Operation Day\'s Work \--USA

1999-2000 Funding Application

A. Project Information

Name of Project: Arts and Education with Rural Salvadoran Youth

Name of U.S. NGO: Companion Community Development Alternatives (CoCoDA)

Address: 609 E. 29th St.; Indianapolis, IN 46205-4199

Contact Person: Kelly Lubeck, Program Director

Phone: 317-920-8643

Fax: 317-920-8649

E-mail Address: cocodaindy@igc.org

Project Site in El Salvador:

The Arts and Education with Rural Salvadoran Youth project will benefit

children and youth in thirty rural communities in El Salvador, Central

America. The communities involved in the project are located in the
rugged

mountains of northern Caba¦as just south of the Honduran border, and in
the

broad valley off the northern slope of the Guazapa Volcano in Suchitoto,

Cuscatlàn. Both of these regions were devastated by the twelve-year
civil

war (1980-1992) and most of the people were forced to flee their homes
due

to intensive bombing campaigns and brutal military invasions. Some of
the

people ended up in refugee camps in Honduras or El Salvador, while
others

tried to survive on their own, often in impoverished squatter
communities in

the capital city of San Salvador. In 1987, the people began to organize

mass resettlement to their places of origin, re-establishing communities
in

the conflictive zones of northern Caba¦as and Suchitoto, Cuscatlàn,
bringing

with them international attention and human rights monitors. Since

returning, the people have been working to re-build their homes and to

develop long-term solutions for breaking out of the extreme poverty
that,

for many of them, continues to make everyday life a struggle for
survival.

Collaborating Organizations:

\- ADES (Association for Economic and Social Development, Santa Marta)
in

northern Caba-as;

\- CRC (Committee for Reconstruction and Social and Economic Development
of

the Communities of Suchitoto, Cuscatl+n) in Cuscatl+n.

Project Director: Kelly Lubeck

Project Start and End Dates: July 2000-June 2003

Amount Requested: \$90,000

\_B. Organizational Background

1\. Please provide a brief background of your organization.

Companion Community Development Alternatives (CoCoDA) is a non-profit,

non-governmental organization (NGO) founded in 1992 to support
sustainable,

community-based, social and economic development in El Salvador and to

promote awareness, activism and social responsibility in the United
States

for more just relations with Latin America. CoCoDA works in partnership

with 5 Salvadoran NGOs to support development projects in Salvadoran

communities and to coordinate inter-cultural educational exchanges with

communities in the United States. Ninety percent of CoCoDA¦s support for

projects has come from individuals and community-based groups in the
United

States, who also participate in program activities, including visits to
U.S.

communities by Salvadorans involved in the projects and visits of North

Americans to Salvadoran communities where CoCoDA supports projects.

CoCoDA¦s headquarters are located in Indianapolis, Indiana.

2\. Please provide any collaborative history between the Salvadoran NGO
and

your NGO.

CoCoDA grew out of a grassroots campaign in North America to support the

resettlement of the communities in Caba-as and Cuscatl+n. CoCoDA has

maintained a steady and mutually beneficial partnership over the past
decade

with both ADES and the CRC. Projects supported through our work
together,

which are part of local plans for integrated social and economic

development, include construction of community schools and health
clinics;

vocational training for youth and women; women\'s microenterprise
programs;

equipment, training, advocacy, and operational support for community
radios;

financing for community land acquisition; alternative techniques in

agriculture; program support for community youth and mental health;

transportation for rural communities and cooperatives; and advocacy and

financial support for popular teachers and health promoters working in

community schools and health centers.

3\. What prior experience do you and your Salvadoran partner NGO have in
the

project area?

CoCoDA, ADES and the CRC have prioritized youth and education programs
over

the last 8 years as the core of our cooperation for economic and social

development in rural communities. This cooperation has included
exchanges

between U.S. educators and students with popular teachers and students
in

the rural communities, fund raising for scholarships for popular
teachers,

construction and reconstruction of three community schools, a community

mental health program for youth and children, and two community radio

stations, Radio Victoria and Radio Suchitl+n, in which young people from
the

communities participate in operations and program broadcasting. The
network

of students and educators in the United States who have supported these

projects have also participated in advocacy efforts with CoCoDA to
encourage

USAID to allocate funding for academic advancement of popular teachers
in

rural areas and to encourage the Salvadoran Ministry of Education to

acknowledge the valuable education programs being offered by the popular

teachers and to accredit them as teachers once they meet the academic

requirements under Salvadoran law. CoCoDA, ADES and the CRC continue to

seek funding and international support for 65 popular teachers in 12
rural

schools, most of whom still have two or three years of university study
to

complete before they meet the Ministry of Education requirements to
become

accredited teachers.

