skills locally to support sustainability and social justice.

Emergence of the Mangrove Association

As the FSSCA raised funds for disaster prevention and community development projects in the Lower Lempa, the leaders of La Coordinadora created a non-governmental organization (NGO) called The Mangrove Association, staffed by highly educated engineers and agronomists from San Salvador with the technical expertise to build water systems and train farmers in organic agriculture. Over time, local people have received the education and training they need to fill many of these professional roles.

Community-Led Conservation

In 2005, a new threat to peace emerged when the Salvadoran government declared the Bay of Jiquilisco a National Protected Area and announced that all human settlements would be forcibly removed from the area. This brought back bitter memories of the 1980s, when many local people had been forced into

exile for opposing the brutal military regime, only to march back from Panama, Nicaragua and Honduras in the early 1990s to start life over, with nothing.

La Coordinadora and the Mangrove Association formed alliances with university researchers and policymakers to lobby for a different plan. In April 2008, they reached an unprecedented agreement with the Salvadoran government. Not only do local communities have the right to stay where they are, but they are now officially recognized as Co-managers of the Protected Area. They are working with the government to create comprehensive environmental protection plans. And they are expanding sustainable community development programs which protect the natural habitat of the many species that live in the area.

As they work together to implement a shared vision toward environmental sustainability and economic self-sufficiency, the communities face many challenges: flooding disasters, insufficient food production, illiteracy, a lack of infrastructure, community violence, dependency, and government indifference. Although much progress has been made in all of these areas, much work remains.

Rise in Political Power of La Coordinadora

2009 brought historic elections in El Salvador. As part of the peace accords during the civil war, the left-wing guerrillas from the war laid down their arms and formed a political party, the FMLN. They slowly gained momentum, winning more and more seats in the national assembly and municipal governments each year. Then for the first time since its creation, the FMLN won the presidency in 2009.

The same elections brought a historic victory for the communities of La Coordinadora as well. After many years with the Mangrove Association, Aristides Valencia left his position as the Executive Director, when he was voted into the National Assembly of El Salvador, the country’s legislature. After many years of community organizing, La Coordinadora was able to launch a local leader into the national political scene. Because of his extensive experience with the local zone of peace and the gang truce, he served on the legislature’s Security Commission. As a representative, Aristides continually brought the issues important to the people in the Lower Lempa, to a national stage. The election of Aristides is proof of the growth in both size and influence of La Coordinadora. It shows the huge impact organized communities can make on a national level.

In October of 2011, Tropical Storm 12-E ripped through the Lower Lempa, the largest flood plain in Central America. Over 4 feet of rain fell in 10 days, bringing the worst floods in the history of the region, surpassing the flooding brought on by Hurricane Mitch. The extreme rains were attributed to climate change. The region is supposed to be protected by earthen levees that line the banks of the largest river in the country, the Lempa River. The levees, however, burst when an upstream dam released 9,500 cubic meters of water per second for more than 12 hours – three times the flow the levees were built to withstand.

Approximately 40 villages were completely flooded out in the Lower Lempa region. Dozens of communities were cut off from contact for up to 48 hours as roads were completely washed away. Community groups organized, working with local and federal authorities to reach isolated communities 18

and evacuate everyone effectively. Thanks to years of community organizing and early warning systems supported by the Mangrove Association and EcoViva, evacuations began two days before the levees broke and no one was killed.

After returning from flood shelters, the affected families worked alongside our partners and brigades of hundreds of youth from the FMLN political party to conduct a massive clean-up, singlehandedly preventing outbreaks of illness from bacterial diseases. With brooms and shovels and tremendous effort, they cleaned up all 40 villages in only 2 days. Thanks to their organizing efforts, our partners in El Salvador were able to avert a major loss of human life and a potential public health crisis.

Since then, the government has repaired the levees with oversight from community members. Local organizations including the Mangrove Association and La Coordinadora have participated in a monthly forum where community members bring their concerns about the rebuilding process directly to the government and engineering company overseeing construction. This groundbreaking forum, bringing together different local and national actors, has addressed many community concerns and its success is celebrated by government officials and community organizers alike. Disaster preparedness has been integrated into every aspect of the Mangrove Associations programs and daily life in the communities who are organized into Civil Protection Commissions, trained in responding to different types of disasters.

In 2012 Estela Hernández, local community leader and President of the Mangrove Association’s Board of Directors was elected to the El Salvador National Assembly, the nation’s Legislature. She is the first women to represent her department of Usulután. As a member of the Environment and Climate Change Commission, she has the opportunity to write environmental legislation nationally and is still deeply involved locally.

In 2014, then Vice President Salvador Sánchez Cerén of the FMLN was elected President. Shortly after, Aristides Valencia, former Executive Director of the Mangrove Association and Assembly Member, was appointed to be the Minister of the Interior.

What’s happening today?

