We arrived in Arcatao on Thursday afternoon, sweaty from our two-hour journey down the stunning highways accompanied by huge delivery trucks and flatbeds filled with cattle. We ate lunch together before being driven to our host families. Here are some of the comments from our fellow volunteers about their first impressions and experiences with their host families:
“My family consists of four guys - one of the national volunteers, his brother, dad and nephew. The family are lovely and have made us feel very welcome (despite my poor Spanish skills!).” - Jack Appleby
Throughout the 1980s, El Salvador was involved in a severe and violent conflict, with protests, kidnappings, assaults, seizures of churches, and death squads, that sent the country into turmoil with repercussions across multiple institutions within society. The education sector was one of those that was hit hard. This era saw a lot of authoritative attention shift from public sectors towards the support and funding of military forces.
When I finished Spanish A’Level last year, I would never have imagined that just eight months later I would be acting as a translator, teacher and languages specialist in a rural village in El Salvador, Central America. Yet, somehow, here I am!
This surreal turn of events all began one evening in August, when I had felt particularly productive and decided to Google opportunities for young people in international development. Armed with free time, internet and a cup of coffee, I stumbled upon ICS and the rest is history.
This Sunday, 19 June, is the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict. Across the world, the issue of violence against women is prevalent in a lot of countries, and women are constantly fighting for their rights to equality. Due to a history of conflict in El Salvador, violence against women unfortunately regularly goes alongside gang crime and the prominence of a male dominated society.
I was a volunteer in the Oct-Dec 2015 cycle in the community of Santa Catarina Masahuat, El Salvador. We were the first cycle on a varied project which involved supporting a youth civic rights group and the construction of a children´s playground and seating area using sustainable eco-building techniques. There was, quite literally, never a quiet moment.
The vast difference in climate between El Salvador and the UK makes it an interesting place to be on World Environment Day. We are here in rainy season, which means downpours of torrential rain have become a regular occurrence. Thankfully they only last a few hours in the afternoon, so we have the rest of the day to top up our tans in the beautiful Salvadorian sun. Seeing lighting storms at night and listening to the heavy rain crash down on our tin roofs as we drift off to sleep is all part of this unique experience.
The world seems to be waking up to the issue of climate change and just how precarious the situation of the environment is. The condition of the environment hangs in the balance and it is the choices that we make that can make such a huge difference. Days like World Environment Day (WED) help bring these issues to the consciousness of people all around the world.
“Music is something that helps you and pulls you out of all types of problems” – Ñoto, Bajo Lempa
Cuando escuchaba hablar de bio-construcción me imaginaba que solo era hacer o construir un edificio, bio-parque o un edificio “X”. Pero no pensaba que íbamos a utilizar mecanismos para no contaminar el medio ambiente, como usar cal en vez de cemento y usar menos madera posible para prevenir la deforestación. Como usar botellas plásticas para hacer bio- ladrillos, cuando usamos botellas (cuchumbos) también reciclamos y ayudamos al medio ambiente.
So here I am, sitting in my door less bedroom, just had my first bucket/pila shower, and a long evening of meeting and greeting my host family. In the last week, I have met a fantastic group of national volunteers who don’t speak a word of English (leading to much awkwardness), literally pushed out of my comfort zone by flying to the other side of the world. I am soon to start work on a theatre production and bio-construction. I almost keep forgetting I’m on anti-anxiety medication.
