El Salvador Perspectives

As part of our series on the state of El Salvador at the beginning of 2023, today we look at tourism.  It is an area which represents a clear achievement of the Bukele regime.  As the world emerges from depressed travel numbers caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, El Salvador is growing tourism visits and revenues beyond their 2019 pre-COVID levels.   I observed a visible sign of this growth in recent weeks.  On two recent visits to the historic center of San Salvador, I saw groups of obvious tourists being led around to sites like the Metropolitan Cathedral and the National Palace by tour guides.  These were not the religious or university groups which have long made delegation visits to El Salvador, but were tour groups on vacation trips.  That's definitely something new.     Cruise ships are starting to make El Salvador a regular port of call.  Seven cruise ships have already docked at the port of Acajutla during the current cru...

  There are many challenges to life in the numerous marginalized communities in and around San Salvador.  Poverty, gangs, gender-based violence, lack of safe spaces, and more, combine to afflict the physical, mental and emotional health of the inhabitants of those areas.     One unique start-up program that seeks to address these issues in a holistic fashion is Pesas y Poder   (Weights and Power) -- a "powerlifting for empowerment" initiative, working through the disciplines of fitness and strength, and the safe space of a community gym.  The goals of Pesas y Poder are to promote gender equity, community empowerment, and healing from trauma through the practice of strength sports in El Salvador.  From the program's website : To serve this purpose, Pesas y Poder develops and delivers fitness and leadership curriculum to Salvadoran people of all genders and ages. We provide powerlifting instruction at a community gym for marginalized neighborhoods o...

A group of women working as street vendors in greater San Salvador have transformed their lives into a theater company performing dramatic works which tell their own life stories. The group named La Cachada  recently performed at SXSW in Austin, Texas as part of the premiere of a movie about their theatre company: AUSTIN — Ruth, Wendy, Magda, Chileno and Magaly are five Salvadoran women who started their own theatre company and aspired for a better life in a male-dominated culture. Together, the former street vendors turned actresses created La Cachada Teatro , a theatre group that provides social commentary on how El Salvador treats its women while providing a creative outlet. The single mothers tell stories of their struggles and victories by performing them on stage.  Their story was so compelling it caught the eye of film director Marlén Viñayo. She watched how the women changed the way they dressed, the way they spoke and their outlook on life. Viñayo captured the ...

Today is the 12th anniversary of this blog.  In that time I have written more than 2400 posts. Thanks to everyone who continues to read, comment, and share ideas for the blog.   I appreciate all the interest you show in this little country. Looking over the tags I put on posts, these were the most common topics I have covered: Crime and Violence -- 213 posts Elections -- 165 posts  Economy -- 135 posts Migration -- 133 posts Gangs -- 132 posts (probably just a subset of Crime and Violence) US Relations -- 109 posts History -- 102 posts The author, on the left, at beatification ceremony for Oscar Romero

One of the most successful innovations of the FMLN governments in El Salvador has been Ciudad Mujer (Women's City).  At Ciudad Mujer, governmental resources are aggregated to uniquely serve women in an effort to combat domestic violence, to provide health services, and to provide the skills and training which can lead to economic independence and greater self esteem.   From an initial site founded in 2011, the program has expanded to six locations across the country serving thousands of women. The program was the brainchild of current Secretary of Social Inclusion Vanda Pignato who was First Lady during the first FMLN administration of Mauricio Funes.   It is safe to say that the Brazilian born Pignato is now one of the most popular political figures in El Salvador.   (Pignato has subsequently separated from Funes, and he has moved to Nicaragua and been granted political asylum to protect himself from corruption charges in El Salvador).   A recent  B...

