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CoCoDA's cooperation: : $4,792 Grant (3rd quarter 2001) Since 1996, the Rolf A. Merton Trust has made annual contributions to CoCoDA for grants to support the operational budget of Radio Victoria in Ciudad Victoria, Cabañas. In 2001, $4,792 of the Merton Trust contribution was allocated for the 2001-2002 operational budget of Radio Victoria. This grant funded salaries for the Press Director and the Administrator / Chief Technician of Radio Victoria for 12 months, thereby guaranteeing the stability, continuity and quality of operations of the radio. Highlights for the Radio in 2001 included purchase of the property where they have broadcast for 8 years (see Community Economic Development projects), remodeling of the broadcast booth, their "En Voz Alta" ("Out Loud") news program, live coverage of the January and February, 2001 earthquakes, installation of two antenna permitting use of the full potency of their 100-watts transmitter, and a visit with renowned Salvadoran television journalist Maurcio Funes in the studios of Channel 12. Complete Radio Victoria Narrative Report -- 2001 The year 2002 was a year of many successes for Radio Victoria. The biggest moment was in February when we finally were able to transfer the property from private hands to ADES and CoCoDA. We still have to pay off a loan, but now we truly are at home and we feel very happy. In 2001 we also maintained the broadcast of our news program "Out Loud" every day of the week. The news show is one of the biggest efforts of the Radio and to guarantee it we have 9 people -- 1 full time, 1 half time, and the rest part time. It is worth mentioning that we had special coverage of the January 13 and February 13 earthquakes. We were forced out of our broadcast booth in the second earthquake because one of the walls was cracked and several tiles fell in from the roof. But keep continued to broadcast and worked hard coordinating with our national network via ARPAS (Association of Participatory Radio and Programs of El Salvador). We also continued live coverage throughout the year of the Sunday mass. We established a very good relationship with the priest Father Luis Quintanilla who supported us both with a weekly radio program as well as with the Sunday mass and the purchase of some antennas. In March we took a very emotional excursion. Maruicio Fúnes (a highly respected Salvadoran television journalist) received us in the offices of Channel 12. We spent more than 2 hours and while talking with Mr. Funes he took us on a tour of the entire building of the channel, he explained how everything worked, he introduced us to his news team, he took us to the studios where we took many photos and he had great patience with us, even giving us autographs. In February our dear collaborator Eric Halkjaer from Swiss Technical Cooperation left us but no we have added the compañera Kelly Creedon to help with our news programs. In April and May we had various visits. A friend, Paty Lawless, came to record with a videocamera and she gave us a laptop computer. Gwen and Tom brought us material and economic support and helped in renovating our production studios. We were able to better situate the two production studios to be more apt spaces to produce our news program, the educational spots and the commercials. We were also able to better polarize the equipment on the hill where our transmitter is located. In July, we much success, we celebrated our eighth anniversary with the 4th Festival of Folk Art. Despite having the electricity go out during the dance and that we had problems with the DJ that we had hired, the Festival was very nice with a lot of participation and thanks to the Santa Barbara Church in Sensuntepeque we had a stage they lent us for the event. Before the Festival we had a contest for a new design for the t-shirts and we presented the winner at the Festival. We already have the new t-shirts and bumber stickers. Unfortunately, we had 3 losses at the Radio in 2001. Two were compañeros who felt they had to leave for the United States to be able to support their families and the other was Edward who decided to leave the Radio. But at the same time other people have come to fill the empty spaces, Oscar has taken Edward's position and the most uplifting is that we have a beautiful new baby thanks to our faithful reporter Isabel. In November we made another big leap since we were able to purchase and obtain factory antennas that allow us, for the first time, to broadcast at the full power of our 100-watt transmitter. Now the signal is more clear and stronger. Also 2 women friends of Cristina who do video work visited us this month. We continued again this year with support from the Rolf A. Merton Trust which helped us immensely with the operations of the Radio and