Carmelite Missionaries in El Salvador

       Back to the Extra Mile                                           Back to Ale Boza's profile

Ale explained that the Carmelite Missionaries are a Catholic religious congregation that originated in Spain in the early 1860s. Today they have Chapters in many countries around the world through which their nuns do great act of kindness. Read more about their history at the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate Web Page.

Almost 60 years ago, the Carmelite Missionaries first arrived in El Salvador from Spain to do charity for the country’s poor. When they first arrived they helped out in the San Salvador General Hospital. Later on, they moved to they settled in Soyapango in northern San Salvador and started building what is now known as Obra Social El Carmelo.

Obra Social El Carmelo is a charity complex where the nuns offer services to the less fortunate for a very low cost (or for free if the person is unable to pay). Today, the complex includes:

• Complejo Educativo Católico El Carmelo – a elementary, middle, and high school, with 1,210 students from the area. On dicember 2010, they will be graduating their first senior class. Browse through pictures of the school on their Facebook profile.
• A clinic
• A church
• An adult education centers for:
• Bakery
• Hair styling
• Cloth making
• A nutrition program
• A thrift shop – the thrift shop is a way the nuns make money to continue their services and it also makes good clothes and goods accessible for their beneficiaries. 

                      Back to the Extra Mile                                  Back to Ale Boza's profile

Interview with Ale Boza ... About her Experience...

             Back to the Extra Mile                                    Back to Ale Boza´s Profile

Why do you go through all the trouble of collecting the bottles? What do you get from it?

I get satisfaction from thinking that I’m helping one more child will go to school.

About how much time do you dedicate to this project per week?

I’d say about five to six hours. But this project has a multiplying effect. There are hundreds of people putting in a few minutes a day, to help me out.

What is your vision for the future of this project?

I hope that one day the nuns will be able to educate all of these kids for free, so that their parents can invest that money for their future. ($54 dollars in El Salvador is about half of a monthly minimum wage).

What is your favorite part of the process?

There is so much trash in this country and I enjoy seeing all that plastic being recycled, and its for a good cause… its double win!

How did the nuns react the first time you brought them bottles?

They were extremely thankful… and the first time I didn’t collect that many bottles. Every time I go they thank me and hug me!

Have you had the chance to meet the children at the school? How was that experience?

Yes, the kids always have a smile on their face. Soyapango is one of the scariest areas of the city, but those kids always look neat and have a bright face. The school is like a safe place in the middle of a jungle.

What are other things that you would like to do for the nuns?

I think that what the nuns need most right now is a sustainable income to keep their projects going. But I definitely want to concentrate my help on their school. These kids are our future and I don’t want to see the progress done so far go to waste.

I understand that your grandfather first took you to visit the nuns. How has your grandfather influenced you?

My grandfather has been one of my greatest role models. He is the kind of person who will take of his shoes if somebody else needs them. He is the most caring, loving, altruistic person I have ever met.

                  Back to the Extra Mile                                    Back to Ale Boza´s Profile

Alexandra Boza – Going Green for Education

                  Back to the Extra Mile                                

        

 

Alexandra Boza is a 29-year-old Salvadoran who was impressed by the altruism and hard work of a group of nuns and therefore decided to help them. Since she began five months ago, Ale has helped the nuns make enough money to pay for one year's worth of education for two kids. The nuns run a school for underprivileged children where they charge a small tuition and sponsor those who are unable to pay.

We interviewed Ale about her experience getting involved, read more about what she told us.

Learning about the project

Ale, learned about the nun’s project from her Grandfather, who has known the nuns for years.  Her Grandfather first met them when they cared for his mother as she recovered from pneumonia at the hospital where the nuns used to work. One day, Ale decided to join grandpa on his trip to visit his life-long friends, all the way to the “tougher side” of town, or the “Bronx of San Salvador”, as it is often called.

Ale was amazed at the project the nuns had forged with their effort and determination in the years since they moved downtown. Sister Hidalia Aguilar and Sister Dolores walked Ale and her grandfather through the school (see the facebook profile) were children, who would otherwise be out in the streets, were studying math, religion, computer skills, and ethics. For more information about the work the Missionaries in El Salvador are doing, see the project overview.

