2012 Year Summary: Scholarship Recipients from the San Francisco de Asís Parish

This scholarship program benefits 59 youth.  Part of the program includes the participation in human development workshops.  The workshops include the following topics:  social reality, family and personal; self-esteem; family relations; human vocations; personality and vocation.

The workshops that took place sometimes included parents.  When the topic of family relations was discussed, in two parts, the parents participated.  This permitted the parents to get closer to the group and generated more trust in the scholarship program. 

There was also a meeting with a delegation from St. Peter’s, who sponsor the majority of the scholarship recipients.

This year 13 students graduated from high school.  One college student has finished studies to be a teacher, and he is waiting on his final tests so that he can graduate in June or July 2013.

Thank you brothers and sisters for you solidarity. 

The scholarship program in Mejicanos is one of the CIS's 14 scholarship programs.  Read more information about the program read our website or contribute to the program. 

Spanish School: 1932, Cicatriz en la memoria

1932

1932, A Scar in Our Memory is a documentary where the survivors of the indigenous upraising in the western part of El Salvador in 1932 share their story.  This event marked the nation’s political, social, economic and cultural life.  It left thousands dead.  The Mélida Anaya Montes Spanish School remembered this date by the students watching and reflecting about the documentary.

  

1932, Cicatriz en la memoria es un documental donde los sobrevivientes del levantamiento indígena en el occidente de El Salvador en 1932 comparte su historia.  Este hecho marcó la vida política, social, económica y cultural de la nación y dejo un saldo de miles de muertos.  La Escuela de Español Mélida Anaya Montes recordó esta fecha con sus estudiantes observando y reflexionando sobre el documental. 

Students’ Reflections:

Hoy, el 22 de enero, es una fecha importante y necesitamos recordarla. Es el aniversario del primer día de la insurrección indígena de El Salvador en el año de 1932. Aunque es crucial recordar, tal vez sea más importante reflexionar y considerar, ¿qué podemos aprender de aquella fecha? Por ejemplo, ¿necesitaron usar violencia los revolucionarios?, ¿Es posible que hubieran tenido más éxito con otras tácticas? No sé la solución. ¡Discutamos!

Mi otra pregunta para reflexionar es ¿qué podemos hacer con la cultura indígena? Ahora, muchas costumbres han sido perdidas. ¿Debemos tratar de recuperar aquellas costumbres? ¿Cómo podemos homenajear a nuestros antepasados, su forma de vivir y su lucha por la justicia? ¿Si perdemos una parte de nuestra historia, perdemos una parte de nosotros mismos y la comprensión de nuestraobligación para continuar su lucha por un mundo justo?

Today, January 22, is a day in our history worthy of remembrance. It is the anniversary of the first day of the indigenous insurrection of 1932. Although it is crucial to remember, perhaps it is more important to reflect and consider: what can we learn from this moment in history? For instance, did the revolutionaries need to use violence? Is it possible that they could have had more success with non-violent direct action? I do not know the answer. Let’s discuss!

My other question for reflection is what can we do with the indigenous culture that remains? Today, many customs have been lost. Should we try to recover these lost customs? How can we honor our ancestors, their way of life and their struggle for justice? If we lose a part of our history, do we lose a part of ourselves and an understanding of our obligationto continue their struggle for a just world?

Sam Lawrence, intermedio

La masacre en 1932 [fue] una reacción de los poderes del capitalismo y la oligarquía contra la organización de los trabajadores indígenas.  [Fue] una manera de parar el movimiento [por la búsqueda de] la justicia en El Salvador.   

The 1932 massacre was reaction from the capitalist poor and the oligarchy against the organized indigenous workers.  It was a way to stop the movement for the search for justice in El Salvador. 

Cathy Howell Básico A

En el documental [1932, Cicatriz de la Memoria], los sobrevivientes compartieron sus experiencias y memoria del evento.  En el pasado, tenían miedo de hablar, pero ahora tienen el valor para enseñar a las generaciones futuras. Para del devenir de la sociedad sus testimonios ayudarán a recuperar la cultura indígena.

The Documentary [1932, A Scar in Our Memory], the survivors shared their experiences and their memories of the event.  In the past, they were afraid to talk, however today they are brave in order to teach future generations.  The survival of the society counts on their testimonies to help recover the indigenous culture.

Marita Capili, Básico A

El miedo al comunismo, el racismo contra los indígenas y el deseo por un chivo expiatorio [ante] los problemas del país dejo como resultado una masacre de al menos 20 mil hombres y niños.

The fear of communism, the racism against the indigenous and the want of an escape goat, are some of the problems of the country  that left as a result a massacre of at least 20 thousand men and children.

 Janet, básico A

[ ] correcciones gramaticales del texto, grammatical corrections in the text

Para observar el video acceder a: Cicatriz en la memoria

To watch the video go to: A Scar in Our Memory

To learn more about historical  commemorations and celebrations that the Spanish School will celebrate this year, see the Calendar.

