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2006 Annual Report to Members

Santa Cruz al Salvador - a Brief History

Santa Cruz al Salvador (Holy Cross of the Savior) is a non-profit organization (EIN 52-2289975) that was formed in 2001. The bylaws state that "the primary objectives and purposes of this corporation shall be the solicitation, collection, and possession of charitable donations from Santa Cruz County and any other location, for distribution in, or for the benefit of, the country of El Salvador, to those organizations and individuals needing charitable assistance." We have simplified that with the phrase Building Relationships for Better Lives. Our organization has focused on building and strengthening relationships with (1) the Lutheran Church in El Salvador, and (2) the communities of the Ciudadela "Dr. Guillermo Manuel Ungo" which we also refer to as our "Sister Communities". Although Guillermo Ungo is the name of the largest community, Ciudadela is an umbrella term (roughly translated as fortress or citadel) that includes the communities of Sitio Nuevo, Monsignor Romero, Los Enriques, Montepeque and Huerta Enana, as well as a few others, which we have never visited. In the past few years our focus has been on scholarships for the school and supporting the health clinic, both of which are located in Ungo but serve all the communities.

A Report on the 2007 Delegation

The delegation this year:

• From St. Stephen's: Michael & Ruth Cruddas, Lisa Johnson & her son Colin Boyle, Kent & Christine Madsen, and Stephanie Dawson.
• From Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Salinas: Steven and Corrine Barrett with two of their children Chuck and Kathy; Donna Kemper and her daughter Kristie.

Our translator, trip organizer and "Mother Hen" was again Brenda Hubbard who has been our guide since 1998 and has become a dear friend.

The Activities

• Prayer Sponsors: this continues to be somewhat challenging as well as very exciting. The list always has some new names, and of course some sponsors drop out. Some sponsors sent cards & gifts to the children; We made sure that each scholarship recipient did receive a card and a small gift. We brought back approximately 40 letters this year. We continued the practice started last year of having meals in the homes of several of the scholarship recipients, helping us get to know even more families on a more personal level.
• Scholarships: The teachers stated that they feel that the scholarship recipients do better in school. The director Fito gave the children a stern (but gentle) lecture that they are expected to have good grades and good behavior in school in order to continue receiving the scholarship. As children approached us with letters to their sponsors, they had huge smiles on their faces. It really feels to us that the connection - pictures, cards, etc. - is as exciting to them as the scholarship.
• University scholarships: Started in 2005, university scholarships have had successes as well as disappointments. Two young women granted scholarships last year were not able to keep their grades up, and lost their scholarship. There are 3 scholarship recipients for 2007: (1)Maria Norma, going to nursing school, received excellent grades and has one "cycle" left - doing her practicum; (2)Alcides, who is the computer teacher at the school and received small scholarships for computer classes, has now been accepted to the National University and will study mathematics; and (3) Maria Angel to the National University to study psychology.
• Craft project with the children: With the addition to our delegation of experienced VBS teachers (Donna & Corrine), our project included not only a craft (a beaded cross lanyard or a beaded necklace), but songs and a skit. In addition, we did the project in 2 separate communities in order to make it easier for the smaller children to attend without making the long hike to the school.
• Youth group: There was a youth educational event on one day - quite a project.
• AMUDESCO: this is the women's group. It includes the health promoters, as well as committees on the environment and family violence. Funding for the doctor and the Health Promoters remains a major challenge. Our organization sent $1500 in Sept. to help them stay open for the rest of the year. The salary for a Health Promoter is $8/day. They are down to 2 health promoters because the others have had to look for other work. The Dr. works 3 days/week and receives $20/day honorarium, which is not considered a dignified wage and is not enough to survive. Finding a reliable funding source is a major goal for 2007, funding a health promoter 5 days/week and giving the doctor a salary of $500/month. We were able to leave $5,000 because of fundraising done by Lisa Johnson on behalf of the clinic, and another delegation pledged an unknown amount. We hope this will keep them solvent until a more permanent funding source can be found.
• Bishop Medardo Gomez of the Lutheran Church of El Salvador: We worshiped with the Bishop on Sunday, and met with him after the service. He asks for our prayers, and continued visits (which show solidarity) and encouraged volunteers to live and work in his country.

Action Items

The following decisions were made by unanimous vote of the members of the board of Santa Cruz al Salvador while in El Salvador:

1. Funsalprodese (the NGO helping to administer scholarship money): We met again with Americo Mauro Araujo, who is the new Director. For the GU scholarships, we left $2,625, and pledged to send another $2500 in September. University Scholarships: $2, 625 was left (with over $3,000 still left in the account because of the students who did not succeed). A 5% administration fee is included in the money left.
2. IMU: the NGO that works with AMUDESCO. The group met with the executive director Deysi Cheyne. $5,000 was left for funding for the health clinic.
3. The Lutheran Church in El Salvador: we left $500 with Bishop Gomez for the Lutheran church. He stated that the money left last year was used for pastoral salaries.

This visit was a very busy and exciting one, as you can see. We thank you for your support of prayers, money, and supplies. We thank you for your love.

Added by Kent February 5, 2009 (10:38PM)

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