Finding ways to make the project larger

Ale noted her grandfather’s gratitude towards the nuns and was motivated by the hard work they did for the children. She wanted to help in whatever way she could.

The nun explained that they had recently started to collect plastic bottles which they sold to a plastic packaging plant which recycles them.  For each pound of plastic bottles, they recieve US$ 0.08.  (About 16 20oz plastic bottles make up a pound).

The money was used to sponsor new children at their school. For each child they needed $54 dollars to pay for one year.

Creating a strategy to maximize her bottle collection

Ale knew she could collect lots of bottles, but she knew that she would have to do a lot of explaining, reminding, and motivating. El Salvador doesn’t have a recycling system, and therefore people don’t know how to recycle nor are they accustomed to doing it. 

So Ale decided she would ask as many people as possible to help her out:

• She emailed all her friends and relatives
• Talked to the manager of every restaurant that she went to
• Gave large bins to work places where she had contacts

Much hard work for a project she believed in

Every Wednesday, Ale makes her round. She goes from house to house, restaurant to restaurant and work place to work place, to pick up the plastic bottles collected throughout the week. On Thursdays, she makes her way to Soyapango to deliver the bottles to the nuns who take them to the recycling center, get their money and sponsor more kids.

Ale doubles the good: recycling and educating

Ale has been successful in her collection and has helped the nuns increase school enrollment. Additionally, although not her initial intention, she has recycled pounds of plastic and has initiated a number of Salvadorans in the practice of recycling.

So far, in the five months since she started, Ale has:

• Collected more than 30,000 plastic bottles
• Helped the nuns cover one year of school tuition for two kids
• Gotten five restaurants to recycle their bottles and a bakery chain that has eight stores
• Convinced about 45 friends and family member to help out
• Provided recycling bins for six work places

As a byproduct, she has:

• Motivated employees at the restaurants and offices she visits to start recycling at home
• She has started to destroy the myth that in El Salvador it is futile to recycle
• She has motivated people to donate other goods to the nuns

You can help Ale

Read more about how you can help Ale at our Get Involved Section.




Back to the Extra Mile

Start: CREO Members Going the Extra Mile, Getting Involved

A series of profiles of young Salvadorans who step out of their safety zones to make a difference in their country

Throughout the country, young Salvadorans are helping their neighborhoods, their communities, their country in various ways. Many of these altruistic role models do their work silently, never receiving the recognition they deserve. CREO wants to give them the praise they merit by featuring their stories and encouraging others to join them. Read each profile to find out what your fellow young Salvadorans are doing and how you can help.

• Alexandra Boza – Going green for education 

Do you know a young Salvadoran who is going the extra mile and getting involved in their neighborhood, their community, or our country? Nominate them. Send an email to rorellana@creo.org.sv telling us their name, where they live, and what they are doing to help.

Week 6 assignment: content for CREO web site

I will be creating online content for CREO, a Salvadoran NGO whose objective is to help young adults get involved in country issues and in leading the country’s development.

The Audience

CREO’s audience includes Salvadorans ages 18 to 35 who make up the generation that will be leading the country in the near future.  CREO seeks to channel this group’s creativity, energy, leadership and capacity towards working for a better El Salvador.

People in this age group were very young or hadn’t been born during El Salvador’s Civil War.  Therefore, the only experience they have as active citizens is living within a stable political system.  Today El Salvador faces the possibility of a new period of political turmoil.  However, this new generation, because they didn’t go through the experience of the past, are apathetic about confronting the threats or at best don’t know what to do to confront them.  Most young Salvadorans continue to focus on the individual lives and prefer to avoid the local news rather than face reality.

Ideally, CREO would like to reach the entire 18 to 35 year old population in the country through its Web Site.  However, a more attainable objective, at least in the short run, is to focus on two segments of this population:

• those who would like to do something for their country, but don’t know where to start; and
• those that don’t really know what is going on nor what needs to be done, but who would get involved if they were made aware.

Both of these groups love their country and share the values that CREO defends.  Most of them are either young professionals or students, their socioeconomic status varies but they all have access to the internet, and most of them live in the greater San Salvador area.