thanks to the great efforts of CoCoDA, and the good will of many friends, we met the first half of a challenge grant to help us begin acquiring new equipment for the Radio. Other achievements are: the increase in publicity sales, 2 evaluation and planning meetings with the Radio, montly attendance to the ARPAS directors meetings and participation in the ARPAS Board of Directors, participation and on-going contributions to the Information Network "Voices in Contact" and Radio Magazine "Veredas Cuscatlecas" of ARPAS, participation in an integrated fund raising campaign of ARPAS, regular meetings of the Central Team of Radio Victoria, collaboration from our audience and many friends, the rennovation of our broadcast booth, the formation of a production team amidst many daily things that at times depress us and at times uplift us. The life of a radio station is very complicated. There are many aspects, from the most cold and technical to the most warm and human. It requires a lot of patience and a lot of creativity. But we are proud of our community radio and of course there is much more we can do to improve, but we continue forward and with the support of everyone we will continue to reap successes. |
CoCoDA's cooperation:
CoCoDA and individuals from Reba Place Church (IL), Plow Creek Fellowship (IL) and the Dumbarton United Methodist Church (DC) have been coordinating with various people and councils and commissions in Valle Nuevo over the past 10 years to try to bring a sound, long-term conclusion to a land purchase project which has come to be known as the "Picacho" project -- "picacho" refering to a big, rugged hill that is on the property. The land is mostly rugged farming or grazing land, although over the years a number of families have moved onto the property. The primary objective of the project, as proposed by the Valle Nuevo council in 1992, was to secure 265 acres of farming land for the families of the community, and for much of this time since '92, much of the land has served this purpose. The project began with a payment of $34,000 sent directly to the community council by Reba Place Church and Plow Creek Fellowship in 1992 to make a first payment on the purchase of the land. Then a $16,100 loan was secured and paid by a CoCoDA-contracted attorney to the former land owners in 1993 to complete the sale. For several years, from 1995 to 1998, the project was essentially stuck. There have been difficulties with the legal process, and weaknesses in communications amidst different political factions in the community of Valle Nuevo. After two and a half years of neighborhood meetings (1999-2001), general assembly meetings and various consultations all made possible thanks to the work of a Land Commission composed of Valle Nuevo residents, an assembly with 100+ Valle Nuevo families represented voted nearly unanimously to parcel out the land and distribute among families who returned from Mesa Grande refugee camp (Honduras) in 1989 by means of a raffle. They rejected CoCoDA's proposal to form an Asociación de Tierra Comunitaria (ATC) and hold the land as a Community Land Trust, which could then extend leases to families. When a new community council was elected in Valle Nuevo in 2000, they began to renegotiate the plans for the titling of the land, and now have proposed assessing all community-held lands in Valle Nuevo (not only Picacho) and devise one over-all parceling and distribution plan, so as not to have an impractical to parceling up properties. This proposal is presently being discussed and investigated with the Valle Nuevo community council. CoCoDA proposed and negotiated conditions accepted by the same assembly: to leave ecological and social areas titled in the name of a community land association; in case of a married couple both male and female would be listed on the title; and to not permit sale of family plots for 10 years (to try to prevent a massive cashing-in of lots and reconcentration of land, essentially the un-doing of the project's purpose: to provide farmland to families of Valle Nuevo). Our proposal to the community was to title all the land as a community land association, in one title, but that was outright rejected by the community assembly. THE TASK AT HAND - WHERE WE ARE NOW The task before us now, then, is to complete all the legal and survey work to comply with the community's decision and the conditions proposed by CoCoDA and negotiated with the community assembly. Through a contact at the Jesuit Central America University (UCA), we have gotten legal counsel (all volunteer to this point) from a Salvadoran attorney named Ana Mercedes Rivas, who has laid out in detail in community assembly meetings in Valle Nuevo what legal steps need to be taken (they are complicated because of the present legal status of the Picacho property). About