The Romero Memorial Tree Project

When you plant a tree you sow life, just like Monsignor Romero did. Oscar Romero, the humble son of a carpenter, became Archbishop of El Salvador in 1977. Just three years after beginning his passionate ministry on behalf of justice, peace, and dignified life, he was martyred. To celebrate his memory, we are planting at least 50,000 trees among the communities he loved so dearly.

Plant a tree in Romero’s memory

On March 24, 2005, we celebrate the 25th anniversary of Romero’s martyrdom. He was Archbishop of El Salvador from March 1977 until March 1980, when an assassin took his life, setting off a full-scale civil war that lasted 12 years, destroying the country and taking 80,000 lives. For the Salvadoran people, and for people around the world who work for justice, peace, and human rights, this is a symbolic date; it invites us to revisit our commitments and to contribute to a world where life, in all its forms, is our first priority.

Not all forms of murder are as swift as an assassin’s bullet. Pollution, for example, destroys the natural resources that nature needs to stay healthy. Trees are an important part of the web of life. They protect natural springs; they clean the air, turning carbon dioxide into oxygen. Without trees, we do not have clean water or air, two of the essential elements of all life.

Today, El Salvador has only 2% of the forest it had fifty years ago. The race to cut down our trees has been brutal. Vital ecosystems are at the point of collapse or disappearing entirely. In the Bajo Lempa region, we have two special endangered areas that, with special attention, can still recover and provide a home to marine and animal life: the Bay of Jiquilisco and Nancuchiname Forest.

The Monsignor Romero Foundation, based in San Salvador, has proposed a priority project for 2005, the 25th Anniversary of Romero’s Martyrdom. They seek to sow one million trees throughout the country. The Foundation for Self-Sufficiency and the Coordinadora aim to do their part to make this project a success, planting at least 50,000 trees in the Bajo Lempa.

The trees will all be native species. Sites will include schools (where fruit trees can help feed children), mangrove swamps, roadsides, parks, and any other place where they can contribute to the people and biodiversity of El Salvador for years to come. Each tree will have a tag identifying the donor, the tree’s scientific and common name, and memorializing Romero.

Throughout 2005, we plan to host hundreds of delegates from the US and Canada who will help plant trees donated by their friends and families. For those who can’t travel to plant the trees they donate, local community volunteers will lend a hand.
A donation of $10 will plant a tree in your name, in honor of Romero. To help support this important project, please click here .

SPECIAL THANKS

The solidarity of many generous individuals and organizations is making this work for peace and self-sufficiency possible. Outstanding donor organizations during the last few months include:

We are also thankful for gifts made in honor of:

Rabbi Roly Matalon, Maile Ray, Ali & Jen Horowitz’s graduation, Gail & Phil Grossman, Erich Graham, and Jordan Vaughn & David Smith’s wedding

And in memory of:

Ken Hale, Rabbi Gershon Schwartz, Tommie Rhoades, and Irene O’Brien

Dedication and Dreams by Tanzim Ludhi

Everyday before Marta, a 13-year-old girl, can play with her friends, she has to feed the chickens, prepare corn for the tortillas, make the tortillas, sweep the floors, wash the family’s clothes, and attend school. Kelvin, a 15-year-old boy in the community, enjoys hanging out with his friends too. But first, he has to work in the cornfields, walk the family’s cows, sell items from his family’s “tienda” (a small store) and also attend school. One might think that Marta and Kelvin must be overwhelmed. But they never complain about their chores or wonder why there are so many. Their lives represent those of typical teenagers in San Hilario.

San Hilario is a rural community in southern El Salvador. I spent ten weeks there this summer working with a group of these teenagers, helping them understand certain health-related topics, such as contraception, mental health, alcohol and drugs, nutrition, and sexually transmitted diseases. I also helped with the usual youth group activities and encouraged their creative ideas. They accepted me into their community with open arms, treating me like a big sister. Two days after arriving, some of them took me to their soccer tournament; they spent as much time trying to teach me how to soccer as they did actually playing. They barely knew me, but they made sure that I was comfortable and having fun.

Tanzim (top center) at her going away part with her students and fellow volunteer Gary Weissman.