Style and Design

Seeking to attract youth, the current CREO web site uses bright colors over a black backgroups, and a simple, yet “hip” style.  Considering that some of the users don’t have quality access to the internet, the developers try to avoid heavy graphics.  The site has been created for young people who want to get involved or at least have the potential to do so and therefore it attempts to give them space to interact.   This same style will be used in all subsequent sections, paying particular attention to making sure graphics are not too heavy and providing space for users to participate.  All the new content to be created will follow the AP Stylebook Guidelines (in a subsequent stage, an effort will be made to revise and/or adapt the existing content to such guidelines). 

Online Content

As has been stated, CREO seeks to involve youth in country issues.  In order to do so, the organization needs to educate them, provide them with the necessary tools, and motivate them. 

Currently the Site includes tools to educate its users about country issues, as well as spaces for them to participate and learn about ways in which they can get involved.  However, the organization as a whole and particularly the website needs to improve its efforts to motivate its audience to get involved.

With that in mind, I intend to develop a section which features CREO members who have gotten involved and made a difference.  Initially, those featured will be identified by CREO, however, the idea is that in the future users identify and nominate their peers.  In order to make being featured desirable, CREO will organize an annual award ceremony for involved youth which will be selected through online voting.

Featured profiles of involved youth could include:

• their background information, 
• a description of how they have been involved in country issues and what they have achieved, 
• what their plans are for the future, 
• their motivation to do what they do,
• pictures of their activities,
• links to their organization or blog, 
• a video,
• contact information, and 
• other multimedia elements  

The information will be obtained through an interview of the person.
Each profile will have space for visitor comments, as well as an application to send messages directly to the featured person.  Additionally, the section will use the web site’s existing social media tools to attract readers.

This section will help visitors learn from and be motivated by the example of other.  Those already involved in country issues will be motivated by the possibility of obtaining the award and will continue or increase their efforts.  Finally, visitors to the section will get the chance to contact the featured person to offer them help and thus get involved themselves.  The section to be created is based on the theories that we learn by example and that motivation is key to accomplish good results. 

In the future, as the section grows, there are additional elements that could be added:

• Separate sections for categories of the different types of involvement (ex. social work, politics, education policy, environment);
• An explanation of what the awards are, how they are chosen, prices, etc;
• A space to feature annual award recipients; and
• Direct access to places where youth can go to get involved in country issues.

The section will appear as a menu option on the Home Page.  That link will lead to a main Featured Profiles page which will have the list of names each with a three to five word description of the area in which they are involved.  Each name will be a link to another page that contains the full profile.  The main Featured Profiles page will also have links to the additional elements mentioned above, as well as to a page in which readers can nominate their peers.

Week 5 - Assignments

Part 1: Examples of Poor Headlines

Headline: Three Peas in a Pod

Problem: Doesn’t tell the reader what the article is about. Author has chosen a clever headline, rather that one that will help potential readers find the news.

Solution: Gubernatorial Candidates Whitman and Brown propose similar fixes as Schwarzenegger

Source: LA Times, September 21, 2010

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/sep/21/opinion/la-ed-governor-20100921

Headline: ‘Does this look ready?’

Problem: The reader has no idea what the article will be about and therefore can’t use the headline to decide whether to read it or not. What looks ready? Do we want it to look ready? Or do we not? Is it ready?

Solution: India not prepared to host Commonwealth Games

Source: tribuneindia.com, September 22, 2010

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2010/20100923/sports.htm#1

Headline: DEA: Clean out your medicine cabinets Saturday

Problem: The headline doesn’t adequately summarize the content. The headline is confusing: why would the DEA, which usually enforces, suggest such a personal thing. A reader would probably expect that the article includes recommendations on how to clean your medicine cabinet. But why Saturday?

Solution: DEA launches 'Clean out your Medicine Cabinets' Campaign

Source: AP Press through Yahoo News, September 23, 2010

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100923/ap_on_go_ot/us_dea_prescription_drugs

Part 2: Improve an Article by Deploying Lists

BEFORE
 

Travelers with disabilities face obstacles at airports

By Harriet Baskas, special for USA TODAY

With laws such as the Air Carrier Access Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, you might assume that people with disabilities no longer encounter obstacles at U.S. airports.

