Margaret writes:  Life has so many contrasts and contradictions.  Wednesday Val and I went into San Salvador on a bus ride without incident, in contrast to last week’s ride when the driver sped through a stretch of road near San Martin, presumably concerned about the possibility of an attack. Glancing at the newspaper, we saw headlines about an attack at a swimming hole in a rural community in the Suchitoto district. Six were killed and two injured.

The days before and after there were brutal killings in San Martin.  The newspaper says “gangs.”  Privately I heard a peace activist wondering "social cleansing by paramilitary or vigilante groups?”  Whoever is doing the killing, the effect has been mothers burying their sons, including sons they had been trying to keep away from gang activities.  

AVP Facilitator Maty Escobar at Anti-Violence Demonstration

Today is a day of rest for us, after a wonderfully full AVP Training for Facilitators (T4F) here in Suchitoto, El Salvador. AVP was initiated in Suchitoto in September 2007. In 2008 Sylvia Cabrales (AVP Guatemala) and Kelly Orbik (AVP USA) conducted the first SuchitotoT4F. Maty Escobar participated in the 2008 T4F and subsequently facilitated Basics in 2008 and 2009, as well as an Advanced with the same participants. We were delighted to have Maty join us on the facilitators training team.

This T4F included a component which was new to us – an introduction to the manual two days in advance of the beginning of the T4F. The review of sections, with highlights of essential pages, gave participants who were tentative readers a head start on the workshop. We recommend this addition whenever a T4F includes individuals with limited literacy.