Grassroots Organizer Project 2004 & 2005

Grassroots Organizer Project <= /span>

Support Grassroots Organizing in El Salvador!

&n= bsp;

CAMPAIGN: ADOP= T A GRASSROOTS ORGANIZER

=	= Introduction
=	Why is grassroots organizing crucial in development and reconstruction in

&n= bsp; El Salvador?

=	How is grassroots organizing more effective than other assistance efforts?
=	What does adopting a = CIS Grassroots Organizer mean?
=	Who are the CIS Grass= roots Organizers that need support?
=	Fundraising Ideas
=	CIS Organizer Profiles

Introduction

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 o= ur years of accompanying the people of El Salvador we have developed language exch= ange 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 Organiz= ing Project, which provides stipends for organizers in rural communities to wor= k on mobilizing & educating community members and fomenting their participat= ion in development.

There are two ways you can sustain CIS grassroots organizer project:

1.&n= bsp; Sustain an organizer for a year or sister with the community and mak= e an ongoing commitment to guaranteeing grassroots organizing, community development, human development, emergency response, education, conscious raising, and more. The cost to sustain an organizer for one year is $4,000.

2.&n= bsp; Fifty percent of the CIS grassroots organizing project is sustained = by individual donations between $ 50 - $500. No donation is to small or too large.

= Why is grassroots organizing crucial in development and reconstructi= on 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.&nb= sp; Grassroots organizing in communities means fostering participation and collective action around structures that continue to exploit the majority o= f El Salvador’s population. CIS Grassroots Organizers are Salvadorans that live and w= ork in their communities to educate community members about the oppressive structures that affect their livelihood. Organizers also work to crea= te community member-led steering committees to foment local participation, collective decision-making, and the implementation local development plans.

<= /a><= span style=3D'mso-bookmark:EffectiveTEXT'>How is grassroots organizing more effective than o= ther assistance efforts? Grassroots organizing is the on= ly way to develop a basis for long-term, sustainable change through focusing on the PARTICIPATION of community members that lasts long after solidarity gro= ups 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 Cen= tral America Free Trade Agreement and healthcare privatization, threaten to beco= me a reality in El Salvad= or.

What does adopting a CIS Grassroots Organizer mean? We a= re 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, tra= vel, and administrative costs totaling $ 4,000 per year. The idea is to cr= eate 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?<= /span> Curr= ently, the CIS supports the work of 8 organizers. We have a policy that at l= east 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 com= plete community profile.

Campaign: Adopt A Grassroots Organizer<= span style=3D'font-family:Arial;color:black;mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>=

Fundra= ising Ideas=

In your community social justice group, church, temple, parish, religious institution…<= span style=3D'font-family:Arial;color:black;mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>=

§ &= nbsp; Host a “teach-in” to educate people about the situation in El Salvador and how they can get involved by supporting a grassroots organizer.

§ &= nbsp; Sell local Salvadoran crafts, which you can order from the CIS, to generate a pa= rt of the money needed to support your adopted grassroots organizer.

§ &= nbsp; Organize 25 individuals to commit to giving $160 to cover an organizer for the year.=

§ &= nbsp; Organize 12 individuals or families to commit to giving $1 per day per month ($30), totaling $330.

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In your school, university, educational institution…

§ &= nbsp; 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 ye= ar ($100 per month).

§ &= nbsp; 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 organize= r. The pen pals could operate out of Spanish classes in your hometown and/or E= nglish classes in El Salvad= or (most schools teach English, though it is often minimal).

In your office, school, neighborhood, community group, etc…

§ &= nbsp; Find 17 people to donate $20 per month to support your adopted grassroots organizer. Find 50 people to donate $7 per month, etc.

§ &= nbsp; Ask your friends to donate money to support your grassroots organizer instead of giving a birthday, anniversary, Bat/Barmiztvah, baptism, etc. gift.

In San Salvador<= /st1:City>: &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; In the United States:=

CIS &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = Center for Exchange and Solidarity (CIS)

Ave. Bolivar <= st1:address w:st=3D"on">#103 &nbs= p; = ; &n= bsp; P.O. Box 17025

Colonia Libertad &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; St. Paul, MN 55117-0025

San Salvado= r, El Salvador

CENTRAL AME= RICA

CAMPAIGN: ADOPT A GRASSROOTS ORGANIZER

CIS Organizer Profiles=

Maira Romero,= grassroots organizer

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 membe= rs have created the Coordinator of Tamanique Communities (CORDECOT), ac= tive in 10 villages and the municipal center. Maira has organized the reconstruc= tion of 300 homes in the municipality. She has worked with the Coordina= tor 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.&nbs= p; They have initiated a small eco-friendly, tremor-proof roof tile factory th= at employs women. Five communities have recently started a project of fr= uit tree planting. Maira has also organized and led trainings for leaders= hip and income-generation projects and more communities are asking for this training and support. The municipality has six women’s committe= es where women have been trained in natural medicine, improved adobe house-building techniques, and hydroponics. In addition, three villag= es have youth groups and two have girl’s soccer teams. =

In January of 2006, = Assumption Church in Iowa, began funding 14 scholarships in Tamanique. The Coordinator has prioritized human development for youth as well as community organizing= as the basis for changing their reality.   Tamanique’s high schoo= l was founded in 2004, so there is an absence of professionals in the municipality and people are migrating to the U.S. due to the unsustainability of agricultural work with the passage of CAFTA.=

Dora Alicia A= las (Iris), grassroots organizer & health promoter=

Citizen’s Roundtable, San Rafael Cedros, Cuscatlán=

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, a= nd free trade agreements. She has also developed a women’s group o= f 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.