Major policy changes have been established under the new government. These accomplishments include the adoption of Ecological Mangrove Restoration as a process to be replicated throughout the country instead of the traditional method of hand planting. They have also undertaken a country-wide literacy campaign aimed at providing basic literacy skills to the thousands of adults who were forced to drop out of school during the civil war years (1979-1992). The campaign, a modified version of the highly successful Cuban literacy brigade model, trains high school students and young adults as literacy promoters for the elders in their communities. So far it has been successful at improving literacy in dozens of municipalities, but the program is underfunded and has relied on international support from organizations such as EcoViva.

EcoViva supported the literacy campaign in Jiquilisco in 2010 and 2011, and helped over 500 people gain basic literacy skills. Unfortunately, the local campaign was cut short by the massive floods from

tropical storm 12-E in October 2011, after which most young adults were forced to focus their attention on helping rebuild their families' homes and replant crops lost during the floods. Since then, there have been challenges in reestablishing coordination with the Ministry of Education to re-launch the campaign. In the meantime, many of the literacy promoters are working on the new Community Libraries project in which they are promoting literacy and the love of literature amongst people of all ages.

Another key success of the new government is the native seed project. In the past, the government of El Salvador provided subsidies to farmers in the form of packets of corn seed and fertilizer, bought from large scale agriculture companies, including a subsidiary of Monsanto. With the shift in government, subsidies are still offered but the government buys seed from local, small scale farmers instead of large corporations. The Mangrove Association has a long history of producing native seeds and teaching small scale farmers about native seed.

Today, there are local concerns over proposed large scale tourism projects for the area backed by US funding through the Millennium Challenge Corporation. Community members welcome development and tourism that benefit community members and continues local conservation efforts. Community Empowerment Tours are an alternative that support the local economy while sustaining conservation programs.

Who’s Who –

EcoViva’s Partners in El Salvador

Since 1996, EcoViva has helped foster a uniquely democratic and highly effective social movement for community-led conservation and sustainable development run by and for local people in the small villages on the southwest coast and nearby Lower Lempa River watershed of El Salvador. Our relationships with local communities can be complicated to understand. Here’s a quick summary.

The social movement we support, La Coordinadora, is made up of over 100 village communities organized into 10 regional councils (Grupos Locales). The councils are made up of representatives of cooperatives, youth groups, water boards and other village-level groups in each community. Women and youth take a strong leadership role.

The member communities of La Coordinadora are organized into ADESCOs (Community Development Associations), which in turn are organized in 10 regional councils (or Grupos Locales), each of which elects representatives to its General Assembly. The regional councils directly participate in project design, implementation and evaluation.

The regional councils work together to create their own strategic plans for community development, organized into 4 programs: 20

1) Environmental Protection & Disaster Preparedness 2) Agricultural Production & Economic Development 3) Basic Infrastructure 4) Community Organizing & Youth Empowerment

Each of the programs is interdependent, and together they make up a holistic model for ecologically- sound sustainable development. The Mangrove Association (Asociación Mangle), a legally- recognized NGO affiliated with La Coordinadora, carries out the four programs with support from EcoViva. The Board of Directors of the Mangrove Association is made up of 5 elected community members who oversee the work of the staff on a day to day basis. They are in turn evaluated by the regional councils at the General Assembly each year.

While their names are often used interchangeably, La Coordinadora and the Mangrove Association are NOT the same organization. There are two Coordinadoras made up of organized communities (more on the second Coordinadora below). The Coordinadoras are akin to neighborhood associations made up of concerned citizens who meet regularly to discuss how to improve their communities. They have no legal recognition. Therefore, they cannot apply for grants or receive and administer funds.

The Mangrove Association, in contrast, is a legally-recognized organization, similar to a non-profit in the United States. It is the entity that hires staff, applies for grants, and receives and administers funding. While it was born out of La Coordinadora del Bajo Lempa, it is not limited to working solely within that geographic area.

Beginning in 2005, a new coalition of village groups formed in the eastern area of the Bay of Jiquilisco based on the same structure used by La Coordinadora del Bajo Lempa. The new Coordinadora, called La Coordinadora de Puerto Parada (CPP), also receives technical support and funding from Mangrove Association and EcoViva. CPP is currently in the process of forming its own locally staffed nonprofit organization called Asociación Sincahuite. Sincahuite is a local variety of mangrove tree commonly found in Puerto Parada.

The Mangrove Association has grown to support three grassroots social movements in the Lower Lempa River Estuary and Bay of Jiquilisco area:

 La Coordinadora del Bajo Lempa y Bahía de Jiquilisco – with around 76 member communities,  La Coordinadora de Puerto Parada – with around 17 member communities, and  ASUSCUBAJI –(Association for the Sustainable Use of the Watershed of the Bay of Jiquilisco) a coalition of 30 local organizations working together on disaster prevention and watershed protection.  El Movimiento para la Defensa de la Vida y los Recursos Naturales (El Movimiento) - - a coalition of 6 municipal governments and local NGOs working to regulate the damaging practices of the sugar cane industry.

