APRIL 2012 Volume 8

Farmers from Santa Maria, Laza- Lester, member of youth group ro and Jorge, connec ng pipes JUBDIS, learning how to vote in an for the irriga on system using elec on training. corn husks and re.

Support our Violence and Disaster Preven on Children`s Summit May 26

Empower children`s par cipatory educa on by dona ng to make this urban-rural children`s Exchange. See Page 2

When? May 26th, 2012 7:30am to 5:30pm Where? Joya Grande, El Salvador Who? 60 children from the children/s emergency commi ees of Joya Grande and the children/s violence preven on commi ees of Mejicanos What? Summit where the children of Joya Grande share their knowledge of risk management and experience of rural life and the children of Mejicanos share their knowledge of human rights and experiences living in urban areas. Want to help make this summit happen? We need $740 to cover transporta on costs, food, materials, and space rental for both the prepara on phase and the day of the event. If you are in a nancial posi on to help us out, please consider dona ng through Friends of Santa Mara at h p:// friendsofsantamaria.blogspot.com/.

Ceiba was engaged in 5 dierent elec on ac vi es throughout January, February, and March, all focused on increasing youth par cipa on.

Vozz El Salvador: Youth Journalism Project (Feb 10-12)

Financed by the FAD, Fundacion An Drogas, $4,325; CIPJES and CEIBA, who supported logis cs; Kara Andrade, Ashoka Fellow, who funded the coordina ng team and brought 25 ip video cameras valued at $200 a piece This project, rst executed in Guatemala before the September 2011 Elec ons, was spearheaded by Ashoka Fellow Kara Andrade and her ci zen journalism organizaon HablaCentro. In collabora on with CEIBA, independent journalist Danielle Mackey, and CIPJES (Salvadoran Pro Youth Coordina on Council), the VOZZ project recruited journalists to volunteer train 45 youth in one boot camp weekend. The topics ranged from militarism, to how to write an ar cle, to how to upload a video, and the par cipants were given one camera per youth group, and hailed from 10 of the country`s 14 departments. The training oered a space for youth to network and learn about the electoral process, and discuss the current situa on of lack of youth par cipa on and violence in the country. Youth covered elec ons around the country, demanding jus ce in cases of electoral fraud in the municipality of Sonzacate, for example. See videos and the Vozz website: h p://www.vozz.com.sv/ or friend the project on facebook (VOZZ ES).

How to Vote Training with CECADE (Feb 28)

Financed by CECADE. We loved the CECADE (Center for Training and Promo ng Democracy Democracy) trainings on how to vote at the VOZZ training weekend we thought it would be fun to take them to our communi es. The El Sauce youth group agreed to make signs in their community and host a how to vote training. El Salvador changed the vo ng system this year, from a simple marking of the party ag photo with an X, to a confusing system of 4 ways to vote that range from ra ng one or more senators you preferred from your favorite party, to marking just one independent candidate, to marking just the party ag. Null vote include any vote that marks candidates from mul ple par es. Community members in El Sauce, mostly youth, par cipated in the workshop.

Youth Law Training Workshops (Feb 21-29)

Financed by Bill Sladek with $1,000, these trainings in 6 communi es together with the debate cost $1,358. Jonathan Velasquez, lawyer trained by the Supreme Court in Salvadoran Youth Law LEPINA (Law of the Protec on of Children and Adolescents), who also supported the process of wri ng the New Youth Law passed November 2011, ran these workshops in the communi es of El Sauce, Santa Maria, Joya Grande, la Cuchilla, and urban workshops in the school Eben Ezer and Camilo Campos, training over 100 youth in San ago Texacuangos. Not only did the youth learn about new youth law, but they developed their own proposal for local youth policy and elected 2 representa ves from each community to present the document in the Debate. Links to the youth pla orm on scribd: h p://es.scribd.com/doc/90439584/as-Juventudes-Final.

