Los Olivos Cis

Programs: Civil rights, democratic development, emergency aid, and advocacy programs: los olivos cis organizes community network for cooperation and solidarity made up of 29 community organizations. This year focused on an analysis of the 1992 peace accords, climate change, social and economic inequality in el salvador, social violence, human rights, gender equality and masculinity, and a year-end celebration. The cis completed the construction of 63 homes, 63 septic systems and potable water in the romero community, fulfilling the human rights aspiration for these families for a dignified home. As part of cis violence prevention work, we installed and built the oscar romero gymnasium in poma school in tonacatepeque. The effort put the concept of community police into action, where young men in trouble and the police helped to lift the steel beams for the roof and contributing to building a community and a culture of peace. Cis clean water program strengthened 10 local water committees and cooperated with local schools and health promoters to broaden the impact and education around clean water. Cis trained and distributed water filters to 311 families and 6 clean water for the world purification units in local schools. Cis carried out 36 training classes and reviewed 28 existing purification systems.

youth formation and scholarship programs: provides education to potential community leaders who would not be able to study without help and at the same time build their awareness of their role as agents for making changes for social justice. The cis worked with 16 local salvadoran scholarship committees and 17 sister organizations as well as individual donors to raise funds for 150 youth to go to the university and 228 to go to grade school and high school in 2016. The cis has also started a gender scholarship fund to provide scholarships to trans women and women who have been wrongly jailed for miscarriages and have won back their freedom, so they can work to overcome marginalization and stigmatization and have access to dignified jobs. Scholarship students carried out literacy programs, organized clean water and environmental workshops, tutored younger students with difficulties, taught computers and english, and participated in activities to build a culture of peace and non-violence. Cis promoters organized workshops on vocational orientation and life project, study techniques, and sexual and reproductive rights in the 16 municipalities. The cis organized a three day retreat in lago coatepeque for 100 students and committee representatives focused on an analysis and workshops on regular and irregular immigration and constructing a vision of an el salvador with opportunities for youth to stay and contribute to development in their communities.

international cultural exchange and education. Educational delegations and language and cultural exchange. 29 international volunteers trained by the cis taught english classes to 167 local community members during 4 nine week sessions. The volunteers received orientation about el salvador and the empowerment work of los olivos cis. Additionally, cis taught four sessions for 51 volunteers with progressio. The english school volunteers also took on a saturday project teaching english to 145 students in san miguel tepozantes. Cis continues coordinating with the university of el salvador to provide salvadoran students majoring in english with training and an opportunity to practice their profession and fulfill their 500 hours of social work requirement by teaching at the cis. 84 international participants received spanish instruction and cultural orientation from local native speakers in el salvador. The cis also employs 16 teachers to give spanish classes online. Cis hosted 15 delegations with 131 participants in 2016. Delegations included 7 sister communities visiting scholarship programs; a house building brigade; two university groups that helped install water purification units; a human rights delegation that advocated on behalf of the more than 17 women who are imprisoned for miscarriages; two medical brigades and norwegian popular aid to visit programs they support.

small business and women's development programs. Promoting women's active participation in their community, building self-esteem, training and developing income generating businesses to improve the quality of life of women and their families. Ongoing support and development was provided to 19 women's businesses, directly benefitting 148 women and their families in coordination with salvadoran enterprises for women. Our biggest achievements include developing business plans for six new and existing businesses, training cis promoters to facilitate business planning as well as continued development and specialization in two organic agriculture and indigo dye processing groups in san isidro and romero community. . Los olivos cis in partnership with conamype and matias delgado university developed a course on entrepreneurship, sales and marketing for the businesses. Los olivos cis in coordination with the balsamo foundation supported training in cultivating indigo, vegetables and herbs in romero community and is working with cis promoters and the azules de titihuape indigo and organic cultivation in san isidro on developing a business plan. Cd-mype in ilobasco is working with cis to develop business plans in la vaquita dairy products and las delicias bakery in llano largo; the divine child bakery and on sight sausages in los hoyos, ilobasco. Cis supports 17 artisan workshops which generates income for 75 individuals by selling their products in our store and filling internet orders. Cis coordinated with the mathias delgado university to offer advanced training to 3 artisan workshops to develop designs, techniques, logos and promotion for their workshops.