SalvAide works to raise awareness about El Salvador, its culture, history and people, and the challenges they currently face. Through this education and outreach work, SalvAide endeavors to promote solidarity with the people of El Salvador.
SalvAide builds social and economic justice and development in El Salvador through education and solidarity, our Twin Community Program, delegations to El Salvador, internships, speaking tours, newsletters, urgent actions, fundraising, support for our Salvadoran partner organizations, and through various development projects.
El Salvador is the smallest Spanish-speaking nation in the Western Hemisphere.
El Salvador, which is Spanish for 'the saviour' sits on the West Coast of Central America, bordered by Guatemala and Honduras. A tiny country, El Salvador is both the most densely populated state in Central America, with a population of 6.7million, and the most industrialised.
From 1980 until 1992 there was bitter civil war between the small wealthy elite dominating the government and economy, and the disenchanted majority of the population. This was followed by a succession of natural disasters, including hurricanes, and two earthquakes that devastated the country in 2001.
This turbulent history has left its mark on the country and both the society and economy are still recovering. Poverty and social inequality continues to define much of contemporary El Salvador with a third of the population living on less than $1 a day.
Some of the reasons why SalvAide works in El Salvador
- 19% children under five years old suffers from stunted growth due to poor nutrition
- Less than half of children attend secondary school (education is not free)
- 20% of the adult population are illiterate
- 60% of the rural population does not have access to adequate sanitation facilities
- A quarter of the population does not have access to an adequate water supply
Part of the solution to the social and economic global inequalities begins
with a growing awareness of our social, environmental and cultural
links with the
rest of the world, including El Salvador. |
