Porque eso quiero volver a Bajo Lempa

Español: Departamentos de El Salvador (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The best way to describe the work of CORDES is to talk about Rio Lempe.  CORDES is very active in this former insurgent enclave.  This was the site of our first visit into the country.  We visited a small community that is located on the site of a former cotton plantation.  The previous owners deserted the area during the war.  The present community located on the plantation after the Peace Accords in 1992. 

This was the story wherever we went.  Relocated communities are trying to make a go of it with little government support.  Most of these communities have very dramatic stories of the conflict.  This on was no exception.

We visited a small community museum where captured arms are stored in a room with bullet-pocked walls.  The local commander gave us a tour of the facility.  His picture, from earlier days, with military uniform and black beret, were part of the display.  We also visited the site where 28 insurgents are buried after a battle with the military in the community.

This is a country of graves.

One of the captured guns from the community museum.  Note the holes in the walls.

The past and the future are so close here.  We were on our way to see a community that is growing and developing, but we had to pay homage to the past first.  You can’t understand El Salvador without listening to the stories of the struggle.  In Rio Lempe, I would like to think that the people are beginning to turn the corner on this long battle.

Funding has provided support for the development of local products including gourmet cheese, organic fruits, cashews and sugar.  Community supports include an eye clinic, a water purification plant that provides good drinking water to the community, biological pesticide control and a biogenerator that provides methane gas for cooking. 

The community has also developed a fishing co-op that seeks to return a greater share of the profits to local fishermen.  Training has also been provided on filleting and salting processes.  CORDES has also supported the development of an eco-tourism facility -  Hostal Lempa Mar.

Hostal Lempa Mar consists of four cabins that can sleep three persons each.  The hostal is located on the Lempa River and offers and excellent restaurant where visitors can enjoy local produce including red snapper taken from the Lempa.  Apart from the peace and serenity of the Lempa, this facility also offers kayaking and boat rides on the Lempa.  During the week, these same boats are used by the fishing co-op.

Profits from the Hostal stay in the community and all employees of the Hostal are members of the local community.  Plans are in place to develop hiking trails in the area and it is hoped that Hostal Lempa Mar will soon be able to promote to the international community through the Internet.

Hostal Lempa Mar.  Great fish and an afternoon ride on the Lempa

my Spanish for this week on Bajo Lempa

Porque eso quiero volver a Bajo Lempa

Yo he escrito de Bajo Lempa antes. Yo tengo un diario para cada viaje de El Salvador y Guatemala.    En 2005 y 2009, yo fui a Bajo Lema con los grupos Canadienses.  Yo no conozco la comunidad de Bajo Lempa y San Vicente como yo conozco la comunidad de San José las Flores.  Esto es porque este es el grupo CRIPDES quien decide a dónde íbamos.  Durante la guerra, San Vicente y Chalatenango fueron lugares que fueron controlados por los grupos militares afiliados a CRIPDES.  Yo no sé el nombre de los grupos, pero los afiliados existen hoy en El Salvador.

Las comunidades de Bajo Lempa no están bien organizadas como las comunidades en Chalatenango.  Cuando visitábamos las escuelas en esta área, los maestros no tenían los recursos necesarios para realizar su trabajo.  Yo espero que cuando visitemos este año,  haya cierta mejora. 

Bajo lempa es un área amenazada por el calentamiento global.  El océano pacifico está creciendo e inundando la tierra.  Cuando hay una tormenta, la tierra y la gente se ven afectados.  Cada vez, hay mucho daño.

Cuando yo regrese a Bajo Lempa, quiero ver que las cosas han cambiado.  Como están las escuelas?  Como están los proyectos de CRIPDES, CORDES y las otras organizaciones? 

También, fue un pequeño hostal, se llama Hostal Lempa Mar.  Este hay un gran

hostal.  La   comida en el hostal fue maravilloso.  La cocinera era un excombatiente que aprendía como a cocinar en San Diego mientras él se recuperaba de sus heridas.  