Unfortunately, that's not true. "Frankly, there isn't enough policing going on to go look at all these airports to see if they're 100% compliant," notes Tim Joniec of the Houston Airport System. "So at some airports it may take a traveler complaining about a service that isn't there before attention is paid to a problem."

And even if a traveler does lodge a complaint, "you'd be surprised at how many airports, including some enormous ones, just don't care," says Eric Lipp, the executive director of the Open Doors Organization (ODO), a non-profit that works with businesses and the disability community.

For those that do care, next month the Open Doors Organization (ODO) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) will host a conference about universal access in airports. On the agenda: tools, technology and training to help both airports and airlines do a better job of serving travelers with disabilities.

One topic sure to be discussed is money. About 55 million people in this country have some sort of disability. This community spends upwards of $14 billion a year on travel; more than $3 billion a year on airplane tickets alone.

With medical care and life expectancy improving, the number of travelers with disabilities is predicted to increase to more than 80 million in the next 20 years. Yet, when the Open Doors Organization surveyed adults with disabilities about travel, more than 80% reported encountering obstacles at airports and with airline personnel.

This group could include you in the future. The number of travelers who may encounter obstacles at airports is even larger, says ODO's Lipp, "If you consider the people who don't self-identify as having a disability." That might include aging boomers unwilling to admit they're having trouble seeing information on flight display boards or hearing the overhead announcements. And it can also include temporarily-disabled people, such a vacationer heading home from a ski trip with a broken leg.

"Revenues from this market could easily double," says Lipp, "If certain needs were met and more obstacles removed."

Universal access universally helpful

Lipp and others point out that removing obstacles at airports makes traveling easier for all passengers, not just those with disabilities. And there are plenty of examples of how making changes makes sense.

Curb cuts help those with strollers and wheeled luggage as much as they assist travelers using wheelchairs, walkers, canes or scooters. Family bathrooms are great for parents traveling with small children, but special lavatories at airports also offer grab bars and other amenities that a disabled traveler, or one traveling with an attendant, might find useful. Many general-use airport bathrooms are cleaner due to ADA-compliant self-flush toilets, automatic faucets and motion-sensing paper towel dispensers. And weave-through entryways reduce germs by eliminating the need for everyone to grab the door handle.

Visual-paging systems, like the high-tech ones now installed airport-wide at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, were originally created to assist hearing-impaired passengers. But all passengers can benefit from having an additional way to receive emergency messages and courtesy pages.

And of course, air passengers must be able to get to the gate before they can fly.

At George Bush Intercontinental Airport, passengers must now either walk or negotiate elevators, escalators or a bus when trying to reach Terminal A from Terminal B. That barrier will disappear in October when the airport's above-ground train finally links Terminal A to the other four terminals. "Those with mobility challenges will certainly benefit from this," says the airport's Tim Joniec, "But because 70% of our passengers make a connection at IAH, this will definitely be noticed by all travelers."

(article continues...)

AFTER

Travelers with disabilities face obstacles at airports
By Harriet Baskas, special for USA TODAY

With laws such as the Air Carrier Access Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, you might assume that people with disabilities no longer encounter obstacles at U.S. airports.

Joniec of the Houston Airport System. "So at some airports it may take a traveler complaining about a service that isn't there before attention is paid to a problem."

And even if a traveler does lodge a complaint, "you'd be surprised at how many airports, including some enormous ones, just don't care," says Eric Lipp, the executive director of the Open Doors Organization (ODO), a non-profit that works with businesses and the disability community.

For those that do care, next month the Open Doors Organization (ODO) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) will host a conference about universal access in airports. On the agenda: tools, technology and training to help both airports and airlines do a better job of serving travelers with disabilities. One topic sure to be discussed is money.

In the background of the discussions will be striking statistics about universal access in airports:

• About 55 million people in this country have some sort of disability;
• People with disabilities spend upwards of $14 billion a year on travel; About 20% of the money spent ($3 billion a year) is on airplane tickets alone;
• The number of travelers with disabilities is predicted to increase to more than 80 million in the next 20 years as medical care and life expectancy improves;
• More than 80% of adults with disabilities report encountering obstacles at airports and with airline personnel (according to a survey conducted by the Open Doors Organization).