What is EcoViva’s Role?

Mission EcoViva works in partnership and solidarity with community-led organizations in Central America organized to achieve environmental sustainability, economic security, social justice and peace. The vision and implementation of our programs come from our local partners.

Vision Vibrant, democratic communities that protect and restore their natural resources and ecosystems. Everyone has the opportunity for education, access to basic services and a dignified livelihood. Local leaders, especially women and youth, are building an inclusive democracy. Our partner communities become a model for living well and in harmony with the earth.

EcoViva is a small non-profit based in Oakland, CA, with four permanent staff. The Foundation for Self- Sufficiency in Central America was our previous name. Historically we are referred to by this name, or FSSCA. On May 1, 2010, we changed our name to EcoViva in order to emphasize the environmental sustainability of our work.

While we provide a small amount of funding to organizations in Panama, Nicaragua, and Honduras, our principal focus since our founding in 1996 has been to support grassroots social movements in the Lower Lempa River Estuary and Bay of Jiquilisco area of El Salvador. Through our many years of work there we have come to understand that sustainable community development and social justice are best achieved by local people working together to implement their own initiatives. We believe that adaptation to climate change and sustainable community development go hand in hand, and that disaster preparedness and diversification of livelihoods are critical components to community survival.

Our goal is to ensure that local community leaders have the resources and support they need to create sustainable, resilient communities in an era of increasingly extreme weather events and disaster. We provide our local partners with the resources and technical assistance they need to achieve their goals. We offer direct financial support to local communities through the Mangrove Association, and recruit voluntary labor from skilled professionals such as engineers, public health professionals, MBA students and environmental policy experts to support their efforts. We also work to connect our partner communities with the national policy initiatives and major international funding streams from which they are typically excluded.

Below is a simplified diagram showing the relationships between the different entities that make up EcoViva’s partners and allies in the Lower Lempa region of El Salvador.

Communities

Groups Local

La Coordinadora del La Coordinadora Bajo Lempa y la de Puerto Parada

Bahía de Jiquilisco

ASUSCUBAJI

EcoViva Mangrove (watershed advocacy coalition) Association ad U.S. U.S.Funder Local National Universities s government NGOS s

Local Programs

Basic Infrastructure: Water, Housing and Sanitation

Almost two decades after the Peace Accords, many communities still lack basic services, like clean water and sanitation. We continue to support the construction of water systems, composting toilets, wood- saving stoves and, when needed, durable housing.

To date, approximately 13,670 people have received access to clean drinking water through systems built by the Mangrove Association with support from EcoViva, Rotary International, Episcopal Relief and Development, and Engineers without Borders. We are currently working on a major water system that will deliver water to 500 more families.

The infrastructure program has built over 530 wood-saving stoves and 440 composting toilets for member families, significantly reducing air and groundwater pollution. The housing program has

helped over 100 families who have been displaced by flooding, earthquakes and other disasters build more durable homes.

Wood-Saving Stoves

Most rural Salvadoran women prepare beans and tortillas every day, in addition to other foods. Each dish is cooked on the stove, which is usually an open fire framed by a semi-circle of brick or adobe called an hornilla (or-NEE-ya). Before they can begin cooking, however, they must make sure that there is enough firewood. While men sometimes help with this task, it is most often the women who are charged with collecting firewood and carrying it in large bundles on their heads back home. Not only does this require time and effort, but it also contributes to deforestation. Once the fire gets going, there is nothing to protect the family from smoke inhalation and burns from touching hot surfaces.

Our local partners have adapted different designs for improved stoves to be used in the local communities. These stoves feature enclosed combustion chambers that burn more efficiently than an open fire, reducing the amount of firewood needed. This means that the women can spend less time collecting firewood, and deforestation is reduced. In some cases, the stoves burn so cleanly that they do not produce smoke; in others, they are attached to a chimney that carries the smoke away from the family’s lungs.

Composting Toilets

We usually don’t think of our toilets as luxury items. But to someone who began life poor and then lost everything in a natural or man-made disaster, they might seem like just that. Unable to afford the building materials, many people dig a pit in the ground and surround it with a sheet of plastic or, failing that, simply find a secluded spot to relieve themselves. In addition to a lack of dignity, this situation creates a number of problems. Without proper treatment, human waste can spread disease among animals and humans, and can also pollute the groundwater that ends up in wells to be used for washing and cooking.

On the other end of the spectrum are our familiar flush toilets. While they are much more pleasant to use and offer greatly improved hygiene by safely routing waste to a water treatment plant, they have other drawbacks. First of all, they use an incredible amount of water. The average person in the U.S. uses 40 gallons of water per day just to flush the toilet. That’s over a quarter of all the water used each day, including for cleaning, bathing and consumption. According to the Meso-American Permaculture Institute, a person uses as much water in a year by flushing the toilet as they could drink in forty years. In communities with little to no plumbing infrastructure, flush toilets are obviously not a viable alternative.

