FACTPFINDING&DELEGATION&TO&EL& SALVADOR:

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1 FACTPFINDING&DELEGATION&TO&EL& SALVADOR: Protecting&Mangrove&Forests&and& Sea&Turtle&Nesting&Grounds& (Nov.&22P29,&2014)& Communities along the San Juan del Gozo Peninsula ask that you accompany them in their struggle to protect mangrove forests, beaches where endangered sea turtles nest, andtheiragrarianwayoflife,allofwhichare threatened by large?scale tourism developmentplans. When:Nov.22?29,2014 Where:SanJuandelGozoPeninsula,Usulután Cost: $800 includes lodging, food, local transportation,andtranslators How&to&Join:sendan to: (Seedetailsonpage9ofthisnewsletter) La Voz Fall 2014 OurfriendsinCiudadSegundoMontesarehostingacelebrationof the 25 th Anniversary of their return from the Colomoncagua RefugeeCamp,wheretheylivedfrom1980to1989.Voicesstaffis helpingorganizetheevents,andcommunitiesaskedthatweinvite anyoneinterestedinjoininginthecelebration.organizersareusing theoccasiontolookbackoverthepast25yearstofigureoutwhat they can do better in the future. There are details about the celebrationsonthebackofthisnewsletter wehopeyou lljoinus Dear&friends&& This is Voices firstnewsletterina while it s been a very productive few months and this Update covers a lot of ground. Voices Grassroots Resource Center has been in operation for one and a half years now and we re seeing some great results. Communities that have been participating in Civil Society Training Center workshops are organizing themselves in new and exciting ways, and using informationandanalysisgeneratedbytheresearchinstitute toengagethelegalsystemandadvocatefortheirrights.our Morazán Field Volunteer continues her great work, and as you ll read she and Voices partners are engaged in some reallyinterestingprojects. WecouldnotdoanyofthiswithoutyourongoingsupportIf you like the work Voices is doing, please support it with a financial contribution. Its easy to do visit us at ( Thank&you This%Edition:%% % Page%213% Civil%Society%Training%Center%% % Youth&Leadership&Training&& & ACOMADET& & La&Tirana&Board&of&Directors& & Historical&Memory&in&Morazán&& & Youth&Empowerment&in&Morazán&& 25 th &Anniversary&of&Repatriation&to&CSM& COO&Review&of&Strategic&Plan&& Page%516% Research%Institute& & MOVIAC&Meeting&with&Salvador&Sanchez&Cerén& & MOVIAC&Meeting&with&Sec.&Melvin&Melgar& & El&Chile&and&Land&Rights& % PDDH&and&Legislative&Assembly&Delegations&& & Rule&of&Law&Project& % Agricultural&Seed&Packages&and&Other&Articles& Page%7% Small%Grants%Program% Page%819& Delegations&&

2 GrassrootsResourceCenter,CivilSocietyTrainingProgram? Last year, Voices initiated a Civil Society Training Program that aims to help Salvadoran communities and organizationsstrengthentheircapacitytoidentifyandachievetheirobjectivesandgoals.thefirst1½yearsofthe Programhavebeensuccessfultosaytheleast.Herearesomeofourrecentactivities: MOVIAC&Strategic&Planning& &InMay,VoicesstaffbeganhelpingMOVIAC(MovementofVictimsAffectedbyClimate ChangeandCorporations)throughtheprocessofdevelopingastrategicplan.Theprocesswillwrapupbeforethe endoftheyearandresultinaplanthatwillguidethecoalitionforthenextfiveyears.seepage4formoredetails aboutmoviacactivities. Youth&Leadership&Training& In March, Voices and OSCA, a youth group in Northern Morazán, held a graduation ceremony for 24 OSCA members (10 young men and 14 young women) who just completed graduated a leadership?training program. The youth participated in 12 workshops over an 8?month period developing skills in advocacy, communications, management,planning,andotherimportanttopics. OSCAorganizedandadministeredtheprogramandVoices helpedoutbyleadingsomeoftheworkshopsandfunding some of the activities. We are proud of our work with OSCAandotheryouthintheregion,andlookforwardto workingwiththeseyoungleadersmoreinthefuture ACOMADET In May, Voices joined CESTA, ACUDESBAL,and ADIBAL in accompanying 14 communities in the Bajo Lempa and San Juan del Gozo Peninsula as they created the AssociationofCommunities from the Mangrovesfor the Defense of Land (ACOMADET). The purpose of this community?ledinitiativeistoprovideaspaceinwhichits members can work together to protect and manage the invaluable mangrove forests that sustain them. The forestsareunderconstantthreatfrompoachers,tourism developers, and others who want to exploit the natural resources in the region. While many communities and organizationsareengagedinactivitiestoprotectpartsof the forests, there has not been a space like ACOMADET for the communities to share information and work together. Voices