Youth Debate-Forum with Mayoral Candidates (March 3)

This debate was run in the middle of town, on the basketball courts of the Camilo Campos School, in conjunc on with the San ago Texacuangos House of Culture and SITRACOPE, a women`s union organiza on. While we expected 300 people to a end, over 350 and maybe even 400 people a ended the event. CEIBA provided transporta on for 100 youth to come to town from communi es, and the many a endees saw our large banner announcing the rst ever debate and came to watch. The candidates from the FMLN, GANA, and CN par es a ended the event. Unfortunately, the current mayor and ARENA candidate decided to boyco the debate, due to what we later heard a suspected FMLN ambush. Nontheless, this civic exercise was a historic precedent for the town, and we got rave reviews from most parcipants. We invited guest speakers form CONJUVE, the government`s Na onal Youth Board, and CIPJES, a na onal youth network. We published a 200 word summary of each party`s youth pla orm to give to par cipants (see h p://es.scribd.com/doc/90440320/plataformaspar dos-1) and le large blank spaces under the ARENA and PES ags, to show our discontent with their lack of willingness to support spaces for youth par cipa on. In the forum, youth asked pointed ques ons to candidates, about their ideas to solve unemployment, gang violence, and inviability of tourism ini a ves in Joya Grande, a community declared uninhabitable that needs disaster preven on to protect residents rst. We pasted large poster board at the end of the event for comments and evalua on, where youth posted their favorite party pla orms and scolded the mayor for not a ending. See footage of the event on our Youtube Channel (h p://www.youtube.com/watch?

Elec on Observa on and Coverage (March 11)

Financed by CEIBA, this coverage cost only $40, including transporta on and food for VOZZ trained El Sauce youth journalists. Beth got registered for elec on observa on with the Lutheran Church, who trained her in dierent kinds of corrup on to watch out for, mainly in vote tallies, nulling votes that should be valid, and inducing the vote near the ballot box. She saw the elec ons to be fair, and validates the ARENA win over the FMLN of nearly 700 votes for the mayor of San ago Texacuangos. Each party had a guard at the ballot box, gh ng over whether or not the sharpie passed through the paper or the real inten on of the voter was to vote for any given party. In other parts of El Salvador, elec ons were not fair and peaceful, with voters illegally brought in from other parts of the country, and ballots found in the trashcan. Elec on riots canceled elec ons in 3 municipali es, to be held later. The youth from El Sauce learned how to manage the CEIBA facebook, Youtube, and Vozz website to interview voters on elec on day and upload instant informa on about how elec ons were going. Many San agueos living stateside were following our facebook feeds, anxious to see photos and hear elec on results. There was a countrywide shi to the right, as ARENA won back big municipali es of Mejicanos, Soyapango, Apopa, and Quezaltepeque, and gained majority in the House. The new right party, GANA, backed by former ARENA president Tony Saca, gained a whopping 11 representa ves, incredible for a new party. Presiden al elec ons take place in 2014, with eyes on current mayor of San Salvador Norman Quijano as the predicted winner.

Visit from Bill Sladek and Rich Perry (Jan 26-29) to Plan the Dallas Jesuit Boys Trip
Bill Sladek came to El Salvador with his family last July, and was so moved by the experience, the subject of his acceptance speech when we received the pres gious Alumni of the Year award from Dallas Jesuit was about his experience in El Salvador. He convinced American Airlines to waive baggage restraints and rallied the Dallas Jesuit community to donate nalgenes, school supplies, art supplies, toothbrushes, tooth paste, ashlights, and more, and delivered aid to communi es this January 2012. Bill also brought a friend, Rich Perry, campus minister of Dallas Jesuit, for a lightening tour of El Sauce, sacred sites in San Salvador, Shal pa, and the Casa Verde. A er being showered with love and hospitality for Nia Anita in Shal pa, the children of casa Verde, and the youth of El Sauce, Rich was inspired to put together a boys service immersion trip to El Salvador this summer. 10 young men from Dallas will be with us this June 23-30, learning about the country and its people, living with youth in El Sauce, and pu ng the nishing touches on the El Sauce Computer Center. Thanks to Bill, who was moved by his visit and made several dona ons to the Emergency Commi ee of Shal pa to buy tools, the farmers of Santa Maria to buy a new irriga on tank to expand produc on, and to CEIBA to organize the mayoral candidate debate on youth policy in San ago Texacuangos. We can`t wait to see you again in June!