In January of 2007, = Presentation Church<= /st1:PlaceType> in Kansas City, MO will begin funding 15 high school scholarships in San Rafael Cedros. &n= bsp; Additionally, Salvadoran Enterprises for Women (SEW) if financing a women organized chicken coup to raise organic chicke= ns and to improve the living conditions of each family in the Canton of Cocobano.<= /span>=

=

Rafael Vásquez Martínez (Lito), grassroots organizer<= u>

Comasagua, La Libertad

The municipality of Com= asagua has eight villages and most residents work in subsistence agriculture or, f= or lacking rural work, travel to cities to work in maquila factories. L= ito helped to settle the vill= age of Arcoiris-España with other displaced, landless, homeless people to build from scratch follo= wing the 2001 earthquake. Arcoiris-España is an impoverished commun= ity of provisional homes without running water or electricity. Lito has 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. Lito has also focused his wor= k on the organization of women's groups, including the development of micro- inc= ome generation projects and workshops in natural medicine and handicrafts. = ; In addition, he has formed literacy circles in the evenings for adults who wor= k as farmers during the day.

José Isidro Rodríguez, grassroots organizer=

ANDAMOS –Commu= nity Development Association in Zaragoza, La Libertad

Isidro is a survivor= of the Massacre at the Sumpu= l River in May 1980.&= nbsp; Following the massacre, he was evacuated to a refugee camp in San Salvador and taken in at an orphanage in Zaragoza. Isidro lived and worked in the orphanage in Zaragoza= through his youth and early adulthood. At age 28 he won the mayoral elections as the FMLN candidate in the municipality. He served two te= rms as the mayor, 1997-2003. In early 2003, the local organization ANDAMOS (translated literally as "We go") was created to strengthen community organizing. ANDAMOS focuses its work on community organizat= ion, early education, youth and women's organization, and community development. Isidro accomplishes these goals through community visits, meetings with villages’ Board of Directors, participating in community assemblies, giving leadership training in communities, and assessing commun= ity needs. With immense help from Books for Peace (Kansas City), ANDAMOS considers one of their major successes to be the creation of four Centers for Infant Development, providing a place where children go to rece= ive early education and providing a safe place for children to stay when mother’s go to work. Books for Peace also donated computers to help start Zarag= oza’s first internet café and community center.

Xiomara Natalí Sánchez Maravilla, grassroots organizer

Citizen’s Roundtable, San Pedro Perulapán, Cuscatlán =

The Citizen’s Roundtable prioritizes the involvement of women and youth in decision-making processes and community development. Natali’s primary focus has been strengthening political awareness and increasing voter turnout in the recent presidential elections. The Citizen’s Roundtable has organized a women’s group and a sewing workshop for women. Now they are in the pr= ocess of forming a micro-enterprise to generate income for the women and their families.     The Citizen’s Roundtable has worked with Books for Peace to get libraries to the elementary schools.   They have a four-year relationship with students in Colorado that has organ= ized brigades with the community to work on fixing roads, cultivating plants for natural medicines and other community projects. Residents work as farmers, market workers, or carpenters in the municipality or commute to work in factories.

Noé Pa= lacios Ayala, grassroots organizers  <= /b>

The Voice of the Peo= ple Association, Estanzuelas, Usulután

Residents of Estanzu= elas rely on family remittances from the United States and some work as fishers or subsistence farmers. Sandra and Noé primarily work = out of the Voice of the People center in Estanzuelas, an association sta= rted in February 2003. They focus on education for youth in the associatio= n, coordinating 55 high school and 5 university scholarships, and have initiated computer classes, all with the support from their solidarity partner, St. Patrick’s Parish (Kansas= City) that began in 2001. This year they have opened a Political School for leadership and published the first edition of a magazine highlighting t= he association’s work. Their goals are to start a cyber café to generate income and provide access to the Internet in the community. Through their work with youth, they are raising awareness around social iss= ues, organizing and mobilizing community members to attend marches and create lo= ng-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.=

Angela del Tránsito Carranza, grassroots organizer

Women in Action R= 11; Island of Espiritu Santo Puerto El Triunfo, = Usulután=

Tránsito work= s as a CIS organizer with Women in Action Group on the Island of Espiritu = Santo and collaborates with the women’s organization Mélida Anaya Mo= ntes (M.A.M.) to build a network of women in the department of Usulután. The island has approximately 1,200 residents; 60% of= the population works as fishers and 40% work in agriculture. The average salary for workers on the island is $3.43 per day. On a community level, her goals are to strengthen relationships and communication among the island's women, improve community organization, and collaborate with local organizations. She has worked extensively with the organization of wo= men on the island to create and strengthen micro-credit and income-generation projects for women. Tránsito facilitated Women in Action’s attendance of a training on micro-credit in a nearby town. The women have also initiated a project to collect small mollus= ks found off the island and have opened a market in Guatemala to sell them. = Women in Action have hosted two delegations from St. Thomas Episcopal Church = in New Hampshire wh= ich have worked on community and home improvement projects on the island. =

Jose Viscarra, grassroots organizer

Cultural Association= of San Francisco Chinameca, La Paz=

The municipality of San Francisco Chinameca, which includes five surrounding villages, has approximately 9,000 residents. Most residents sub= sist by working in agriculture and many commute to work in factories. T= he 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 communit= y's women for interested community members, sports, and solidarity projects with other communities. Laura works part-time with women's organization and José Santos works in the library and gives basic computer classes in= the Cultural Association. Their primary goals for continued work are fost= ering interest in artistic development for youth, promoting reading and computer classes for youth and adults and promoting women’s participation in t= he community.

With the help of CIS supporters, SEW and Rainbow of Hope for Children Foundation, CIS was able to raise funds to purchase the local of the Cultural Association in 2005 and l= and for 12 families left landless after Tropical Storm STAN (2005).<= /span>