is excited to be a part of this new community movement and is dedicated to supporting themastheybegintheirimportantwork. New&Board&of&Directors&in&La&Tirana OverthepastfewyearsVoices hashelped communities in the Bajo Lempa hold elections to select a newboardofdirectors(inspanishtheseboards are calledadescos). The process requires, among other things, that the ADESCO maintain two sets of books accounting and activities. If these books are incompleteorinthewrongformat,orifanynumberofproceduresare not followed properly, the municipal government will not register a newlyelectedboard. With this in mind, the last ADECSO in La Tirana asked if Voices would help them with the election process, and of course we said yes. We beganwithaworkshoponhowtokeeptheaccountingbooksandtrackactivitiessotheoutgoingadescowouldbeable to submit them to the municipal government. In the near future, Voices will hold a workshop for the new board membersonhowtomaintainthesebookssotheywon thavethesamedifficultiesattheendoftheirterm.voicesalso helpedlatiranaholdthecommunitymeetinginwhichtheyelectedthenewboard.themeetingbeganwithadiscussion aboutwhatthecommunitywantedinanewboard,aswellasthevalueofexperiencedboardmembersandimportance ofnewleadership.themeetingwentwellandattheendofthedaylatiranahadanewdemocraticallyelectedadesco.

3 Civil&Society&Training&Program&(continued )& Historical& Memory& in&morazán& P& Last year the Pastoral Team of Ciudad Segundo Montes identified historical memory as a top priority. They want to pass on their historyoflivinginmorazánbeforethewar,spending10 yearsinarefugeecampincolomoncagua,honduras,and establishing their new community to today s youth and future generations. The Pastoral Team worries that the younger generations are disinterested in learning from their parents and grandparents and as a result many of themarenotrootedintheircommunity.membersofthe Pastoral Team fear that without roots, youth are migratingtotheu.s.indrovesandevenjoininggangs.& Voices field volunteer Ebony Pleasants is helping the Pastoral Team in their efforts to collect, organize, and pass on the community s history. The project methodologyisthoroughandhasbecomeasmuchabout healing old wounds as about passing on history. Ebony hasorganizedaseriesofworkshopstotrainteamswithin thepastoralteamtocollectinformationandmanagethe emotionalchallengesofdiscussingwar. On November 16? 19,2014,ourclose friends in Ciudad Segundo Montes will celebrate the 25 th Anniversaryof theirreturnfroma refugee camp in Colomoncagua, Honduras where they lived from 1980?1989. Voices is helping organize the events along with the Pastoral Team of Segundo Montes, the War Wounded Association of Morazán and many others. More than looking back, community leaders want to take the opportunity to strengthentheircommunityinordertofacethechallenges intheyearstocome. Voicesisnotorganizingaformaldelegationfortheevents, but we will be participating and happy to help make arrangements (ground transportation, lodging, etc ) for anyone wanting to participate. Events will include a processiontocolomoncaguatovisitthesiteoftheircamp, acelebrationatthetemple,andseveralhistoricalmemory events. Drop me a note if you want more information (voices@votb.org). Youth& Empowerment& in& Morazán? Voices field volunteer Ebony is organizing a group of youth to provide their peers with health education.ebonyhasorganizedagroupof6youthwhohavereceived extensivetraininginvarioushealthtopics,aswellashowtoteachsuch courses. The youth will soon be entering schools and working with otherlocalorganizationstoprovidepeereducationservices. Ebony is also helping OSMIJ (a youth organization in Cacaopera) produce a radio program. She has given numerous workshops on communications,reporting,and othertopics.radio programs like this demonstrates what partnership can accomplish, not just in building leadership, but improving the organizational capacity of the entire community. COO& Review& of& Strategic& Plan& Twoyearsago,Voicesstaffhelped thecomunidadoctavioortiz (COO) developits strategicplan.itwasalongprocessthatincludedseveralmeetingstodiscusstheprioritiesandvisionofeachofthe community ssectors youth,women,farmers,andothers. ThisyearthecommunityaskedVoicestohelpthemreviewtheirstrategicplanandactivitiesthey vebeenengagedinto determinewhethertheyareontargettomeetthegoalstheyidentified.voicesrecentlyhelpedorganizeacommunity? wide meeting to review the plan and activities and the results were impressive. The Plan has really helped the communitystayfocusedandoperatewithorderandefficiency.