This group could include you in the future. The number of travelers who may encounter obstacles at airports is even larger, says ODO's Lipp, "If you consider the people who don't self-identify as having a disability." That might include aging boomers unwilling to admit they're having trouble seeing information on flight display boards or hearing the overhead announcements. And it can also include temporarily-disabled people, such a vacationer heading home from a ski trip with a broken leg.

"Revenues from this market could easily double," says Lipp, "If certain needs were met and more obstacles removed."

Universal access universally helpful 

Lipp and others point out that removing obstacles at airports makes traveling easier for all passengers, not just those with disabilities. There are plenty of examples where this is true:

• Curb cuts also help those with strollers and wheeled luggage;
• Family and disabled bathrooms are great for parents traveling with small children;
• Many general-use airport bathrooms are cleaner due to ADA-compliant self-flush toilets, automatic faucets and motion-sensing paper towel dispensers;
• Weave-through entryways reduce germs by eliminating the need for everyone to grab the door handle;
• Visual-paging systems, originally created to assist hearing-impaired passengers, benefit all passengers by providing additional ways to receive emergency messages and courtesy pages;
• And better transportation systems inside the airport benefit all passengers who must be able to get to the gate before they can fly.

At George Bush Intercontinental Airport, passengers must now either walk or negotiate elevators, escalators or a bus when trying to reach Terminal A from Terminal B. That barrier will disappear in October when the airport's above-ground train finally links Terminal A to the other four terminals. "Those with mobility challenges will certainly benefit from this," says the airport's Tim Joniec, "But because 70% of our passengers make a connection at IAH, this will definitely be noticed by all travelers."

(article continues...)

Part 3: Week 1 Headline Rewritten

Civil War in El Salvador fuels love of country:

One Salvadoran girl's story of growing up in the 1980s

Part 4: Different Headlines for Story Fragment

Headline 1: 8 Words

China avenges criticism by blocking US meat imports

Headline 2: 6 Words

US-China dispute over imports continues

Headline 3: with Subhead

China suspends certain US imports: Shanghai responds to US criticism of tainted Chinese imports

Civil war in El Salvador fuels love of country

One Salvadoran girl’s story of growing up in 1980s

Abstract: I was born and raised in El Salvador during a Civil War which ended with the signing of a peace treaty when I was ten years old. The historical events that I witnessed have molded me into the person I am now: a fervent patriot, a believer in dialogue, and a lover of politics and development.

I was born in 1982 in San Salvador, El Salvador to a patriotic family who decided to stay in the country despite the hardships brought about by the Civil War that began two years before my birth. When the war started, my father was a member and one of the founders of the country’s only development think tank at the time. He would later be appointed President of the Central Bank becoming directly involved in the government that was struggling to end the war. My mother, with her heart-felt patriotism, supported his excessive work hours. She, also, would later work for the government.

Many of my kindergarten friends and their families fled elsewhere, to countries where dinner conversations were about class field trips office meetings, and soccer games, rather than about emergency kits, bullet shell collections, and political decisions. We stayed.

Lago Coatepeque, my  father's favorite
weekend spot.
Guanacos Online

My parents valued the country in which they were born and raised and in which they had developed endless memories with family and friends. They appreciated the majestic volcanoes and the luxury of having the beach only minutes away from the city. They cherished the characteristic hard-working nature of most Salvadoran and their light-hearted way of celebrating the joys of life. My parents wanted to stay. They were unwilling to give up their right to live in the country they loved. In that context, my brother and I were raised by two role models who continuously elucidated all the wonders that our country had. Thus, from early on, we both learned to sing the national anthem loud and wave our the blue and white flag with pride.

 Izalco Volcano, nicknamed "Lighthouse of the Pacific",
is one of my mother's favorite scenic views.
Efegé

Growing Pains, Lessons Learned

I was born in a war-torn and chaotic city. However, I was blessed to be born to a family with enough resources to live in one of the safer areas of town. My parents were able to give me the best protection considering the circumstances, to provide me with a good education, and to shelter me from much of the horrifying realities occurring in the country. Nevertheless, as hard as they tried, they were unable to shelter me from it all. All around us, conversations were dominated by politics and everyone was more interested in learning the day’s death counts than finding out the weather outside. Television channels were scarce and mostly occupied with crude and blunt news reports. As a child, I saw what war did to a society and I understood how violent humans can be. I also acquired an understanding, far more developed than would be expected of a child, of the role our violent nature can plays in politics. Today every time I confront a decision, consciously or not, I factor this awareness in.

