|
PROJECTS. Our work includes a mix of
annual commitments, advocacy and occasional projects.
Annual
Commitments. Aside from annual dues ($1,000) that support
our tiny national staff, we make three annual financial commitments. One directly benefits El Charcón
itself. One
operates at the regional level, which includes El Charcón. The third
supports scholarships, some of which go to young people from El Charcón.
1.
Scholarships: These go to students who have
demonstrated academic promise as well as a commitment to improve
conditions in their villages. The scholarships enable them to continue
their education beyond the highest grade locally available to them.
These young people are recommended by their teachers and approved by
their village boards. Each signs a contract with CRIPDES, witnessed by
a parent, that he/she will maintain a high academic standard while also
contributing to the betterment of the community. During the 2009 school
year we supported two young people from El Charcón as well as a third
student from a neighboring rural community. For the past few years, we have
contributed $640 annually toward scholarships for promising young
students from El Charcón.
2.
The Regional CRIPDES Project: Originally created to offer
leadership training, workshops and athletic events for youths in 8
rural communities including El Charcón, the Regional CRIPDES Project
now also supervises the scholarship program. Beyond this youth work,
CRIPDES has taken on some of the region's larger issues.
The project has been assessing environmental risks such as water
contamination and preparedness for natural disasters. Your
contributions have allowed us to contribute $2,500 annually toward the
project coordinator's salary.
3.
Community Work in El Charcón: Over
the years our support has helped the community meet various needs, from
classroom and sports uniforms for the local elementary school children
to leadership training for members of the various committees in the
community - the governing board, the school board, the chapel
committee, and the youth committee. Currently
we are being asked to support El Charcón's involvement in the
environmental risk assessment organized by the CRIPDES Regional Project
mentioned above. Typically we contributed $1,500
annually toward projects that specifically benefit El Charcón. Whether we will be able to continue this level
of commitment may be determined by how much money we can raise locally.
Advocacy Work. The final component of our
support is advocacy work. Of growing concern since 2007: serious
human rights violations against Salvadoran activists leading popular
opposition to gold mining ambitions by the Canadian company, Pacific Rim. (See the articles in our 2008
– 2009 newsletters or go to <www.us-elsalvador-sisters.org>).
Salvadoran resistance to gold mining is driven by worries about
environmental contamination, creating an interesting parallel with our
own environmental concerns about drilling for natural gas.
When alerted, we respond with
letters, phone calls, contributions to paid ads in Salvadoran
newspapers, etc., contacting our own elected officials and occasionally
also Salvadoran officials, as the case requires. This
involves time but not significant amounts of money.
You can find more information on these issues
on the website of the U.S.- El Salvador Sister Cities national network
<www.us-elsalvador-sisters.org>
Occasional
Projects.
Aside from our ongoing commitments, we have over the years taken on a
wide variety of projects.
The Binghamton El Charcón Arts
Initiative: This
project arose from a discussion between artists and organizers from the
Binghamton- El Charcón Sister City Project asking what they could do
through the arts to improve the situation for impoverished rural
communities in El Salvador while gathering material for
their own artistic endeavors. Artists from
Binghamton have traveled to El Salvador to share their skills while
learning from our Salvadoran friends how the arts can heal, create,
uplift, promote and support our joint vision of community and
solidarity.
Back home this tradition of
integrating the arts in popular education and community development can
translate into projects that involve young people in creating art that
enhances their own neighborhoods.
Area artists, particularly those
who speak Spanish or have skills in crafts as well as fine art, and
grant writers, are encouraged to become involved in this exciting
project. For more information about future Arts Delegations to El Salvador, contact Suzanne Geoghegan suzanneg@stny.rr.com. For more
information about the local component of the Arts Initiative, contact
Mik Tulumello fuzybadger@cableracer.com. See the full project
description here.
Delegations: Various delegations have
visited El Charcón over the years. The first involved ten members of
the BECSCP who joined election observers from around the world to
witness the historic March 1994 election. They also visited El Charcón
and a local community clinic. Most recently the Summer 2006 Arts
Delegation worked with the young people in El Charcón to create a mural
on the wall of the "casa comunal."
Visits by Community Leaders: Representatives from El
Charcón and CRIPDES have traveled to Binghamton to meet with students,
politicians and local groups, bringing messages of hope, affection and
inspiration.
Disaster Relief: The Greater Binghamton Area
responded to Hurricane Mitch and the earthquakes of Jan - Feb. 2001
with material and financial aid. After Hurricane Stan destroyed the
suspension bridge across the river that cuts through El Charcón, the
engineering firm of McFarland Johnson generously covered the cost of
materials needed to rebuild this bridge. The Chapel: With the funds we
raised for building materials, El Charcón built itself a chapel,
consecrated Nov. '97.
Organic Farming Project: A generous private grant
funded an organic farming project to grow plantains in two neighboring
communities in La Libertad.
The Tailoring Workshop: Through a generous grant from
Trinity Memorial Episcopal Church, BECSCP raised $1,300 to buy and
improve a building for a sewing workshop and store front. The workshop
trained village members in tailoring skills.
Truck Caravans: Supported by many people and
organizations, BECSCP participated in two truck caravans, sending
donated clothing, medical, school and sewing supplies (including 4
sewing machines) to El Charcón.
A well and delivery system for
potable water:
As its first project, the BECSCP raised $12,600 to help the people of
El Charcón install a system that delivered potable water to the entire
community. Instead of drawing water from the polluted Comasagua River, our friends finally had safe
drinking water, thus significantly lowering the incidence of intestinal
parasites. (Unfortunately the lack of clean drinking water is once
again a problem for the community).
We invite you
to join our Sister City Project. You can
contribute to the rewarding work of supporting a courageous people
determined to create a better life for themselves and their children.
Join us in promoting education and leadership training,
self-determination, participatory democracy and human rights in this
small but important Central American country.
|
