Working to Alleviate AND Prevent Natural Disasters

Published on our SHARE e-newsletter, February 18, 2010. To subscribe to our e-newsletter, email Laura at laura@share-elsalvador.org

A phrase that can be heard here in El Salvador is that there are "no natural disasters," rather there are natural phenomenon, but that disasters are a result of human error. An example of this is when in places like El Salvador, heavy rains hit, and it is the poorest who lose everything due their poorly constructed homes that are built in the riskiest places. We saw this in Haiti when a 7.0 earthquake killed over 200,000 people, while the 6.9 earthquake in San Francisco in 1989 killed 63 people. Planning for disasters and prevention can make high-risk areas less vulnerable. However, like Haiti, El Salvador is incredible vulnerable to natural disasters. People live in constant fear of another hurricane like Mitch, Stan or Ida, or another earthquake, like the ones that hit in 2001.

On November 7^th, 2009, disaster struck again when torrential rains from Hurricane Ida swept over El Salvador, destroying homes and crops in some of the most marginalized communities. SHARE responded as quickly as we could and with the support of individuals and groups in the United States, we were able to provide relief to communities in the departments of San Salvador, La Paz, San Vicente and La Libertad.

Yet we know that the most holistic and sustainable way to support these communities is not through disaster relief alone, but in combination with "gestion de riesgo" or "risk management." Risk management is a concept that is well known in El Salvador, and is taught in popular education workshops across the country. One way of managing risk is through prevention such as building sturdier homes out of cement and not aluminum sheets or adobe. Or organizing the communities to demand that their government fixes the roads, builds the damns and works to do everything necessary to prevent that these natural disasters will have less horrific consequences. That is one of the reasons that we at SHARE feel that it is so important to focus on organizing communities year round, so that when things like the heavy rains occur, communities can quickly start working with their local governments and NGO's to start to rebuild. We were amazed as we saw the differences between communities with active Directive Boards and those with no or little organization. It was so much easier to coordinate donations and work plans with communities who were organized. Another important aspect of risk management is quick and effective response to disasters, so that people don't start dying of dehydration and injury after the disaster has occurred. For that reason SHARE is part of the SPHERE Project, which is an international network of organizations that are trained to provide the quickest and most effect response in situations of humanitarian aid.

(volunteers clean up after flooding in Aguilares)

Through emergency relief, long term rebuilding efforts and risk management, SHARE hopes to support the rural communities as they work towards stability and sustainability. Thanks to all of our generous donors, we have been able to provide the following provisions to communities in El Salvador:

• 150 gas stoves in Aguilares and El Paisnal, San Salvador

• 50 Christmas baskets containing basic necesities such as beans, rice and oil in Aguilares and El Paisnal, San Salvador

• 300 food packages in Verapaz, San Vicente

• 86 food packages in Santiago Texacuangos, San Salvador

• Basic food relief to 270 families in Aguilares and Southern La Libertad through the World Food Program

We hope to continue to support those communities in the long term rebuilding process such as replacing destroyed crops, rebuilding damaged wells and latrines, mental health initiatives and relocating homes to a safer location. We also want to support the process of risk management through supporting community organizing initiatives and stronger citizen participation. To support these efforts, you can make a donation to SHARE on this link here.

(A family receives their new stove)

We would like to extend a special thanks to those who have donated to disaster relief: the Salvadoran Community in Houston, Texas, the Salvadoran Community in San Francisco, Good Shepherd Parish in Wisconsin, Good Shepherd Parish in Kansas City, the Detroit Sister Community, St. Sebastian's in Wisconsin, Friends of El Salvador, Liz and Mike Hanna and all the other individuals and groups who donated to the relief effort. We are grateful for your generous support and solidarity with the people of El Salvador.

Join the Romero Vive Campaign

From our friends at the Salvadoran American National Network (SANN)

ROMERO VIVE!

The Salvadoran American National Network (SANN), in collaboration with other organizations to commemorate the 30th Anniversary of Martyrdom Monsignor Romero, wants to request you to unite for the “Romero Vive” campaign. To participate, you will need to sign a letter requesting the President of El Salvador, Mauricio Funes, to name our airport, International Airport of Mons. Oscar Arnulfo Romero. (sign the letter at www.sannetwork.org )

The name assigned to the airport will become a tribute to his legacy. Not only will it be significant for the current and future generations of our country, but also a symbol of peace, love and compromise of a different nation; a nation committed to truth, to justice and to a deep vocation to democracy. In spite of having many challenges in our country, if united, we can create and achieve social peace, defeat violence, grow economically and socially, respecting and saving our environment that we need so much.

