The tiny country of El Salvador (8,124 square miles, about the
same size as New Jersey) is inhabited by more than 6 million
people, making it one of the most densely populated nations in
Latin America. Although it is highly industrialized, social
inequality and geography have combined to make it a very troubled
place.
The tiny country of El Salvador (8,124 square miles, about the same size as New Jersey) is inhabited by more than 6 million people, making it one of the most densely populated nations in Latin America. Although it is highly industrialized, social inequality and geography have combined to make it a very troubled place.
In the 1980s, El Salvador was engulfed by a civil war between the wealthy elite, which controlled the government, and revolutionary guerillas representing the desperately poor majority of the population. Some 70,000 residents died in the conflict.
After the war ended, the country was afflicted by natural disasters: Hurricane Mitch in 1998 and serious earthquakes in 2001, leaving thousands dead and more than a million people homeless.
A group of churches in the Central Coast area of California have banded together to help the poverty-stricken people in El Salvador. Santa Cruz al Salvador (“Holy Cross of the Savior”) is a charitable nonprofit corporation that includes members of St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church and Trinity Presbyterian Church in Santa Cruz and Our Savior Lutheran Church in Salinas. Recently, the congregation of Morgan Hill’s Advent Lutheran Church began to support its work through special donations contributed for this purpose.
In 1992, immediately after the peace accords ending the civil war, the Rev. Larry Morkert of Scotts Valley’s Light of Life Lutheran Church traveled to El Salvador with his wife and others to meet the Lutheran Bishop of El Salvador. They decided to form a relationship with the Ciudadela Guillermo Manuel Ungo, a town with a surrounding ring of villages.
Their focus has become a slogan, “Building Relationships for Better Life,” with three main elements:
– Scholarships and school supplies for students in kindergarten through high school;
– Scholarships for students in technical schools and universities;
– Health care.
Over the past 15 years, Santa Cruz al Salvador has generated more than $350,000 in funds that have supported these goals. Fundraising events continue all year, and twice a year delegations from the organization travel to El Salvador to deliver money and to work with the residents.
The most recent trip, last November, was the 13th mission trip with 24 members in the delegation. While in Central America they participated in many activities:
– Attended worship services.
– Attended a graduation ceremony.
– Awarded 120 scholarships.
– Held two health clinics staffed by members of the group: two physicians, a chiropractor, a physical therapist, two nurses and a nursing assistant.
– Supervised a major craft project and other activity times for the local children.
Santa Cruz al Salvador sees education as an important element in improving the lives of the Salvadoran people. Even though the government has recently abolished registration fees for students, scholarships still play an important part in helping children complete school.
A scholarship of $60 (for elementary students) or $95 (for secondary students) provides a uniform, shoes, textbooks, supplies and daily lunch for an entire year of study. For technical school and university students, a scholarship of $125 assists with tuition and books.
The group also donates $500 per month in support of the local doctor.
Santa Cruz County resident Chris Madsen, one of the original members of Santa Cruz al Salvador, has helped support children grades five through nine with scholarships, establishing an emotional bond with the families involved. This experience helps people “look beyond themselves” in helping those who most need assistance, she said.
For more information about financially supporting Santa Cruz al Salvador or taking part in the next mission trip in November, go to www.santacruzalsalvador.org.