Irriga on System In Santa Maria Installed and Hillsides are full of Organic Veggies!
In mid January 2012, CEIBA bought the piping, tanks, and other odds and ends to complete the gravity powered irriga on system. The farmers immediately laid down the 2 kilometers of tubing from the farm to the river, and within a week water was owing into the elds. The farmers have been able to grow beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, green pepper, corn, and more this dry season. The produce has been mostly consumed by their own families and sold within the local community, with plans to expand produc on and sell directly to the Casa Program. Quen n Orem, Community Coordinator for the Casa, has been working with the cooks and Casa Director Trena Yonker-Stalz to make the switch, with interest in sourcing organic milk, cheese, and yogurt from Joya Grande, as well as the development of a free range organic egg and chicken project. The project has been expanded since implementa on, with the dona on of a 2nd irriga on tank by Bill Sladek and a 3rd tank coming this week by fundraising eorts of Christopher Proctor. The commitment to organic agriculture is impressive here, but there have been challenges. For example, the rainy season, normally May to October, but this year has already begun in March, presents challenges. The rain encourages growth of pests and mold, and it is dicult to con nue growing organic vegetables without a green house. While farmers have been working with organic pes cides, such as a mixture of soap, milk, and type of leaf called nin to ward o pests successfully thus far, it will be a challenge when it rains. One par cular problem has been virosis/mosca blanca, the white y. Ul mately, we will be planning for and fundraising for a green house for the next rainy season, which costs at least a good 2K, but an investment well worth it. The hillsides are impressively decked out in veggies, providing a source of nutri on, energy, and life for the families dedicated to live sustainably with the land.

Prayers and Support for a Healthy Recovery of Volunteer Fredy Viera

March 2 2012 at 7pm CEIBA volunteer Fredy Viera was returning home from work with his wife when a bomb exploded on the bus they were riding. As the bus burst into ames, Fredy jumped from the moving vehicle with his wife in his arms. While his wife has recovered with an intensive jaw operaon, Fredy hit head rst, and was in a coma for a month, and has recently woken up. While his eyes are open and he is out of ICU and breathing on his own, he s ll cannot speak. Below I describe my experience accompanying Fredy`s family, and ways you can support. See the full version here at: h p://friendsofsantamaria.blogspot.com/2012/04/prayers-and -support-for-healthy.html I sat with Fredy in the ICU unit, brilliant, crea ve, musical Fredy, a 27 year old who volunteered with us for more than a year and half working with the Children`s Emergency Commi ees in Joya Grande. Fredy is magical with children, and makes his living teaching music, with a million musical icebreakers in his back pocket ready rein in any wild child to a en ve concentra on. Fredy, who would at mes hitchhike to Joya Grande in order to make it to our disaster drills and workshops, was purple all over and breathing with a machine. Another innocent vic m to the violence in El Salvador, to the gang turf wars and extorons that are killing the few Salvadorans with enough hope le to try and rebuild their country. Fredy was the income earner for his family, which includes two children ages 5 and 1.5, and his grandmother. If Fredy is not working, who will put food on the table? CEIBA decided to try and pay Fredy back a frac on of how much he supported out work, and hosted a CEIBAR fundraiser. I printed huge 8x10 photos of him and the children of Joya Grande, le ng the tears fall as I pasted them around my house. On March 23rd, a day before the annual vigil and 32nd anniversary of Romero`s assassina on, I asked the party goers to please light a candle and say a special prayer for Fredy`s return so that he make con nue to serve his people. In the days following the Romero Vigil, Fredy began to breathe on his own! I went to the hospital, giving the $300 we raised to Elizabeth, who was with their youngest child Andres. I showed Andres the 8x10 photos of his father helping children in shelters, and Andres raised his ny nger to the man he recognizedpapi?!? He tenta vely ques oned, as I nodded, swallowing hard, feeling anger well up inside me at the perpetrators of the crime that kept Fredy asleep. In my most recent visit with Fredy, his eyes were open, and he tracked the photos as I tried to jog his memory, telling him about the children in Joya Grande, asking him to get be er soon because I need him for the children exchange we have May 26th, and how much I missed his ideas. I told him I was leaving in July, and he blinked fast and hard, and began to move and foam at the mouth as if he wanted to respond. The neurological damage is unknown, and un l the feeding tubes can be pulled, and Fredy can speak, we won`t really know. The Viera family is trying to move Fredy to Cuba for neurological therapy, where he can receive treatment 7 hours a day, but for a he y price. In El Salvador, therapists can only visit brain damaged pa ents once every two weeks. I will con nue to visit Fredy and his family, Please pray for him and his family, and for the violence in El Salvador to end. If you want to make a dona on to support his family during this me, please send it via paypal (www.friendsofsantamaria.blogspot.com) and mark a note that it is for the Viera family.