When the health and English classes began, I learned that not only were the kids interested, they were enthusiastic and wanted to meet for three hours each day, seven days a week! We split into an older kids group and a younger kids group, for an hour each weekday. One day we learned English and the next day we discussed health. Since the classes were taught in my host family’s house, some students sat on beds, others on wooden trunks, and some simply preferred the ground. Even with the many chores they had to do, they always came to class. Some came straight after school, still wearing their uniforms and carrying their backpacks, and some came with dinner in their hands. But they were all dedicated and eager to learn.

The older group already knew about some health-related topics through informal learning (since these topics were only taught on a very limited basis at the school in San Hilario), and were grateful that I could further their knowledge in this area and dispel a few myths on subjects such as contraception and STDs. During our mental health discussions, we talked about dealing with stressful situations and how to communicate with family members and friends when feeling down. One of the boys in the group told us that his younger sister had died as a child and how that had changed his mother’s attitude towards him and his older brother. We had a very serious discussion that day, and all the students handled it very maturely.

I hung out with them basically all day, not just during class. I became a part of their group, shared in their secrets, and played their games. However, I noticed differences between my childhood and theirs. Most of them won’t go past the ninth grade, because that means spending a lot of money to travel to the nearest high school.

They have dreams despite their financial hardships. Heidi wants to be a journalist and would sometimes go into “reporting” mode during our conversations. Emely wants to be a teacher and has maintained straight As throughout her schooling. The motivation and intelligence are definitely there. The opportunities are getting better, although much remains to be done. San Hilario’s school is expanding. La Coordinadora just opened a cybercafe and plans to train youths how to use a computer.

I will always remember and miss many things about San Hilario. Most of all, I have never before met a group of people so caring, accepting, resourceful, and inherently good. I came as a volunteer. I left as a sister, a daughter, a friend, a mentor, and a firm believer that someday the kids in San Hilario, like Emely and Heidi, will have the opportunity to fulfill their dreams.

Tanzim Ludhi, a Senior at Yale, hopes to attend medical school after graduation.

Romero 25th Anniversary Tour

In 2005, we commemorate the 25th Anniversary of Oscar Romero's Martyrdom. Please join this tour, March 28-April 3, to mark this special occasion and see how Romero continues to live in the hearts of the Salvadoran people.

Activities Include:

• Participation in the national commemoration events in San Salvador
• A stay in Ciudad Romero, a Christian Base Community that fled El Salvador during the civil war and was then reborn in Romero's honor
• Visits to local self-sufficiency work projects: shrimp farms, agricultural cooperatives, and innovative organic farms
• Tree planting in honor of Romero
• First hand stories of the civil war including the role of Archbishop Romero, the Jesuits, and the Maryknoll sisters

Costs: $800 per person (this does not include airfare)

Deadlines: Space may be limited. Please contact us as soon as possible to reserve a space.

Flights: Be sure to reserve your flight now. Prices are still reasonable; because hundreds of people from around the world will be traveling to El Salvador for this special anniversary, tickets could be very expensive by December.

For more information: click here

To sign up: contact Sean Hale

512-388-7957

Mangrove Cybercafe: Open for Business

On Monday, August 23rd, 2004, the Coordinadora's Mangrove Cybercafe opened for business in San Nicolas, El Salvador. Located along a busy highway on the edge of the Local Zone of Peace, customers are already starting to pour in. This special project promises not only to provide needed skills, opportunities, communications, and information access to dozens of rural communities, but it will also generate revenue to help support other important projects like sustainable agriculture.

Now, community members like Walter, Diana, Nelson, and Freddy (to the left) will be able to learn computer skills necessary for going to college, send email to family in the US, and access digital libraries. Teens and young adults from the communities are being trained on how to run the Cybercafe, make repairs, set up the network, and take care of the business too. The Coordinadora hopes to make a profit in less than a year.

Organized and set up with the help of volunteer Gary Weissman, they have 7 operating computers and a capacity for 15. The Cybercafe seeks additional donations of working Pentium III computers.

To donate a computer or anything else to this project, please contact us.

Foundation for Self-Sufficiency in Central America Newsletter, Fall 2004

The Foundation for Self-Sufficiency in Central America is a US non-profit organization (501c3) dedicated to supporting the movement for Peace and Justice in El Salvador and the rest of Central America.