November 25th, 2010

November 25th, 2010, Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. The Law for a Life Free of Violence for Women in El Salvador is approved. As the country with the number one rate of femicides in the world, its about time something changes.  Hopefully this law will actually be enacted.  

Here is why...

On October 21st, on the Las Quebradas finca, in the municipality of Talnique, La Libertad, the bodies of Clarisa Ortiz Valle,14 years old; Julia Araceli Hernández Torres, 14 years old;  María Vicenta Ávalos Pérez, 15 years old and Georgina Lisseth Álvarez Cruz, 18 years old, were found stangled and maimed at the hands of supposed friends of theirs.

In the past ten years in El Salvador, violence against women has increased by 197%, making it the number one place for femicides in the world, with 129.46 assassinations per one million women.

Jesuit Martyr's Vigil

"No hay amor cristiano sin lucha de justicia" 
"There is no Christian love without a fight for justice"
-Ignacio Ellacuria S.J., killed Nov. 16th 1989

Yesterday was the UCA Vigil for the six Jesuits, their housekeeper and her daughter who were killed at the UCA, 21 years ago.  The Nicaragua VM's came up for the event and we stayed until after 12.  Ali's first vigil!  This is part of the theme quote of the year.  Here are my pictures.

A Mother's Heart

I wrote this after spending the day working with a team who was interviewing women who participated in the Civil War here in El Salvador.

I think every mother
has the same heart.
In that the thing that we love the most
And the thing that we most fear losing
Are the same.

Something in our biology
That makes us ache for our children if we haven't seen them enough
That puts our attention on something else first, before ourselves
Is he hungry? Is she safe? Will they always feel my love?

And it is that heart
That breaks
For other mothers
And their loss.

My heart, my mother heart,
breaks with the pain of the Salvadoran mother.

Victims of Hurricane Ida: Presente!

A year ago today, Hurricane Ida hit El Salvador and killed over 200 people while destroying thousands of homes due to poor housing construction and environmental degradation.  Today, a beautiful day in El Salvador, we remember those who died and those whose lives were affected for ever.  To quote my friend Beth, "I believe that people shouldn't die when it rains."  Read about her organization, CEIBA, which was founded after last years disaster.

Churchwomen Commemoration

"Am I willing to suffer with the people here, the suffering of the powerless,

 the feeling impotent?  

Can I say to my neighbors   I have no solutions to this situation; I don't know the answers, but I will  

walk with you, search with you, be with you. Can I let myself be evangelized by this opportunity?  

Can I look at and accept my own poorness as I learn it from the poor ones?" 

Ita Ford said that the year she was killed.

At SHARE, I am planning delegation for the 30th Anniversary of the deaths of Jean Donovan, Dorothy Kazel, Ita Ford and Maura Clarke.  Ita and Maura were Maryknoll nuns, Dorothy was a Ursuline nun and Jean was a Maryknoll lay missionary.  In 1980 they were all in El Salvador working with refugees and communities affected by the impending Civil War.  On December 2, while driving back from the airport, they were followed by the Salvadoran armed forces.  They were kidnapped, taken to a field in rural El Salvador, raped and killed.

SHARE and many other solidarity organizations are built of the legacy of the solidarity of people like those four women who gave their lives to stay in El Salvador and work for the Salvadoran people.  That is why we are planning a delegation to commemorate the anniversary of their deaths.

One of the other things we did to commemorate the anniversary was produce a Commemoration Packet for communities in the States to plan events.  Check out the packet.  I invite you all do read the packet and if you are up to it, plan something in your community!

Day of the Dead

In the United States we celebrate Halloween.  Why? I don't really know the history behind the holiday.

In Mexico, on November 1st, Day of the Dead is celebrate.  Apparently its a big deal, with alters, food and celebrations and ceremonies.   I have never been so I can't say much more.

But in El Salvador, Day of the Dead is celebrate on November 2nd.  All Souls Day.  Salvadorans all make the trek to the cemetery to enflorar or put flowers and clean up the graves of their loved ones.


But some Salvadorans aren't so lucky to have graves for their loved ones.  A 12 year Civil War left 75,000 dead or disappeared.