December 2024 – Executive Director’s Reflections & News from El Salvador
Executive Director’s Reflections by Mary Stevenson To See the Pain in Their Faces Susan (our Programs Director) and I travel to El Salvador at least twice a year. Usually in February and November. It’s part of our job to work with the Archdiocese, the parish, the school, and the residences to go over budgets, […]
September 2024 – Executive Director’s Reflections & News from El Salvador
Executive Director’s Reflections Guest essay: Susan Dinehart [nee: Barnish], Programs Director A scholarship program affords students many opportunities. Of course, the basis of that is education. But at a school like COAR, which represents a cross-section of children from different backgrounds and different villages, students can learn so much more. One of the most important […]
Computer Center Flooded
After the flood . . . the rainbow Thanks to all who responded with consolations, prayers, and gifts to repair our computer center (the subject of last month’s dramatic email and video, if you missed it, look below). But the kids bailed the water and we will repair and rebuild – thanks to you! We […]
June 2024 – Executive Director’s Reflections & News from El Salvador
Executive Director’s Reflections The Immortality of Youth I was struck by the two juxtapositions of youth in this newsletter: the exuberance and energy of the school intramural day and the sobering reminder that it is never too early to check for cancers. A project for our internos, the kids who live at COAR, highlighted especially […]
March 2024 – Executive Director’s Reflections & News from El Salvador
Executive Director’s Reflections Teaching Dignity, Pride, Compassion Can you imagine teaching a kid to do chores who has only everbeen forced to clean with beatings or abuse? Can you imagine how a child learnstenderness and compassion when any vulnerability was exploited, seen as aninvitation to abuse? Well, at COAR the ritual of Holy Thursday, the […]
December 2023 – Executive Director’s Reflections & News from El Salvador
Executive Director’s Reflections Dignifying lives & healing hearts; WE ARE ALL called to be builders of peace I was moved to tears, proud and happy tears, when they rushed up to me with the new shirts emblazoned with their new motto: WE ARE ALL called to be builders of peace (on the front); Dignifying lives […]
It’s a Fiesta!
(Photo credit: Nuestra Señora del Pilar parish Facebook page) In every little town in El Salvador (there are 262 of them!), you’ll find, once a year, the fiestas patronales of that town. Originating as a celebration of the feast day of the town’s patron saint, the fiestas are a cross between a county fair, a […]
September 2023 – Executive Director’s Reflections & News from El Salvador
Let’s Talk About Child Trafficking With this summer’s popularity of the movie, The Sound of Freedom, we welcome the attention to human, and child, trafficking. So, let’s talk about “child trafficking”. It conjures images of abduction by strangers, transport across legal jurisdictions, huge amounts of money changing hands, and shadowy “consumers” of those trafficked. The […]
June 2023 – Executive Director’s Reflections & News from El Salvador
Back to Your Regularly Scheduled Executive Director Reflection… Lots of events this newsletter: The COAR kids celebrated the Pope’s World Day of Peace with Archbishop Escobar and Cardinal Rosa Chavez in February. Then they celebrated the anniversary of Fr. Ken’s death, March 2, 2002. That is always a big feast at COAR. This year it […]
March 2023 – Executive Director’s Reflections & News from El Salvador
Programs Director’s Take-Over One of the things that has most impressed me about COAR is the dedication of our staff and the 40 years of tradition we have in caring for El Salvador’s most vulnerable population. But 40 years of tradition doesn’t have to mean stagnation. It’s a wonderful thing to see our kids grow […]