November Projects Update We recently received updates from two project partners: One is from the couple that we have partnered with to begin rehab of our 7th public school; the other is the continuing growth of the women’s cooperative of raising and selling chickens in their community to improve the diet for their families and to create income. We have always attached pictures to tell the story, but google will not display the photos, only the numeric code. If anyone could give suggestions on how I can resume photos, we will appreciate your advice. We have had a remarkable year in the school restoration. We have received many donations allowing us to wire transfer significant money for repairs in 2018. It really hard to explain how unsafe and under equipped these institutions are. The pictures we post don’t tell the story. Pictures with these beautiful children standing in doorways or of eating lunch don’t tell the story. With no desks, text books, paper or pencils, parents send their kids to school for supervision and a lunch. The Department of Education recently won a global award for its free lunch program. We have eaten with the kids and we can attest a tortilla and powdered milk is no award winner. The chicken project started in 2013. After our January 2018 visit, we sent funds for another four coops to our project partners for training, construction and purchase of chicks in our base community. We are delighted that the women and families from the past 6 years who have their chicken business continue to encourage their neighbors when they are included in the chicken cooperative. It’s a blessing to see them support one another because they are rebuilding the value system of what it means to be community. We really look forward to spending time with them; however they wonder why we come to this difficult place. But they know that we are pleased with their work and will continue to support this life-changing project for more participants. Our first project was a sanitation project that we prayed about starting in 2004. The problem was that children in the community were dying from diarrhea. This became a major long-term engineering project that was way over our abilities. We had dedicated partners and volunteers who made it successful for the well-being of this whole community. And we learned to take on challenges and do them in smaller phases. It was a crucial lesson for our future visioning. When we return in January 2019, we will meet for our third time with Habitat for Humanity El Salvador to develop a plan to repair and provide homes for those in need in our church community. Once again we are out of our league and careful not to raise false hope. But we have been called, thus the risk and results reside with our Lord and Savior, Jesus the living Christ. David y Nancy

Project Update

We recently received good news from our project partners in El Salvador that more chicken units are under development for empowering women. In January 2018, our delegation visited the women’s empowerment project facilitated by our partners at Oikos. The women were very grateful for the financial support that provides building materials for a coop and a brood of chicks to start their family business. The women’s cooperative has invited two older men into their organization offering them the same available resources. We were pleased to witness their generous spirit. After our return home, we were able to transfer funds allowing 4 more families into the chicken business. This project began with 41 women needing startup funding; we now have only 6 remaining families to bring into this economic initiative. Our relationship with Oikos started in 2009 when we moved to El Salvador. The staff played a major role in our understanding the culture, people and the significance of community development to build strength together. We have traveled up and down the volcano many times viewing numerous projects facilitated by Oikos and funded by European and American sponsors. These projects are based on the community learning team work for effective and sustainable results. In contrast to the above projects, we visited a site in 2011 where Oikos was asked to work on conservation and protection. The community experienced a violent storm that washed out parts of the shore line. Another storm followed and the entire community washed into the ocean. The only evidence was outhouses remaining far out in the water. The community had cut down the coconut trees between the ocean and the houses thus destroying the natural defense to storms. People need training to use natural resources and good environmental practices. With Oikos commitments to address problems of climate change and soil erosion, they continue to implement conservation projects in 5 communities in the Eastern zone. This has been one of their consistent areas of focus as often it is the first step in preparing land for sustainable agriculture. These projects use the same engineering skills to protect the community from the major tropical storms and reclaim the country’s water resources. On a national level El Salvador has realized that it is depleting its water resources and needs to take action to stabilize the water table. With local and foreign funding, Oikos is implementing reforestation in two major communities that have significant watersheds. These seem to be the same important issues for us here in the United States: soil and water conservation, organic agriculture, management of land use, protection of forests and air quality, wise and sustainable practices to benefit all. While El Salvador has seriously neglected these concerns for many generations, we cannot do the same and expect our future generations to repair major environmental damage.

