Planting Seeds of Hope Delegation to El Salvador
Draught, Migration, and Caring for Mother Earth
June 29th to July 8th 2024
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During the delegation's time Planting Seeds of Hope in El Salvador, thirteen delegates were accompanied by SHARE and learned about the support SHARE has in El Salvador through its partners CRIPDES El Salvador and its local regions like CCR Chalatenango, CONFRAS, and the Humanitarian Aid Association ProVida; the Human Rights Organizations like Tutela Legal Maria Julia Hernandez, Socorro Juridico, and MOVIR.
The delegation's purpose was to stand with communities seeking to recover and care for the land and their communities, plant fruit trees, and practice a vision of ecological justice, women's empowerment, young people's leadership, and human rights struggles in El Salvador. Delegates arrived between June 28th and 29th and started the route on June 30th. On the first days, they talked with partners about human rights, the environment, and health issues in El Salvador. |
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Meet Our Partners
CCR Chalatenango
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CONFRAS
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PROVIDA
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CRIPDES El Salvador
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SOCORRO JURÍDICO HUMANITARIO
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July 1st
By Kari Carmody
What really impacted me today was being able to see in real life thethings that I was learning. For example, I have learned about the waythat the Bukele administration wants to control narratives about the current events of El Salvador to paint a picture of a utopia, this includes controlling social media, radio, journalism and erasing cultural and historical heritage. For example, a statue of Monsignor Romero was removed from downtown to erase the history and impact of Monsign or Romero, there have been historical buildings teared down and people displaced from their homes to build new expensive shopping stores, restaurants and touristic places. It is one thing to learn about these projects but it is another thing to see it happen in real time with your own eyes. For example, as I was walking downtown I could see the new buildings built on top of the old and where the statue of Monsignor Romero was moved from. |
Although the situations are different, observing what is happening in El Salvador I see clear connection to the United States and particularly to where I live in Chicago. For example, gentrification is a problem and people are displaced from their homes and their history is lost. Also sometimes what we hear about on the news or on social media is different from the daily experience of the people. That is why I think communication and connection with the people around you is so important. Being here in El Salvador reinforces the meaning and importance of solidarity. I am grateful for the SHARE foundation for the opportunity to learn and build connections.
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July 2th
By Elaniz Mojica
During this day something that really stood out to me was the impact Monseñor Romero had on El Salvador. Working at Centro Romero I have always known about Oscar Romero but never really knew how impactful he was for his community. Being at Divina Providencia, where he lived along with the chapel he was assassinated made me realize we are now la voz de los sin voz. |
Óscar Romero encouraged the next generation of leaders and set an example for everyone to make a change in their community whether it’s in Central America, US, Asia or any other place. We’ve even seen people here in El Salvador that have so much passion for making a change for the future generations. They stand up for what they believe in and aren’t scared although they might get penalized for it by their own government. Their dedication and hard work has encouraged me to go back to my students and let them know what I have learned so they can to become la voz de los sin voz.
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July 2th
By Analili Moran
Through the delegation today I learned new valuable information starting with an early morning to head out of San Salvador. We visited where Monseñor Romero grew up, a beautiful small town called “Ciudad Barrios”. There we learned about how the small town has changed because the new generation is slowly losing their faith in the church. After the small tour at Monseñor Romero’s museum, I can understand the frustration and anger El Salvador is feeling, with the government trying to hide away the faith Monseñor Romero brought upon his country. |
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I am also very grateful that today I gained a new experience, I planted my very first tree! We were guided by trained professionals from “The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation”. Our group learned important information about why the trees have to be planted in specific ways in order for them to grow properly. The first tree I planted was an “ojushte tree” where it had to be planted around shade so it grows properly. Overall it was a very fun and fulfilling experience to know I am part of the work that is helping towards nourishing San Miguel’s community. |
July 2th
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By Jose Torres
Our guide invited us to fight for social justice daily based on our faith and spirituality. Therefore, the emphasis is on prayer to make good decisions and guide our lives. We are taught the importance of praying and acting on her advice when planting life-giving trees. |
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July 3th
By Daysi Funes
Today have been a great experience. First time I ever been in the cooperative, and planting trees that will protect and give energy and life to the coffee. What is most impressive is that the cooperative understand that working together is much powerful and rewarding for their community and for the improvement of their lives. One thing that I learned today is that there are only two classes os coffee and it is measured by cup, and that is what determines the quality and price. Second thing that I take a way from this evening presentation is that; it is important to do community education and outreach also build the trust in the community all of this has and impact in the prevention of cancer and other diseases. |
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July 4th
by Corin Moran
Today we visited “San Carlos” where were greeted by a cooperative called “cooperativa San Carlos dos”, that maintains and cares for the trees on their mountain. It was a one in a life time experience to see a diversity in trees and plants such as mango trees, isote flowers, cacao trees, but most importantly generations of coffee trees. We learned that there are only two types of coffee and how they taste and grade their own coffee before selling it, in result their coffee is very light and rich.
