Whats up

1
Whats up?
My name is Flor. I will take a little trip with
you. I would like to show you something about my
country.
2
San Salvador, Central America
Well, yes, I live in El Salvador, a central
american country that has a total population of
about seven million people. San Salvador is the
historical capital of the city. It has about two
million persons. Oceans of people circulate
downtown and its sorroundings everyday.
Downtown has a total area of 886 square
kilometers
3
The population
The mayority of our population is half-blood
(90). The very little antique indigenous people
like thepipiles are almost completely
extinguished.
4
The inheritance
Nevertheless, in many of our traditions, the
indigenous inheritance is still very noticeable.
Despite the Mc Donalds or Biggest image put on
us, our proof reality always shines like this
afternoon.
5
Mejicanos
Mejicanos is the munipality where I live. It is
10 minutes far from San Salvador, in the
suburbs. It has an area of about 22.12 km2. And
300,000 habitants are living there. Little and
very populated, right?
6
6 zones
Mejicanos is divided into six zones San Ramón,
San Roque, Centro, Zacamil, Zona Norte and
Montreal. My community and parish belongs the
two last ones.
7
Near the capital
Though the 90 of the population is considered
urban because of its proximity to the city, many
people live like this. As if we were living in a
rural area without basic services like current
water, drainage
8
San Franciscos Parish
Our parish is located between La Montreal and
Zona Norte. The Passionists and many pastoral
agents work in a large area that covers the
following communities La Argentina, Buenos
Aires, Veracruz, Ellacuría, Sede Parroquial,
Dolores, Buenavista Rutilio Grande and Mártires
del Despertar.
9
A Communitys house
In Mejicanos many projects have to begin from the
very bottom For example this casa comunal,
located in Chancala. It will be used as a place
for everyone (communitys house). People may meet
and look for solutions in order to help
developing their community... In this case,
Hurricane Stan demanded refuges for damaged
families.
10
La Argentina
My mom and a group of people got this place more
than ten years ago. They wereprovisionally
brought here. But as time turns, it had more
and more families. The place is nice because it
is on a hill. But is is not a secure zone to
live.
11
La Argentina
The construction campanies filled spaces that
originally were water sources. However, along the
time nature reclaims its properties so the way
took its original form, it landslided. The way
the picture shows is very near the houses of a
group of blind people. They were given a credit
to get them.
12
La Argentina
But the problem is, as I told you before, that we
are living in risk zones. On the edges of the
hills where rains have caused landslaves. In La
Argentina we housed about 250 refugees in our
chapel. Since their houses were in major risk.
13
After the rains
When the rains stopped, the parish organized an
emergency group constituted by 30 pastoral
agents, including the pastor and passionist
students. They went to evaluate damages house
by house and made a general statistic of the
disasters.
14
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is one of the most harmed areas too
many houses on the downhills, one under another,
without walls that could protect the next
neighbor. People do not have entubed drainage.
So water runs along the streets, wets the land,
causing landslaves. And houses almost collapsed
one into another.
15
The most harmed
Buenos Aires neighbors report the following - 7
nearly-destroyed houses that need contention
walls. - 36 families in need to be reubicated
because it is imposibble to rescue their houses,
since people grounds are uninhabitable.
16
Buenos Aires
4 houses with partial damages that need to be
rebuilt. 7 houses with total lost. All this
make feel sad But lets continue.
17
La Argentina
This house belongs to one of our female pastoral
agents, is is still useful. But it is necessary
to build a contention wall or put some cement on
the slope in order to prevent a complete lost.
My community reports 3 buried houses buried
underground with total lost. 5 partially
destroyed that can be rebuilt. 22 uninhabitable
houses. Since they are in high risk zones and
almost completely destroyed
18
La Veracruz and circundant places

• La Veracruz is very large and populated too.
• Here we have
• 3 uninhabitable houses and 5 more that need
  reparation, like the one on the left.
• Cantizano neighborhood is near there with
• 19 uninhabitable houses (families need to be
  reubicated)

19
Buenavista
This community is next to la Veracruz There
are 5 uninhabitable houses. They are in risk to
be buried underground with the next rains.
Willington neighborhood, near la Veracruz too,
reports 10 uninhabitable houses and 2 more that
need to be reconstructed.
20
Our chapels became refuges
In our parish area 12 refuges were opened and
more than 120 families needed to be housed and
feeded. Our parish opened some chapels to be
used like refuges La Argentina, Buenos Aires y
Veracruz.
21
Children like me
Many children can even read. What can we know
about social justice? What we do have as certain
is that we feel happy when people join and work
together for their communities. We immediatly
receive the benefits. Cool!
22
Solidarity means sharing
We argue and get into battle, yes. But we do not
keep resentment. In situations like this
hurricane, we freely share everything food,
spaces, our bed and adoptive mothers. And
sharing a smile despite everything!
23
Poors Church means hope
The church gives us lots of hope. Since
cathequists like Francisca (left) compromise
their lives in order to help the needy. She has
risk pregnancy. They and father Jesus
(passionist) work together, doing a really good
group Wow, I want to be cathequist, like
Francisca!!!
24
The tragedy of these days reflects, once more,
the structural and permanent damage of our
country poorness
Well, the truth of these rains is that they are
not product of mere casuality. We had been
through this before. The tragedy of these days
reflects the structural and permanent damage of
our country we are completely harmless.
25
Everydays reality
Day by day this reality is unnoticed. But it is
the truth of the country the poorness Poorness
reflected on everything, from the very basic
things food, education, health, housing and
work
Even politicians arguments are poor and empty.
Without expectations or real proposals And well,
they are suppossed to be the responsible of
watching over the good of people.
26
Love does not despair
Well, my friend Esperanza and me want to say
goodbye. Not without reminding you that For the
evils that afflict people the most effective
remedy is the Passion of Jesus, the greatest and
most overwhelming work of God's love." Our
cathequists always tell us Jesus left his little
seed that gave its fruit. It was small but
produced a lot. There is a lot to be changed. But
we hope it does little by little with solidarity
among us, with your solidarity. See you!