a year or two ago, a new community council was elected in Valle Nuevo, which brought back into leadership some residents who were very involved at the outset of the Picacho project, but who had not participated in the consultations over the past few years, or who had participated but were outspoken in their skepticism of the process, of Ana Mercedes (a general distrust of attorneys). Last March, CoCoDA staff met with this new council, and the remaining members of the now mostly inactive Land Commission. The Land Commission is inactive for lack of a solid agreement and work plan backed by the council, and by two key people for the legal procedures, Cleofas Villalobos and Salomé Ascencio -- who were President and Vice President of the VN directiva and who are legal owners of a large tract of the Picacho property, and in whose name the community (particularly members of the present council) propose the intermediary transfer of titles be named -- essentially the legal representatives for the Picacho project. Update (as of July 8, 2002)
MARCH 9 MEETING WITH VALLE NUEVO COUNCIL & LAND COMMISSION In the March meeting, two concerns were raised by the council: 1. They said there is a need to purge the list of 153 families that had been compiled by the Land Commission. They said there were second generation families that should not be eligible for a plot of land that were on the list. 2. They said they did not trust CoCoDA's attorney (there is a general distrust of attorneys whom they don't know), and they wanted to work with their own attorney, a Don Hipolito, who apparently lives in Sensuntepeque, Cabañas. We agreed in the March meeting that CoCoDA Projects Coordinator Alfonso Rivas would follow-up with the directiva and the Land Commission to arrange for a general assembly meeting to work on cleaning up the list of beneficiary families. Since that meeting, Alfonso has made numerous trips to Valle Nuevo, usually having to arrive a day or two in advance of planned meetings, to go to homes of members of the directiva and the land commission to get the meetings organized. The meetings that follow represent significant time and initiative on Alfonso's part in getting them organized. APRIL 20 VALLE NUEVO ASSEMBLY MEETING On April 20, a general assembly meeting was held in Valle Nuevo, with relatively good attendance and participation from beneficiary families. Two points were acheived: > The list of beneficiaries was purged of some 57 families leaving now 96 beneficiary families, which those present at the meeting seemed to accept. > That a meeting
with Ana Mercedes (attorney) be arranged with the council and the Land
Commission on May 9 to discuss again the legal issues
needing to be attended to (Pastor had not attended any of the past assembly
and directiva meetings in which Mercedes explained these things). MAY 9 MEETING WITH VALLE NUEVO DIRECTIVA & LAND COMMISSION On May 9 in Valle Nuevo Alfonso and attorney Ana Mercedes Rivas met with the Valle Nuevo directiva and Land Commission (all were present but commission member Margarita Avilés). The discussion became quite heated, with council member Pastor Torres in particular raising doubts about attorneys. At the end of the meeting, Pastor said repeatedly that the council had an agreement with the community that Cleofas and Salomé would not sign any document without first signing transfer of ownership to each beneficiary. There are a number of legal documents that Cleofas and Salomé will have to sign in the legal process to get one, fully-registered title for the property (which will be in their names), to then sign the transfers to each beneficiary. It was agreed there
would be an assembly meeting of the 96 beneficiaries on May 17 specifically
to authorize Cleofas and Salomé to sign
legal documents with attorney Ana Mercedes during the process. MAY 17 ASSEMBLY MEETING WITH BENEFICIARY FAMILIES Alfonso was present for the assembly meeting, which the Land Commission convened by written announcement to all the beneficiaries. Of the 96 beneficiaries, 43 came to the meeting. Of the Land Commission all were there but Margarita Avilés. Of the council all were there but Pastor and Pablo -- two outspoken, highly critical members who should have been there. Cleofas and Salome did not come either, but they have not come to any meeting for the past couple years (on some occasions even after being consulted personally in their homes the day or night before). The focus of the assembly meeting changed to discuss the proposal that the attorney to be hired be an attorney from Sensuntepeque, someone that the community knows. A number of people spoke in support of this, including Tomasa of the council. Apparently Salomé Asencio had proposed this to the council. Alfonso, feeling that he did not have the authority on behalf of CoCoDA to concede