Women in Leadership

One of the successes of this year's groups has been inviting 1-2 local youth to travel with each group for a portion of their time here. Again and again, both the groups and these youth have commented on the value of these experiences. Providing Guatemalans and El Salvadorians the opportunity to learn about the issues their own countries and communities are facing, and stretching their minds to think outside of the box, is such an important aspect of the work of Connecting Peoples. It was with much excitement that we were also able to schedule a local Learning Tour for women in October, focusing on the different leadership roles of women within the church and various social development projects. We traveled to El Salvador with a group of 9 Guatemalan women, adding another 4 El Salvadorian women to the group once we arrived. The experience of visiting projects in three different communities where women are the primary leaders, hearing of both their struggles and achievements, was very motivational for the group. The exchange was a great success and something we hope to replicate in 2012, focusing on the Connecting Peoples goal of promoting more of these "South-South" exchanges. With the help of funds from groups that come from North America in 2012, we hope to grow a budget to be used for these local Learning Tours.

Mujer Salvadoreña
by Patricia Ferrell

Woman of El Salvador, worker and peasant

I sing to your hand of tenderness and strength
Hands that know so well how to shape tortillas
and how to caress
Hands that work for a new society

Woman of El Salvador, so long suffering and so brave
I sing to your scars, to your tears of war
Tears shed for the children that you lost
Tears that will wash away the suffering of your people

Woman of El Salvador, heart of the homes
I sing to your strength of family and solidarity
Strength of wife and mother,
Strength so loving and brave
Strength of hands united, that grow stronger every day

Woman of El Salvador, woman of faith and hope
I sing to all the women of Chalatanango
The repopulated women are seeds of a future
That we will reach together, with God and hard work.

Once again, we visited the "Promised Land" in San Martin where progress is being made on things like this wall (Enlace 2011)