4 Grassroots&Resource&Center,&Research&Institute& WhenVoicesdevelopedtheCivilSocietyTrainingProgramwealsodevelopedtheResearchInstitutesoourpartnershave accesstotheinformationandanalysisnecessarytounderstandthechallengesandopportunitiesrelatedtotheirgoalsand priorities.here ssomeofwhatwe vebeendoing: MOVIAC&and&Voices Forthepastyearandahalf,Voices has belonged to the MOVIAC, which is a coalition of organizationsfromcommunitiesaffectedbyclimatechange andmegaprojects. This hasbeena productiverelationship that has allowed Voices and the communities in the Bajo Lempa the chance toadvocate for policies and actions that willprotectthemfromharmfuldevelopmentpractices. MOVIAC s& February& Meetings& with& Sanchez& Cerén? In February, MOVIAC met with then presidential candidate Salvador Sanchez Cerén to discuss environmental issues MOVIAC wants the new administration to address. More than600membersofmoviaccametolistentojosesantos Guevarra(akaMario)giveanoverviewoftheenvironmental threats that climate change and large projects like mining andtourismpose.dr.ricardonavarrofromcestafollowed by reading a 6?page environmental platform that MOVIAC wantsthenewadministrationtoadopt. MOVIAC s& August& FollowPup& Meeting In August, 10 MOVIAC representatives went to the Casa Presidencial (wherepresidentsanchezcerénlivesandworks)tomeet with the President s Chief of Staff, Manuel Melgar. The meetingwastofollowuponpointsaddressedduringthe FebruaryeventjustbeforetheMarch2014electionsand let the administration know that MOVIAC was serious about the environmental platform they presented. Mr. Melgar took the meeting seriously, starting off by recalling that MOVIAC mobilized more than 600 people fromaroundthecountrytoattendthemarchmeeting. MOVIAC held the meeting in Cabañas, home of the anti? miningmovementinelsalvador.theeventtookplaceatthe height ofthepresidentialcampaign andthesanchezcerén camp wanted it to be more of a political rally, assuming participants would be voting for the FMLN. MOVIAC, however,insisteditwasnotapartyevent,butameetingto discussclimatechangeandmega?developmentprojects.the tone of the meeting fell somewhere in?between with participants sending the message that yes we will vote for you,butthenewadministrationcannotignorethem. Voicesisanforeignorganizationandassuchwelimitedour involvement in the event. Our staff attended the meeting andwehelpedcoversomeofthecosts,butthiswasabout Salvadoran communities communicating directly with their future President. As foreigners we support the democratic process,butstayfarawayfromthepartisanpolitics. Amongtheissuesdiscussedduringthemeeting,MOVIAC members offered two main action points. Its members want the Sanchez Cerén administration to create a Commission on Climate Change that gives civil society organizationsandcommunitiesavoiceinmakingpolicy. MOVIAC also requested that the administration give them an hour a week on each of the government television and radio stations to discuss climate change andrelatedenvironmentalissues. Like the meeting in February, the tone of the August meeting was cordial and positive, and MOVIAC is confidentthattheadministrationwillworkwiththemon the Climate Change Commission and providing airtime. The administration s motivation in doing so is that they do not want MOVIAC to start organizing against them, whichtheyknowisaveryrealpossibility. As a member organization, Voices staff attended the meeting with Mr. Melgar, and we were honored to be present.butagain,weseeourroleashelpingtofacilitate conversations between our partner communities and theirdemocraticallyelectedofficials.

