To our DMV friends of Voices on the Border
You’re invited to a BBQ
in Hyattsvill, Maryland, October 15 at 3PM
🎟️ $20 per plate | Let us know if you can make it by sending us an email or giving us a call at (202) 503–9230. We hope to see you!
*If you can’t make it but would like to make donation, visit our secure site at www.votb.org/donate
To our dear Bay Area friends of Voices on the Border
You’re invited to a House Party in Oakland, Friday October 7, 7pm – 9pm!
Please join us for an informal gathering with Bay Area friends of El Salvador. It will be an opportunity to hear updates about work in the communities in Usulutan and Morazan and to meet Jose Acosta, Executive Director of Voices on the Border. Pupusas, tamales and drinks starting at 7pm.
Please let us know if you can attend and we’ll email you the address and directions to the location, near Lake Merritt in Oakland. Or give us a call at (510) 292-0537.
We hope to see you! *If you can’t make it but would like to make donation, visit our secure site at www.votb.org/donate
| 🎙️ Prevention, Attention and Activism: Grassroots Feminism in El Salvador SEPTEMBER 29 | 7PM (El Salvador) |
| Join us this week for a conversation with the Morazán Women’s Network, a regionally and internationally recognized organization for its impeccable work to promote equality and eliminate discrimination and violence against women in their region and beyond. ~ Prevention The work The Network is doing around youth development, drawing on both the ECHO model and popular education, to increase self-esteem and self-worth while preparing these young women to identify, confront and reject gender-based violence. ~ Attention The work The Network is doing in the area of comprehensive accompaniment of victims and their families, with special attention to trauma-informed care programs and their real-life impacts. ~ Activism The work The Network is doing in the area of providing legal aid, legal advocacy, and victim’s rights activism as well as the current reality of justice and the hopes for the future. —– You can join Thursday’s conversation via Zoom by pre-registering for an access code @ bit.ly/3cZAbQl or watch it live on Facebook. |
| OUR PANEL |
| Melida Avila – Vice President; Social Work and Healing + Idalia Claros – Secretary; Advocacy and Victim’s Accompaniment + Martiza Argueta – Treasurer; Sex-Ed and Youth Development Simultaneous english interpretation will be available via the Zoom meeting. A recording of the event will be made available. |
To our 3rd Annual Solidarity Concert, a fundraiser for Women’s Rights in El Salvador.
More info @ www.eventbrite.com/VOTBSolidarity2022
Así es como se ve cuando las personas dedicadas pueden realizar sus propias soluciones a los problemas que enfrentan.
Aquí en el video, la Red Ciudadana de Mujeres de Morazán se puede ver desafiando la barrera de obstáculos multifacéticos, que impiden que muchas jóvenes se conozcan a sí mismas, sus derechos y el potencial de sus proyectos de vida, creando redes de líderes, capacitadas en materia que francamente pueden salvar vidas.
Para VOCES, es un honor hacer todo lo posible para continuar apoyando las iniciativas de La Red.
* In English: Young Women Working to Empower Their Future
“This is what it looks like when dedicated people can come up with their own solutions to the problems they face. / Here in the video, the Morazán Women’s Citizen Network can be seen challenging the wall of multifaceted obstacles, which prevent many young women from knowing themselves, their rights and the potential of their life projects, by creating networks of leaders, trained in matters that frankly can save lives. / It is an honor to do everything possible to continue supporting La Red’s initiatives.”
Nos unimos a la Red de Mujeres de Morazán, grupos de jóvenes y otras organizaciones solidarias para conmemorar el Día Internacional de la Eliminación de la Violencia contra las Mujeres y Niñas y exigir justicia para las innumerables víctimas de violencia de género a nivel individual, comunitario, estatal y nacional en El Salvador.
Marching for the Rights and Lives of Women and Girls
We joined the Women’s network of Morazan, Youth groups and other solidarity organizations to commemorate the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls and to demand justice for the countless victims of gender violence at an individual, community, state and national level in El Salvador.
Follow ‘La Red’ on Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/rcdmm.morazan.7
We’ve put together some of our highlights from the last 12 months.
Below, Mabel Barrera, the special needs classroom teacher in the Bajo Lempa shares her experience attending the specialization course “Educational Care for Children with Learning Difficulties” offered by the Universidad Centroamericana José Simeón Cañas (UCA).
“Al principio me sentía un poco nerviosa ya que es primera experiencia de formación formal, ya había escuchado que la UCA es una universidad muy exigente y pensé que en un primer momento no iba a poder cumplir todas las exigencias. Pero la experiencia empírica durante los años que he trabajado me facilito el proceso de aprendizaje, me ha permitido aprender sobre la teoría del trabajo que yo realizó en el aula de apoyo, también a conocer a maestras de otras partes del país quienes también trabajan en la misma área de la enseñanza, además a significado un esfuerzo físico y familiar ya que para tomar las clases me iba un día antes pero vale la pena ya que me he empoderado en las metodologías para mejor mi enseñanza. Agradezco a Voces en la Frontera y estoy segura que en el futuro va ser importante para mejorar el trabajo que realizó con niños y niñas de las comunidades.”
“At first I felt a bit nervous as this is my first formal training experience, I had already heard that the UCA is a very demanding university and I thought that at first I was not going to be able to fulfill all the demands. But the empirical experience during the years that I have worked facilitated the learning process, it allowed me to learn about the theory behind the work I do in the special needs classroom, and has also allowed me to meet teachers from other parts of the country who also work in the same area of teaching. In addition to meaning a physical and family effort since to take the classes I travel (to San Salvador) the day before, still it is worth it since I have empowered myself in the methodologies to better my teaching. I thank Voices on the Border and I am sure that in the future this will be important step to improving the work done with children from the communities.”
December 17, 2018
Jiquilisco, Usulután, El Salvador
Salvadoran judge Hugo Noé García, overturned an attempted murder charge, carrying a 20 year sentence, by the district attorney’s office in Usulután against Imelda Cortez, who then at 19-years-old, experienced a traumatic labor which caused her to loose consciousness and give birth to her baby in a latrine.
The baby girl survived and is in good health and Imelda spent 609 days in prison.
Her 71-year-old stepfather, Pablo Dolores Henríquez Ayala, who after 7 years of assaulting her, impregnated her, has been prosecuted for aggravated and continued rape of a minor. This after he himself gave accusatory testimony to the national police about his step-daughter on the day of the incident.
The judge recognized the mental and physical stress Imelda must have endured before, during and after giving birth to the newborn and lamented over the fact that she was denied access to not only her baby but the therapeutic care she desperately needed in order to heal from the long-term psychological damage that had been inflicted on her.
Since it was put forth, the case has been contested in the international court of public opinion and, due to the full-scale feminist movement in El Salvador and beyond, Imelda has receive top-notch legal representation, international media coverage and diplomatic support.
The morning of the 18th, Imelda and her defense team were prepared to accept a reduced sentenced of one year, time served, in exchange for pleading guilty to the prosecution’s lesser change of “abandoning a newborn.” However the judge, in an astonishing move, over-tuned the ruling four hours after the session began.
Hundreds of supporters gathered outside of the courthouse on Monday to support Imelda and chants of “si se puede!” rang out as she was led out.
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