Over the past few months, we (the Voices staff) have focused most of our energies on programs and activities in our Salvadoran partner communities in Morazan and the Lower Lempa region of Jiquilisco, Usulutan. That focus has meant that we haven’t had as much time to post articles and updates on this blog as frequently as we have in the past.
To fill you in on our activities and progress, we put together a Summer Newsletter that includes some of the analysis of national issues we would normally post here. Some of the highlights include:
– An update on the Amando Lopez Forest Project and our work to scale that project up to surrounding communities;
– Elections in Comunidad Octavio Ortiz;
– Voices volunteers in 2012;
– Nueva Esperanza Five Months After the Floods;
– The CSM Youth participation in an Inter-Departmental Exchange;
– Standford University’s Delegations to Morazan;
– An Update on the Mining Issue;
– A Preview of the 2014 Elections;
– The Truce Between the Gangs; and
– An Update on the MCC and Partnership for Growth.
Even if you are not familiar with our work in Morazan and Usulutan, the community updates are interesting for getting an on-the-ground perspective about how larger national and international issues play out at the local level.
The Amando Lopez Forest Project is an example of a small, rural community struggling with the growing impacts of climate change. Their environment is changing and preserving the forest is one way they are trying to deal with this global reality. Amando Lopez is also a story about a community’s efforts to grow and survive in a globalized economy.
The Partnership for Growth and MCC are equally as interesting. Few North Americans have even heard of these U.S. “aid” programs, even in the context of other countries. In Morazan and the Lower Lempa, however, they are the topic of many conversations as people try to understand what they are and how they will impact their communities.
I hope you take a moment to read through the Newsletter. If you have any comments or thoughts, we’d love to hear them.
And of course we depend on your support to maintain this blog and continue our work with out partners in Morazan and the Lower Lempa. To ensure these programs continue, please click on the Donate Now button at the top of the page and consider signing up for a $25/month donation. It is easy and will go a long way to ensuring our partners continue to develop the skills and capacity necessary to face these global issues.
Thank you!
Voices on the Border 