On Sunday, OSCA took a trip to San Vicente, the department that was hit hardest by the terrential rains last month. As a result of landslides and flooding, many lost their homes and are now staying in schools and other government shelters. After five hours in the back of a truck, approximately forty-five of us arrived in San Vicente and visited three of these shelters (albergues in Spanish) with the intention of bringing some joy and fun to the children living there. At each location, OSCA members led songs and games, including musical chairs, a dance competition, races, and piñatas. The theater group JAQ, Jovenes Artisticos de Quebrachos (Artistic Youth of Quebrachos) performed several (hilarious) musical skits that were entertaining to all ages present in the audience. Then everyone shared a snack of cookies and horchata (made by a womens group from Foundation Segundo Montes).

Although we were only able to spend an hour to an hour and a half at each shelter, it was evident that the games and entertainment brightened everyones day. The residents are unsure of when the government will rebuild their houses or attempt to relocate them to different departments. Those sheltered in schools must leave by mid January when classes begin again.

As we began the journey back to Morazan, we saw the sun setting over the volcano, sugar cane fields burning in preparation for harvest, and a sky full of shooting stars.

Maria Hoisington graduated from the University of Washington in 2009 with a degree in Latin American Studies and minored in Spanish and Human Rights. While in college, she spent a semester studying history and sociology in Lima, Peru, participated in a one-month field study in Guatemala that focused on human rights issues, and spent a time in Oaxaca, Mexico studying Spanish. Maria first became involved in social justice advocacy through work with the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES) in Seattle, WA. She moved to San Salvador in January of 2009 to work as a long-term volunteer with the Center for Exchange and Solidarity in their electoral observation mission. During the six months she spent in El Salvador, Maria also researched and completed her undergraduate thesis, which focused on the social effects of violence and the experience of adolescent males in the municipality of San Martín. Maria is ready to apply her passion for social justice and community participation working with Voices on the Border in Comunidad Segundo Montes, Morazán!

Voices and CSM want to welcome Maria to the community!

Today, December 1st, is World AIDS day. In the Unidad de Salud, which is the government run doctors office in San Luis, there is a slide show presentation about AIDS awareness and prevention. A nurse comes and gives a presentation to those waiting in the waiting room about use of preservatives, what are causes of AIDS, what are NOT causes of AIDS, and what are the treatments and consequences.

Also at the parking lot in the center of San Luis there is an activity and music of Grupo Morazan is playing right now. Grupo Morazan has devoted a lot of their music to AIDS awareness.

http://casaabiertasegundomontes.blogspot.com/

here is the website to the blog of OSCA!

On December 5th, the Pastoral Team will host an excursion to go to Colomoncagua, Honduras to visit the grounds where the refugee camps used to be and visit the cemetery and hold a prayer service. Tickets cost $3 and a lot of the community is excited to go because it is the 20th anniversary since the return.

Meymi Guevara Serpas, 32 years old, is the star singer of the local group in CSM,Tiempos de Cambio. She has studied music at the Music School in San Luis and was a singer before for Grupo Morazan. She teaches music classes in the private school in Perquin, has her pwn msuic classes that are held in the ManCo building, and is a singer for Tiempos de Cambio that play at local fairs, community parties and are a big uniting presence in CSM.

Last night CSM started a campaign for her health. She has a bad heart and has a pacemaker, marcapasos, that needs to be replaced. The Radio is calling for the community to donate money for her heart operation and Juan Lucus has been driving around the RSM truck this morning with a microphone asking for support of the community for Meymis operation.

Another tragedy hit Tiempos de Cambio last week as well. Gustavo, the lead guitar player, singer of the group was in a bicycle accident and was hit and was brought to the hospital in San Miguel. Gustavo gave the guitar lessons in Copinolar at Yulmas house where I give flute lessons.

Please keep both Gustavo and Meymi in your thoughts and prayers.

A few members of the Board came down to visit partner communities in El Salvador last week. We went to the Bajo Lempa, San Salvador and Comunidad Segundo Montes.

Voices team met with various NGOs and partner organizations in CSM such as the Pastoral Team, OSCA and ALGES. They also saw the Steven Cagan pictures that are newly framed and preserved in the SILEM museum, which is in the process of reorganizing and presenting the photography exhibition. Board also visited the Revolutionary Museum in Perquin, visited with friends, swam in Rio Sapo and visited the womens cooperative, ADIM, in Quebrachos. We also met with Juan Lucus, the president of the Fundacion Segundo Montes, ARPAS and the Radio Segundo Montes and Mia, who is in charge of the Music School in San Luis. We also made a trip to Colomoncagua, Honduras to visit the grounds where the refugee camps were with various members of the community and the Pastoral Team!

In the Bajo Lempa we visited with ACUDESBAL, ADIBAL, went on a tour of the Nancuchiname Forest Preserve and had a meeting in the office of ACUDESBAL with Voices intern, Nicolle.

It was a great trip and more blog posts to come about the meetings we had! I want to say thank you to the Board that came down to visit in the last few weeks that I will be here volunteering in CSM! The community also has repeatedly asked me to say thank you for the solidarity with Voices on the Border and that they are excited to meet the new volunteer, Maria Hoisington, who will be volunteering in CSM.

ALGES has started a project on a national level. It is funded by the organization called Peace wtih Dignity. The project is attached in this entry!

In 2007, Steve Cagan donated 71 black and white photos to the SILEM (Systema Local de Educacion de Meanguera) located in San Luis, Comunidad Segundo Montes. The pictures were taken in refugee camps in Colomoncagua, Honduras and their return of the refugees to repatriate and form Comunidad Segundo Montes.

In October, Voices on the Border and SILEM started a project with the photography. It is being mounted and framed to be better preserved by a professional photography in the Community, Augusto Vazquez. Youth from OSCA and I have interviewed various people in the community to put names and explanations with each photo.

The exhibit at the SILEM museum will be ready for the fairs celebrating the return from Colmoncagua.

Special thanks for the support from Voices on the Border and members of the Comunidad Segundo Montes in assisting with this project!!!

In September two volunteers from Spain came to CSM to replace Teresa who had been working with OSCA. This Spanish NGO program is run through the Fundacion Segundo Montes. Maria and Pilar aare both university graduates who studied horticulture.

The girls work mainly with the FSM but have been collaborating and supporting OSCA as well! Yesterday at the temple, Pilar gave a presentation about organic farming and its benefits to youth of OSCA. Behind the temple there is a plot of land where the Pastoral eam planted pineapples in April (with help from the USF students delegation). There is some more space and the OSCA youth are getting organized to learn about hortilculture and start planting.

They decided yesterday to plant cilantro, tomatos and cucumber and will start cleaning up the land on Tuesday at 4pm with the help of Pilar.