C. Project Description

1\. Project Goal:

To guarantee quality, basic education programs in community schools in

northern Caba-as and Suchitoto, Cuscatl+n under the leadership of
popular

teachers, and to provide opportunities for rural Salvadoran youth to

participate in artistic and cultural activities.

2\. Project Objectives:

A. For the 65 popular teachers in the community schools of northern
Caba-as

and Suchitoto, Cuscatl+n to complete their university studies and become

certified by the Salvadoran Ministry of Education as official teachers
in

their home communities.

B. To have fully-equipped computer training centers in Santa Marta,
Caba-as

and Suchitoto, Cuscatl+n, which include approximately 10 computers and a

qualified instructor to train popular teachers and youth in the
community

schools in the use of computers, a vital skill for future employment

opportunities.

C. To increase opportunities for Salvadoran youth to participate in
local

arts and educational broadcasting on the community radio stations Radio

Victoria (Caba-as) and Radio Suchitl+n (Cuscatl+n), through
infrastructure

improvements, upgrading equipment and providing training for 30 or more

youth who have interest in communications and broadcasting.

D. To train leaders of artistic groups in Caba-as and Cuscatl+n for

developing a youth cultural center in each region, and to facilitate

exchanges with youth cultural centers and children¦s museums in the
United

States, particularly those involving the Latino population.

3\. Project Background/Rationale:

The twelve-year civil war in El Salvador ended with the historic Peace

Accords of 1992. These hard-won accords brought democratic reforms to a

nation in which a rigid class structure and military repression had

relegated most people to lives of poverty and powerlessness. As a
result,

in El Salvador today, grassroots work on social and economic issues is
much

more feasible and safer than it was in the repressive and unjust prewar

years. Yet, at the same time, 60% of the people continue to live under
the

same conditions of poverty that existed before the war, or worse,
without

access to basic human services and with few resources for improvement.

Meanwhile, young people living in impoverished urban and rural
communities

in El Salvador find few options for education or employment, much less
for

pursuing their interests and dreams for the future. In this context,
some

30,000 Salvadoran youth have joined street gangs which are part of a
vicious

crime wave that has given El Salvador the highest per capita homicide
rate

in Latin America (150 per 100,000). Many other Salvadoran youth are
risking

their lives and borrowing what for them and their families are huge sums
of

money, to be smuggled illegally into the United States to find
employment.

To fight against the illegal immigration from Central America and
Mexico,

the U.S. government has tripled the budget of the Immigration and

Naturalization Service (INS) since 1993 to over \$4 billion, financing
border

policing projects such as -Operation Gatekeeperµ in San Diego,
California.

Yet, this huge investment to strengthen border patrols has not slowed

illegal immigration, as evidenced by the fact that the percentage of
illegal

labor in the California agricultural industry rose from 10% in 1990 to
40%

in 1997. The policing of the U.S.-Mexico border has only made illegal

immigration more lucrative for coyotes, who smuggle illegal immigrants
into

the country, and more dangerous and costly for the immigrants, most of
whom

are young people from extremely poor families who are looking for
employment

opportunities that they can\'t find in their home country.

The Arts and Education with Rural Salvadoran Youth project will give
youth

in rural Salvadoran communities options for continuing their education
to

become teachers in their home communities, which will then guarantee

quality, basic education programs for children in the communities. The

project will also strengthen locally led programs to involve youth in
arts

and cultural projects that inspire their creativity and identification
with

their own heritage, involving them in productive activities that
contribute

to their communities rather than leaving them marginalized and
vulnerable to

being pulled into unlawful behavior. In addition, the project includes

computer training so that the popular teachers and youth will learn
valuable

skills that will permit them to teach others and for young people to
have

more options. Finally, the project offers the opportunity for Salvadoran

youth to have cross-cultural exchanges with communities in the United
States

through organized activities that celebrate their heritage and their
role in

building a better future for themselves, their families and their

communities.

D. Project Beneficiaries

1\. Who will benefit from this project?

The beneficiaries of this project will be young people from the ages of
5 to

28, many of them former war refugees and some of them ex-combatants, who

live in the rural communities of Santa Marta, Caba-as and Suchitoto,

Cuscatl+n. There will be a mix of young men and women, with a focus on

ensuring a minimum of 50% female participation in the project. The

beneficiaries include: the popular teachers of Santa Marta, Caba-as (42)

and Suchitoto, Cuscatl+n (23); youth and children who are students of

popular teachers in 12 community schools (about 1,300 in Caba-as and
about

300 in Cuscatl+n); youth in the community radios Radio Victoria (30) and

Radio Suchitl+n (8); talented young people in the already existing
artistic

groups of folkloric dance, music and theater (approximately 60) as well
as

many other youth who would participate in artistic activities if they
had

the opportunity; and coordinators of youth cultural centers in northern

Caba-as and Suchitoto, Cuscatl+n (2-4).

