Milestones On Our Journey

by Kristi Van Nostran, JH Companionship Facilitator

Easter greetings from El Salvador! In this season of celebration, may we all be transformed by the wonder and promise of new and abundant life in and through the resurrected Christ.

We are enjoying a great deal of transformation as Red Uniendo Manos El Salvador (RUMES). We kicked off the year welcoming our new National Coordinator, Doris Evangelista.

New national leadership

Doris brings more than 20 years of community organizing and development experience, particularly supporting local church leadership to broaden their focus toward a model of service that benefits the entire community. Her energy and enthusiasm for the mission of Joining Hands and her passion to accompany the vulnerable and impoverished peoples of El Salvador make her an asset to the RUMES team.

New office for work and visibility

In February we inaugurated the RUMES office space; we now have a place to call our own! Little by little we are working to furnish the two-bedroom rental house-turned-office, but with a large table and chairs we are able to hold our meetings there, and Doris and I have room to work comfortably as well. Another benefit of this new space is that it has given us visibility, and a connection point for different ecumenical ministries, among them Living Waters for the World (LWW), a Presbyterian ministry that partners with local communities to install water purification systems. Joining Hands is serving as a resource and reference as the LWW El Salvador Network strives to further develop a model of mission rooted in partnership and mutual transformation. This process marks a paradigm shift in the way we think about mission and community development. Together, we are moving away from the historical project-based method of “doing” mission to a more holistic and relationship-based means of “being” in mission. Our hope is that when asked, “What did you build on your mission trip?” one can answer enthusiastically, “God’s Kingdom”!

Securing training for community leaders

Red Uniendo Manos, in coordination with another national network, RASA (Network for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Sovereignty) has worked to provide the opportunity for leaders from nine villages to participate with other community leaders and small-scale farmers in a yearlong series of participatory workshops that are held bi-weekly at the Salvadoran Lutheran University..

The themes of the classes range from agro-ecology, composting, and alternative foods to the history of agriculture in El Salvador, the effects of the Free Trade Agreements (NAFTA, DR-CAFTA) and the search for a new economic system based on solidarity. The women and men participating in the workshops will use what they learn in these courses to raise awareness in their communities and draw attention to the crises we face with the current food system.

We are adding our voices and actions to a growing movement for food justice in El Salvador, and with these and other partners we have begun to build the foundation for a powerful political and social advocacy campaign.