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Proximadamente en Español (Coming soon in Spanish) Support Grassroots Organizing in El Salvador! ADOPT A GRASSROOTS ORGANIZER
The Center for Exchange and Solidarity (CIS) focuses its work on fostering long-term structural change in El Salvador through increased community participation at the local and national level. Throughout our 15 years of accompanying the people of El Salvador we have developed language exchange programs, facilitated solidarity partnerships, guided delegations, supported solidarity crafts, and many other projects that have built a sustainable foundation for the CIS. However, we have continually been faced with the challenge of raising the funds necessary to maintain our Grassroots Organizing Project, which provides stipends for organizers in rural communities to work on mobilizing & educating community members and fomenting their participation in development. The CIS has been fortunate to maintain a fairly self-sustaining budget in relation to our other programs, but there is no feasible way for us to generate enough income in other programs to support the costs of the Grassroots Organizing Project, which is approximately $36,000 annually. Therefore, we are urgently trying to consolidate solidarity partnerships between communities abroad and communities in El Salvador through our Campaign “Adopt a Grassroots Organizer”.
Why is grassroots organizing crucial in development and reconstruction in El Salvador? The CIS has always promoted a mission of non-assistentialism through our programs, which implies a long-term vision for development not just short-term projects. Grassroots organizing in communities means fostering participation and collective action around structures that continue to exploit the majority of El Salvador’s population. CIS Grassroots Organizers are Salvadorans that live and work in their communities to educate community members about the oppressive structures that affect their livelihood. Organizers also work to create community member-led steering committees to foment local participation, collective decision-making, and the implementation local development plans.
How is grassroots organizing more effective than other assistance efforts? Grassroots organizing is the only way to develop a basis for long-term, sustainable change through focusing on the PARTICIPATION of community members that lasts long after solidarity groups have come and gone. While short-term assistance is necessary for immediate needs, in the form of building schools or donating building materials, we must look towards institutional change or the need for schools and building materials will never subside. This need is especially crucial in a time when neoliberal social and economic policies, such as Central America Free Trade Agreement and healthcare privatization, threaten to become a reality in El Salvador.
What does adopting a CIS Grassroots Organizer mean? We are urging individuals, communities, churches, community groups, and schools to adopt a CIS Grassroots Organizer, which implies providing for the organizer’s $330 monthly stipend including expenses for meetings, travel, and administrative costs totaling $3,960 per year. The idea is to create longevity and stability in the work of the organizers through these partnerships. Included in this packet are some ideas of ways that you can make this a reality.
Who are the CIS Grassroots Organizers that need support? Currently, the CIS supports the work of 5 organizers. We have a policy that at least 50% of our organizers must be women and/or youth (35 years old or younger). You will find the organizers’ profiles in this packet. If you are interested in learning more about an organizer or the community where s/he is working, just let us know and we can send you a complete community profile. Campaign: Adopt A Grassroots Organizer
In your community social justice group, church, temple, parish, religious institution… § Host a “teach-in” to educate people about the situation in El Salvador and how they can get involved by supporting a grassroots organizer. § Sell local Salvadoran crafts, which you can order from the CIS, to generate a part of the money needed to support your adopted grassroots organizer. § Organize 25 individuals to commit to giving $160 to cover an organizer for the year. § Organize 11 individuals or families to commit to giving $1 per day per month ($30), totaling $330.
In your school, university, educational institution… § Each grade level can be responsible for raising a specified amount of money for their adopted grassroots organizer to total $330 monthly. For example, the freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior class each raises $1,200 for the year ($100 per month). § Create a pen pal relationship within your school and a school in your adopted community – each participant pays $10 per month (at least 33 participants) in order to support the community’s grassroots organizer. The pen pals could operate out of Spanish classes in your hometown and/or English classes in El Salvador (most schools teach English, though it is often minimal).
In your office, school, neighborhood, community group, etc… § Find 17 people to donate $20 per month to support your adopted grassroots organizer. Find 50 people to donate $7 per month, etc. § Ask your friends to donate money to support your grassroots organizer instead of giving a birthday, anniversary, Bat/Barmiztvah, baptism, etc. gift.
The fiscal year for the July 2003 – June 2004 Grassroots Organizing Project has already ended, so your help is needed urgently to continue their work for 2004/2005. If you are interested in supporting an organizer, please send your financial support to the addresses listed on the left-hand menu.
