We are at home forwarding the current news from our partners
in El Salvador. The first four months of
2017 have been quiet as our partners are very busy with the harvest of sugar
cane, coffee, corn, beans and the many vegetables they grow in their hot
houses.
However recently Benjamin writes that on June 2 in our
former hometown of Concepcion Batres, the 14th annual native seed fest
took place, coinciding with the World Environment Day being celebrated in El
Salvador. The community square was
blocked off to cars; horses, bikes and vendors took over the main street in
front of the church.
Seed fest is where the participants in the Oikos Agriculture
Projects are invited to celebrate their harvest and exchange seeds with others,
exchange or sell livestock, poultry, foods or crafts they have made. It’s also the celebration of the winter rains
that provide the moisture to promote germination of the seeds and growth of the
plant. Last year’s precipitation was
less than average, but El Salvador was able to escape the risk of crop
failure. Escaping crop failure also
means the prices of coffee, corn and beans are lower than previous years. That’s the life of someone in agriculture.
The local school children compete in displays they assemble with
their classmates. These displays take on
themes of national risk (storms and flooding,) climate change, crime and
poverty. The children are very eager to share their display. Whether you understand Spanish or not,
enjoying the enthusiasm of the children as they share is an event unto
itself.
Our friends at Oikos are always looking for new employment
opportunities for their staff. Last year
they were contracted to manage the turtle preservation project on the Pacific
Ocean. They did a great job and they
have been hired again for the 2017/18 season with their area to manage greatly
expanded. We hope to return in early
2018 and again watch this process of catching huge turtles, capturing their
eggs, placing them in new nest inside a sanctuary for hatching and releasing after
their shells harden.
This summer Oikos is managing the reforestation of hundreds
of acres of land in the East. Seven
communities in Usulután and San Miguel have been chosen for this project that
includes fruit trees as well as trees for developing the forest. Seventeen men and women are participating,
representing many recipients who have benefited from prior Oikos projects of
chickens, agriculture and lagoon preservation.
School project:
Our 13 god children are in high school. Communication with them is difficult as they
attend school and then most must work for family income.
With the sugar cane harvest complete, the men of this community
will be volunteering to install new rest rooms at our public school. The first
plan was new equipment, but the septic system failed, requiring a whole new
facility.
Nancy is seeking funding to provide text books for grades
1-6.
Our 2018 plans include leading a Thrivent Habitat Build to construct
a community center in the west side of the country. We are looking for 14 volunteers (you?) to
join us for a week and then we hope some can remain to participate in the
turtle watch, visit some of our completed school projects and agriculture
projects.
David y Nancy
