David and Nancy Slinde Speaking at their "Sending Service"

Wednesday, July 5, 2017

El Salvador Update

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