The United Nations Development Program wants us to know that El Salvador made significant progress towards the Millennium Development Goals, as described in Good practices for development: El Salvador's Contributions : When El Salvador is at the center of international debates, it’s often focusing on the problems the country faces. People look at the glass half empty. But those of us who have the privilege of working and living in this country are aware of many valuable experiences that give El Salvador an edge in the process of adopting the new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development .  According to the Third Report on the Progress of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) , El Salvador has made important progress in achieving several MDGs. Of twelve goals that El Salvador have been monitoring since its first National MDG Report, four have been fulfilled (targets related to extreme poverty, education, gender equality, malaria and other major diseases, and access to water and...

The New York Times published an El Salvador Journal piece headlined " At Salvadoran Factory, Helping Troubled Youth Makes Business Sense ." It is the story of a T-shirt factort in Ciudad Arce, El Salvador, where workers, including several dozen ex-gang members, sew t-shirts and make a living wage with benefits such as day care and education: Mr. Amaya said he spent seven years in the gang before he joined an evangelical church and was allowed to leave. He began working at the League plant two years ago. There, his boss, Mr. Bolaños, brims with ideas: “Our goal is to get people back in society, get them back on track,” he said. Every worker spends half an hour on a computer each workday practicing English through an online course. The factory pays for high school equivalency classes and has just arranged with a local university to offer a two-year engineering degree. The company subsidizes a clinic, day care, breakfast and lunch, adjusts schedules for employees studying...

Enjoy this video of the wonders of El Salvador as captured from a drone-mounted video camera.

This video of happy Salvadorans will put a smile on your face.   It worked for me.   :-)

This is the 2000th time I have written a post on Tim's El Salvador Blog since I started the blog back in November 2004.  What started as just a way to educate myself about current events and politics in El Salvador has lasted much longer than I ever would have thought. I want to express my sincere thanks to all of you who have helped me along the way with insights into El Salvador, with article ideas, and with your words of appreciation. From Salvadoran food to continued impunity for human rights violations in the civil war, from the historic victory of Mauricio Funes in 2009 to the complexity of the gang truce, and from the memory of Oscar Romero to wonderful tourist sites in El Salvador, I've had the opportunity to share with you many of things which fascinate me about El Salvador. I'm looking forward to the next thousand posts, especially as I start the coverage of the three way presidential election in 2014.

This video containing beautiful photos of El Salvador by Raul Arce with music and narration in Spanish could be the best video tribute to all the country has to offer.

Banda El Salvador marched in the 2013 Rose Parade on New Years Day.  You watch this video as they pass by.   The Salvadoran band had appeared once before in the Rose Parade in 2008 . The band's performance in the parade is a great story.   From Southern California Public Radio : The 147 high school age musicians in Banda El Salvador traveled four days by bus from their Central American homes to take part in today’s Rose Parade.  It’s been a learning experience for them and for the Southland residents helping them out during their stay.  There are more Salvadoran immigrants in Southern California than anywhere else in the United States. Hundreds of them filled Duarte High School’s football stadium on Sunday for two concerts by Banda El Salvador.  The campus has become the band’s home, literally. Money for flights and hotels didn’t materialize. So 147 teens are sleeping and showering in the high school gym and taking their meals in a large, v...

In contrast to the news of gang threats and the reduction of bus service, the Festival of the Lanterns shone in the night streets of Ahuachapan. In a photogallery titled Ahuachapan Didn't Turn Out the Light , El Faro displays images from this year's festival. September 7 was the eve of the feast day of the Virgin Mary's birth, and in Ahuachapan in western El Salvador, it was the Festival of the Lanterns (farolitos). The streets and public places of the city are filled with lanterns and memorials to the Virgin. Over the years the festival has grown beyond its religious roots and now includes showcases of artisan works and many food offerings.

Reducing levels of crime in El Salvador needs participation and cooperation of all sectors in society. A positive example of how the government can engage with the citizens on the topic of security was a forum on "Youth and Violence" organized by young people in Cabañas last week. From their press release about the event: The Youth of Cabañas Conduct a Forum Against Violence and the Criminalization of Youth in the Country. The Department of Cabañas joined the celebration of International Youth Year with a forum called "Youth and Violence" which took place in Sensuntepeque - Cabañas - Wednesday 25 August, with the aim of establishing the young person as an actor conscious of his or her reality but at the same time being able to offer opinions and solutions to their problems. The uniqueness of this event is the leading role of the youth sector, not only in organizing the forum, but also in the development of the themes on: Public Safety and Human Rights, generation...