Come to El Salvador, study Spanish, and learn about social justice!  Email: info@cis-elsalvador.org for more information. 

The Events of Marco Antonio Sarmiento Martínez’s Brutal Torture and Assassination November 16, 2012

Centro de Intercambio y Solidaridad (CIS)

Human Rights Alert

Since March of 2005, when the Romero Community settled in Tonacatepeque, community members have been threatened by farmers from the Hondonada Cooperative due to a land dispute.  There are 277 manzanas (about 478 acres) of land that form the Vertientes and Guayacán Property, which belongs to the Salvadoran Institute for Agrarian Reform-ISTA. Many communities (November 2^nd, Paso Puente, Romero Community), cooperatives (Sagrisa, Distrito Italia, La Hondonada, Guayacán), and independent farmers live on and farm the land.  The government has negotiated with each community, cooperative, and independent farmer.  They have offered 8.5 manzanas (about 14 acres) for the 78 families that make up the Romero Community.  They have offered the cooperatives and independent farmers ¾ of a manzana (about 1.29 acres) per family.  The Romero Community has accepted the negotiation.  However the cooperatives want 2+ manzanas (about 3.45 acres) per family (which there is not enough land for) and they want to appropriate all of the land and will not accept the negotiations with ISTA. (For more context and history please read this section on our website.)

The needs of the Romero Community members, due to the extreme poverty in which they live, force the men and woman of the community, especially the youth to survive by gathering fire wood, green wood, and some coconuts from the nearby mountain.  This mountain is abandoned and people from many communities in the area go there to do the same thing, in order to survive. 

About six days before his death, the young 16-year-old, Marco Antonio Sarmiento Martinez, told us that he had previously been discouraged from getting fire wood from the mountain.  During the time of the mango crop he was told not to gather mangos and coconuts because he and other youth were threatened by the farmers.  Months went by and the people planted and harvested corn and beans.  During this time many community members went to the banks of the river to farm. 

At the start of November the women of Romero Community brought in the corn harvest from their small plots of land.  Despite the fact that many people told the youth not to go to the mountain, they decided to go in order to make a few dollars. They went with adult women from the community. Marco said that while they were helping the women, four men came down from the hill that surrounds the river. At that point, the only thing they could do was grab the sacks full of corn and run away.  The men were yelling at the women that they were going to kill them; they chased them all the way to the area that’s called “the trash can” in the Residencial Libertad. 

Back in the community tired, drained and worried, Marco Antonio told the men what had happened. The men said they had told him not to go. No one knew who the men were that had threatened the group because Marco could not describe them.

On Friday, November 16, the day of Marco’s disappearance, Raúl Acevedo and another neighbor warned Marco not to go out, since his mother would have to shoulder the burden of the family. Later the same day, Mr. Acevedo came back to a worried community, they told him that Marco had disappeared and they couldn’t find him. Last they had heard was that he was going to gather firewood and coconuts.

On Saturday November 17, they found his body in the south of Distrito Italia Number Three in Tonacatepque.  They found he had numerous injuries made with a machete and his hands were tied behind his back with barbed wire.  His hands, ears, and other extremities were cut off, and there were other machete cuts on his face which left him unrecognizable. He had been blindfolded.  His cranium was destroyed.  A young CIS scholarship student had to go identify the body because they would not allow the mother of the young man to see the state in which the police had found him.

After these events, Mr. Raúl Acevedo, a community leader and another youth have received threats that say “they will be next.”

For these reasons we demand:

•   A thorough investigation of the crime
• Protection for the community
• Justice for Marco Antonio Sarmiento Martínez
• No More Impunity!
• Protect the youth and their human rights

Picture: Marco Antonio Sarmiento Martínez, December 2008

Take Action:

BECADOS Y BECADAS DE LA PARROQUIA SAN FRANCISCO DE ASÍS

RESUMEN DEL AÑO 2012

BECADOS Y BECADAS DE LA PARROQUIA SAN FRANCISCO DE ASÍS

  

Se benefició a 59 jóvenes en este programa de becas.  Como parte del programa se realizaron talleres de formación humana con los siguientes temas: Realidad social, familiar y personal; Autoestima; Relaciones familiares; Vocación Humana; Personalidad y vocación.

Se tuvieron talleres incluso con sus padres y madres, dos en los que se trabajó el tema de relaciones familiares en dos partes. Esto permitió mayor acercamiento con ellos y ellas y generó mayor confianza con el proyecto de becas.

Hubo también una reunión con una delegación de la parroquia de San Pedro, quienes son los que patrocinan a la mayor parte de becados y becadas.

Se graduaron 13 estudiantes de bachillerato y 1 estudiante de la universidad ha culminado sus estudios de profesorado, aún está esperando las últimas pruebas para poder graduarse en junio o julio de 2013.

Gracias hermanos y hermanas por su solidaridad

El programa de becas en Mejicanos es uno de 14 programas de becas del CIS.  Para leer más del programas vista nuesta sitio web.

Contribuya al programa de becas.