I’m back from El Salvador!

By: Linda Cameron

Before leaving on my exposure trip to El Salvador , I prepared a brochure about my trip. It’s been a month now since my two week trip. I have had a chance to share some stories with some of you and I hope to continue sharing my impressions with you.

My initial objective was to see first-hand what Development and Peace is doing. First of all, our group of seven included a Development and Peace animator as well as a member of the Board of Directors who reviews funding requests from Africa . These two people were wonderful in providing detailed information about the inner workings of Development & Peace.

Then we met with the six organizations who receive funding from Development & Peace. As I’ve told some of you already, I was very impressed with the competency and organization of all six partners. These grass-roots organizations are led by competent, educated and motivated individuals who all have the same goal – to assist the poor people of their country.

Another objective was to become more knowledgeable about poverty. In El Salvador , I heard stories from the poor as well as from those who are dedicated to helping the poor and their stories have certainly helped me on my journey. I wanted to feel real solidarity with the Salvadorans by understanding their plight; they certainly were able to do that. But they taught me much more than I could ever teach them.

The Salvadorans taught me about “real” community living – what it means to share everything with everyone in their communities. This exposure trip provided me with a different perspective on poverty. Although I witnessed what we would consider abject poverty, I am impressed by a determined people who are able to sustain themselves with limited financial resources and a lack of public services as we know them. The Salvadorans I have met have overcome all of these obstacles and been able to develop stable and supportive communities and families based on a foundation of Christian values and ethics. I was also able to see and feel the spirituality of the people we met: at the cathedral, in our meetings with partners, at our rural community gatherings, with our guide and with our translator.

During his three years as archbishop of San Salvador , Oscar Romero became known as a fearless defender of the poor and suffering. His work on behalf of the oppressed earned him the admiration and love of the peasants he served and, finally, an assassin's bullet. On December 16, 1979 he said the following:

“ There aren’t two categories of people. There aren’t some that were born to have everything, leaving the rest with nothing, and a majority that has nothing and cannot taste the happiness that God has created for all. The Christian society that God wants is one in which we share the goodness that God has given for everyone.”

The Salvadorans we met told us that, for them, there are no borders, skin colors or languages – the struggle for dignity and justice is universal. They suggested that we not feel too badly about what we own, so long as we share what we saw and heard during our visit.

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