As we rode in the back of pick up trucks and drove thousands of meters up the “Cerro Cacahuatique”, we were in awe of the beauty of El Salvador. There “The Fruit and Plant Foundation” greeted us once again with more trees to plant and together our team planted 55 trees! My coworkers and I really enjoyed planting trees with the foundation and are looking forward to possibly work with them in Chicago with our youth from Centro Romero. Thank you SHARE!
Today we visited “San Carlos” where were greeted by a cooperative called “cooperativa San Carlos dos”, that maintains and cares for the trees on their mountain. It was a one in a life time experience to see a diversity in trees and plants such as mango trees, isote flowers, cacao trees, but most importantly generations of coffee trees. We learned that there are only two types of coffee and how they taste and grade their own coffee before selling it, in result their coffee is very light and rich.
As we rode in the back of pick up trucks and drove thousands of meters up the “Cerro Cacahuatique”, we were in awe of the beauty of El Salvador. There “The Fruit and Plant Foundation” greeted us once again with more trees to plant and together our team planted 55 trees! My coworkers and I really enjoyed planting trees with the foundation and are looking forward to possibly work with them in Chicago with our youth from Centro Romero. Thank you SHARE!
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July 5th
By Theresa Cameranesi
Today the Seeds of Hope delegation travelled to the town of Guarjila in Chalatenango, El Salvador. There, at his old living space and in the streets of this high mountain town, we spoke with people who knew and loved and were loved by a remarkable person who lives on — in the hearts and the memories and yes in the very buildings and daily activities of the current people of Guarjila. But he has much to say to us today. |
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The man known as Padre Jon Cortino was born in 1934 on Bilbao Spain. At 21 years of age (1955) he was sent by his Jesuit community to El Salvador. He was trained as a Civil Engineer and actually started the Department of Civil Engineering at La UCA in 1974. In Guarjila after the he population was returning from refuge in Mesa Grande Honduras Padre Jon built at least 66 with his hands and the hands of those families that wanted to return to their ancestral land. Per his old neighbors, Padre Jon always said that we should not construct a church while we have people sleeping in fields and in the street. (How does that speak to the church of today?) His thought was that going to mass was never as important as living with the people, and people deserve a dignified habitat. But Padre Jon was a fundamental person of the whole department of Chaletenango — besides construction, he worked at bread making, as an electrician, to bring clean water to the community, as an educator, and in the newly constructed health clinic as a surgical assistant. Padre Jon is remembered today as neither a leftist or a rightist ideology in politics. Our guide at the Jon Cortino Memorial House recalls him saying that if one wants to see God, one need look only to your right and your left. His politics were of simple service and right actions. Jon Cortino died in 2005 in Guatemala of a sudden stroke, and his body was brought back to la UCA for burial. Every year on his birthday on December 8th the people of Guarjila gather, not to remember his death but to celebrate his good works — his sturdy houses, the school for the returning children, the clean water, the clinic where he held the flashlight during surgery, the optimism and the self-sufficiency. This year, the people of Chalatenango are still drawing strength and inspiration from Jon Cortino, as in the current political climate there is increasing repression and threats from the security state. On March 24 of this year, descending on the mountain community of Guarjila were 5000 military forces, 1000 police personal, and 800 detectives. They took over the streets, came into the houses asking for identification and taking phones. After 10 days many of the military left, but police and detectives stayed until May 27th. Ten people were taken away, including 3 minors. One of these minors has since been returned to Guarjila family, but the other two were given to other distant family members. (In the 2 years of the declared State of Exception, a total of 44 people were taken away without stated reason from Guarjila by security forces.) |
There is a suspicion that the two month round-up of terror — which took place soon after the recent elections — may have been connected to the fact that the department of Chalatenango was the one department that had not gone for the eventual electoral winner. But the people of Guarjila recall their great inspiration and defender Padre Jon Cortino, and find his example of simple service and right action a good guide to follow, and looking for the face of God in the face of neighbors standing to our right and left.
