Partnering with Salvadoran Americans
In January 2011, SHARE’s Board of Directors laid out an exciting new vision for SHARE which emphasizes expanding our partnerships with the Salvadoran community in the United States. By doing this, SHARE is recognizing that many Salvadorans in the United States have inherently binational lives. They live in the United States, but they are also often inextricably linked to their homes and communities in El Salvador. SHARE sees this connection as an opportunity to expand its successful model of community development to new communities in El Salvador and the United States.
By building relationships with Salvadoran community organizations, such as hometown associations, student groups, and cultural groups, we aim to broaden the SHARE community in the United States, to identify joint initiatives, build capacity, and maximize the impact of our work at home and abroad. Some initial ideas include:
- A women’s empowerment initiative that links women taking literacy classes in rural El Salvador with women studying computer skills in San Francisco
- An international, coordinated advocacy project to block multinational mining corporations from drilling in El Salvador
- A project that establishes links and support between micro-lending projects for women in rural El Salvador and small businesses of Salvadoran entrepreneurs in the United States
Read SHARE’s complete new vision statement
Are you part of a Salvadoran community group or civil society organization in the United States?
As SHARE moves in this new direction, we are very interested in getting to know your work. We strongly encourage you to call or email José Artiga at jose@share-elsalvador.org or (510) 848-8487, so we can hear your ideas and learn more about your current work both in the United States and in El Salvador.
Our Pilot Projects with Hometown Associations
To kick off these new strategic partnerships, SHARE is exploring a pilot project with several hometown associations in the United States. Our goal is to launch three community development projects in partnership with these associations by the spring of 2012. These projects will be collaborative efforts that combine SHARE’s 30 years of experience in sustainable community development with the invaluable community expertise brought by the hometown associations.
Join us in commemorating the 30th Anniversary of the Sanctuary Movement in 2012!
On March 24th, 1982 five religious congregations in Berkeley, California joined with the Southside Presbyterian Church of Tucson, Arizona to declare public sanctuary for refugees of the wars raging in Central America. Over the next 10 years, 500 churches joined the movement which spurred the granting of “Temporary Protective Status” (TPS) to tens of thousands of Central Americans. Read more about the anniversary, the campaign to convert TPS into Residency and how to join us here: SHARE 30th Anniversary of Sanctuary, Call to Action. Please help us spread the word and share this letter with your communities!