Please visit our website and mark the action(s) that you and/or your organization can support www.sannetwork.org

For more information write us to romerovive@sannetwork.org

Ways your organization can support:

• Your organization, church, club, association can support the petition

• Send a letter from your organization, church, club or association to President Funes

• Hold an educating and commemorative event at your organization for the 30th Anniversary of Monsignor Oscar Romero (to use the SHARE Romero week packet, contact Tedde at tedde@share-elsalvador.org)
  

• Initiate a campaign with your contacts to individually unite

• Pray and invite that others unite in prayer on March 24, 2010

Letter to our base from SHARE Director Jose Artiga

February 11, 2010

Queridas amigas y amigos de SHARE,

Warm greetings from Washington DC where we are under several feet of snow.

I am writing to you today to elaborate and update on a few challenges we as a SHARE community encountered in the final months of 2009. First, Hurricane Ida left many victims and much destruction. However, thanks to the international community, reconstruction is underway. We want to say “Gracias” to each of our sister parishes, communities, schools, universities, foundations, religious orders and individual supporters for your generous response to this crisis.

SHARE was also blessed by the support of the Salvadoran community in the US, in particular the coalitions that raised and channeled their support through SHARE from Houston, TX and San Francisco, CA.

SHARE has been presente with the communities affected by Hurricane Ida since day one. Through your kind support, we have delivered over $42,000 in emergency aid, and are committed to assisting in any ways that we can throughout all phases of reconstruction. I want to thank the entire SHARE staff for the tremendous effort and dedication on this emergency.

The second challenge in the struggle for social justice and solidarity has been the assassinations of community leaders organizing against the mining of gold in El Salvador.

We have also had a number of very positive events happen this year. At the celebration of the 18th anniversary of the Peace Accords this January 16th, President Funes apologized on behalf of the state to the people of El Salvador for human rights violations committed by the government of El Salvador during the war. In the context of the commemoration of the 30th anniversary of Monseñor Romero, SHARE has taken the lead in a coalition to pressure the government to accept the recommendations of the Inter American Human Rights Commission of the OAS. We will continue supporting our partner organizations as they demand implementation of the recommendations, including the repeal of the amnesty law.

We are happy that 60 plus delegates will be going to El Salvador this March. We are planning to convene all of the delegations attending the 30th anniversary commemoration of Monseñor Romero in Cabañas this March 21st to express our solidarity. We will also pressure for a full investigation of the murders of the mining activists, for an end to the repression, and to stop the mining.

We want to express our gratitude to each of the sister parishes, communities, schools, and universities, to each promoter and individual for your faithful and ongoing support. You make our mission to walk with the organized poor of El Salvador possible. We count on your support to continue our mission.

Additionally, as you may know, due to a decrease in funding, we had to close our office in San Francisco in August of 2009, and consolidate our work in our office in Washington, D.C. Also, this January due to lack of funding, we had to let go of our Local Development Program Officer, Carmelina. We thank Angela, Teresa, Sara, Claudia, Guadalupe, Luis and Carmelina for their many years of leadership, commitment, wisdom and love to SHARE. They helped make SHARE a wonderful organization and SHARE will not be the same without them. Les damos mil GRACIAS.

We hope to fill some of these positions again as the economy recuperates.

Here is the list of our current staff:

Washington DC:

Jose Artiga, Executive Director

Jillian Leslie, Administrative Assistant

Elizabeth McMekeen, part-time development

El Salvador:

Marina Peña, El Salvador Office Director

Theodora Simon, Grassroots Coordinator

Cristian Menjivar, Administrative Assistant

Danielle Mackey, Grassroots Delegation Coordinator

Laura Hershberger, Grassroots Solidarity Education Coordinator

We are currently holding meetings in our Washington DC and El Salvador offices to determine the work plan for 2010 which we will share with you when it is complete. With fewer resources we will be more strategic and realistic on what we can do and do it well.

Once again, we thank you for your past support which has been invaluable, and we ask you to continue walking with us. You are the lifeline that allows us to continue our work with projects that positively impact the lives of our Salvadoran brothers and sisters, as well as to offer delegations, tours, education and updates.

We recognize that some of you may have experienced delays in communications from SHARE. We sincerely apologize for this inconvenience as we continue to adjust to less resources and a smaller staff. Thank you for your understanding and support.

Please do not hesistate to write or call if you have any questions. Looking forward to continued partnerships and solidarity.

