If you are in a shopping mall in San Salvador, you could feel like you are anywhere in the world. It is very modern and all the big brand names are here.
Just travel some kilometres to the edge of the city and you will find something very different. Communities situated on a high slope in San Marcos are neglected by the municipality. They have no running water and the conditions in which they live are as difficult as any that we have seen. It is here that Kenoli’s partner, CESTA, was the first organization to offer support.
Lucila told us that before she was struggling on her own to survive. Now with CESTA’s help, she has a bio-diverse garden on her hillside with a little bit of everything, including vegetables, fruit, medicinal herbs, and flowers. She has learned how to make organic compost to fertilize her plants.
From CESTA she received a water tank to store water and she learned how to catch rainwater off her roof and how to use it for her garden during the dry season. Now she can grow vegetables throughout the whole year to feed her family.
Lucila is also raising healthy looking chickens that give her family eggs and meat.
One of the most important ways that her life has changed is that she is no longer alone. She and other women are working together and learning together. They are working for change by advocating for improved water access. They are improving their lives together. They are truly part of a community.
Women cooking together.
We came away in great awe and admiration for these humble women who live in very difficult conditions and who have achieved so much and will continue to achieve even more!
Vera Radyo & Ken Phillips