Programs

Roots and Wings International is piloting innovative programs in the villages surrounding Lake Suchitlan in the municipality of Suchitoto in northern El Salvador. These programs include several interlocking elements in which Salvadorans and North Americans work together on environmental projects. The programs occur in three phases:

Phase I: Preparation

• North American adults and teens participating in a program meet to learn about the culture of the area in which they will be working, study Spanish, and learn about appropriate technologies and the environmental impact of lifestyle choices.
• Salvadoran adults and children meet together with program personnel to learn about the importance of planting and conserving trees and using appropriate technology. Together they choose a project that will benefit their community and the wider global environment.
• Programs are developed in collaboration with many Salvadoran NGOs and municipal authorities, including the Foundation for Reconstruction and Development (REDES), the Suchitoto Women’s Association, Suchitoto High School, and Suchitoto’s mayor, Javier Martinez.

Phase II: Environmental Work Encampments

North American and Salvadoran participants meet together in the villages to carry out the project and engage in cultural and artistic activities. The projects may include:

• planting and caring for saplings that will eventually provide shade, income from fruits, nuts, and timber, and firewood, while also controlling erosion and restoring forest habitat.
• building inexpensive fuel-efficient stoves that require less firewood than traditional cooking fires and vent wood smoke out of the house to minimize health problems.
• building solar ovens to dry fruits and vegetables so that residents of rural communities can increase their income by growing value-added produce for export markets.

Phase III: Sharing the experience

• North American participants meet on their return to plan ways to share their experiences in Central America with others in their home communities. This may take many forms, including photo exhibitions, speaking engagements, film or video productions, or other media.
• Salvadoran participants may train others in the skills developed during the program and educate people in other villages about the new technologies and the importance of tree conservation. They may also earn money by marketing their new skills or establishing micro-businesses based on their knowledge of the new technologies.