With great appreciation and un fuerte abrazo,

Jose Artiga

Director Ejecutivo

Remembering El Salvador for Martin Luther King Day, Part 1

This past summer, students from Eastern Michigan University travelled to El Salvador on a delegation with SHARE. On Monday, Martin Luther King Day, they gave presentations on their trip to El Salvador in connecting the experience to the human rights that Dr. King advocated for. This is the first part of the talk.

Introduction, presented by Katie

Universal social justice is the right of everyone in society to have a fair share, based on the principle that all people are created equal. Unfortunately, this is a concept that is often times forgotten. We get caught up in school, with work, with our families. It's easy to forget sometimes that even though so much progress has been made, there is an entire world out there fighting for their right to justice and equality. As Martin Luther King said, “Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable...Every step towards the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.

Today, we are here to share our experiences in El Salvador with you. We spent two weeks meeting with human right activists, government officials and community leaders. We abandoned the comforts of our normal lives to live in the homes of the rural Salvadorans who struggle with social injustice every day. We'll begin our discussion with an eye opening look into health care in the third world. We'll also talk about what it's like to be young in El Salvador, what it's like to be a woman in a culture entrenched in sexism and we'll end our discussion talking about transnational corporations and the deadly battle over mining rights that is going on as we speak. In doing so, we hope to bring to light the social inequalities of El Salvador and show you how you can get involved with their struggle.

At the end we will answer any questions you may have and Dr. Stahler-Sholk and Dr. Judith Kullberg will talk about how you can get involved in the program this summer.

Without going on any further, let's begin with Kendra and her discussion of health care in El Salvador.

Health Care, presented by Kendra:

“He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it”

This quote from Martin Luther King Jr. explains why I am speaking to you today. During my trip to El Salvador I say many problems in the medical system there that desperately need attention. The right to adequate medical care is not a new theme; in 1948 the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of human rights. This recognized what rights all persons should have regardless of nationality.

Article 25 states: “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well being of himself and his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services.” El Salvador became a member of the UN in 1968 and now has not, along with many other countries, brought these universal human rights to fruition.

Of the many locations we visited I found the health care sectors the most disturbing and hopeful. We met with the doctor's union of El Salvador, Sindicato de Medicos Trabajadores - SIMETRISSS. We spoke to Dr. Rene Soto Perez and Dra. Evelyn De Calderon, they told us of the White March when the medical workers took to the streets to protest the privatization of the health care system; because many of the people of E.S. cannot afford medical care on their own. After speaking with Dr. Soto he conveyed his hopes that we would use our knowledge to help bring change to the world and his country.

We also visited the Private Hospital Diagnostico where Dra. Daniela took us on a tour. Most were private rooms and looked much like our hospitals in the U.S. Patients who wished treatment needed to have the money to pay for services. If the patients were not able to pay they would be stabilized then sent to the public hospital.

Next we visited the public hospital Rosales with Dr. Melendez, this hospital was built in the 1900's. The first rooms we visited were large dormitory style with beds lining both sides of the room. Renal patients were being dialyzed by draining their blood into buckets then taken to be cleaned, and then returned to the patient's body. There were also insufficient numbers of ventilators for the number of patients needing them. Those without machines had an attendant pumping a manual ventilator to keep them breathing.

The intensive care unit had only 16 beds and so many patients die before an opening can be found for them. This hospital is one of the major public hospitals in the country, so many people travel great distances to receive treatment. They then may have to wait days before they are admitted. Dr. Melendez hoped by our visiting we might help bring attention to the lack of funding that the public hospitals receive. This hospital has a very nice section that German funding helped to build but sits empty due to a lack of funds to staff it.

I would like to share one more of Dr. King's quotes with you:

“The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: 'If I stop to help this man what will happen to me?' But… the Good Samaritan reversed the question: 'If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?'”

If we do not learn to care for the rights of people who are without rights, we are all diminished. And we all deserve the right to health, be it here in the U.S. or in El Salvador.

Youth Issues, presented by Jeff:

One the most marginalized groups of people in El Salvador are the youth. A quote about this I heard so frequently that I wrote it down verbatim was “To be young in El Salvador is a crime.” That's a pretty grave statement was you consider that a third of the population is between 15 and 24. (27% in US)

The reason for this discrimination is the prevalence of gang violence in Salvador. It means a young man can be pulled off the street at any time and scrutinized by the police. In the eyes of the police, any young person is a possible gang member. And in fairness, in a country where education is underfunded and unemployment rates are considerable, the gangs have a powerful draw.