Rains associated with Tropical Storm Alex , have left three dead in El Salvador and more than 1200 people flooded out of their homes according to LPG . An orange alert continues in the country with schools closed in affected areas. As I mentioned in my last post , these storms can significantly impact the country's agricultural production, in addition to the loss of human life and the destruction of people's homes.

Former Senator and US presidential candidate John Edwards has been in El Salvador several times recently. No longer campaigning for votes, Edwards is building houses in poor communities with the Fuller Center for Housing and Homes from the Heart. From the Fuller Center for Housing website : Edwards' visit from Dec. 15-18 coincided with students volunteering for alternative winter break - 13 from UCLA and 14 from the University of Cincinnati. "I have never done anything in my life that is worth more to me than what you are doing right now," Edwards told the students. "This is what you will remember, I promise you. I've had every life experience anybody could ever have, meeting presidents ... being on aircraft carriers ... and nothing compares with this." You can see a video of Edwards' talk to the college students and his work on the houses at this link .

Today is the 5th anniversary of the start of Tim's El Salvador Blog . I'm in El Salvador as I write this post, having just participated in the commemorations of the murder of the Jesuits and the subversive cross. I'm also here to understand more of the country's needs following the floods of a week ago. This trip captures many of the themes which have been part of the blog over the years -- the legacy of the civil war, how justice can prevail over impunity, and El Salvador's vulnerability to natural disasters from hurricanes to earthquakes and volcanoes. As our group chooses when and where to travel, I am mindful of El Salvador's surging crime problem, while at the same time appreciating the beauty of the countryside which made El Salvador one of Lonely Planet's top 10 countries to visit. The elections of 2009 probably used up more of the 1400 posts I have written than any other topics, elections which resulted in the historic peaceful transfer of pow...

This YouTube video from La Prensa shows a project where solar panels are bringing electricity for the first time to some poor households in a section of Apopa, El Salvador

Today I am republishing a post written by my friend Laura Hershberger. Laura is working in El Salvador with the SHARE Foundation , and is sponsored there by the Volunteer Missionary Movement or VMM. (More about VMM below). Laura's blog post is titled Back pain : This is a reflection on the week in June that I spent as a medical interpreter at the clinic at Maria Madre de los Pobres Catholic Church in La Chacra, San Salvador. The medical professionals who I interpreted for come to El Salvador everyone on a SHARE delegation from Visitation Parish in Kansas City. She was a street vendor who walked around carrying a giant tub of juice cans. The pain in her heals was unbearable. He threw his back out six years ago. He still has horrible pain. He thought it was cancer. But really it was the fact that he lifted tires everyday and put more and more strain on his back. She lost her arm during the war. Her husband just had a stroke and is paralyzed, she now does everything for him and w...

An article in the Christian Science Monitor's Global News Blog highlights efforts to make Suchitoto a city where violence against women is rare: SUCHITOTO, EL SALVADOR – Time seems to have stood still in the colonial town of Suchitoto, about 30 miles from El Salvador’s frenetic capital, with its quiet cobblestone streets and perfectly preserved architecture. But now its white-washed walls are adorned with a 21st-century message: “In this house we want a life without violence toward women.” The words, which are accompanied by a bird and flower, the symbol of Suchitoto, forms part of a campaign by the Feminist Collective for Local Development to “elevate societal rejection of domestic violence, and make it a subject we should all be worried about,” says local feminist activist Morena Herrera. It seems to have worked: The overall impression, reading the message on home after home – where women sweep their front porches and men gather in rocking chairs to talk on lazy afternoons – i...