2\. How will they benefit from this project?

\- Popular teachers will obtain their teaching degrees and become
certified

teachers in their home communities.

\- Approximately 1600 students will continue to receive a quality
education

through high school.

\- Teachers and students will have access to a computer training center
and

training courses in using computers.

\- Youth and the population in all of the communities will benefit from

better quality equipment for developing programs and for broadcasting
from

community radio stations whose programming is designed to serve the

communities, and involve young people in the radios. They will have
funding

for training in the community radios, for new equipment and for
recruitment

of new young people.

\- Youth will have the opportunity to participate in local programs in

music, theater, dance, the visual arts and martial arts.

\- Teachers, students and youth in general, in both El Salvador and the

United States, will have the opportunity to participate in cultural and

educational exchanges.

\- Youth art and cultural programs will be well enough established to
compel

other funders to support the construction of youth cultural centers in

northern Caba-as and Suchitoto, Cuscatl+n.

3\. How will the beneficiaries be involved in the planning and
implementation

of the project?

CoCoDA will work closely with ADES and the CRC to plan and implement all

activities included in the project. Popular teachers already have
regular

planning meetings with ADES and the CRC. The community radio stations
have

central coordination teams who oversee all aspects of the radio
operations,

and devote a great deal of energy to involving and training youth

volunteers. ADES and the CRC will congregate young people in the

communities, drawing on the experience of those already involved in
artistic

activities to provide coordination and leadership for developing arts
and

cultural programs. CoCoDA also has field representatives in El Salvador
who

coordinate with ADES and the CRC and work closely with individuals and

groups in the United States in the planning of activities such as visits
to

El Salvador, or visits of Salvadorans to the United States.

4\. How will the project promote (for youth in El Salvador) the desired
youth

outcomes of Confidence, Character, Connection, and Competence?

Confidence: Participation in the arts and in dynamic education programs

that strive for the participation and advancement of all students
provides

an opportunity for self-exploration, developing self-confidence, and
allows

for dreaming of future possibilities for one\'s life. The arts also
provide

a positive outlet for youthful creativity and energy. In learning to
manage

computers, young people gain knowledge and build their capacity for a

challenging task, one which the majority of Salvadorans in areas of
rural

poverty never even have access to. They can measure their progress, and

consider that the possibility of future employment is increased with
having

that skill.

Character: In being accountable to the whole -teamµ of other educators,

students and/or artists/broadcasters, one learns responsibility and the

impact of one¦s actions on the whole. Also, the arts and education,

-popular style,µ encourage the development of self-awareness and
awareness

of where one is from, increasing young people¦s identification with
their

history and heritage, and with the families and communities of which
they

are a part.

Connection: By participating in artistic and educational programs, young

people develop a sense of connection to the community that is providing
them

with this opportunity. Also, in performing, youth become educators and

initiators of discussion which encourages others to engage in

self-exploration and to become more aware of their identification with
local

culture and heritage. In popular education methodology, there is an

emphasis on -re-capturingµ and respecting native history and culture. El

Salvador has a cultural richness that has much to contribute to the
dynamic

social, political and cultural changes in El Salvador and the world. In

practicing the arts, youth in rural communities would be connecting with
that culture and helping others to do so as well.

Competence: One of the injustices of poverty is the deprivation of
opportunity for motivated and talented individuals to develop their
skills and competence in areas of their interest. By providing funding
for popular teachers to attain university degrees, we are making it
possible for them to complement their tremendous experience as teachers
with a broader academic background and professional training. This will
also improve the breadth and level of education offered to children in
the rural communities, which will prepare them to advance to higher
levels of education in institutions and programs that have typically
been closed to youth from impoverished rural areas. In the artistic
groups, there is a good deal of physical activity, as well as in the
popular schools, which include physical education as part of the
curriculum. In terms of emotional health, theater exercises and what
Salvadorans call -sociodramasµ can be utilized to teach, learn and
practice healthy ways of interacting, coping with challenging
situations, problem-solving and reflecting on the surrounding
environment.

Training in computers is also a vital component of education for
competence in the world of the twenty-first century. In all of these
ways, this project will help youth in rural Salvadoran communities to
have more opportunities for self-development.

E. Project Implementation

1\. What specific activities will you carry out to accomplish the
objectives of your project?

See Annex 1

2\. How will each side of the partnership be involved in the
implementation?

\- The popular teachers in Caba-as and Cuscatl+n work four days a week,
teaching and leading extra-curricular activities with children and
youth, and travel to study at the university on weekends.

\- The ADES coordinator of the Popular Education program will oversee
teaching plans and management of scholarships with the 42 popular
teachers in Santa Marta, Caba-as.

