Los Olivos CIS

Youth Leadership Development and Scholarship Programs: Provides education to potential community leaders who would not be able to study without help and at the same time build awareness of their role as agents for making changes for social justice. The CIS worked with 23 local Salvadoran scholarship committees and 20 sister organizations as well as individual donors to raise funds for 208 youth to go to the university, 232 to high school and 114 students in k - 9th grade in 2022. A new program was started in the village of Los Hoyos in Illobasco. Of those students 23 graduated with university degrees and 80 from high school in 2022. CIS high school and university scholarship students continued to provide technical and tutoring support to younger students to be able to maintain their studies since classes continued online or in some cases semi-presential, still requiring technology. CIS invested in additional computers and printers for villages and continue to pay internet bills in a centralized place in villages for scholarship students since COVID. Due to the Government Suspension of Human Rights, communities suspended volunteer projects for six months, due to arbitrary arrests and the suspension of the constitutional right to meet. Scholarship coordinators in at risk communities did house visits and provided art supplies for youth to do projects in their homes. Environmental projects and tutoring to younger students were resumed when the government reinstated the right to meet but continued with the suspension of other constitutional and human rights. *** CIS School for Solidarity and Transformation organized a six-month course on human rights within the context of current suspension of rights, to provide tools and orient leaders to defend human rights, prevent unjust arrests, and examine the root causes and patterns of violence and machismo repeated by the gangs, authorities, and throughout the culture, with 51 participants coming from 17 communities. *** The CIS Gender Scholarship Fund provided 11 university and 2 high school scholarships to Trans women and women and their children, who have been wrongly jailed for miscarriages (accused of abortion) and have won back their freedom, so they can work to overcome marginalization and stigmatization and have access to dignified jobs. Most of these recipients live in extreme poverty and marginalized conditions. ***CIS purchased a fourth student apartment in San Salvador and contributed to rent for two additional apartments in San Salvador, one in San Miguel and one in San Rafael Cedros for university students with scarce economic resources to be able to study. Some University classes began to open in 2022, and CIS prepared for the requests for 2023. Students from San Pedro Perulapan, Suchitoto, Palo Grande, Isla Tasajera, Isla El Espíritu Santo, Estanzuelas, Llano Largo, Ita Maura, San Pablo Tacachico, Comasagua, Tamanique, Distrito Italia, Comunidad Ellacuria, Cinquera, and San Rafael Cedros benefitted from CIS housing in addition to university scholarships. Students learned to live in community with shared space, rules, and respect. Many Salvadoran males learned to cook and clean for the first time.

Educational delegations and language and cultural exchange: CIS hosted the first seven in person delegations as things began to open up after COVID; 3 virtual exchanges with scholarship and leadership development students with sister communities, and 5 delegations of CIS scholarship students and representatives to the U.S. with a total of 157 participants. We had 45 in person Spanish students and 45 Spanish students online for a total of 90 students from 8 different countries. CIS trained 17 volunteer English teachers online and in person to teach 98 English as a Second language students, and covering four ten-week cycles.

Civil rights, democratic development, emergency aid, and advocacy programs: Los Olivos CIS continued to support 25 organizations in the CIS Community Network for Cooperation and Solidarity. CIS in conjunction with Pesas y Poder inaugurated a gymnasium in Romero Community getting kids off the streets and empowering women bringing together five at risk communities. CIS work is carried out by 17 permanent staff (8 of those are part time): 12 women and five men. During 2022 CIS solidarity work was strengthened with 17 volunteer English Teachers, 1 communications intern who helped create our new online artisan catalog, 2 clean water program volunteers, and 8 volunteers who translated scholarship student profiles, for a total of 28 volunteers. *** CIS Clean Water and the Environment program. CIS trained and distributed water filters to 271 families, benefitting 1,088 individuals. We had difficulty obtaining Clean Water for the World purifiers due to import difficulties. CIS installed one Clean Water for the World Purification Unit in Cerro Colorado School in San Rafael Cedros, Cuscatlán. CIS did organizational development work with nine local water committees: Tehuiste Abajo, San Juan Nonualco; El Espino, San Pedro Perulapán; San Rafael Cedros; La Colorada, Isla Tasajera, San Luis La Herradura; Llano Largo, Jutiapa; San Luis Los Ranchos, Comasagua; Isla El Espíritu Santo, Puerto el Triunfo; Llano La Hacienda, San Isidro; and Los Hoyos, Ilobasco. Forty trainings were organized on health, hygiene, environment, and filter care and distribution. CIS provided materials to bring potable water to families in the community of Bellos Horizontes and repair damages after Hurricane Julia. The community organized and volunteered the labor needed. *** The CIS Building Community and Dignified Homes Program completed the construction of 17 homes in Paso Puente Community (total of 100 since 2019), an urban shantytown in Toncatepeque with families who lived in deplorable conditions. Additionally, four retainer walls were built for homes at risk from mud slides. The homes were built in association with the Salvadoran Ministry of Housing and Homes from the Heart. Construction materials and an increase in wages caused the price of building a home to increase to $10,200 in 2022. Additionally, LOS OLIVOS CIS built a community Center in Paso Puente which is used for community meetings, scholarship and leadership development, medical brigades, and other social projects. CIS continued its art and mental health program in Paso Puente, Distrito Italia, Residencial Libertad, and Romero Community in Tonacatepeque as part of an integral approach to overcoming poverty and violence, while building community. The program gives youth an alternative to migration and joining gangs to survive and they are invited to dream ways they can contribute to building a better future. *** CIS provided support to 40 families who have innocent family members detained since the government suspended due process, presumption of innocence, and other human rights beginning March 27, 2022, in their so-called war against gangs. CIS provided legals support to 30 families, the majority on the Holy Spirit Island where there are no gangs. CIS trained staff and scholarship students to take sworn affidavits and documented cases of arbitrary arrests. CIS provided food supplies on two occasions to over 40 families since most of those arrested are the bread winners for the families. We had 600 t-shirts printed for security for scholarship students to be identified with an organization, so they didn't get arrested going to and from school. Only three of the detained persons CIS advocated for were released in 2022. The Government prohibits visits by lawyers, family members, or anyone, and changed the law to be able to hold people for two years without a trial.

Small business and women's development programs: Small business and women's development programs: We supported 7 women's businesses with 23 women actively employed in 2022: Las Delicias Bakery, Sausage to Go, Divine Bakery, Holy Spirit Sweets, Colorada Seamstresses, Pacific Ice Cream, and indigo dye producers. We worked with 6 women to develop a El Espino Sausages and held empowerment and organizational workshops with 12 women in Paso Puente with the goal of eventually starting a business. *** CIS supported 16 artisan workshops which generate income for 75 families by selling their products in our store and filling internet orders of high-quality artisan products including purses and accessories, coconut jewelry, organic coffee, painted wooden products, cards and jewelry made from recycled materials, indigo dyed clothing, embroidery, and other items. Sales began to pick up with our new online store and as visits from abroad started again after COVID.