El Salvador Trip

This letter was sent by my daughter Megan to those who helped her raise funds for the La Mora Clinic. She adequately describes our trip a few weeks ago. Deacon Don Leach

Thank you all for your support for La Mora Clinic in El Salvador. I wanted to let you know that the trip was a success and my group returned safely and in good spirits!

As a group, we raised over $4,000 for La Mora Clinic! The doctors and nurse expressed their gratitude. They were anxious they would have to close the clinic, but now have funding to remain open through July. We will be continuing our efforts to keep the clinic open after this date. Please know that your support is appreciated and is helping thousands of Salvadorans receive essential medical care. While in El Salvador, my group spent time with the staff of the clinic painting the building with a fresh coat of green. The staff had requested this project and were very happy with the results. It looks like a completely new building!

In addition to our time at the clinic, we spent our trip building relationships with the people of Haciendita Uno, Our Lady of Good Counsel's sister community and one of the communities served by La Mora Clinic. The families of Haciendita Uno opened their homes to host our group for three nights. We met with the leaders of the community to discuss their visions for the future and with the students who are receiving university scholarships to see how their studies are going. The youth of the community taught us a thing or two about “futbol” and the community hosted an informal dance for us on our final night. They schooled us in dancing as well!

We were able to take a group of high school students across Lake Suchitilan to hear the story of the sole survivor of the Massacre of Copapayo during the civil war. He was only ten years old when military forces killed his entire family and community. He emphasized that it was through the grace of God that he was able to survive. His story is one of many Salvadorans who witnessed the harsh realities of war between 1979-1992. Later in the week, we took another group of students to see the historical ruins of Cihuatan. This was the first major city in the area and has been unoccupied since 1500. Even though these sites are not far from the students' communities, they are not able to tour them due to financial restrictions-they cannot pay the 80 cent bus fare or the $1.00 ticket fee..

While staying with Haciendita Uno, we visited the nearby communities of El Roble and Zacamil Dos. These communities are in various stages of obtaining running water in their homes. The job at Zacamil Dos is mostly completed and the 78 families in the community are receiving purified water in their homes. The process at El Roble is still in the planning stages and requires a much more complicated system due to the location of the community to it's water source. It will be expanded in the future to covere the neighboring community of Palo Grande. In addition to simplifying the physical process of obtaining water, the community members benefit from cleaner water free of parasites and bacteria.

Our final day in El Salvador was spent touring the capital and learning about the fight for social justice that continues throughout the nation. We visited the chapel where Archbishop Oscar Romero was assassinated for being a voice for the poor. We visited the University of Central America where a group of Jesuit priests and two civilians were murdered because of their efforts to speak out about inequality. Their stories are examples of people standing up for their beliefs and refusing to accept violence and injustice. They continue to be symbols and examples of peace and solidarity throughout the country.

I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to spend the week with our brothers and sisters in El Salvador. I had not visited Haciendita Uno in over two years and it was great to see the advances the community has made and to see how much the children have grown! The clinic is a vital service for the people of Haciendita Uno and over 34 other rural communities. On behalf of myself, the clinic staff, and the communities served by the clinic, I thank you again for your financial support.---Megan Leach