\- The CRC\'s coordinator of Popular Education will coordinate with the
23 popular teachers in communities of Suchitoto, Cuscatl+n.

\- ADES and CRC coordinators of popular education will oversee the
management of the computer training centers in Santa Marta and
Suchitoto.

\- The coordination teams of Radio Victoria and Radio Suchitl+n will
coordinate activities of radio programs with youth.

\- CoCoDA\'s Field Representatives will facilitate communication,
coordination and reporting with ADES, the CRC, CoCoDA and the project
managers.

\- CoCoDA will administer all funds according to the guidelines of the
project and within the financial policies of the organization, with
Board and Executive Staff oversight of specific proposals received from
the CRC and ADES during the course of the implementation of the project.

\- ADES and the CRC will be responsible for administration and reporting
of all project funds in El Salvador according to the general budget, and
specific budgets that will be presented by project managers.

\- CoCoDA will report to all contributors to the project periodically,
and will coordinate all U.S.- El Salvador cultural exchange activities.

3\. What other local individuals, organizations and/or agencies will be
involved in your project activities?

\- In El Salvador, an NGO called CIAZO and the National Association of

Popular Teachers will be leading negotiations with the Salvadoran
Ministry of Education to accredit popular teachers.

\- In El Salvador, an NGO called the Salvadoran Association of
Participatory

Radios and Programs (ARPAS) will provide technical assistance to Radio
Suchitl+n and Radio Victoria.

\- In the United States, local student, solidarity, religious and
university groups affiliated with CoCoDA will also help to fund raise
and coordinate cultural exchange activities.

\- Equity Trust, a U.S.-based NGO specializing in community land trusts
and property management, will partner with CoCoDA in the financing of
facilities for the radios and youth cultural centers.

\- CoCoDA has a Coordination Team composed of a network of experienced,
bilingual individuals residing in El Salvador and the U.S. who will
assist in the coordination of cultural exchange activities.

\- Salvadoran youth living in the United States will also participate in
the cultural exchange and promotion of the project.

\- We will have dialogue with a family museum of arts and science in the

midwest United States and with a Latino youth center on the east coast,
about assisting in art and cultural exchanges and providing training for
the coordinators of the youth cultural centers in Caba-as and Cuscatl+n.

4\. What are your plans for continuing the project after these funds are
spent?

\- We expect that the Ministry of Education will integrate the popular
teachers into the national education system of El Salvador once the
teachers have been accredited.

\- As part of CoCoDA\'s Companionship in Development program, we plan to
build on connections made with networks of educators, students and youth
cultural centers in the United States to continue supporting the
community schools and youth cultural centers in El Salvador.

\- The schools and radio stations in El Salvador will hold fund raising
events, such as dances, to raise money for the ongoing operations and
special project needs.

\- Community radios sell announcement spots to local businesses and
individuals to generate income for the radios.

\- The community schools, the community radio stations and the youth
cultural centers in Caba-as and Cuscatl+n are part of long-term,
regional, social and economic development plans being promoted by ADES
and the CRC, in coordination with local municipal governments. This will
also help to guarantee the long-term viability of these projects.

F. Project Evaluation

1\. What results do you anticipate from this project?

\- In 2002, the first group of popular teachers will graduate with a
university degree in education.

\- In 2003 and 2004, the second and third groups of popular teachers
will graduate with a university degree in education.

\- Popular teachers will continue to teach full-time in community
schools during the pre-certification period, guaranteeing uninterrupted
education for children in the communities.

\- Radio Victoria and Radio Suchitl+n will have quality broadcasting
equipment and trained leadership for involving youth in radio program
production.

\- Trained leadership teams in Caba-as and Cuscatl+n will have
established art and cultural programs to develop into permanent youth
cultural centers.

\- Unemployed youth in rural Salvadoran communities will choose to
continue participating in local activities for community development
rather than put their lives at risk trying to emigrate or engage in
potentially lucrative but illegal activities.

\- Development of self-confidence and leadership skills in Salvadoran
youth.

\- Youth and popular teachers in the rural communities of Santa Marta,

Caba-as and Suchitoto, Cuscatl+n will be trained in using computers,
which will become a regular part of the curriculum in community schools.

2\. What information will you collect and how?

\- Narrative and financial reports on the progress of the project will
be

expected from ADES and the CRC every 6 months, which should include
photographs and evaluations with beneficiaries. Project managers and
staff of ADES and the CRC will be responsible for gathering this
information, with assistance from CoCoDA field representatives.

\- Periodic recordings of radio programs produced by youth in Radio
Victoria and Radio Suchitl+n will be made available to interested
individuals and groups in the U.S.

\- Financial reports from CoCoDA will be made available upon request.