Urban- Rural Youth Exchange with SSPAS

The Passionist Social Service (SSPAS) requested CEIBA to host a youth exchange in San ago Texacuangos to help teach youth in the SSPAS forma on school in urban, marginal areas of San Salvador of Mejicanos, Cuscatancingo, and Ayutuxtepeque. The youth in the SSPAS program were learning about the environment in this program, and wanted to take a Saturday to learn from other youth about living with disaster risk to think about developing projects for their own communi es. 30 youth from the SSPAS program visited Joya Grande the morning of January 21st and watched the youth group of Joya Grande explain photos of Hurricane Ida, and see the dierent mi ga on works the community has done (like lling the Borborllon Sinkhole), and how the youth group reacts in a disaster. We spent the a ernoon in El Sauce, where JUBDIS presented their experiences running a trauma therapy program in the shelter in their own community. A er the exchange, there was an El Sauce vs SSPAS soccer game, and of course, El Sauce won 6-1! This wonderful experience inspired has inspired us to do an children`s summit with SSPAS at the end of May (featured in this newsle er!) donate now to support children`s par cipatory educa on! Beth is moving on in July. As many of you may have heard through the grapevine or reading my facebook, I will be a ending the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies to get my Master`s of Environmental Science in Fall 2012. I will save my true words of goodbye for the next newsle er, but wanted to share with you all my good news and incredible opportunity. I am a fellow with the Na onal Science Founda on, and my project will examine the feasibility for environmental reconstruc on to mi gate disasters in El Salvador. A er doing disaster risk reduc on with CEIBA in such a degraded environment, I o en felt frustrated at my own lack of knowledge and lack of knowledge in El Salvador about long term environmental planning as an integral part of disaster management. El Salvador`s extreme vulnerability to disasters and the 2nd highest deforesta on rate in the western hemisphere is not a coincidence, but an important reason why the country is so prone to droughts, oods, and landslides. I want to learn about trees species that provide slope stability for landslide preven on, and mangrove forests for storm surge protec on. These services that trees provide are called ecosystem services in environmental lingo, providing the environmental service of hazard regula on. This service can be measured in dollars, which is what I a empt to achieve over the next two years; gain the geographical GIS skills to model policy op ons and economics of ecological reconstruc on in El Salvador. More simply, I want to make maps that show the government and NGOs how and where to reforest if they want to prevent or mi gate disasters. I hope to con nue working in San ago Texacuangos, but am interested in researching the Lempa River Basin whose ood prone communi es could benet from this research. I hope to return to El Salvador May-August 2013 to carry out this eld work and touch base with CEIBA. Jonathan Velasquez will con nue to support youth work in communi es, and facilitate the transi on of the new Salvadoran Directors Board, which we hope to elect pending approval of our non-prot legal status in the coming weeks.

Project Update: Ciber Cafe JUBDIS El Sauce, San ago Texacuangos, El Salvador
Building the Room (all materials) 7 Computers Electrical Wiring/Installa on Furnishings/AC/equipment/logis cs Manual Labor/Mason/ Construc on Subtotal 3670.4 2100 219 3200 1600 10789.4 Budget Proposal for Computer Center Objec ve: To build an ecient and sustainable computer center whose prots provide funding for youth projects, connects Salvadorans to the informa on age, and trains community members in skills that aid in educa on and employment.

Unforseen Costs (10% of total) maintenance, price changes etc.

1078.94

Total Cost

11868.34

The Computer Center is a small, susLights and Ceramic Tile Floor (El Sauce Community Board Associa-450 tainable, solidarity on ADESCO) based business built May Volunteer Dona on (Sapp and Gibson boys) -800 and run by youth in the community of El St. Thomas Aquinas Church Youth Group -600 Sauce. The space Total Donated 5500 will be built on comTotal Needed 6318.34 munity land, as an annex to the community hurricane shelter, kitchen, and bathrooms. The Center will house 6 computers, and be a modern space required to protect computers, including adequate ven la on and air condi oning and protec on from storm surges. Each computer will be equipped with headphones and a camera, an virus programs, Microso Oce, internet, and Skype for families to talk to their family members in the United States. The Center will nish construc on late June 2012, with nishing touches and inaugura on ceremony with Dallas Jesuit High school boys delega on (June 23-20 2012). This project and budget has been wri en in collabora on with NGO CEIBA, the ADESCO (Community Board Development Associa on of El Sauce), and JUBDIS, the youth group in the community who has been dreaming of this project for nearly two years. The updated budget created with the community is an increase of 4K from the projected January budget of 7.5K, and includes a more complete training program and installa on. While we have fundraised (see table below) for nearly half the budget and Bill Sladek is fundraising in Dallas to try and make up the dierence, if you are excited about this project donate today to make the Computer Center a reality.

