El Salvador 06/09

The fishing dock of La Libertad near one of our AOH homes in El Salvador

I left for El Salvador on Friday the 12th. In the airport I met a nice couple from Denmark who were embarking on a three month backpacking trip throughout Central America with plans to end in Colombia by the late months of the summer. I have to admit, I felt a moment of jealously which quickly passed when I was able to provide them with all sorts of helpful information regarding great spots to visit and certain areas that may not be all the Lonely Planet books makes them out to be. I felt pretty satisfied that I was able to comment, not only on El Salvador, but also Honduras, Guatemala, and Nicaragua. Turns out that Food For The Poor works in some of the most beautiful and culturally rich countries of the world, and despite the incredible poverty, there are still many breathtaking sites and experiences to be had in these picturesque regions.

One of the places that I think is incredible. The scene of all the little fishing boats already docked for the day and all the vendors selling the freshest fish, shrimp, lobsters and other seafood. The sights and smells of a fish market are exciting and you can walk steps away from the market to sit at some outdoor picnic tables where local vendors will cook up the fish of your choice and serve it with fresh vegetables and rice. This is my favorite lunch spot when we are in this region of the country.

Friday consisted of lots of hard work and sweat. We were hosting a large event for all the children on Saturday, so the entire day was spent cleaning, setting up, organizing and making the finishing touches. We had the assistance of a local youth group in El Salvador that was a huge help. 23 youths came out and dedicated their entire Friday and Saturday to supporting the event for the children. As a treat, we packed them into the back of a truck and treated them to a delicious dinner of "Pupusas" and Coca-Cola. Pupusas are a traditional food in El Salvador made from Corn or Rice. The dough is hand-patted into thick tortilla form, but filled with delicious things like cheese, beans, and chicharon. They are then grilled on a big round skillet over hot coals and served with a tomato based salsa, hot sauce, and pickled cabbage/chile salad. It was really tasty and the entire meal, including staff and youth group, cost me a whopping $40.80.

Some of the youth spent the day doing face-painting for the children.

The boys of Hogar Ninos en Familia presented a dance for the crowd.

The following Saturday was a whirl wind of children, games, sports, competitions, traditional folkloric dance, song, treats, and Burger King Kid's Meals. Unfortunately due to the flu epidemic two of the homes had to cancel their attendance at the last minute. Despite that big set back, the event went on and the rest of the children had more than their fill of candy, cake, churros, pinatas, and fun! The weather was hot and humid but the rain held off for the entire day's activities. Once again the children had a great time and every single one went back to their home loaded with all sorts of goodies, gifts, medals, and trophies.

Some of youngest "Angels" are from Hogar Dr Magana. Each home was given color coded kerchiefs to keep track of their kids at the event. (light blue in this case)

To make up for the fact that two homes did not get to attend due to flus and colds, we visited those homes the following day to bring them some of the party that they missed. They really appreciated us showing up with their gifts and sweets, and they were excited to present their dances and talents that they were not able to present at the event. The children spent months preparing their traditional dances, songs, and poetry and it was dissapointing to not be able to attend the event and present them for the talent competition. As always the children were amazing and beautiful and its always a pleasure to get to spend time with them.

Girls from Hogar Cuidad de Ninos received some new clothes that were handmade by a FFP donor.

The girls of Hogar Natalia de Siman were overjoyed to have their own "special" party regardless of the fact that over half of the population was sick with the flu.

We are working with the homes in El Salvador to be able to provide them with computer labs, new beds and mattresses and also for next school year's uniforms and school supplies. We spent a lot of time meeting with directors and administrators to organize the details of both of these initiatives. I was also able to visit a current project in progress at one of our boys homes. FFP is providing the home with a beautiful Tilapia production project. The project is nearing completion and is being executed very very well. Not only will the home have plenty of healthy Tilapia to serve its own population, they will be providing for 11 other homes and still have a surplus of fish to sell to the local community for profit. This small profit will allow them to reinvest in the project and maintain it as a self-sustaining aguacultural project. I was very pleased to see the progress and how well the project has developed. In speaking to the home director and the boys, all were very excited to see the final product and also interested in learning the techniques of Tilapia farming in the upcoming training sessions that we are providing for the home.