In between the two extremes lies the humble composting toilet. Although there are many different designs (including several that can be installed in an average American house), a composting toilet is basically an enclosed box that allows the natural process of aerobic decomposition to take place in a controlled environment. The end result is no longer waste, but a nutrient-rich fertilizer often referred to as “humanure.” Human compost is not used directly on food crops, but it can be used to improve the general quality of the soil in forests and pastures. 24

Another advantage of composting toilets is that they are very difficult to clog because the solid waste does not have to travel through narrow pipes. Many first-time users are pleasantly surprised at how little composting toilets smell. Plus, they can be built with relatively inexpensive materials, and require only minimal maintenance costs. And they use no water! Many Salvadoran families simply use the ashes leftover from their cook fires as a drying agent in their composting toilets. This “best of both worlds” solution is something we hope to see adopted in more places.

Environmental Protection

Biodiversity Conservation The Lower Lempa River Estuary and Bay of Jiquilisco together make up El Salvador’s largest protected area. It has been recognized as a wetland of world importance under the International Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and is also designated a United Nations International Biosphere Reserve. A Biosphere Reserve is distinct from a national park or other types of protected areas in that it recognizes the human element of the ecosystem. While the Protected Areas Law enacted by the Salvadoran government in 2005 implied that the people in the area would be forcefully resettled, the Biosphere Reserve emphasizes the concept of “Man and Biosphere.” Its core functions are threefold: environmental conservation, human development, and logistical support for research and education. As such, Biosphere Reserves are meant to serve as “living laboratories” for scientists and governments to study ways in which humans can live in a sustainable manner within sensitive environments. The UN neither funds nor administers the Biosphere Reserve, and only oversees with a “soft law.” Instead, Mangrove Association has been named co-manager along with the Salvadoran Ministry of Environment, and enforcement responds to national law.

This area is also one of the regions in Central America most affected by climate change, as it is located on coastal lowland vulnerable to floods, hurricanes and droughts. Extreme weather events including Hurricane Mitch in 1998, Hurricane Stan in 2005, Tropical Storm 12-E in 2011 and a major drought in 2008 and 2009 have taken a heavy toll in lives and on the economy. The area contains one of the largest remaining tracts of mangroves in El Salvador, a special kind of saltwater-loving tree that traps carbon emissions and protects the coastline from hurricanes.

The Bay of Jiquilisco is home to immense biological diversity, including nesting areas for four species of sea turtles. It is a critical reproduction site for the most endangered population of sea turtle, the Eastern Pacific Hawksbill, which nests primarily in mangroves. Other important resources found locally include many species of shellfish, migratory birds and a wide variety of fish that local communities depend on for their survival. We are working together with local communities to ensure that the precious resources found in the Lower Lempa River and Bay of Jiquilisco are protected for future generations.

Since La Coordinadora-Mangrove Association was recognized by the Ministry of the Environment as an official co-manager of the Bay of Jiquilisco Biosphere Reserve in 2008, the communities have established rules to govern the sustainable use of 4,735 acres of mangrove habitat, and they are now working to establish rules for the additional 70,000 acres of protected area land.

Wetlands Rangers To help ensure the conservation of these important wetlands, local community members are now trained as Wetland Rangers. In addition to patrolling protected areas, these women and men work in communities, schools, and fishing cooperatives to raise awareness, explaining environmental laws and best management practices. The wetland rangers keep track of activity in the bay and use their knowledge and expertise to assist in other conservation efforts. They have also played an integral role in mangrove restoration.

Mangrove Restoration In July 2011, EcoViva and the Mangrove Association took part in organizing a groundbreaking forum with participation from the Salvadoran government to address the ongoing devastation of the country's mangrove forests. Mangrove restoration initiatives in El Salvador have historically relied heavily on uninformed manual planting, with very limited long-term results. In response, EcoViva and the Mangrove Association invited the Salvadoran Ministry of the Environment and key environmental organizations to discuss the implementation of a pioneering new technique called Ecological Mangrove Restoration (EMR) to bring these degraded mangroves back to life.

The forum, attended by 250 people, including the Minister of the Environment, received national attention and culminated in a four-day hands-on EMR workshop hosted by the Mangrove Association and co-facilitated by local Wetlands Rangers. The role of the Wetlands Rangers is a testament to the knowledge and experience they have accumulated by becoming managers of their ecosystem. Indeed, the forum marked a new step for EcoViva and our partners in exerting national leadership in restoring Central America's most important mangrove forests and in recognizing that impacted coastal communities are the motors for real change.

