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Friends of Papaturro
Community of Papaturro, Suchitoto, Cuscatlán, El Salvador
The community of Papaturro was repopulated on November 25, 1990. The
majority of the now 85 families of Papaturro are originally from Villa
Victoria, Cabanas. We started to organize ourselves during the 80s
in Mesa Grande, Honduras as refuges from the repression of the armed
conflict in El Salvador.
Through this space we will try to make the organizing efforts of our
community known. All of this work has been made possible with our
own effort, with the help of many different institutions but most
of all with the help of individuals who want to support communal development.
We invite you as an organized people to walk with us as the Community
of El Papaturro as we fight to keep moving forward to help our families
develop both socially and economically.
Community
Meeting
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July 31,
2005 Festival |
To visit or contribute to our cause:
In the United States:
Patricia Lawless,
luchando@juno.com,
720-297-7091,
3707 High St., Denver, CO 80205
USA
In El Salvador:
Asociación Comunal El Papaturro,
Comunidad El Papaturro, Canton de la Bermuda,
Mpo. De Suchitoto, Dpto. De Cuscatlán, EL SALVADOR
Youth Committee:
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In
2003 we began to organize a youth committee in response to the
disintegration of the youth in our community and in all of the
Salvadoran society. We try to diagnose the youth to get to know
their problems and interests to help them develop. In August
of 2003 we received financing for a project to help integrate
the youth of our community through Project Salvador.
The project is focused on four different areas:
 Organization
and formation
Recreation
and culture,
Economic
development
Social
development
In
the organizational aspect we have held monthly meetings,
each meeting has a specific topic of interest for the
for the youth, including a political analysis, gangs
and drugs, sexuality, AIDS and other STDs. This is a
space where the youth of our community can reflect and
interact. We have had exceptional participation.
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Papaturro
Youth
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Recreation
and culture, have included numerous typical afternoons with
performances by youth from El Papaturro and other communities
from nearby.
We
have also had the sale of typical
Salvadoran
dishes, mental agility contests, raffles and of course a dance.
We have also had many excursions to the beach for the youth
to have a little fun Another activity that has come from this
is a popular theater where we show movies on the week ends in
the communal house.
First
String Soccer Team
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In
the recreational area we have formed a women’s soccer
team and have two men’s teams, we also have projected
for 2005 to plant grass in the soccer field and build
a protective fence. |
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In
the area of Economic Development in 2003 we trained
a group of seven youth on the making of piñatas. We
have projected for 2005 the training of a group of youth
on embroidery, we also plan on building a kiosk for
the sale of food and a place of recreation for the members
of the community.
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Basketball
Court under construction - completed in 2005 |
In
the developmental area we decided to focus on the growing trash
problem. We started off training a group of four sanitation
promoters to work with members of the community on the collection
of trash all over the area, these promoters are asked to go
from house to house and help educate the people on the separation
of trash. We also installed a total of ten communal trash cans
in the social areas of the community. Every two months we have
a cleaning campaign through out the whole community. The promoters
were also asked to prepare a puppet show for the children of
the school to help them understand the importance of how they
dispose of trash correctly.
Community
Cleanup |
With
the help of this project we have seen a good impact on
the youth of our community. We have integrated our youth
better and have been able to reduce the social problems
that existed between some of the youth.
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Women's
Committee :
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The
Women’s committee is used to keep the women of Papaturro organized
through monthly assemblies coordinated by PROGRESO and APDM.
Each meeting is based on a specific topic of interest to women
for example, gender, sexuality, AIDS, domestic violence and
an analysis of the reality.
Through
this organizational work we formed a Credit Committee which
administers loans to the women of our community. The fund is
maintained
Women's
Credit Committee
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with
$1500 with loans of up to $50 each to 30 women of our
community. With
this money each woman starts a small project to make some
kind of income for her and her family for example, raising
chicken, stores, pigs, purchase of material for agriculture
and the sale of food. |
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Pastoral:
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The
pastoral team works in coordination with the Santa Lucia Parish
of Suchitoto. They work on celebrations of The Word every Sunday
and pray the holy hour on Thursday’s. There is also a youth
group which holds meetings and get-together’s to help guide
the youth of the community.
The group is also responsible for all of the catechism in the
community. Classes are Saturdays in the afternoon for all children.
The
pastoral team also coordinated the construction of the now finished
church. They keep collecting funds to finish the interior and
to buy a bell and a microphone. |
Education:
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El
Papaturro counts on a school for basic education from kindergarten
to sixth grade. There is a total of three teachers two popular
and the director of the school. The student body is of about
130 children each year. The
Classroom
PHOTO
Scholarship
Recipients
The
library
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The
school has many cultural events such as, Mother’s Day,
Father’s Day, Student’s Day and Children’s Day. During
these events the school sponsors typical days, crowns
a queen and has raffles, all of this is done to raise
funds for the school. Each month there is a parent’s class
to work on educational and organizational topics to help
coordinate different types of work needed around the school.
The mothers coordinate the preparation and distribution
of food for the students.
After
sixth grade students who want to continue studying must
go to school in the community of Las Americas were they
will receive a middle school education. Students who decided
to go on to high school after ninth grade receive a half
scholarship through a scholarship program in our community.
In 2005 one student began college with the support of
the Scholarship Program. In 2006 there will be two college
students.
El
Rincon de Cuentos is a library were students and youth
can go and read books, do homework and participate in
different activities that help expand their learning.
The school children attend the Rincon de Cuentos once
a week, and it is open to all members of the community
six days a week. There are two facilitators who work in
the Rincon and prepare the activities. By 2005 we are
hoping to build a building within the school grounds.
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Health:
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El
Papaturro has two health promoters who work at the clinic in
the afternoon. They are trained in first aid, diagnosis, birth
control and birth assistance, preventative medicine and classes,
natural medicine and weight control and child development.
The health promoters work out of a clinic
which was built in Papaturro in 1996 by AID but without infrastructure.
The clinic is maintained by the community through donations
for medicine and for the monthly stipends for the health promoters.
The popular teachers are helping with monthly donations to buy
medicine. |
Artesans:
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The Taller 18 de Marzo produces art from local seeds and ceramics.
They sell necklaces and bracelets, earrings and rosaries. The group is made up of six women. Their major market is Project Salvador and the different delegations that visit El Papaturro.
They also sell during times like the anniversary of the community,
day of the martyrs and different celebrations in the town of Suchitoto. |
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