Voices engages in many other activities. Since 1987, we have supported and funded small projects and activities when our local partners could find no other source. In marginalized communities like those in the Lower Lempa and Morazán, the smaller, low cost projects are often the most important. We believe that it is possible to do a lot with a little.
Over the years we have funded:
Parties and Gatherings
Throughout our Salvadoran partner communities we have funded end of the year parties, corn festivals, Christmas celebrations, anniversaries and remembrances, and many other gatherings. These are generally very low cost but important for building and maintaining a sense of community and unity.
8-Ton Flatbed Truck
With the assistance and support of the Presbyterian Church in Palo Alto California (get the exact name) and the South Bay Sanctuary Covenant we were able to purchase an 8-ton flatbed truck for the community of La Canoa. The community uses the truck to transport local farmers' crops to market, transport citizens to and from events, and emergency rescue in case of floods or other natural disasters. The community funds the maintenance of the truck by leasing it out for private use.
ALGES Office and Store
With the support of St. Peter's Catholic Church in Charlotte, NC - a Voices U.S. partner community - we provided the War-Wounded Association of El Salvador (ALGES in Spanish) with the support necessary to build a meeting hall and adjacent store/dinner which they rent out to help fund their activities.
Land Rights Defense
Besides a strong workforce, El Salvador's greatest resource is land. Since colonization, the wealthy and powerful have fought to maintain control all of the arable land. Following the land reforms in the 1980s and provisions of the peace accords, ex-combatants resettled in the Lower Lempa where the government had made land available to them. In the fall of 2004 the government passed a new Natural Protection Law that threatened to take away land titles from those that had resettled in the Lower Lempa during the early 1990s. While communities in the Lower Lempa are in favor of environmental protection, they are unwilling to give up their land to make way for tourist resorts and developments for the rich. United Communities, Voices, and other organizations are working together to prevent the government and private development interests from taking land away from local farmers. We continue to fund advocacy initiatives and legal fees to protect the rights of all citizens of the Lower Lempa to stay on their land. While doing so, we also encourage the sustainable use of all land by promoting alternative agricultural practices and economic activities.
Child Development Center
The South Bay Sanctuary Covenant in Palo Alto continues to support the Child Development Center in La Canoa (Comunidad Octavio Ortiz) and their mission of serving the youngest children in the community. Support includes providing school supplies, teaching materials, and even funds for a new driveway to the school, which serves as an emergency shelter during natural disasters.
Music School
A high school in our U.S. partner community Charlotte, NC provided much needed funds to repair the roof on the music school in Comunidad Segundo Montes and to paint a beautiful, inspiring mural on the front of the building. The school provides youth in the community an opportunity to develop their interests in music, and serves as a practice studio for Grupo Morazán - a well known group that plays throughout Central America.