Time to get to work

Hi all –

It's been a while since I last put up a post. I don't particularly have an excuse other than it seems only natural that the more “transitioned” I feel in my new life in El Salvador, the less often I'll feel compelled to take to my blog to babble about how shocking my new surroundings are; things I found noteworthy four months ago have become commonplace. That being said, I intend to average two posts a month for the duration of my service, so this last month has been an aberration as far as the frequency of my posting goes.

On Saturday I returned from my site after concluding Pre-Service Training 2 (PST-2), three weeks of additional training back in Nuevo Cuscatlan, where I spent my initial ten-week training period. It was nice to reunite with my old host family—the Garcias—there, as well as the other volunteers in my training group. Despite the diversity of our sites in terms of the degree of community organization, proximity to services and employment, and level of human development, we're all weathering similar challenges of integration and inter-cultural navigation. During PST-2 I also had the opportunity to spend Thanksgiving at the home of a nice American embassy family.

The training we received in PST-2 was much more project-oriented than the initial round, and having received it, I feel much more targeted toward concrete goals in addition to the more abstract notions of gaining confianza and achieving integration in my community. My top two priorities for at least the next six months will be forming a women's association in Toreras and improving the ADESCO (Asocación de Desarrollo Comunal).

The women in Toreras seldom leave their homes and participate minimally in the ADESCO (Toreras' only organization) and other activities promoting development in the community. Many if not most rural communities in El Salvador have some form of women's group, many of which function as income-generating cooperatives that make and sell crafts or food items. Others serve more as community councils that take on community problems, organize social events, and solicit trainings and other forms of support from NGOs and government. Not only are these groups able to realize concrete accomplishments, but they contribute to an overall sense of empowerment among the women who participate (and probably even those who don't), challenging the machista attitude that relegates women to domestic duties and discourages them from participating actively in community decision-making. If Toreras is to confront its most pressing development challenges—employment opportunities, education levels, sanitation and potable water, a decent road—it's going to need female leadership.

Assuming I'm able to successfully assemble a women's association, I'm somewhat impartial as to the form the group ultimately takes. To me, the most important thing is to provide a space for women to learn leadership skills and to express their desires for and concerns regarding the community, thereby building much-lacking self-esteem and showing their daughters (and sons, for that matter) that women serve important functions outside the home. Such a group could spur a culture of female leadership in heavily male-dominated Toreras, which would benefit the community indefinitely and immeasurably. Forming the group will be a slow process—and for at least the first few months, I will very much be running the show—but hopefully by the time my two years are up I'll have put together an organization with the necessary structure, systems, and skills to sustain itself without the support of a PCV. I'm anticipating plenty of challenges, but I've been heartened by some encouraging conversations I've had in the last few days with women and men alike.

As for the ADESCO, it is lacking in pretty much every attribute a representative organization should possess. The executive board's communication with its constituency (the community) is minimal, it lacks strategic thinking and leadership, its officers don't know nor follow its by-laws, and enthusiasm for its purported mission is low. Crisanto, my host father and the ADESCO president, badly wants greater community buy-in and participation, yet seems at a loss for ways to encourage them. There's a lot of work to be done to return the ADESCO to an energetic and well-regarded community organization (I learned from Chris, the first PCV to serve here, that the ADESCO has clearly seen better days), but given the overall good nature of its members, I think I should be able to give it a shot in the arm while engendering habits that will help ensure its proper functioning beyond the term of my service.

Ending on a light note, I gave my host mom here a jar of strawberry jam as a gift upon my return from PST-2. Two day later, she approached me with the empty jar and gleefully told me how much she enjoyed the mermelada. Surprised by how quickly the jam disappeared, I asked her what she ate it with. Bread?...Tortilla? She shot me a puzzled look. I'm assuming she at least used a spoon...