In 2014, violence in the Bajo Lempa region of Jiquilisco, Usulutan made it too dangerous for youth in La Tirana to make the 1.5 hour trek to middle school, a perilous journey through gang-controlled areas. In early 2015, Voices on the Border met with parents, local leaders, and the Ministry of Education to figure out how to keep the youth safe and in school.
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The Ministry said that if Voices paid for a teacher and parents enrolled their students, they would certify grades 7-9 at the elementary school in La Tirana. Voices immediately hired a teacher, and by the time classes started 12 youth had signed up. Enrollment then grew to 16… then 18!!!
It was a hugely successful year. The youth went to class in the mornings, and in the afternoons led a literacy program for adults. In December 2015, the Ministry certified that the youth were ready for the 8th grade… and almost all adults in the community were able to read. Voices hosted another meeting with parents, local leaders, and the Ministry, and the consensus was that we have to continue the program in 2016. Voices’ challenge is to find funding for the teachers’ salary ($4,800) and classroom materials ($1,800) – a total of $6,000. Classes have already begun and we are committed to another year, but we need your help to make it happen.
More than investing in the future of La Tirana, which this program does, the community’s needs are more immediate – to keep youth in school so they are busy and productive, and not get caught up in violence.
Voices on the Border is a nonprofit organization that promotes “just and sustainable development in El Salvador.” Specifically, Voices accompanies communities in two regions of El Salvador, the mountaneous region of Northern Morazan, and the Bajo Lempa region of Jiquilisco, Usulutan, along the coast. In 1987, concerned U.S. citizens launched Voices as a way to provide material and political support to refugees that had escaped civil war and were living in a refugee camp in Colomacagua, Honduras.
La Tirana is a special community of 25 families nestled in the mangrove forests in the Bajo Lempa region of Jiquilisco, Usulutan. Though it is one of the most isolated and economically challenged communities in the region, La Tirana takes pride in its sustainable relationship with the natural resources they are blessed with.
In addition to education Voices on the Border is accompanying La Tirana as they take on threats such as large-scale sugarcane production , mega-tourism projects , and security. Voices is also engaged in other education initiatives in the Bajo Lempa. Last year we began a pilot project called LEER with the middle school in Amando Lopez. The project has three objectives: 1) create a local board of Education to oversee the local school and advocate for more appropriate resources; 2) refrom parts of the curriculum so that it reflects the realities of living in rural El Salvador; and 3) train teachers to identify and work with special needs students in their classes.
*Your contribution is tax-deductible, and 100% of the funds we raise are for education in La Tirana!
Voices on the Border 