Nuestra cena en hostal Lempa Mar

Creo que hay muchas oportunidades para aprender en Bajo Lempa.  Yo voy a ver pronto lo que ha cambiado.  Ojalá, yo espero que las personas no cambien.

El Salvador Journal 2005 Part V

We went to a lot of meetings in the first two days in El Salvador. On our second full day we met with Equipo Maiz, the Corn Team, who gave us an alternative history of El Salvador. History is so important if we want to get a true measure of the character of a country. This is the specialty of Equipo Maiz. They have worked since 1983 with small communities to develop a greater understanding of the people’s situation. Through workshops on gender issues, civil participation, privatization and leadership, they hope to equip people with the knowledge to better understand their current situation. They also specialize in telling the story of El Salvador’s past.

A key point in the story. In 1932, the government exterminated over 30,000 indigenous people after a failed revolt. This has resulted in the total denial of the native heritage of the Salvadorans. Unlike Mexico and Guatemala, there is no talk of an indigenous culture in El Salvador. There are really only two indigenous communities now in El Salvador. You can see the native heritage in the faces of the people, but the culture is kept in check. People fear a return to the 1930’s. They have good reason for their fears. Other countries like Haiti and Guatemala have suffered from similar disasters.



Equipo Maiz uses artwork to illustrate their talks on the history of El Salvador

El Salvador Journal 2005 Part IV

The past and the future are so close here. We were on our way to see a community that is growing and developing, but we had to pay homage to the past first. You can’t understand El Salvador without listening to the stories of the struggle. In Rio Lempe, I would like to think that the people are beginning to turn the corner on this long battle.

Funding has provided support for the development of local products including gourmet cheese, organic fruits, cashews and sugar. Community supports include an eye clinic, a water purification plant that provides good drinking water to the community, biological pesticide control and a biogenerator that provides methane gas for cooking.

The community has also developed a fishing co-op that seeks to return a greater share of the profits to local fishermen. Training has also been provided on filleting and salting processes. CORDES has also supported the development of an eco-tourism facility - Hostal Lempa Mar.

Hostal Lempa Mar consists of four cabins that can sleep three persons each. The hostal is located on the Lempa River and offers and excellent restaurant where visitors can enjoy local produce including red snapper taken from the Lempa. Apart from the peace and serenity of the Lempa, this facility also offers kayaking and boat rides on the Lempa. During the week, these same boats are used by the fishing co-op.

Profits from the Hostal stay in the community and all employees of the Hostal are members of the local community. Plans are in place to develop hiking trails in the area and it is hoped that Hostal Lempa Mar will soon be able to promote to the international community through the Internet.



Hostal Lempa Mar. Great fish and an afternoon ride on the Lempa

This area was devestated in the recent flooding

El Salvador Journal 2005 Part III

While the Peace Accords were signed in 1992, the struggle continues. The people of El Salvador continue to struggle for basic human rights, access to clean drinking water and good quality education. In the rural communities the provision of good quality health care continues to be a very real concern. Families struggle to make ends meet. The minimum wage provides a worker a salary of $154.00 (US) per month. CRIPDES and other social organizations estimate that the cost of living is closer to $625.00 a month. Prices continue to rise for basic services like water and transportation; wages are not keeping up with these increases. It is becoming increasingly difficult for families to survive.



In 1994, CORDES was created out of CRIPDES to provide technical assistance for rural communities. CORDES locates close to the communities it supports They are committed to developing productive activities in these communities in agricultural production, financial planning, entrepreneurial support, and public policy development and prevention and risk management.


The best way to describe the work of CORDES is to talk about Rio Lempe. CORDES is very active in this former insurgent enclave. This was the site of our first visit into the country. We visited a small community that is located on the site of a former cotton plantation. The previous owners deserted the area during the war. The present community located on the plantation after the Peace Accords in 1992.