The State Department will you tell that since schooling through high school is free, 92% of the population has at least a 9^th grade education. This might be close to true in some urban areas but it is truer to put the education level at sixth grade since local communities will come together to build elementary schools but can rarely come up with the funds to build a high school. University education is also underfunded, which may be deliberate since university students are on the forefront of fighting for youth rights, among other important human rights issues. Student organizations at the universities play a huge role in developing interest and motivating young Salvadorans to participate in political and social issues. In fact, the student organizations we met with were very much stunned by our own low level of involvement in United States issues. It was barely conceivable for them that voter registration drives were about the extent of our participation. To them, apathy is the enemy.

We can definitely take a lesson from them and try to be more actively involved in domestic and global issues. For us here in the States, supporting human rights in El Salvador happens in a couple ways. Some USAID projects have had positive influences in difficult areas of the country. These projects seem to be the most successful at the local level. As such, we can't underestimate the power of letter writing campaigns. Most of the people who vote on these projects never know how efficient or inefficient they are.

Perhaps more difficult is convincing our politicians to respect the social and cultural rights of the people of El Salvador. This means not always viewing the country through a corporate lens. Fostering a relationship of respect with today's youth in El Salvador could earn us a strong regional and global ally and begin to reverse a multitude of errors made in Latin America.

Photos
1) Eastern Michigan Students in El Salvador
2) "Everyone to fight for the right to water and health care"
3) Youth in urban San Salvador

Remembering El Salvador for Martin Luther King Day, Part 2

This past summer, students from Eastern Michigan University travelled to El Salvador on a delegation with SHARE. On Monday, Martin Luther King Day, they gave presentations on their trip to El Salvador in connecting the experience to the human rights that Dr. King advocated for. This is the second part of the talk.

Women's Issues, presented by Jillian:

El Salvador has always been a sexist society. Woman were finally given the right to vote in 1950 but even today it is very difficult for women to attain high positions in society, especially in politics and government; only until the last election was a woman allowed to run for Vice President. The issues of sexism in El Salvador were escalated during the war and still remain quite high today. Women are subjected to beatings, rape, young pregnancy, and a lack of support from the government and other institutions.

It is very common for the work of a woman in El Salvador to be overlooked or claimed to be done by men. For example, in many local communities it is the women who work to get electricity, running water, and schools but when those goals are achieved men are given the recognition rather than the women. Women are responsible for maintaining the home and taking care of the children in El Salvador, on top of this many women work long hours in the factories. Many men in El Salvador do not appreciate or understand women or the amount of work they do in the home and in the community. It is common for women to be beaten by their husbands to the point of needing medical attention, because of this policies have been created that make it the doctors responsibility to report such cases, however, with the situation of the health care system it is difficult for proper attention to be given to situations of battery.

Rape is also common in El Salvador, unfortunately, there is not enough trust in public institutions for these crimes to be reported. There has been a history of the police and the institute for the development of women to be negligent and slow to respond. Many women who report their rapes have felt reviolated by the police either physically or mentally. When a women reports that she has been raped it is common that they have to retell what happened, in detail, up to 15x to complete strangers; this has added to the mistrust of the institutions. It is not uncommon for young children to be raped by family members, 40% of women who give birth in El Salvador are between the ages of 12 and 16 years old as a result of rape or a lack of sex education. Due to strict abortion laws in El Salvador a woman is unable to have an abortion for any reason what-so-ever; even in the case of a 12 year old girl being raped.

After hearing about all these terrible things that women experience at home, one may ask why the women don't leave. In El Salvador, women are very dependent financially on their husbands. Work options for women are limited, especially once they get older. In order for a woman to get a job at a bank in El Salvador she must be at least 1.65 meters tall, the average height in El Salvador is 1.55 meters, she must also be thin, attractive, and younger than 25 years old. Women who are in the 30s and on have a very difficult time finding work and will end up working as a street vendor or in the sweatshops. In the sweatshops women are forced to work under terrible conditions; generally they have 12 hour days, many without food or water breaks, and it would not be uncommon for a woman to be denied a bathroom break. Sweat shops pay a minimum of $176 dollars a month; the factories may be moved to the country side so they can pay less.

There are women's groups in El Salvador that are working very hard to help educate women on their rights and to support them in their endeavors. International assistance allow these groups to have mobile units to move around the country so that women who are unable to come to the main city of San Salvador can get help too. Examples of what women's organizations do are: educate women on violence, health, sex, human rights, and they also provide support to local development projects. Some groups will work directly with women who are victims through utilizing teams of lawyers, psychologists, and community advocates. One group has begun holding masculinity workshops to teach men healthy masculine values, however. these workshops generally have a small turn out.

