In May we reported on a NARDA/ONA visit to El Salvador. Members of that trip wrote about their experiences. (See May Newsletter)

Sharon Bettinelli:

El Salvador is a country I remember hearing about so much during the 1980s when local churches in Berkeley were offering sanctuary to El Salvadorans. I had met a number of El Salvadorans but had never visited that country. When this opportunity to visit and learn about El Salvador came up, I mentioned to our housekeeper at the YWCA—a woman from San Vicente, ES—who discouraged me from going. She said it was “not a beautiful country, nothing nice there.” As it turns out, for me she was wrong. Download Sharon's report (pdf 52 kb)

Margaret Fraser:

I was one of six women from the US visiting during Holy Week: Lutherans, Catholic and Quaker.  My friend Maria is a social worker with the Supreme Court of El Salvador. She had asked for visitors to see her volunteer work with women and children. Our focus was on violence: in general, and in particular as it affects women and children. We had opportunities to see what has happened since the civil war and it is a mixed picture—economic development beside persistent poverty; increased hope alongside fear. Download Margaret's report (pdf 148 kb)

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