5 Research&Institute&(cont )& El&Chile&and&Land&Rights& PlanstodeveloptourismintheJiquilisco Bay have resulted in speculators acquiring land in the Jiquilisco Bay,especiallyalongtheSanJuandelGozoPeninsula.Thisaffects everycommunityintheregion,butnonemorethanelchile. ResidentsofElChileare particularly vulnerable because the government has denied their requests forlandtitlesformore than 10 years, even though residents have occupied and worked their land for 30 years. DevelopershaveacquiredlandonbothsidesofElChile,fencingoff accesstothemangroveforests,whicharepublicland.thisyeara developer acquired, somesay by dubious means, the beachfront propertyinelchileand hasdivideditinto80 differentplots.he alsoacquireddunesinfrontofthebeachfrontproperty,whichis publiclandandsupposedlyunavailableforprivatizing.neighboring communities like El Retiro, Ceiba Doblado, and others are seeing thesamekindsofquestionablelandpurchases. InMarch, Voicesstaff andpartnersinel Chilewroteareport on their situation, in order to inform others in the region how land speculation and tourism development is already affecting the region.elchileresidentsfearit sonlyamatteroftimebeforethey areoustedfromtheirland,sotheyjoinedagrowingmovementof communitiesthatareorganizingtoprotecttheirenvironmentand righttoliveontheirland. In May, residents of El Chile, Voices, CESTA, ACUDESBAL, and ADIBALled adelegation of journalistson atour of the regionto see first hand what is at stake when developers and the government talk about tourism. The tour was a success and the journalists published numerous articles about El Chile and the appropriationoflandinandaroundtheircommunity.injuly,the Attorney General s Office went to El Chile to investigate claims thatinvestorshadacquiredorappropriatedstateland.theyfound enoughevidencetotakethecasebeforeajudge,whoiscurrently decidingwhetherthereisenoughtowarrantafulltrial. This is an important case. El Chile is a small, rural village that realized that if they work together and with other communities they can use the legal system to protect their natural resources andrights.whilethecourtshaveyettofindintheirfavor,thefact thatresidentsareengagedintheprocessisabigdeal,especially foracountryinwhichtheruleoflawhasrarelyifeverprotected the peasant class. This case also reinforces the importance of Voices Research Institute, which has worked with El Chile to gather and disseminate information. Writing the report allowed themtotelltheirstoryinawaythatcaughttheattentionofthe mediaandlawenforcementagencies. Rule& of& Law& Project Communities along thesan JuandelGozoPeninsularealizethatoneoftheonly waystheywillbeabletoprotecttheirenvironment isbyengagingthelegalsystem.unfortunately,the communities lack an understanding of the legal system and the organizational capacity to engage law enforcement.they alsodo not have accessto appropriate legal counsel. Voices on the Border s Research Institute is working with ACOMADET to developaruleoflawprojecttoaddresstheseneeds and allow communities in the region to use the legalsystemtodefendtheirnaturalresourcesand rights.thisyear,voiceshasalreadybegunwritinga legal guide that will be used in legal workshops. DuringMayandJuneofthisyear,wehostedAaron, a law student from the University of Pennsylvania LawSchoolwhocametotheregiontofinishupthe legal guide and begin talking to the communities aboutthelegalsystemandhowtouseit. Delegations&from&PDDH&and&Legislative&Assembly InSeptember,Voices,CESTA,ADIBAL,ACUDESBAL, and other partners will host delegations from the OfficeoftheOmbudsmanforHumanRights(PDDH) and the Legislative Assembly in the Jiquilisco Bay. Delegates will tour the mangrove forests and beaches in El Chile, La Tirana, and other communities to see first hand the mangrove forests,beachesthatendangeredseaturtlesuseas a nesting ground, and other natural resources. Visiting these places and hearing from the communitymemberswillhelpthemunderstandthe affects that large?scale tourism will have. Voices and other organizations will help organize the delegations,butthecommunitieswillleadthetours and give presentations. As it is, representatives in the Legislative Assembly and other government agencieshavepositiveopinionsoftourism,andsee alotofpoliticalandeconomicbenefitinsupporting it. The tours will hopefully show them why large? scale tourism would be destructive and what they can do to support small?scale, more sustainable communityprojects.