CAMPAIGN: ADOPT A GRASSROOTS ORGANIZER Maira Romero Coordination of Communities for Reconstruction & Development in Tamanique, La Libertad
Tamanique is an extremely impoverished municipality with approximately 15,000 residents, 85% living on subsistence farming. The municipality was deeply impacted by the 2001 earthquake and many homes were lost. Maira and other active community members have created the Coordinator of Tamanique Communities, active in 10 villages and the municipal center. Maira has organized the reconstruction of 300 homes in the municipality. She has worked with the Coordinator to organize, raise awareness, and mobilize community members around issues such as CAFTA and privatization. With Maira’s work, the communities have formed committees to pressure the ARENA mayor for much-needed projects. They have initiated a small eco-friendly, tremor-proof roof tile factory that employs women. Five communities have recently started a project of fruit tree planting. Maira has also organized and led trainings for leadership and income-generation projects and more communities are asking for this training and support. The municipality has six women’s committees where women have been trained in natural medicine, improved adobe house-building techniques, and hydroponics. In addition, three villages have youth groups and two have girl’s soccer teams.
Dora Alicia Alas (Iris) Citizen’s Roundtable, San Rafael Cedros, Cuscatlan
Iris works as a grassroots organizer with the aim of building women’s and youth participation in community development. Iris has worked for the development of a Citizen’s Roundtable for community decision-making. She, along with members of the Citizen’s Roundtable, have focused on grassroots organization and training for village steering committees. They have also opened spaces for youth to participate in development. Iris gives trainings in three communities on themes including leadership, self-esteem, the environment, women’s rights, and free trade agreements. She has also developed a women’s group of 28 women with a small sewing workshop. Iris also serves as a coordinator for various housing projects in the municipality and is fighting along with residents for land titles and property rights.
Mercedes Arias Comasagua, La Libertad
The municipality of Comasagua has eight villages and most residents work in subsistence agriculture or, for lacking rural work, travel to cities to work in maquila factories. CIS helped to settle the village of Arcoiris-España with other displaced, landless, homeless people to build from scratch following the 2001 earthquake. Arcoiris-España is an impoverished community of provisional homes without running water or electricity. CIS organizers have worked to organize community members to settle with aid from The Rainbow of Hope for Children Foundation, to purchase the land where they live and farm. The community is currently in the process of digging a well with the participation of community members. CIS has also focused his work on the organization of women's groups, including the development of micro- income generation projects and workshops in natural medicine and handicrafts. In addition, the community has formed literacy circles in the evenings for adults who work as farmers during the day.
Bernarda del Carmen Mejía (Dita) The Voice of the People Association, Estanzuelas, Usulután
Residents of Estanzuelas rely on family remittances from the United States and some work as fishers or subsistence farmers. Bernarda primarily works out of the Voice of the People center in Estanzuelas, an association started in February 2003. They focus on education for youth in the association, coordinating 56 high school and 11 university scholarships, and have initiated computer classes, all with the support from their solidarity partner, St. Patrick’s Parish (Kansas City). This year they have opened a Leadership school for leadership and published the first edition of a magazine highlighting the association’s work. They also started a cybercafe to generate income and provide access to the Internet in the community. Through their work with youth, they are raising awareness around social issues, organizing and mobilizing community members to attend marches and create long-term community groups. Their model of organizing, focusing on youth and education, serves as an example for other communities as their work has resulted in a strong base of community participation.
Marta Perez Women in Action – Island of Espiritu Santo Puerto El Triunfo, Usulután
Marta works as a CIS organizer with Women in ActionááWomen in Action’ss attendance of a training on micro-credit in a nearby town. The women have also initiated a project to collect small mollusks found off the island and have opened a market in Guatemala to sell them. Women in Action
Maria Isabel Maldonado Cultural Association of San Francisco Chinameca, La Paz
CIS gives a monthly fund for organizing women. The municipality of San Francisco Chinameca, which includes five surrounding villages, has approximately 9,000 residents. Most residents subsist by working in agriculture and many commute to work in factories. The Cultural Association of San Francisco Chinameca, operates a variety of projects including: a library, music classes, musical group of 12 young men, computer classes, sewing & tailoring workshops directed by the community's women for interested community members, sports, and solidarity projects with other communities. Their primary goals for continued work are fostering interest in artistic development for youth, promoting reading and computer classes for youth and adults and promoting women’s participation in the community. The CIS coordinator Isabel has organized a group of 8 women and is giving sewing classes. Through the foundation of Salvadoran Enterprises for Women CIS was able to get the center for the Cultural Association donated. Back to top |