In early 2012, the forum lead to the launch of the first community-run Ecological Mangrove Restoration pilot project in El Salvador. The project, located in El Llorón was, until recently, a 200 acre area of mostly dead, dry mangrove trees in the western portion of the Bay of Jiquilisco. Due to bombing during the civil war and slight changes in the geography due to seismic activity, the natural flow of salt and fresh water necessary for mangroves to thrive was halted. Deep pools of stagnant fresh water essentially drowned the mangroves, destroying important habitat and nurseries for fish, crabs, shrimp and many species of migratory birds. After studying the historic and current hydrology, then digging out canals to restore the flow of water, community members hoped to restore El Llorón to its former glory as a major fish and crab breeding ground and nesting area for migratory birds.

The water in El Llorón is now flowing freely, birds can be seen flocking around the areas once completely barren of life, and fish jump through the clean water.

The project was lauded by the Salvadoran Ministry of the Environment as a model which the government seeks to replicate throughout the country. EcoViva is currently working with fishing and shellfish cooperatives on another restoration site in the eastern region of the bay.

Sea Turtle Hatcheries The Bay of Jiquilisco Biosphere Reserve contains the nesting grounds for four species of endangered sea turtles: Olive Ridley, Leatherback, Green and Hawksbill. Every year, adult turtles return to the exact area of beach where they were born in order to lay their own eggs. They face tremendous dangers, including being caught by the nets of commercial fishing ships and being destroyed by bombs sometimes used by local fishermen. The eggs themselves are often collected by local community members, who out of economic necessity sell them on the black market to restaurants who serve them as a delicacy to wealthy city-dwellers.

Hawksbill turtles of the Eastern Pacific are the most threatened and least understood sea turtle population on the planet. A recent study showed that an estimated 70% to 90% of Eastern Hawksbill nesting areas in the world are found in the Bay of Jiquilisco protected area. Hawksbills are the only turtle species known to nest under mangrove trees.

The Mangrove Association has worked with local communities to create six sea turtle hatcheries, including a new hatchery dedicated only to Hawksbill turtles. At each hatchery, former turtle egg collectors sell eggs to the hatchery instead of selling them on the black market. It is a win-win situation, in which local families can make enough income to survive while protecting – not destroying – the sea turtle population. To date, the program has incubated and released over 750,000 sea turtles, including Olive Ridleys, Leatherback, Hawksbill and Green sea turtles.

Sustainable Fishing Since 2009, EcoViva has worked with four local cooperatives, focusing on fisheries management. After the civil war, dynamite fishing, sometimes referred to as blast fishing was prevalent in the Bay of Jiquilisco. In addition to the decrease in catch size, blast fishing destroys habitats and marine animals that live in the bay, include the four species of sea turtles who nest there. Every bomb that explodes during turtle season destroys dozens of baby sea turtles. Of the thousands which hatch on the local beaches, only a handful make it to adulthood.

Our model of sustainable fishing- what we call Pesca Limpia in Spanish- provides an alternative for fishers, as well as a sustainable model for fishery management. Fishing with a hook and line, these cooperatives organize to fish around artificial reefs made of cement or wood that are sunk into the bay. These reefs create a habitat for fish where they can hide from predators, eat, and reproduce. Fishers keep only the fish that are over a certain size, releasing juveniles, giving them a chance to reach adulthood and reproduce. More than 20 other cooperatives in the region have adopted this model.

Within these cooperatives, Wetlands Rangers and local organizations work to raise awareness about environmental issues and the importance of responsible management. The cooperatives watch over their fishing area, ensuring other fishers do not partake in illegal practices.

In the fall of 2012, EcoViva and the Mangrove Association organized a national fisheries forum, featuring local fishermen and women, cooperatives, nonprofits, and government representatives. This forum provided space for different actors to discuss the management of the Bay of Jiquilisco, raise awareness about issues small scale fishers, and coordinate activities. 27

Currently, the four initial cooperatives participating in Pesca Limpia are working together on a marketing scheme, attempting to cut out the intermediaries. This would allow the fishers to sell directly to their buyers, giving them control over the prices and ensuring they receive a fair wage for their labor.

Building a Green Economy

Sustainable Agriculture When thousands of former refugees resettled in the 1990s in the Lower Lempa and Bay of Jiquilisco area, most of them adopted subsistence agriculture as their means of survival. Many had been given small, unproductive tracts of land, parceled out from abandoned sugar cane and cotton plantations with mostly overtaxed and depleted soil. In order to help a new population obtain food security in these challenging circumstances, La Coordinadora-Mangrove Association began providing training and support to help farmers improve soil quality, diversify their crops and increase their yields.