DONATIONS 7 Computers (Bill Sladek) Manual Labor/Mason/Construc on (El Sauce Community)

-2100 -1600

Financial Report January-April 2012

Item Support to Viera Family (Ceiba dona on apart from CEIBAR event revenue) Gas Car maintenance Santa Maria Irriga on System Communica ons Rich Perry/Bill Sladek Visit Volunteer Costs Paper and Prin ng Other Total spent Cash available Cost

100 625 498.98 967 50 285 40 44 149 2758.98 3019

Financial Report for CEIBA mayoral elec on debate Youth the Key to our future.
t-shirts prin ng copies Lunch for volunteers Drumline entertainment Chair transporta on Canopy transporta on Water for event Transporta on for journalists Transporta on for speakers Youth Law Workshops Facilitator Fee Sound System Rental Event transporta on la cuchilla Promo onal banner communica ons Workshop snack el sauce Worshop snack santa Mara Workshop snack joya grande Worshop snack la cuchilla Flowers for Event Table Event transporta on santa Mara Event transporta on joya grande Gas TOTAL 325 32.69 3.80 20 60 30 15 10.50 10 20 120 90 15 40 83 20 30 17 30 3 20 20 385 1358.99

Melissa Litton Angela Sukurs Stephanie Claphan Bonnie Schaller Bonnie Hand Alexander Smith Hannah Harp

Angulo Family cathy oliveri Justice Clark I n honor of Isaiah Clark Shealah Easterday Laurie Redelman Catholic Relief Services SACDEL

Notre Dame University SOA Group Toby Capion Froehle Family Share Foundation Mrs. Laura Halls Sixth Grade Homeroom and K-8 Students of St. Peters Catholic School in Kansas City, Missouri Catherine Ford

Chris and Dale Collins Bill Easterday Family Jim Forest Lisa Enright Jenna Knapp Emory Lynch Katy Erker Francesca McKenzie

Jim Lochhead The Tellman Family Michael Tellman Matt Tellman Carol Crenshaw Stafford and Clara Pile Tessa Brown

Mary Lynch

Voices on the Border

Xavier College Preparatory School, California Janine Sheppard Cathy Plump The Caponi Family The Knapp Family The Ravizza Family Margaret Waters Myles Minton Ashton Easterday

Ruben Perez Rodriguez ariel wong Colette Hellencamp Lester Aleman Jack Nicewander Lloyd McGlincy Beth Lunik Megan Doss Sally Chamness The Futbol Project Cindy Pineda Kyle Ozawa Sladek Family Anmu Tsipical Brebeuf Mothers Association Fred Sanchez Diane McNeely Tim Muth Nate Funkhouser and Family Janine Sheppard Felipe Witcher abby reed crs sawyer greenberg diane white tom counsell CEIBA indy trip notre dame delegation connie tellman janine sheppard Counsell Family Leah Winnikie Patients of Dr. William Tellman Linda and Clarence Hirsch Valerie Gies Seton Institute CARECEN SF Hariharan Dhandapani Leslie Gray The Coffee Emporium at Xavier University, Cinncinati Ruthelen Burns marisha Wickremsinhe Brebeuf Immersion Group Robyn Caponi jefferey greenberg Catherine Melfi john hawn Tom Laughner Marta Langland

Tay House Christian ComLauren Rossi munity New Orleans Sam Baker Sadie Beauregard Adrian Sandstrom Frances Loberg Ashton Easterday Cheryl Dieterly Mr. and Mrs. King Beth Tellman Olga Kudinova Nana and Papa Tellman Castleton Family Dentistry Kennedy Family Amy Fisher Paul Knapp Carrie Clark Michelle Bezanson Erin Schlitts Thomas Counsell The Jesuits of the University of Central America various anonymous families... The Sullivan Family Joeseph Heithaus JL Kato

Jill Weaver in the Honor of Denise Kolenz Kristin Froehle The Altemeyer Family Bridget Kosene Brebeuf Jesuit Teachers Anonymous French WomThe Angulo Family an Alexis Mielke Katherine Gerlich Richard Belcher Victoria Shelton Kimberly Coppin Brian Belcher The Belcher Family Emma Cordes Katie Power Dave Graf/ Power of Touch N. Karen Deming Patrick Schweiger Grace Nixon Mary Lynch Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory Bob and Karen Dietrick School Grace Nixon the Sapp Family the Brumleve Family Linda Hegeman Allie Dunne Pat Flajole Wynn McShane Carol Counsell Emily Pollom the Pollom Family Inner Peace Yoga Students

Billy Sladek kimmanleyort.com bradley coffman Bud Frutkin Jennifer Moyano Christopher Wahoff Jaclyn Dittrich Leslie Garrison Brain Bird Amanda Skinner Christopher Proctor Parvaneh Angus Kira Harvey