July 5thBy Lisa
Morning arrived early at the beach town of el Cuco and by 6am some of us were savoring a wonderful cup of coffee under palm trees in the hotel patio. Women from several distant communities were arriving and we had the chance to chat over breakfast. I had the privilege of sitting with Elsie Oriana and heading her extraordinary history of serving as a front-line nurse with the Frente since the very you age of 13 until 18, after her entire community was forced into hiding. She never looked back from this commitment to community health even after the war and went on to go to the university and get a degree in social work and then continue health work with PROVIDA. |
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After breakfast we gathered with some 40 women from 6 different communities for the workshop titled Women Constructing Health with a Social Focus on Self-care. We started with round of introductions followed by a moving testimony by Ruth who had battled cancer with the support of women from PROVIDA, who accompanied her from diagnosis to treatment and provided emotional, practical and economic support on through her total recovery. Later we divided into pairs - one from the community and one from the delegation- to share massages and conversations, leading to a lovely sense of connection and comfort.
After a slide presentation by one of the leaders of PROVIDA, each of the six communities gathered with a few people from the delegation to answer two questions: what are the difficulties and what are the dreams of your community. It was a beautiful opportunity to listen deeply to difficult realities but also to concrete dreams of specific ways of improving their community health. Afterwards each group presented their ideas followed by a round of responses from the delegation. One beautiful phrase by Marianne Perrone captured the feelings of many of us: “my dreams are linked to your dreams”. This is the essence of solidarity which this delegation embodies in such a powerful way. Allowing a deep connection to individuals and communities whose pain is, in many ways, an outcome of horrific US policy, seeking to transform that connection to heal both parties, north and south
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After taking leave of this wonderful group of women we traveled 4 hours through green mountains. cattle and corn fields. and winding rivers to Guajirla, Chalatenango where we were welcomed by the team from CCR. We had a delicious meal of pupusas. We had a rich interchange at my table with Miriam Alas and Francisco Mejia of the Community. They shared the amazing efforts to create a center for Memory and Reflection at the House of the Massacre - a place which holds the ruins of a massacre that took place in 1990, only months after they were relocated from the Mesa Grande refugee camp in Honduras. Western University of Toronto is sponsoring this.
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Francisco and Miriam also shared about the very disconcerting situation of repression under the current regime. Nine young people were randomly selected to be taken to jail a year and a half ago, with no basis of any connections to the maras. Also, on March 24 of this year some 500 soldiers suddenly appeared in their community, demanding to use community spaces to sleep and private homes to bathe and eat. They stayed for a week, interrogating and intimidating community members. They outnumbered this small community of only some 200 people. After another week they returned with the same intimidation and demands. The overall feeling in the community was that they were being warned and that their every move is being monitored by the regime and to attempt to keep them in fear and conformity and not speak out.
July 7th
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By Jose Torres
Their love, joy, and hope take the form and color of pupusas. Green is joy and the song of birds in the mountains, yellow is hope and smiles in the corncobs, and red is the blood, sacrifice, and love of the beautiful people we met on this pilgrimage.
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Land and Water Protectors Continue their Struggle!
7/31/2024
by Amy Argenal
This July, I joined Share Foundation’s Planting Seeds of Hope delegation, along with 15 others from around the United States. We spent one-week visiting communities, cooperatives, and collectives that are working with rural communities to access health resources, like ProVida, access to land, and cooperative ways of being, like Confras, working with communities to preserve the historical memory and defend the land in communities that were heavily affected from the war and repopulated in the late 1980s, like CCR and ADES. To read more click on this link: www.share-elsalvador.org/blog/land-and-water-protectors-continue-their-struggle
The Historical Context of Today’s Struggles for Land and Justice
Today was the first full day of the SHARE Seeds of Hope delegation. We got to meet each other at breakfast and during the day. I enjoyed learning about the work of Centro Romero in North Chicago, and meeting their staff, six of whom are on our delegation, including their Executive Director, Daysi Funes. For the morning session we were joined by several local agriculturalists who are community activists. To read more click on this link: http://www.share-elsalvador.org/blog/the-historical-context-of-todays-struggles-for-land-and-justice
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My Dreams are Linked to Your Dreams
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