The program is currently providing intensive training to 120 farmers in permaculture, a sustainable agriculture practice that mimics the diversity, stability and resilience of natural ecosystems. Each farmer designs a ‘finca diversificada’ or diversified farm, which integrates many different types of vegetables, legumes, fruit trees, woodland trees, and farm animals into a resilient and interdependent system (for example, chickens provide fertilizer, trees provide windbreaks, fruit trees attract birds which eat pests, a fish pond provides water and fertilizer, and legumes add nitrogen to the soil). The Mangrove Association provides a small loan and ongoing technical assistance to each farmer over a 5- year period to help them implement their unique design.

The organization also helps hundreds of additional farmers who visit the Xinachtli (“Seed of Life”) Agricultural Training Center in Ciudad Romero to purchase organic fertilizers and receive technical assistance. The Xinachtli Agricultural Training Center, seed bank and tree nursery is located at the community dormitory where visitors usually stay.

The Center also serves as a demonstration plot which acts as a showcase for best practices in crop diversification, use of native species and application of organic fertilizers and pesticides. Natural worm compost, mineral-enriched natural fertilizers, and pesticides derived from plants are made to provide area farmers with self-sufficient, low-cost methods to produce their own alternative inputs to expensive synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. The nursery and demonstration plot generate a modest income for the program through the distribution of these supplies at fair prices. They typically produce about 50,000 pounds of compost and 400 gallons of organic pesticides and fertilizers per year.

In order to improve local agriculture, the Mangrove Association also provides important farming supplies through a locally-administered ‘green’ credit program. With ongoing support from EcoViva, the nursery and seed bank offer a variety of plants and seeds at no cost to the farmers, who in return promise to replenish plant and seed stocks from their crops at a later date. In 2009, the ‘green’ credit program supplied 64,000 vegetable seedlings, over 1,000 fruit trees, and nearly 50 different species of native and hybridized plants of nutritional and medicinal value.

Cooperatives and Xinachtli The former government tied the country’s future strongly to the United States, dollarizing the economy in 2001 and making neo-liberal economic reforms that increased dependence on U.S. trade. These same reforms have been undermining domestic agriculture, which cannot compete with cheap U.S. imports (cheap because they are subsidized by US taxpayers).

Open-air farmers’ markets selling local products are common in most of Latin America, but not in the Lower Lempa region of El Salvador, where small-scale farmers, until recently, almost exclusively produced corn. Instead, fruits and vegetables are brought in from Honduras by entrepreneurs in pickup trucks who sell at prices most families cannot afford.

In addition to supporting farmers to diversify the products that are grown locally, our local partners are also helping them generate local markets for their products. The Mangrove Association supports two local cooperatives, a cashew-roasting cooperative and a shrimp farming cooperative. The unshelled cashews are purchased in bulk from an organic cashew farmers’ association, processed, roasted and then sold to an intermediary. The shrimp cooperative produces low-impact artisanal shrimp on former salt flats. The cooperative produced over 100,000 kilos of shrimp in 2009, turning it’s first-ever profit. The ponds undergo regular testing by the University of El Salvador Marine Sciences Institute to ensure that their environmental impact is minimized.

Beginning in 2014, the Mangrove Association and La Coordinadora are laying the groundwork for Xinachtli, an independent, for-profit co-operative to better serve the needs small agricultural producers in the region. While its partnerships with the Mangrove Association will play an important role in the initial start-up phase, the co-operative will be structurally and financially independent from this non- profit arm. Through over a decade and a half of a strategic partnership, EcoViva is in a unique position to provide and oversee much-needed seed financing, technical assistance, and oversight as community leadership embark on a new governance structure toward self-sufficient rural economic development, driven by local producers working together to leverage market opportunities toward new revenue possibilities.

Sugar Cane Campaign In 2010, communities affiliated with our local partner organization, the Mangrove Association, began to mobilize to stop the destructive practices of the sugar cane industry. Forming the Movement for the Defense of Life and Natural Resources (or the Movement for short), they focused on finding solutions for the harmful effects of sugar cane practices in the region, including the pollution of the water, air and land, and also the illegal destruction of mangrove forests within the Bay of Jiquilisco Biosphere Reserve by sugar cane plantations seeking expansion. Their advocacy forced a multiagency response to sugar, involving the Ministry of Health, Agriculture, and Environment.

The Movement has since grown, incorporating other local community organizations, municipalities, and nonprofits and aims to regulate the toxic growing practices of the sugar cane industry. In spite of the tremendous economic and political power of sugar cane growers, the Movement has made significant progress, including winning a national restriction on the burning of cane fields (which is

done prior to harvest) and getting the government to promote a new pilot project for ‘green’ growing methods. They have also focused on environmental ordinances and land use planning.

This model has now been expended to municipalities across all of Usulutan to form the Territory Action Group or GAT for its initials in Spanish.

School Gardens In early 2013, the Mangrove Association launched a new school garden project jointly with the Ministry of Education. They have one garden up and running at the elementary school in Ciudad Romero which serves approximately 400 students and are looking to expand to other communities. The gardens will supply vegetables for a new free school lunch program provided by the Ministry of Education. The Ministry will pay for the vegetables, and therefore provide some income to keep the gardens running once established.