6 Agricultural& Seed& Packages,& MCC,& and& CAFTA Overthepastfewmonths,theU.S.Embassyhas beenwithholdingthemillenniumchallengegrant worth $284million fora few reasons. Thelatest reason is they allege the Salvadoran Ministry of Agriculture s (MAG) Seed Distribution Program violates the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). While this issue has gotten someattentionfromcivilsocietyorganizationsin San Salvador and the U.S., residents in the communities are not aware that this popular programisunderattack. TheSeedDistributionProgramhasbeenaroundin oneformoranothersince2005.overthepastcoupleofyearsthemaghascontractedwith17salvadoranagricultural cooperativestogrowbeanandcornseedthatitdistributestofarmersaroundthecountry,amountingtoasubsidyworth lessthan$100perfarmerayear.threeofthecooperativesthatgrowseedsforthegovernmentareinthebajolempa region of El Salvador. These contractsprovideanimportanteconomicboost,includingmanyjobs,totheregion,and thousandsoflocalfarmersarebeneficiariesoftheprogram. TheU.S.EmbassyandconservativeSalvadoraneconomistsarguethatthegovernment scontractingwithonlysalvadoran farmers violates CAFTA, which requires signatory countries to treat all corporations the same, regardless of their nationality.underthefreetradeagreementallseedmanufacturers,includingmonsanto,shouldbeabletocompetefairly forgovernmentcontracts.voicesandourlocalpartnersarguethattheproblemisnotwiththeseedprogram,ratherwith the free trade agreement. It is perfectly reasonable for the Salvadoran government to support local growers and cooperatives,especiallywhennotdoingsowouldmeangivingcompanieslikemonsantoanevenstrongerfootinginthe country. InearlyMay,Voicespostedareportontheissuetoourblog(voiceselsalvador.wordpress.com).Wehavetranslatedthe reporttospanishanddraftedashortersummarythatwewilldistributeamongourpartnercommunitiesinmorazánand Usulutánsothattheyareawareoftheissue. TheseedprogramprovidesrealbenefittotheSalvadoranagriculturalsectoranditisverydisappointingtheU.S.woulduse CAFTAtochangeit.ButoneoftheEmbassy sprioritiesistoincreasetheproductionoflarge?scaleexports,evenifitmeans destroyingsmallfarmsandopeningupsalvadoranmarketsforagriculturalgiantslikemonsanto. Thisyear,VoicesstaffhaspublishedtwoormorearticlesamonthinSalvadoranpublicationsandourownblogabout issuesthataffectourcommunities.asampleofthesearticlesinclude:? The$Impact$of$Agrochemicals? FOMILENIO$II$and$Salvadoran$Dignity? The$Seed$Distribution$Program(seenotebelow)? Charter$Cities,$an$Absurd$Proposal? The$Price$of$Beans$in$El$Salvador$? Investigators$from$El$Salvador s$attorney$general s$office$visit$el$chile$? Agriculture$and$its$Structural$Issues$ WehavelinkstothesearticlesonourFacebookpage( ( Thesepublicationsarepartofourongoingefforttodisseminateinformationandanalysis,muchofwhichcomes directlyfromourpartnersinthejiquiliscobayofusulutánandthemountainsofnorthernmorazán.ifyouhaven t already,friendusonfacebookandsubscribetoourbloginordertoreceivenoticeswhenwepublishnewarticles.

