B. PROGRAM OVERVIEW

In 1962 the government of El Salvador requested Peace Corps Volunteers.  Twenty Volunteers arrived in April of that year.  By 1977, approximately 150 Peace Corps Volunteers annually were working in El Salvador in fourteen programs.  In 1980 after two attacks against the Peace Corps office and vehicles, operations were suspended.   Approximately 13 years later, Peace Corps returned to El Salvador in April of 1993.

Peace Corps El Salvador (PCES) currently has a total of 160 Volunteers working in four sectors: agro-forestry and environmental education, rural health and sanitation, youth development and municipal development.  In addition we manage a semi-permanent Crisis Corps program that allows former Volunteers to come down for 3-6 months on assignments as the result of a crisis (we currently have between 5-15 CCVs in country at any one time.  The PCES post is also known for being the “go to” post for many recent Peace Corps pilot programs and initiatives:  safety and security mapping, in-house training, migration to a modern computing platform, improved financial management system, deployment of PC safety and security officers, etc.

The Peace Corps offices are located in Colonia San Francisco, in the suburbs of western San Salvador with easy access to public transportation and Volunteer accommodations.  A training center is operated year round in San Vicente, a department capital 1.5 hours east of San Salvador.  PCES maintains the traditional modest separation between Peace Corps (a“people to people” program) and the policy-making agencies of the US Embassy while stillaffording both entities the opportunity for mutual support and involvement.

C. PRIMARY PROGRAM ACTIVITIES

Peace Corps El Salvador operates programs in four areas arrived at through negotiations between the US and Salvadoran governments and outlined in the current Country Agreement:

Agro-Forestry/Environmental Education: The goals of this project are to increase the use of sustainable agro-forestry techniques (soil conservation, diversified agricultural production, reduced input farming, rural enterprise development and marketing, etc.) and to train individuals and groups in environmental education and action.  The project was redesigned in FY04 to increase emphasis on environmental education and enterprise development.

Rural Health and Sanitation: This project’s goals are to increase and promote access to potable water and sanitary waste systems, train local communities to operate and maintain water and sanitation infrastructure, and to train individuals or groups in good hygiene practices and in the relationship between health and water access and quality.  The project was redesigned in FY04 to incorporate gender and key HIV/AIDS issues.

Municipal Development: The goals of this project are to increase the capacity of small, rural municipalities to manage and administer local services (garbage collection and disposal, modern management functions, improved budgeting and revenue collection, etc.) and to increase citizen participation in government by promoting rural community groups and involvement in municipal activities.  The project was redesigned in FY04 to respond to the GOES’ increased emphasis on decentralization of authority and increased responsibility to local governments.

Youth Development: The YD program is the newest directly responds to GOES priorities in teaching youth English as a Second Language and Information Technology.  It also responds to the demographics of El Salvador young population, especially providing life planning skills and productive activities to youth left behind when parents migrate to the US.