The gardens double as outdoor classrooms so that children can learn the basics of organic agriculture. Local high school students receive credit towards their 200 hours of community service required for graduation by volunteering in the gardens.

In 2014, a group of engineers and engineering students traveled to the Lower Lempa and installed a solar powered irrigation system to one of the school gardens, modeling an easy to maintain system that will be replicated in other school gardens.

Certified Local Seed In much of Central America, rural families grow corn on small plots to feed their families. These crops are vulnerable to floods, hurricanes and droughts – extreme weather events that are happening more frequently due to climate change. EcoViva has worked for years with our local partners in the Lower Lempa region of El Salvador to support a training program that helps family farmers diversify their plots with organic fruit trees, vegetables and native crops to improve nutrition and reduce poverty. Until recently, the Salvadoran government was working at odds with our programs by providing handouts of conventional corn seed purchased from the multinational seed company Monsanto to family farmers throughout the country. Two years ago the Salvadoran government, led by the first-ever FMLN administration under President Mauricio Funes, cancelled its contracts with Monsanto and began to purchase seeds locally through the groundbreaking Family Agriculture Plan. In early 2013, the government decreed that from now on it will only buy seeds produced locally.

Our local partner organization, the Mangrove Association, is providing technical assistance to help large cooperatives and medium-sized farms grow government-certified seeds for the Family Agriculture Plan. Most of the participating farms were previously producing conventional sugar cane at much lower profit margins. Sugar cane farming has been linked to high local incidences of chronic kidney disease as well as major loss of biodiversity from burning the crop prior to harvest. Therefore, the mass conversion of sugar cane fields to corn seed production is a victory for local communities, and for food security for El Salvador.

Until this year, the government demanded that local producers grow conventional seeds of the same variety provided by Monsanto. However, after major negotiations with the government, our partners are currently overseeing a pilot project for the first ever government-certified native corn seeds. The native seeds require far fewer chemical inputs, and produce high yields year after year, so that struggling farmers who receive these seeds do not have to go into debt to survive. Today, over 50% of the seed for the government's program is sourced from our partner communities in the Lower Lempa. The program supplies over 325,000 family farms throughout the country, and with our support has dramatically increased the income of over 500 local farmers.

Youth Empowerment

Youth in El Salvador face many challenges. Principal among these are a lack of access to quality education and a lack of access to job opportunities. According to government statistics, approximately 40% of rural Salvadorans lack basic literacy, and nearly a quarter of all young adults have never been to school. Many of the brightest young people leave the country to increase opportunities for personal development, yet fewer than ten percent will successfully complete high school after settling in their destination country. Those who stay in El Salvador have few economic opportunities, and often join gangs and become involved in drug trafficking or other criminal activities as a matter of economic survival. For the future of El Salvador, youth need sustainable alternatives that encourage their positive participation in their country’s future.

Since 2002, EcoViva has supported the Mangrove Association’s youth programs that use education and the arts to engage and empower local youth. These programs promote opportunities for personal growth, education, leadership and service that facilitate the active involvement of young people in their communities.

Over the years, the youth programs in the Lower Lempa have included gang tattoo removal, arts and theater programs, and youth led-literacy campaigns. In 2013, the Youth Program expanded to include five different areas.

Community Radio Mangrove Radio reaches over 200 communities and for more than 10 years was a critical sources of news, information, and emergency response. In 2010, the signal was overpowered by another station. After 18 months of unceasing advocacy work, the Salvadoran government granted Mangrove Radio its own frequency in December of 2012. The station is run by a group of youth volunteers who create environmental and social programs, and share local and national news. They also lead a children’s program, using it as an opportunity to teach 8 local kids about radio announcing. Mangrove Radio is an important alternative news source for the communities and the youth take the lead to provide exciting programming with a social message.

Youth Committees and Leadership School In 2013, the Youth Program aims to organize hundreds of youth throughout the Lower Lempa into 8 youth committees. These committees will be established by region, with each committee bringing together the youth from 8 to 15 communities. In addition for this space to be heard locally and participate in larger national issues, the youth will have the opportunity to attend the Integrated Leadership School, designed to empower them with knowledge of their history. They will learn about environmental and social issues the communities face, and go on field trips to important historical sites throughout the country.

Reading Promotion and Literacy In coordination with the Ministry of Culture and with the support from allied organizations, the Youth Program has opened two public libraries and is in the process of opening eight school libraries. In addition, youth from the communities are being trained as reading promoters. They will run mobile reading rooms in remote communities, encouraging reading for all age levels.

