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Grassroots Weekly Update
CCR
March 21, 2006
By Stephanie Kennedy
Settling into Ignacio Ellacuria
Hi, my name is Stephanie Kennedy and I am a student at the University of Bristol, U.K., reading Politics and Spanish. As part of my course, I am on a year abroad and shall be volunteering at SHARE over the next few months. After having spent a couple of weeks in San Salvador getting to know both the team at SHARE and their work, I am now in the region of Chalatenango, living in a small community called Ignacio Ellacuria. I will be introduced to the work of CCR, the coordinating body that helps to support and represent the numerous villages in this area. As you can imagine, it is incredibly exciting to know that I will be working alongside the CCR, a highly organised and motivated group of people, whose energy and optimism is definitely contagious! Although I have only been in Chalate for little over a week, I can already see that their work here is vital, and that without their assistance, many communities would be forgotten, or at least weaker in the face of a government that chooses to turn a blind eye away from the reality of this country.
El Salvador presently stands in the wake of the recent municipal elections, and the outcome of these has been surprising and disheartening to many. Chalatenango, a stronghold of the FMLN for a long time, has suddenly been won by ARENA. Talking to the people at the CCR, most agree that the government was most interested in winning Chalate this time round in order to advance current international projects such as the Plan Pueblo Panama and the mining projects. To the people of small, rural communities, these plans will destroy their land and affect their livelihoods, while other more pressing needs, such as the distribution of water, will be ignored. However, it cannot be said that the people are sullen and despondent as a result of the recent election. On the contrary, spirits are high, and even though the loss of Chalate to ARENA is a serious one, they refuse to give up the fight. ¡Tenemos que seguir luchando!
It becomes at once evident that the solidarity and fraternity found amongst and within the many communities is the glue that keeps the people together in times when external factors, such as foreign mining companies, wish to undermine their livelihood. Most villages in this area are incredibly organised, and prove that local administration of affairs is not only possible, but also the most viable option for sustainability. The community in which I am living is an example of this local development, and has managed to sustain itself over the years thanks to the hard work and dedication of its people. The Junta Directiva, or village council, consisting of eight members, meets every Friday to discuss the circumstances of their community and future projects. Ana Lilian Galdamez Franco is the secretary of the Directiva, and also helps liaise with the members of the council with the local school, enabling greater communication and assistance between the two. She is also responsible for the funding and organisation of scholarships for students in their last year of high school and university. Ana helps collect funds through numerous fundraising events, such as “bailes”, a big party for the whole community with lots of dancing, and cultural evenings, wherein the students present a small play or dance and charge a small entrance fee.
Over the past year, the Directiva has succeeded in bringing basic needs to the community, such as a government health visitor who comes and visits each family in turn. They have enabled the much needed construction of more toilets, and helped build “La casa de los jovenes”, a youth centre run by the adolescents but open to all, providing a space to hang out in the evening, with ping pong and billiard tables. The Directiva has also finally succeeded in legalising the land on which they live on under the community’s name. Previously, they had to contract the land under the name of a member of the council, causing therefore a problem every two years when the council was re-elected and formed with different people. The Directiva has also helped bring water to the community. However, this latter project faces some challenges, amongst them the problem of people not paying their monthly fee of one dollar. Without enough funds, it will be difficult to sustain this project.
Isabel Membreño, a member of this community, works at the CCR and represents the people and the needs of Ignacio Ellacuria. He tells me that CCR has played an important role in advocating support from the Ministry of Education in the community. Whereas before, many teachers in the local school received no salary from the government, they are now recognised as qualified and receive proper wages. Ana has been working at the school since 1996, but only in the year of 2004 did she finally start benefiting from a state salary. CCR also organises transport from the community to the capital when the latter plays host to street demonstrations or popular events. For example, this Friday, 24 th of March, buses are being run to bring people from Ignacio to San Salvador to celebrate Oscar Romero´s anniversary.
The future of this community is a promising one, with new projects under way. But the recent election result will greatly affect Ignacio, according to Ana. Under the previous FMLN mayor, plans were made to put in more street lamps and repave the roads. However, under ARENA, these plans have been suspended in order to concentrate on the construction of the highway and the mining projects. Nonetheless, it still seems that whatever obstacles Ignacio and Chalatenango face, the people remain strong and determined, and thanks to their organisation, CCR and your solidarity and support back at home, hope is still very much alive.
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