At the time, I was not on the CARE staff, but was chairing the board of directors. Ana Guadalupe asked that CARE, which had left El Salvador after the outbreak of the war, re-establish a program there. She argued for our concentrating on previously contested areas of the country, which were also among the poorest, saying that we could contribute to their social and economic development and, by our very presence, be a guarantor of peace. The El Salvador that I found in August 2000 is hardly heaven on earth. Most Salvadorans still struggle to eke out a living.
Criminal violence is a major social problem.
Nevertheless, I was tremendously moved by how different the country is today as compared with my visits in the early and mid-1980s. Back then, much of the population lived in terror. People are more relaxed today. Life may not be easy, but there is reason for hope. The capital, San Salvador, is now a lovely, well-maintained city, governed by a former rebel politician who is its elected mayor.