Housing Project San Luis Talpa, El Salvador

In July of 2009, I arrived in the San Salvador airport as a volunteer for the Fuller Center for Housing. A city that boasts one of the highest murder rates in the world, around twelve murders a day, San Salvador's violence and socioeconomic issues are the result of a bloody civil war spanning twelve years (1980-1992) and taking the lives of over 75,000 of its citizens. Most recently, the image of El Salvador is characterized by the tattooed faces of the MS-13 and the 18th street gang whose beginnings are traced back to inner city Los Angeles when Salvadoran immigrants were bullied by preexisting Mexican gangs. Today these two gangs are largely responsible for the violence that torments this beautiful landscape and its wonderful people.

After becoming acquainted with the rest of the group, whose members consisted primarily of great folks from Mason, Georgia, we were directed to our rented guest house. We had dinner that night, prayed for the safety of the group and for the work we had ahead of us. Since we had arrived on Saturday, we had Sunday to mosey about and decided to take an elective trip to Zoyapango, a neighborhood just outside of the city, to see a recently completed project. Two vans bumped up a poorly paved road to one of the most gang infested neighborhoods of the capitol city where murders are a daily occurrence, blank stares were abundant. Through a retracting fence, the vans entered an area of about five acres surrounded by fifteen foot concrete walls topped with barbwire. What had previously been an oversized garbage dump two years ago, had been reproduced into a housing complex providing a home to over 200 families. Mike, Fuller Center's Salvadoran representative, is an American expat who headed the project and is truly a saint to the people of Zoyapango having not only constructed homes, but a school, playground area, and a soccer field. A true humanitarian.

We began our build early Monday morning around eight a.m. and I must say, an El Salvadoran day in July is beyond hot and humid, especially for a person raised in Seattle, Wa. We worked hard, and I did my best to act as foreman, translating and directing where we needed help. We took water breaks often to account for the gallons of sweat produced from pick axing water trenches, mixing concrete, constructing gardens, wheel-barreling dirt and grass among other tedious tasks. Every day around noon, we were provided a lunch cooked by some of the local community. Appreciative of our work, the Fuller Center has established over fifteen homes in an area so poverty stricken, many of the families were living in shacks made from cardboard, garbage bags, and sticks. Villa Kawanis, as the area is called, now provides the basic necessities for these families. During our time in Villa Kawanis, we made that possibility a reality for two more of these families. Prior to our arrival, another group had constructed a small building with sewing machines which the women use to make hand bags and clothes, which are then in turn sold to volunteers and other visitors! Because of Fuller Center, these people not only had newly constructed homes, but a chance at life. A chance to provide for their children, and a chance to live comfortably.

Finishing the second home in Villa Kawanis accounts for the fourth home I have helped to construct in Latin America, and one day I hope that number supersedes the hundreds. To volunteer with such an organization like Fuller Center is a truly unforgettable and rewarding experience. The next time you think of taking a vacation to get away from the stresses of life, where a beach a corona and a palapa await, take into consideration a volunteer project. The change in perspective you will experience will take care of that stress you feel, and the work you do will drastically improve the lives of countless underprivileged human beings. (If you think physically you are burdened, I had a seventy something year old woman working by my side, how's that for motivation? ha!).

In summary, my time spent in El Salvador was informative, inspiring, and worth while. Not only did we do something great for the people, I met some incredible Americans I will never forget. They're prayers, optimism, and encouragement echoes in my memory. I hope to turn this kind of assistance into my life's work one day, and this kind of experience continues to inspire me to do so.