The ENLACE staff in El Salvador surprised the Bueno Family with a video of appreciation during the 20th Anniversary Gala. The Buenos were incredibly moved by this and especially loved the soccer-cheer at the end! Ole!
Antonia and her children in front of their crumbling adobe house.Antonia and María Trinidad are two hard-working and courageous women living in El Triunfo, El Salvador. Like many other rural women, their lives have not been easy; the long days of working in the sun are etched on their faces. Making ends meet for themselves and their children means farming, cooking, cleaning, gathering wood and hauling water every day.
In rural El Salvador, the lack of income-generating opportunities make it a huge challenge for many men to remain rooted to their locality and to their families. Other challenges such as the lack of education and health care along with poor access to nutritious food sources, create situations of chronic stress and anxiety.They often have to leave their homes to find work in a city or in other countries. Many men, unable to provide for their dependents, leave the family altogether.
Nohemy's entire family used to get sick from the smoke from the open cooking fire they used to cook in their home. With the eco-stove, now their home is a healthy place to gather.
Cooking with wood on open fires inside their homes has caused illness, deforestation and loss of income in poor communities around the world. A $200 eco-stove is a simple and appropriate technology solution that directly addresses these problems in El Salvador. ENLACE works with local churches, helping to train leaders to serve those of greatest risk and need in their communities. You can help a family breathe easier and live longer by giving to the Cooking Up Love campaign!
Meadowbrook Church in Champaign, IL, made their seventh trip to El Salvador to support community transformation in the region of San Martín. This year they were divided into two groups. A medical team provided health consultations to 399 patients and eye exams to 713 patients. Meanwhile, another group built eco-stoves benefiting about 55 people in the area. The support and friendship of Meadowbrook Church continues to foment amazing transformation. Thanks for serving alongside your beloved friends in El Salvador!
The roots of poverty are found in broken relationships. When the Church understands that its mission is to restore relationships to each other and to its community, miracles happen--homes are built, health is renewed, clean water flows, hearts are forever changed. It's happening now in El Salvador!
The adventurous and socially aware Visual News, a collaborative online effort of Column Five Media, recently featured the Cooking Up Love eco-stove project for Valentine's Day. In this article, beautifully written by Benjamin Starr, Managing Editor of Visual News, you can discover the "spark" that brought ENLACE's eco-stoves into being.
