accompanying communities looks like this...

CEIBA continues to accompany communities, albiet with a teeny budget. While waiting for our NGO status to come through, we cannot abandon communities!!! We have been accompany them in small ways...and each of these photos tells a story of our continuing support.
#1 & 2 (fotos left and below)
Show Bomberos en Accion de Espana, Firefighters in Action from Spain, training 40 adults of Joya Grande in advanced search and rescue, how to run a water potibilization plant, and advanced first aid. CEIBA helped the community write objectives for the project, and improved existing risk maps with help from the firefighters. CEIBA is also training 4 of its volunteers with the firefighter, to define our role in Joya Grande's new and improved emergency plan. Drill for the plan will take place in April.

#3. The picture on the left shows Beth signing an agreement to be legally part of Santiago Texacuango's Municipal Civil Protection Committee (its like El Salvador's version of FEMA). CEIBA is the NGO reprsentative for this comission, and will have oversight during disaster situations. We also help coordinate regional activies in disaster prevention, and as a part of the comission will education representatives from 30 schools in the region on the Law of Civil Proteccion and Rights of the Child.

#4. The picture to the right shows Jonathan Velasquez, CEIBA volunteer and lawyer, helping the fisherman of Joya Grande obtain legal liscences to fish. Last month, police began to crack down on fishing laws, and have been decommissioning fishing boats from those without licesnces. This means fisherman and their families whom depend on fish for thier economic support and nutrional needs, have been unable to fish! Jonathan helped 36 fisherman obtain liscenes.

#5. The picture to the left shows Mercedes in her AMAZING model organic garden using terracing to prevent soil erosion. Mercedes's organic agricultural techniques prevented landslides from damaging her house in November 2009. CEIBA is now coordinating a relationship between Mercedes's community, Santa Maria, the Casa de la Solidaridad (Santa Clara University's exchange program at the University of Central America), and the National University of El Salvador (UES). Mercedes is teaching organic agriculture to 15 families in her community, while an agronomy student from the UES is design irrigation systems and plant cycles to meet the food demand from students at the Casa Program. Santa Maria can directly sell organic produce and casa students can eat local, organic produce. CEIBA is coordinating the project and raisng $2,500 to install the irrigation system this summer. The irrigation system ensures a constant, fixed production that is independant of constantly shifting climatic conditions. The system will support food sovereighnty for families as well as climate change adaptation because it encourage production of heirloom seeds adapted to Santa Maria's climate.

#6 To the right Beth is sitting with CEIBA volunteer Norma and Joya Grande youth leader Joceline, 16, sharing a cold glass of Coca Cola. Norma and Beth are helping Joceline brainstorm for the "Armando Paz"/ "Arming Peace" Project competition funded by the OAS. Joceline and her team of 4 youth are writing a project focused on violence prevention to revive CEIBA's painting school and host a "peace" soccer tournament.

# 7. CEIBA is now part of a youth environmental network called JUXVIDA (Juventudes por la Vida or Youth for Life) funded by the IUCN (International Union of Conservation Scientists). JUXVIDA is organizing an Earth Day celebration, and CEIBA lobbied for the event to take place in Santiago Texacuangos. JUXVIDA will celebrate Earth Day with the children of Santiago Texacuangos April 18th 2011. CEIBA is excited to be a part of JUXVIDA and support country-wide environmental initiatives in El Salvador. In the foto to the left, Norma is tabling for JUXVIDA at a youth festival at the UCA (University of Central America) to try and get more youth volunteers for activities like Earth Day.

CEIBA's display for CEIBAR! Our once a month bar-fundraiser in the Office. March's CEIBAR theme was the Spring Equinox. Volunteers Norma and Juancho reenacted an indigenous ceremony of the Equinox, which is a time to start a new balance to your life and wash yourself of negative energy. All profits support CEIBA's projects. (Paintings done by children in Joya Grande. $5!)

Here CEIBA volunteers Jonathan, Marvin, and Betsy dancing to some classic Salvadoran beats. Volunteering also means HAVING FUN when you volunteer with CEIBA! :)