Currently the Italian government is funding media ads to promote equality to help end sexism in El Salvador. This was done after there was a rise in violence against women. There is a term “femicide” in El Salvador because of the rates of women being killed; also, if a husband kills his wife it is written off as a crime of passion and is not punished. There has also been a recent rise in violence against the transgender and homosexual community; the Roman Catholic Church and fundamental organizations in El Salvador have started a campaign of intense homophobia. Hopefully, the international community will be able to continue their aid for organizations who are trying to change the mindsets of many Salvadorans who currently do not understand the true value of the Salvadoran woman.

Mining Issues, presented by Crystal

During our time in El Salvador it became clear that corporations do not value the lives, or the land of the people who live in poor regions around the world. This is due to the fact that in the logic scheme of capitalism human life and the environment have no monetary value. Sadly, the market is the only measure of worth, even to the human beings running these corporations. About a month before we left for El Salvador the brutally tortured body of Marcelo Rivera was found at the bottom of a dry well-- in the department of Cabanas in northern El Salvador. Marcelo Rivera was one of the leading anti-mining activists in Cabanas. He was targeted, tortured and murdered to send a message to all those who opposed the mining. Marcelo fought against Pacific Rim's plans to mine in the northern El Salvador because of the human and environmental costs. Pacific Rim's mining method pumps a mixture of water and cyanide into the ground to separate the gold from the other minerals. Not only does this poison the ground and the water, it kills livestock and people.

During our trip we traveled to Cabanas and visited the town where Marcelo lived and worked. We met with a handful of people who had recently received death threats, most of whom were affiliated with a public radio station primarily run by the local youth, called Radio Victoria. Radio Victoria provides residents in this poor, rural area with their own means of communication. One of the youth workers was an 18 year old journalist whose grandmother had been beaten a few days prior. Her attackers told her that they would be back to kill her grandson. He was forced into hiding and only returned to tell us his story. We also met with Miguel Rivera the brother and activist partner of Marcelo. As we walked around the town with them we were followed and watched by men that worked for the Mayor. The mayor is pro-mining and also a member of the ARENA party, the party of the death squads during the civil war. It is believed that in an attempt to keep this mayor in power Pacific Rim has given substantial amounts of money to his election campaign.

After witnessing the situation in Cabanas for ourselves we turned to the US Embassy in El Salvador to express what we had observed. We presented our point of view as to how U.S aid and foreign policy could be used to make a positive difference instead of contributing to the problems in El Salvador. We assumed that one of the largest embassies in the world would be making great efforts to support the Salvadorans' in their efforts to build peace and to protect the rights of the Salvadoran people, especially after the U.S. spent $6 billion dollars to support the repressive military that caused so much suffering in El Salvador during their 12-year civil war, that lasted from 1980-1992. Sadly it did not take long for us to realize that there are mechanisms in place that protect corporate interests over human rights and human life. Although this realization is deeply disturbing, there is a bright side. The U.S. embassy and the Salvadoran Government do have the capacity to do something and will if they receive pressure from us. The fact is that there are people dying for corporate interests. We as U.S. Citizens have a voice and I feel it is our responsibility to use it. It is easier than you think to get involved. We must fight against transnational corporations' unchecked power and hold them accountable for their actions. Help us and all Salvadorans in our fight for justice today by filling out this request for action.

Photos
1) Women in rural El Salvador
2) Marcelo Rivera

In Solidarity with the people of Haiti

SHARE encourages you to support the relief effort in Haiti after the disastrous earthquake last week.

Funes asks for forgiveness

This past Saturday, January 16th, El Salvador celebrated the 18th anniversary of the signing of the peace accords that ended the Civil War. The Peace Accords were signed in 1992 in Mexico City and were negotiated by the Salvadoran government at that time, the FMLN and members of Salvadoran political parties. The Peace Accords, demobilized the guerrilla troups and created a new police and armed forces that included members of both the former guerrilla troups and the former National Guard.

On Saturday, President Funes gave a speech in honor of the signing of the peace accords in which he ask forgiveness for the government's role in the atrocities committed during the civil war. This is the first time that any Salvadoran President has done so. At the end of the ceremony, the President also signed an act that created a commission to find the missing children from the war. The ceremony was followed by a free public event at the National Fairgrounds that included music, dance and cultural acts.