Viva Fund Scholars 15 promising youth leaders receive support to continue their education in fields related to rural and coastal development. A majority of the students study aquaculture (fish and shrimp farming) at a technical college. Other students receive scholarships for transportation to participate in a weekend high school program. One student studies sustainable agriculture at the university level. The scholars receive leadership training and local internship opportunities so that they will be ready to apply their new skills locally upon graduation. Art, Culture, and Sports The art, culture, and sports program provides youth with more opportunities for positive local engagement. This program includes a group of artisans who make ecological crafts using seeds, shells, and fabric dyed with mangrove leaves. Two dance troupes perform at many different community events. Soccer tournaments and running races are used as outreach tools to recruit more youth into the committees and leadership school.

STATISTICS ABOUT EL SALVADOR  Population: 6,125,512 (July 2014 est.)  Comparative area: slightly smaller than Massachusetts  Climate: tropical; rainy season (May to October); dry season (Nov. to April)  Infant Mortality Rate: National: 21.52 deaths/1,000 live births. Rural Usulután 38/1,000  Current Environmental Issues: deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution; contamination of soils from disposal of toxic wastes  Life Expectancy at Birth: 74.18 years  Population Annual Growth Rate: 0.27% (2014 estimate)  Population Using Improved Sanitation Facilities: 80% (rural, 2006)  Net Migration Rate: -8.44 migrants/1,000 population (2014 estimate)  Adult Literacy: National 84.5%, Rural Women Usulután 59%, Rural Men 69%  Internet Users: 11 per 100 people (2007)  Gross National Income per Capita: $3,580 (2012), Rural Women Usulután: $865, Rural Men: $2,548  Population Below Poverty Line: 36.5% (2010 estimate)  Salvadorans Living in the USA: About 1.1 million  Population Using Improved Drinking Water Sources: 68% (2002) rural  Exports: $5.112 billion (2013 estimate) Products: offshore assembly exports, coffee, sugar, textiles and apparel, gold, ethanol, chemicals, electricity, iron and steel manufactures US 47.3% Guatemala 13.8%, Honduras 9.6%, Nicaragua 5.4% (2012)  Imports: $10.03 billion (2013 estimate) Products: Raw materials, consumer goods, capital goods, fuels, foodstuffs, petroleum, electricity. Partners: US 35.4%, Mexico 7%, Guatemala 12.7%, China 5.6%, Germany 4.2% (2012)  Remittances: $3.8 billion per year (2008), 22.3% of families receive remittances

This data comes from: CIA World Factbook: www.cia.gov/library UNICEF country statistics: www.unicef.org/infobycountry/elsalvador_statistics.html United States Census Bureau: www.census.gov Migration Information Source: www.migrationinformation.org U.S. State Department: www.state.gov

Helpful Links and Suggested Reading  EcoViva: www.eco-viva.org (of course!)  Tim’s El Salvador Blog: http://luterano.blogspot.com/  Embassy of El Salvador in the U.S.: www.elsalvador.org/home.nsf/tourism

Film and Fiction

 Innocent Voices: Director Luis Mandoki. 2005. A film following an 11-year old boy through his involvement in the Salvadoran civil war.

 Return to El Salvador. IndieFlix. 2010. A documentary telling the story of vibrant Salvadoran individuals and communities, and life after a 12-year civil war. Available online at Hulu.com

 Romero A 1980s film which chronicles Archbishop Romero’s transformation from conservative to activist and his eventual murder by the military.

 Bitter Grounds by Sandra Benítez A story following two families- one land-owning family and a campesino family who works for them. It begins in the 1930s during the massacre called la Matanza and ends during the Civil War.

 The Weight of All Things by Sandra Benítez  A story about the civil war, as seen through the eyes of a 9 year old boy whose mother is killed at Archbishop Oscar Romero’s funeral.

Non-Fiction

 Stubborn Hope: Religion, Politics, and Revolution in Central America, by Phillip Berryman  Inevitable Revolutions: the United States in Central America, by Walter LeFeber  El Salvador: Peace on Trial, by Kevin Murray  Companions of Jesus: the Jesuit Martyrs of El Salvador, by Jon Sobrino  Salvador, by Joan Didion  Hear My Testimony: Maria Teresa Tula, Human Rights Activist of El Salvador, by Maria Teresa Tula  Inside El Salvador: The essential guide to its politics, economy, society, and environment, by Kevin Murray  Culture and Customs of El Salvador, by Roy C. Boland  Reimagining National Belonging: Post-Civil War El Salvador In a Global Context, by Robin Maria DeLugan

Romero and Religion

 Gustavo Gutierrez: An Introduction to Liberation Theology, by Robert McAfee Brown  El Salvador: A Spring Whose Waters Never Run Dry, edited by Scott Wright  The Word Remains: A Life of Oscar Romero, by James R. Brockman  Romero: A Life: The Essential Biography of a Modern Martyr and Christian Hero, by James R. Brockman  Oscar Romero: Memories in Mosaic, by Maria Lopez Vigil  Monsignor Romero : A Bishop of the Third Millennium, edited by Robert S. Pelton