As children, my generation witness stark violence, but also patriotism, sacrifice, and solidarity. As bullets were flying from one side of the city to the other, common, yet bold, citizens were helping the injured and providing hideouts for those in danger. Firm believers of either extreme of the political spectrum were risking their lives in order to defend their values. People were exposing themselves to the enemy in order to advocate for the system in which they believed. As a child, I witnessed how brave people can be. I know that when it comes to their country, their compatriots and their city, people are able to find courage to respond. Today, I keep that in mind as I try to build up courage myself and find ways to help.

The January after I turned nine (1992), I laid in my couch watching how government leaders and guerrilla commanders sat on either extreme of a table and signed a piece of paper in which they both committed to peace. At the end of the ceremony, people on both sides stood up and shook hands. At that point, they were no longer leaders or commanders. They no longer belonged to the government or to the guerrilla groups. That day, they were all Salvadorans. They had reached an agreement, decided to put the war in the past, and work together for the sake of their country. Today, there is still much political and social polarization in the country and, there have been times when it seemed that war might erupt yet again. However, when I witness people differ, in politics or in my personal life, I’m able to remember that dialogue is possible, and more importantly, that it is preferred. I intensely dislike conflict and am always seeking the way to reach an agreement through amiable conversation.

A Child of the War, who became an Adult of Peace

Having been born and raised during a civil conflict marked me significantly and has shaped me into who I am now. I wouldn’t say I was severely traumatized by my childhood environment, but it certainly influenced my interests, my values, and my decisions. The lessons I learned as a result of living through a war guide my daily actions.

My car and my blue and white flag.

Thinking back through the past month, I can identify situations, albeit small, in which those lessons learned have been my guide. Last week, the first of September, I purchased the Salvadoran blue and white flag and proudly attached it to my car window. Independence Day takes place on the September 15th, but my patriotism induces me to celebrate the entire month. The following Monday, I accepted that I can’t always trust my fellow citizens and decided to go home before sundown. The government had just passed a law to penalize gang involvement more severely. I knew, from my childhood days, that when it comes to defending their territory, values, and way of life, humans can be violent.

Furthermore, about a month ago, I heard the President of El Salvador deliver a speech* replete with polarizing messages, alluding unjust gaps in wealth. I was peeved at his divisive intentions and, seeking to vent my distaste, I wrote him a letter*. I did not intend to publish it because it had a few strong points that could be considered offensive. That was until I thought about how necessary it was to defend ones values for the sake of the country and bravely sent it out to get posted. Finally, on a different day this month, I had a strong disagreement with my coworker that impeded the completion of the project and that developed into resentment. Even though I still did not agree with her and was still upset, remembering lessons from the past, I decided to put my pride aside. Hoping to find some consensus, I invited her to a civil discussion of the issue. Every day, whether I’m aware of it or not, my behaviors and reactions are shaped by the way I grew up.

I’m good with numbers; perhaps I would have pursued a career in finance or accounting. However, my surroundings growing up, the fact that my father was involved in politics, and the loud noises that made it hard to fall asleep during so many nights, have infused in me a love for politics, development, and communications as a means to make a difference in the former two. I currently belong to a political organization, CREO*, that seeks to involve youth in national issues and I’m part of a committee that aims to promote corporate social responsibility. At the same time, I’m polishing my communication skills through formal education and practice.

Considering the extent of globalization and professional mobility in the world today, had I been raised in a different environment, I would probably be living and working somewhere geographically distant from home. However, the events and the lessons of my past impelled me to return to live and work in El Salvador after I finished my undergraduate studies in the United States. Living through the war, gave me a sense of patriotism that pulls me back home. Whatever I choose to do next and wherever I opt to go, I’m sure the love I have for my country will always affect my decisions, in the same way that my parent’s decision to stay in El Salvador during the war was affected by their patriotism.

* Source available in Spanish only