To begin with, its very important to note the effort that everyone has put forth. Coordinating Commission, the Work Commissions, the Local Groups, the Administrative Teams, and the Food Production and Housing Technicians have worked hard to systemize and deepen our work and the level of discussion and participation. We are no longer the organization that we were before Hurricane Mitch when, in the middle of desolation and hopelessness, recognizing our lack of experience and administrative and technical capacities, we decided to begin working for development and to build our future.

Certainly, we still have a lot of ground to cover. But, the results that we have achieved show us that we have taken the correct road and that we have a promising future.

In 1998, in the middle of the hurricane's commotion, we made three decisions. We proposed three concrete goals to ourselves that we would achieve.

The first of these was to achieve our own development through our own institution. For that reason, in February of last year, the Mangrove Association (Asociación Local Mangle) was founded: by and for the service of our communities. With real pride, I can tell you that the founders of our association are made up exclusively of people from our communities. In one year, it has administered more than 4,000,000 colones ($460,000). Thus far, our donors have only congratulated us and increased their support.

However, I have to say, with all fairness, that this help would not be possible without women and men with a strong spirit of solidarity and trust in our abilities. When I say "our," I mean the people's abilities, because all of us are no more than a people. If they did not have that spirit, the compañeras and compañeros of ACSUR las Segovias, the Foundation for Self-Sufficiency in Central America (including the American Jewish World Service, the Shefa Fund, the Overbrook Foundation, Comunitas Charitable Trust, the U.S. Institute of Peace, the Jewish Coalition for Hurricane Mitch Relief, the Findhorn Foundation, individuals and families), and Oxfam Quebec would not have helped us. Many people and institutions tried to diminish their enthusiasm. We all know who told them those things, and how important their words are now.

Here, before all of you who accompany us, I want to ratify our commitment to not betray that trust. We will fulfill our mission to struggle for our communities and will never abandon our grassroots character.

The second objective that we put forth was the most complicated. We proposed to win the local governments of Jiquilisco and Puerto el Triunfo. This required us to be a wide and organized force, decisively facing the vices within the previous local government. 

We've now seen our capacity to organize people in the marches that we took to San Salvador. 

We had a complete victory. In Jiquilisco, we won twice as many votes as the second place candidate. In Puerto el Triunfo, the difference was more than 200 votes. We did all of this without false promises, without money, without corruption.

In order to energize this truly historic process, it was necessary to count on a more flexible organization, capable of constantly increasing participation and organization. For that reason we began, in June 1999, the organization of the Local Groups. They received the responsibility for mobilizing local decision and action. In the Local Groups they elected, in the case of Jiquilisco, the majority of the members who make up the municipal government as well as our present mayors.

We defined our third goal as follows: to transform humanitarian aid and projects that we receive into development projects. That is, we sough to prove that we can truly change the conditions of poverty that our communities face into an alternative development model. Allow me to list our achievements in each area of work:

In the Production and Environment Program:

We have established 72 new acres of diversified crops under irrigation this year alone. Added to the 242 acres established last year, we have surpassed our goal of 300 acres. To these we can add 160 acres of diversified crops without irrigation during the past year. More than 1000 producers participated in this effort through collective demonstration projects. This created a base of producers who are helping to drive the Production Program. Upon this base, this year the Sustainable Agriculture School began, attended by 30 Food Production leaders. Each of them has the goal of passing their knowledge along to five new producers in their communities. The use of irrigation systems had continued developing and increasing in efficiency. We see proof of this in the Mini-irrigation Districts established in Los Ensayos. There you will find 34 acres using just one irrigation system, reducing the investment by more than 50% per acre. In order to boost our work, the Coordinadora established a nursery that just this year has produced more than 180,000 plants which are now being distributed.

In the area of traditional agricultural production, we have provided help largely during the winter. This had the aim of guaranteeing the food security of communities which had benefited least from other food production projects. In the 1998-1999 season, we helped 380 producers work 2-acre plots. In the 1999-2000 season, we helped 300 producers on 2-acre plots and twenty on 1-acre plots.

In the area of the home economy, 120 gardens have been established. 1,000 homes have received chickens. These efforts have sought to improve the deteriorated conditions of families affected by Hurricane Mitch.

We've also aided in rebuilding shrimp and fish production in the Zone of Peace, helping in reconstructing the infrastructure of seven shrimp cooperatives in Salinas del Potrero. We've also assisted with organization, technical and administration skills, and fishing equipment for the El Robaldo Cooperative on Joval Island.

Finally, in Production, the Coordinadora during the last few months has worked on the strategic objective of its own credit system. During the last year we have financed 220 producers with credits between 1,000 and 1,200 colones ($115-$140) for basic crops; 30 credits of 3,000 colones ($345) for small livestock; 12 credits of 6,000 colones ($690) for irrigated production; 8 credits between 15,000 and 20,000 colones ($1,750-$2,300) for shrimp and fish production; and 1 credit of 30,000 colones ($3,500) for a Cooperative working on diversified food production.

In the environmental area, we have gotten an aerial photo in order to produce a cartographic map of the Nancuchiname Park area. With this, we will formulate a management plan for the area through the participation of communities.

We have begun the development of an irrigation project along the fringes of Nancuchiname Forest, in order to ensure a green barrier against the spread of fires.

The compañeros of Salinas del Potrero have organized a Committee for the Environmental Defense of the Mangrove Swamp.

In the Disaster Prevention Program:

• Following Hurricane Mitch, we evaluated and reformulated the Local Emergency Plan for the Bajo Lempa. This had the participation and approval of the government acting through the National Emergency Committee (COEN).
  
  
• We established and improved the Local Early Alert System.
  
  
• We developed and are presently constructing two disaster relief shelters. One is in Amando López, which is being built in cooperation with the mayor's office.
  
  
• We presently have 60 youths as members of the Emergency Brigades.
  
  
• In the area of disaster mitigation, the diversified agricultural plots play an important role in reducing crop losses during disasters.
  
  
• We are presently building 90 elevated homes with the principal purpose of reducing vulnerability to flooding.
  
  
• We have acquired 12 acres of land that we expect to use for homes to benefit 120 families.

In the Organization Program:

• As I mentioned earlier, we have established 8 Local Groups.
  
  
• The women of the communities of the Bay of Jiquilisco, California, Ciudad Romero, Amando López, and Presidio Liberado have organized their committees and are presently generating help for themselves.

In the Culture of Peace Program:

• In March, we had the first Judeo-Christian Ecumenical Peace Conference.In it participated 5 rabbis from New York, 24 Jewish students, and representatives of Christian organizations in our country:alumni from the San José de la Montaña Seminary, the Episcopal Church, and the Lutheran Church.Also, there were four justices of the peace from our region, and members of the local police force.
  
  
• This year we have held three workshops on Conflict Mediation with the invaluable help of Dick Salem and his team.
  
  
• We have also had Local Zone of Peace workshops.

   

  Translated by Sean P. Hale