7 SmallGrantsProgram For27years,VoiceshasprovideditsSalvadoranpartnerswithsmallgrants.Money isnotapanaceabutissometimesnecessaryforachievinggoals.whenwereceivea requestitisseldomasurprise.weworkwithourpartnersonadailybasisandgenerallyknowwhattheneedsarebefore aproposaliswritten.grantsrangeanywherefrom$60to$3,000.somegrantsseemreallysmall,buttheyareimportant totherecipients,whotoooftenhavenowhereelsetoturn.voicesworkswithu.s.partnerstoprovidethesegrants withouthelpfromthesouthbaysanctuarycovenant(sbsc),st.peter scatholicchurch,andotherorganizationsand individualswesimplywouldn tbeabletooffertheseimportantgrants.hereareafewofourmostrecentgrants: Childcare&Centers&in&COO,&Amando&Lopez,&and&El&Presidio Earlierintheyear,theMinistryofEducationsaiditcouldnotsupportthe ChildcareCenters(preschools)inComunidadOctavioOrtiz(COO),AmandoLopez,andElPresidio.VoicesandSBSCprovided$3,600to keeptheschoolsopenuntiltheministryresumeditssupport,whichithas. ABAZORTO In April we gave the Community Board for Water Administration (ABAZORTO) a $300 grant so its members could participateinapoliticaladvocacyprogram. OSMIJ&Radio&Program EverymonthVoicesprovidesOSMIJ,ayouthgroupinCacaopera,Morazán,with$60sotheymayproduce theirweeklyradioprogramthatfocusesonyouthissuesintheregion.thisimportantinitiative,whichgivesyouthavoiceinthepublic discourse,wouldnotbepossiblewithoutthissmallgrant. CSM&Pastoral&Team InApril,wegavethePastoralTeamofCSM$600tobuyasoundsystemfortheirchurch,allowingthemtohave largereventsandgenerateincomebyrentingouttheirspacetolargergroups. ALGES InJulywedonated$150toALGEStohostaneventinCacaoperatopresentaplatformtomayoralcandidates. MOVIAC InAprilwegaveMOVIAC$100tohostaworkshopforleadersofthecommunitiesintheBajoLempatoanalyzenational politics. Amando&Lopez& &InJulywedonated$150toAmandoLopeztofinishamuralprojectdepictingthecommunity shistory. El& Chile& Land&Titles& InMay,Voicescontributed$300tothecommunityofElChiletohelpwiththeireffortstosecurelandtitles somethingthey vebeenworkingonformorethan10years.injulywemadeanothercontributionof$200. ACOMADET& OverthepastseveralmonthsVoiceshasmadeseveralsmallgrantstoACOMODETtohelpwithorganizationalmeetings andotherevents.thesegrantstotal$200,whichdoesn tseemliketoomuchbuttothecommunitiesitisanextremelyimportant contributionthatishelpingthemgettheirneworganizationupandrunning. Earth& Day& Celebration For the past few years Voices and several other organizations have partnered with the community of AmandoLopeztoorganizeanEarthDaycelebration.InrecentyearsEarthDayhasbeenprimarilyaprotestagainstmega?tourism projects,sugarcane,andotherthreatstothelocalenvironment.voicescontributed$150tothisyear sevent. OSMIJ&anniversary&celebration InMay,wedonated$100toOSMIJforthecelebrationoftheir5 th Anniversary. COO&Strategic&Plan&Review AcoupleyearsagoVoiceshelpedCOOdevelopastrategicplantoguidetheirdevelopmentoverthe nextfewyears.eachyearsincethenwehavehelpedthemorganizeacommunitymeetingtoreviewtheirplanto measuretheir progress and identify activities for the coming year. In addition to helping facilitate the meeting, Voices staff contributed $150 to coverthecosts. OSCA&public&speaking&workshop Recently,OSCAorganized aseriesof workshops on public speaking. Voices helped byproviding $60tocoverthecostsassociatedwithbringinginanexperttoleadtheworkshops. Leadership&Training&Graduation OSCA,ayouthgroupinMorazán,recentlyfinishedaleadership?trainingcourse.Inadditionto helpingorganizeandfundworkshops,voicescontributed$160foragraduationceremonyfortheyouththatparticipated. COO& Community& Center/Flood& Shelter COOhas beenrenovatingtheir community center/floodshelter.the community needed $6000tofinishtheprojectandaskedVoicesforhelp.Wehelpedthecommunitysecure$3000fromSBSC,theirpartnercommunity, andtheboardusedthegranttoleveragesupportfromtheredcrossfortherest. La& Tirana La Tirana rarely has funds for celebrations, which are important for morale. In May we helped La Tirana celebrate Mother sdaywithacontributionof$50.injuly,wecontributed$50tolatiranatoimprovetheirmeetingspace.

