Citizens in the San Francisco Bay area of California founded the South Bay Sanctuary Covenant (SBSC) in 1983 to help refugees fleeing violence and oppression in Central America. SBSC is a faith-based, non-partisan organization of churches and individuals that accompanies the people of El Salvador who seek greater civic participation, equality and better living conditions.

SBSC has a partner community relationship with Comunidad Octavio Ortiz (COO). which is also known as La Canoa. Every year, members of SBSC organize a delegation to El Salvador and their partner community COO to learn about current human rights and development issues, and consult with their counterparts on projects and priorities. SBSC holds annual fundraisers to support several projects in COO and United Communities which address more regional development issues. Support includes micro loans for women’s committees, purchase of emergency responder equipment, infrastructure projects such as road repair, salary for an ASPS health promoter, and many other projects and initiatives.

For more information on the SBSC – COO community partnership, contact Arlene Schaupp at schaupp@aol.com, or Thomas R. Hughes at voices@votb.org or (202) 529-2912