to this, agreed to get back with the council and the Land Commission on this proposal. He also emphasized in his remarks that if all work together we can do what needs to be done -- but it will depend on all the beneficiaries and others involved working together. FOLLOW-UP TO THE MAY 17 ASSEMBLY MEETING Alfonso consulted with Ana Mercedes about the community's proposal, and she said she could not work with the community if they distrusted her, and that she would still be available to provide oversight of the process to CoCoDA as things proceed with whomever the community chooses to hire to do the legal work. On June 18, 2002, Alfonso personally delivered a memo to the Valle Nuevo council and Land Commission, which agrees that the community hire the attorney to oversee the process, but with the following points of understanding: A. Their attorney present a written assessment of the work to be done, with a detailed budget for what it will cost -- so that the council and the land commission can make a decision based on solid information (Ana Mercedes provided this). B. That Salome Asencio and Cleofas Villalobos participate on the Land Commission, and the council also participate on the Land Commission. C. That a work plan be agreed to that lays out tasks, responsibilities,
calendar with goal dates for completing major tasks, and a budget for
this final phase of the project. This work plan will be the base of understanding
for CoCoDA, the council D. To clarify the criteria used to purge the list of beneficiary families and to validate the list with a general assembly of the community, to ensure there won't be problems down the road. In July, 2002, the Valle Nuevo Council proposed to CoCoDA and partners in the project to extend the scope of the re-titling of the Picacho property to cover all community held lands in Valle Nuevo, to allow for a more practical long-term resolution to property ownership for all the families and the community. After consultations with principal partners in the project (Reba Place Church, Plow Creek Fellowship and Dumbarton United Methodist Church Inter-America Committee), the following was our reply to the council about their proposal: 1- How many different properties would be parceled? What is the history of these properties, in whose name(s) are they presently titled, and where are the titles? 2- With whom have you been working on land titling issues until now? How have those experiences been? What lessons have been learned? 3- There are various organizations in El Salvador with experience and technical capacity to manage a project projects relating to land tenure. ADES and REDES are two that CoCoDA knows and we have confidence, based on experience, in their work. But it is necessary that the community of Valle Nuevo have confidence and work in a spirit of cooperation with whatever organization that works with you and CoCoDA on this titling phase of the project. Who do you propose to do the technical, administrative and legal work for the parceling and titling of the land? 4- What contributions would the community of Valle Nuevo make to the project? Who in Valle Nuevo would be responsible on behalf of the community for implementation of the project? How does the community council intend to consult the community about these proposed changes for how to handle the parceling and titling of the Picacho land, since it was the community assembly that decided to parcel and raffle lots among the list of beneficiaries? |
CoCoDA's cooperation: Administration of $12,000 loan (5-years at 5%
APR) CoCoDA is providing administrative services for a 5-year, 5% APR loan issued to the Archdiocese of San Vicente by Equity Trust, Inc. in Voluntown, Connecticut, to purchase a lot next to the Santa Teresita School for girls in Sensuntepeque, Cabañas. The Association of Daughters of the Divine Savior, an organization of the Silesian religious order founded in 1956, runs the Santa Teresita School, which was begun by Carmelite sisters in 1958. In 1969, the Carmelites left the school, and at the request of students' parents and the Bishop of San Vicente, the Daughters of the Divine Savior took over administration of the school. Presently there are 800 girls attending the school, with 22 teachers (16 secular, 8 religious), all of whom are paid by the government. Of the students, 75% come from families of limited economic means and approximately 90% come from broken homes: some live with grandparents, others with aunts or uncles, and sometimes without parents because their parents are in the United States. The land purchased, which is valued at just over $41,000, will be used to build new classrooms for the school. The Equity Trust loan covered the portion of the purchase cost which the Sisters had not been able to secure from other sources. |
Last Revised on 15 May 2006