8 Delegations Voices & Board& of& Directors& Delegation? In February,Voices boardofdirectorstraveled to El Salvador for its semi?annual meeting. Voices board is active andmeetinginelsalvadorgaveourmembersimportantface?time with our closest partners. The week before the meeting, the staff organizedseveralmeetingsforadelegationofboardmembersthat came down early. The delegation began in San Salvador where it met with other organizations that we partner with. We also met with Dr. Julia Evelyn Martinez, an economist who studies the impacts of gender inequality in El Salvador. The delegation then wenttomorazánwherewemetwithoscaandosmij,twoyouth groups,aswellasthepastoralteam,theassociationofwarwounded,andotherpartners.boardmembersalsotoured themuseumoftherevolutioninperquínandvisitedelmozote,thesiteofaninfamous1981massacre.thedelegation thentraveledtousulutánandmetwithresidentsofelchile,latirana,amandolopezandcomunidadoctavioortiz,and organizationslikeadibalandacudesbal.theboardhadalargermeetinginlatiranaandrepresentativesfrommany communitiesandorganizationsintheregionattended.localleadersgavepresentationsaboutissuessuchastourism,land rights,security,andothers.participantsbrokeoutintosmallgroupstostrategizehowvoicesandthecommunitiesmight more effectively confront these challenges. It was a valuable time and we look forward to meeting in El Salvador again soon South&Bay&Sanctuary&Covenant& & SincetheendofElSalvador s civilwar(1992),thesouthbay SanctuaryCovenant (SBSC)has hadapartnercommunityrelationshipwithcomunidadoctavio Ortiz (COO) in the Bajo Lempa. And every year SBSC sends a delegation to COO to meet withtheir old friends, check in on projects, and accompany the community in their struggle for justiceandequality.theinspiringandenergeticarleneschaupp ledthisyear sdelegationasshehasforthepast22years. The delegation Stanford& University Every year Voices hosts a class fromstanforduniversity(issuesinliberationtheology) inelsalvador.thestudentsspendthewinterquarter reading and discussing social justice issues in El Salvador as they relate to Liberation Theology. They then spend their Spring Break in El Salvador visiting organizations and historical sites in San Salvador, Morazán,andUsulután. Participantsinthisyear scourseheldawidevarietyof political and social views, resulting in several interestingconversationsabouttheroleoftheu.s.in El Salvador, poverty, and other important topics. As always,it sanopportunityforvoices stafftohearnew perspectivesandopinionsonissuesthatwediscusson adailybasis.welookforwardtonextyear sgroup began in San Salvador meeting with civil society leaders before heading up to Morazán afirstfor the SBSC delegation. The delegates, however, spent most of their time in COO meeting with the community board, Childcare Center, women s committee, and other groups. The delegation also met with communities like El Chile that are targetedfortourismdevelopment.ontheirlastfulldayinthe country,sbscdelegatesandvoicesstaffattendedthemoviac meeting with then Presidential Candidate Sanchez Cerén to presentanenvironmentalplatform. Youth&Delegation ThissummeragroupofhighschoolstudentsfromSanJose,CA traveledtocootopartnerwithalocaltheatergrouponanenvironmentaleducation project.thesanjosestudentsareallbi?lingualandalongwithmembersofthecoo theatregroupvisitedschoolsinthebajolempaandsanjuandelgozopeninsulawith a performance about waste management (i.e. importance of keeping their communitiesclean).theyouthwrappeduptheirtimeinelsalvadorwithadayinthe capital, touring the University of Central America (UCA) campus and Divina Providencia where Archbishop Romero was assassinated. The greatest part of the delegationwastheexchangebetweentheu.s.andsalvadoranyouth.