The Rio Lempa, San Vincente


This was the story wherever we went. Relocated communities are trying to make a go of it with little government support. Most of these communities have very dramatic stories of the conflict. This on was no exception.



We visited a small community museum where captured arms are stored in a room with bullet-pocked walls. The local commander gave us a tour of the facility. His picture, from earlier days, with military uniform and black beret, were part of the display. We also visited the site where 28 insurgents are buried after a battle with the military in the community.



This is a country of graves.

One of the captured guns from the community museum. Note the holes in the walls.

The Impact of Global Warming on the River Basins of the Lempa River in El Salvador

By voicesfromelsalvador

This week, El Faro posted a story on a recent environmental report that identifies the Lempa River Basin as one of the regions particularly vulnerable to climate change. Dr. Edwin P. Maurer and his colleagues from the University of Santa Clara authored the report, in which they find that storms in the Central American region will continue to grow in both intensity and frequency. Their review of climate change models also reveals that the region is also vulnerable to more frequent droughts.



The Lempa River Basin is the largest river system in Central America, passing through Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador before emptying out in to the Pacific Ocean. With a drainage area of 18,000 km2, it is directly affected by changes related to global warming, according to the report. In addition to providing water resources to cities and communities throughout Central America, the Lempa River generates an estimated half of El Salvador’s energy via hydroelectric dams. The report attempted to answer 3 main questions. The first, what are the projected changes in the rain and temperature in the river? The second, what are the projected changes in the flow of the river? Lastly, will the impact of climate change be statistically significant?



The report found that by the end of the 21st Century, the Lempa River Basin will likely experience the following changes:



The average temperatures will rise 1.9-3.4 degrees centigrade, with the highest increases during the months of June and July;

Climate change models agree that the region will be drier, with a 5-10% decrease in precipitation – they project that May and June will be much drier, extending the dry season well into the first half of the rainy season;

The flow of water to the largest hydroelectric dams will decrease by 13-14%;

July and August will experience the greatest decrease in flow of water, falling off 21-41%;

The capacity to generate electricity will likely decrease by 33-53%.

The report’s findings have serious implications for El Salvador. The authors advise that agencies in charge of water management in the region prepare for a reduction in water resources for consumption purposes, and energy production. The impact will also affect agricultural production, at very least shortening the growing season, which traditionally begins in early May. Farmers who depend on the Lempa River to irrigate their crops may also have fewer water resources with which to do so. El Salvador’s water supply has already decreased in recent years, with dramatic drops in water tables, and widespread contamination of the country’s surface waters. A further decrease in water resources could be catastrophic.



The report also has implications for the El Chaparral Dam project in Northern San Miguel. While El Salvador’s demand for energy may increase, investing in another hydroelectric dam seems like a poor use of limited resources when other options such as solar and wind energy production are viable.



Though much of the report discusses the impacts of droughts and decreases in precipitation, the climate change models also predict that the region will experience stronger storms more frequently. This could mean that regions such as the Lower Lempa region San Vicente and Usulután could experience even more flooding.



Industrialized countries such as the U.S., China, India, and others have time to lower their carbon emissions and lessen these impacts. Until they do, communities in the region ought to begin preparing. Possible steps may include strict water management regulations that ensure equal access to water resources, and end the large-scale contamination of surface waters with industrial and municipal waste. El Salvador and its neighbors ought to continue its fight to prevent mining activities that threaten water resources such as the Lempa River with heavy metals and other toxic waste. The government of El Salvador must fulfill its obligation to complete the systems of levees and drainage ditches that protect the Lower Lempa of Usulután and San Vicente, and other regions from flooding during strong storms, prolonged rains, and mismanagement of the hydroelectric dams. And each community ought to have risk management and emergency response plans in place that anticipate all scenarios and consider impacts on food production and economic development. Most importantly, we should all take greater steps to lower carbon emissions, and pressure governments of industrialized countries to agree to tougher regulations that lower emissions.





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