Help Children in El Salvador Eat Lunch!

In September, I attended a Child Trafficking seminar at school, which was extremely informative, especially in that it was a reminder that children are trafficking for work, not just sex (if you have questions, I am by no means an expert, but I can pass on to you some of the links shared by the presenters). At this workshop, Dr. James Garbarino mentioned his efforts to provide lunch to children at a school in El Salvador. I realized that while I could donate, I would like to also encourage others to consider donating, or at least to raise awareness. I have debated for some time about posting this story and request for donations on The Kindness Project, because I did not want to "taint" the website by asking for donations as there are many worthwhile causes and I do not want to instill guilt in anyone. However, I have decided to include a letter from Garbarino on here, because I think it is an example of how, with care, one person can give and can start a domino effect of giving. Information for donation giving is included if you are interested, but do not feel obligated or pressured. You may also want to ask yourself, have you met anyone in your life who has forgiven or given in such a way? (even if in smaller ways) or, what might you be able to do to provide for or empower yourself or others?

*peace*

Help Children in El Salvador Eat Lunch!

A Project to Adopt a School in El Salvador

Professor James Garbarino

Center for the Human Rights of Children,

Loyola University Chicago
El Salvador is the smallest country in Central America, and has a population of about six million. It has long been the site of severe human rights violations linked to oppression by economic elites against the poor and against indigenous people (30,000 of whom were exterminated in the 1930s, and whose cultural identity has been almost completely eliminated). From 1980 until 1990, following the government-sponsored assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero, the country was ravaged by a civil war that resulted in the death of more than 70,000 people, and ended only with the signing of Peace Accords in 1992.

On May 17, 2010, I arrived in El Salvador as faculty advisor for a group of Loyola University undergraduate students, to begin a nine-day Immersion Program organized for the University by International Partners in Mission (IPM). The terrible violence and trauma of life in El Salvador during the political oppression and civil war of the 1970s and 1980s, and the subsequent gang violence that came to plague the country were very much on our minds those nine days we spent traveling around the country. Our trip came to focus on the town of Zaragoza. With a population of about 12,000, the town is located about 15 miles southeast of El Salvador’s capitol city, San Salvador.

In response to this visit, I have begun a project with its initial focus the Lidia Coggiola School—in the El Zaite area of Zaragoza, a community that is poor, plagued by gangs, and has no running water. The Lidia Coggiola School includes both a nursery and kindergarten, and a pre- and after-school “Reinforcement” program for older children and adolescents, and is a beacon of hope for the next generation in this community.

A group of Loyola University students and I am seeking help to “adopt” the Lidia Coggiola school as a way to promote the human rights of the children of Zaragoza. The initial goal of this effort will be to raise funds to allow the school to have a school lunch program at a cost of $14,000 for a year of feeding 50 children (including snacks and a series of nutrition workshops for mothers).

The school has a program to promote literacy among the children—and their parents (some 60% of whom are illiterate), however, they have no library resources for children or parents. Based upon my visit with the children I committed to make a personal donation of funds to create a small library for the children in the school, a library that can support their literacy program. This effort was completed in October 2010, when I returned to the school to present a workshop on child development and trauma, and present the children with puppets donated by the students in Chicago.

To donate to this effort to feed the children at the school, make your check payable to International Partners in Mission (our local colleagues in this effort). You will receive a receipt from IPM for tax purposes. You can send your donation to me at:Psychology, Coffey Hall #119, Loyola University Chicago,1032 N. Sheridan Rd.Chicago IL 60660. Donations can be made electronically by going to www.ipmconnect.org, clicking on the red “Donate” button and designating the contribution to “other” then specifying “Solidarity in Education.”

You can contact me at jgarbar@luc.edu .