Letters to sustainers

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April 2005

March 2005

February 2005

February 2006

• Read public education comics on mining in Chalatenango
• Read CCR statement from October 2005 on mining and Hurricane Stan
• Read CCR Statement on mining, CAFTA and the Plan Puebla Panama from February 2006.

Dear Friends,

On October 10, 2005 , 300 residents from Guarjila, San Jose Las Flores and Nueva Trinidad joined together and formed a human chain to block representatives from Canadian mining company Au Martinique Silver from entering their communities in the Department of Chalatenango. Carrying signs and chanting about the importance of the environment and their communities, they participated in the first formal protest of the prospective mining operation that threatens to further exploit El Salvador ’s natural resources and endanger the health of thousands of Salvadorans.

Details about the project are still forthcoming. What is understood is that at least two Canadian companies, Au Martinique Silver, Inc. and Pacific Rim , a branch of intrepid minerals, are undertaking this project to mine gold flecks and possible silver concentrations in the Chalatenango and Cabañas departments. The companies have already received licenses granted by the Salvadoran Office of Mining and Hydrocarbons to explore 15 of the 23 designated areas. The mining law states that the companies must still receive permission from the landowners before starting explorations. However, the companies undertook many explorations without community permission and with strong objections from communities.

Since October, community leaders from the CCR (Association of Rural Communities of Chalatenango) have been educating and organizing all of the communities around the impacts the mining operation will have for them. When some of us from SHARE accompanied a delegation from St John Fisher Parish in December to visit the CCR and Ellacuria, community leaders working with women, youth and other programs in the CCR were brimming with enthusiasm of what they had accomplished thus far. Among other things, the CCR has educated people via talks, forums, and comic strips. They also came out with a press release denouncing the government for permitting these mining companies to move into Chalatenango during the emergency in October.

All of these efforts led to a march of hundreds of people on January 13 th, 2006 throughout Chalatenango to protest the mine and, two Plan Puebla Panama projects – the Cimarron Dam and a transnational highway through Honduras and El Salvador – infrastructure projects that will displace communities and make them more vulnerable to further disasters. This was the largest march yet against the mines. This march came out of national and regional forums to organize people and insist that the government respond to the disaster resulting from faulty or irresponsible infrastructure during Hurricane Stan and to demand a more responsible plan in the future so that these disasters don’t continually occur.

While mining proponents claim the mine will bring jobs and income to the region, the communities know better. They have learned that while shareholders in the US will make an estimated $3 million from the Pacific Rim project in Cabañas, the San Isidro municipality at the proposed site will only receive 10% of that. Secondly, it is likely that the mines will only employ 300 Salvadorans and that their jobs will end when there is nothing left to mine. Thirdly, the Association for Social and Economic Development (ADES), a Salvadoran NGO, confirmed the fears of residents by stating that waste from mining will pollute local water supplies with arsenic, cyanide, and aluminum residue. This waste would not only adversely affect the already fragile state of local agriculture and fisheries, but would also put the health of nearly 10,000 people at risk. Thus, this mining project is neither environmentally nor economically sustainable for the communities and the earth.

SHARE recently learned of mining projects also proposed for the La Union department and that these same two Canadian companies exploring Chalatenango are breaking ground in El Paisnal, in the Northern San Salvador department where the UCRES sistering partnership region is located. Mining and other resource extracting industries will likely strengthen their grip on El Salvador as CAFTA is implemented.

SHARE will continue to walk with our sistering communities as they confront these new challenges of CAFTA through our faith, our physical presence, and through supporting local organizing with women and youth on the ground.

Please continue supporting SHARE so that we can continue our work for justice and sustainability in El Salvador . We really appreciate that our sustainers financially accompany the work we are doing in all of our program areas. Today you have an opportunity to make your contribution through the Feinstein Foundation Please take advantage of this opportunity so that SHARE can ensure strong programs to support marginalized communities in their daily, and long term, struggles out of poverty.

Sincerely,

Chloe Schwabe

US Grassroots Coordinator

Claire Mack

SHARE DC Intern