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.