Tecualuya

When our West Bend group left the celebration of text books and restrooms, we went to visit another school. Tecualuya is a very small rural school in a very poor and isolated corner of the community. When our van drove into the school yard, the students and teachers were standing there waiting for us. Our friends Fredy and Leonor have visited this place in the past so they were greeted as old friends but when these little kids saw 6 North Americans get out of the van, some of the younger ones were frightened and tried to hide behind someone bigger. The older children held up a large poster thanking Fredy for the support he has already provided this school as noted below. Having just left much joyful noise and action, the stillness of this school was strange. I said to our friend Leonor this place is different. She replied these people are the poorest. A closer look at the children confirmed some of these kids are malnourished and in need of health care. Our visit here had a purpose. The ministry of education has received thousands of computers from Taiwan and is distributing them to 1,900 of the country’s 5,100 public schools. Tecualuya will be receiving 29. Upon notice of receiving 29 computers, the principal contacted our friends Fredy and Leonor for help to prepare a classroom appropriate for computer classes. Fredy engaged the Sugar Cane Association to build a storage shed, freeing up a room that was full of junk. Then he redesigned the classrooms, established a wiring diagram to accommodate the computer set-up, installed glass windows and electricity in the new computer room. They still need tables and chairs for the students and a reinforced dropped ceiling to protect the computers from theft. In addition to these immediate needs, the building long ago was divided into three classrooms by wooden dividers that have been destroyed by termites and weather rot. They need new dividers, desks, chairs, white boards, basic learning supplies and as usual, text books. Glass windows installed to protect all these improvements will vastly upgrade the educational experience for the children and teachers. During our brief time there, the principal told our group that in her 25 years at the school we were the first visitors to come to meet them. She wished we could have stayed longer but she and the children were so grateful for our presence and encouragement. It was a fun and meaningful afternoon for all of us. While this will be our seventh school and the needs are similar, the improvements require much planning for effective implementation. We will keep you informed about how these plans progress. Maybe you would like to be part of the experience. David y Nancy

School Update

We did not return to El Salvador in 2017. It takes us 3 months to plan a trip and we just didn’t have the time last year. However, our partners kept us up to date with many pictures of the projects, specifically the experimental farm and the school improvements. We returned to El Salvador in January 2018. The weather was cold here in January but when we deplaned the temperature was 94 degrees. We were joined on this trip by two West Bend couples (Dave and Eileen Baldus and Patrick and Kris Groth) We arrived in country on Sunday and spent the afternoon touring the historic central city of San Salvador. On Monday we got up early to go to the school for the book distribution. Nancy submitted a Rotary District grant to purchase text books for the public school of San Luis Talpa. Our goal is to finish this school and take a break. We personally added to the amount allowing for the purchase of 15 cases of books for grades 1-6. When we arrived the kids were free range as there were no classes. We joined in the chaos and took our own tour of the many improvements, including the computers, new kinder/pre-K building and the new restrooms. Back in the school central square, the official ceremony was to begin. The students lined up by grades in the hot morning sun. We were seated in the shade with the official speakers. One after another, then Nancy was asked to say something. She told the students, teachers and parents that we missed coming last year but we wanted them to know that they were in our hearts and prayers. We are proud of all of them. That from the little ones to the biggest ones, God has a plan for their lives for a good future and much hope and that they are loved! After the speeches we were presented documents to sign that passed ownership of the text books, restrooms and new school building to the directors of the school. Then we moved on to the area of restroom for the ribbon cutting. Cutting the ribbon was the easy part but then I was handed a 50 pound hammer to begin demolition of the old structure. After two swings I gave the hammer to Nancy who took a swing breaking a section of tile. Then the hundreds of students, teachers and parents returned to the central square to receive the 15 cases of books for more pictures. The students and parents started grabbing the books alarming the leaders for just a second until we realized they wanted to be in the pictures. What enthusiasm and we couldn't let them down and took all their pictures. The celebration was ending when our friends said they wanted to show us another school, so we headed out to another community. A quick review of this school: student population is 90 in grades K – six; younger students attend in the morning and older ones in the afternoon, three classrooms have no lighting, windows or white boards and no books or desks, paper, pencils, etc. Teaching is verbal and basic. We are waiting for a financial assessment of the needed building improvements, text books, desks and supplies. This might be our 7th public school to accompany in the future. David y Nancy