9 Delegations&Continued & Carlos&Rosario&International&School InJulyVoicesfieldstaffhostedteachersfromtheCarlosRosarioInternational SchoolinWashingtonDC.CarlosRosarioisacharterschoolthatprovidesadultimmigrantstheopportunitytofinish theirhighschooldegrees,learnenglish,andgainskillsthatincreasetheirchancesofsecuringemployment.voices hasvisitedcarlosrosarioonseveraloccasionsandwearealwaysveryimpressedbyhowmotivatedandengagedthe studentsare,andthegreatprogramthatthefacultyandadministrativestaffoffers. ThissummeragroupofCarlosRosarioteacherscametoElSalvador.ManyoftheirstudentsarefromElSalvadorand theteacherswantedtogetabetterunderstandingofthecountryandeducationalsystem.overaperiodoftendays, the delegation of teachers traveled around the country learning about the Salvadoran education system, the economy, and the culture of violence. They also took the time to enjoy El Salvador s natural beauty, including volcanoes,beachesandmangroveforests. ThankyouCarlosRosarioforthegreatservicesyouprovidetotheimmigrantcommunityinWashingtonDC,andfor visitingelsalvador.welookforwardtoseeingyouallagainsoon. UPCOMING&FACTPFINDING&DELEGATION&TO&EL&SALVADOR&& Nov.&22P29,&2014& & Protecting&Mangroves&and&Sea&Turtle&Nesting&Grounds& When?& &November22?29,2014 & Where? SanJuandelGozo Peninsula,UsulutánEl Salvador & How&Much? $800includeslodging, food,ground transportation,and translation Spanish?&& Fornon?Spanishspeakers, wewillprovideatranslator How&to&Join? Fordetails,sendan tovoices@votb.org PrePtrip&Preparation?& Voiceswillprovideavariety oforientationmaterials andholdapre?trip orientationviaconference callonsaturdaynovember Protecting& Mangrove& Forests&and&Sea& Turtle&Nesting& Grounds& CommunitiesalongtheSanJuandelGozoPeninsulaneedyourhelpprotectingtheir sustainable, agrarian culture, mangrove forests, and beaches where critically endangeredseaturtlesnest. Investorsanddevelopersareplanning,withthesupportoftheSalvadoranandU.S. governments, to build resorts, golf courses, shopping centers, marinas, condominiums, and other tourism facilities along the San Juan del Peninsula in Usulután.Localleadersarenotopposedtotourism,buttheyarguethatthescaleof whatisplannedtofarexceedwhatthelocalenvironmentcansupport. Developers have yet to break ground on their projects, but land speculators are already acquiring land, often by quasi?legal means. If Salvadorans and the international community ignore them, developers will soon destroy El Salvador s mostpristineecosystemsandforceresidentstomigrate. CommunitiesalongtheSanJuandelGozoPeninsulaareorganizingtoprotecttheir environmentandculture.theyhopetousethelegalandpoliticalsystems,butthey faceastruggleofdavidv.goliathproportions. Please& come& bear& witness by paddling through mangrove forests, hiking down unspoiledbeaches,andmeetingwithcommunityleaderswhoareriskingtheirlives to protect their environment and simple way of life. Then return home and help spreadthewordaboutthisimportantenvironmentalmovement. DidwementionthataU.S.&Millennium&Challenge&Corporation&Grant&wouldsupport these large?scale tourism projects? That s the plan anyway. If the MCC grant is approved,u.s.taxmoneywillhelpbuildwharfsandmarinas,roads,andbridges,and financeotherinfrastructureprojectsthatwillsupportlarge?scaletourism. & Communities&on&the&San&Juan&del&Gozo&Peninsula&Need&You