Ciudad Romero

Ciudad Romero was settled by Salvadoran refugees on March 24, 1990 (the 10th anniversary of the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero). The refugees left their village in the department of La Union in the early 1980s to escape fighting between the FMLN and government forces. They first went to Honduras, but the UN, and Salvadoran and Panamanian governments relocated them to a remote jungle of Panama. After ten difficult and isolated years, the refugees finally negotiated their return and resettled in the Lower Lempa.

Ciudad Romero is located approximately 8 km south of the Litoral Highway and 1.5 km off of the main road through the Lower Lempa. Having experienced difficulties with cooperative-style farming while in Panama, the residents opted for individual production.

Approximately 200 families live in Ciudad Romero. They are served by one school that offers grades K-8, a Child Development Center, a restaurant run by the women’s committee, a chapel and pastoral center, and a youth center. With the help fo the Salvadoran Red Cross, residents recently finished a new Casa Comunal that will also serve as an emergency shelter. Local organizations include a parents association, a youth group, a women’s committee, a Catholic pastoral team, and an ALGES chapter for the war-wounded.

Ciudad Romero has a formal sister city relationship with St. Paul MN. Over the years, the St. Paul community has provided Ciudad Romero with significant assistance in their development. In the early 1990s, as the community sought to repatriate, the St. Paul provided enough political cover to protect the refugees as they established their community. In addition, the St. Paul community and Voices provides important material aid and has led a number of delegations to Ciudad Romero, which allow partners from both communities to exchange ideas and discuss future collaborations.

For more information on Ciudad Romero, contact Rebecca Cramer at biego001@umn.edu, or Thomas R. Hughes at voices@votb.org or (202) 529-2912.