From El Salvador: Laura joins as a volunteer in the defense of the human right to water

At Engineering Without Borders, we continue to support learning and exchange processes with organizations and communities in the Global South. In this case, a new volunteer has joined our work in El Salvador as part of the Reality Awareness Programme (PCR).

Over the coming months, she will take part in projects focused on defending the human right to water, working alongside local organizations and community spaces such as water committees. In El Salvador, access to water is shaped by environmental conflicts, inequalities, and privatization pressures, and it is organized civil society that sustains much of the struggle to defend this right.

Strengthening these initiatives and supporting community-led processes is key to advancing towards public and community-based models of water management, grounded in environmental and social justice.

Below, she shares her first impressions from the territory:

A couple of weeks ago I arrived in El Salvador and started getting to know the country, its culture, and some of its people. I’d like to share my first impressions.

I have mainly been in the capital, San Salvador. The city is located in a high seismic risk area, which is why most buildings are low-rise. In the streets, cars have priority, and daily life is heavily shaped by major traffic issues; even short distances can take over an hour by car. One thing I really like about the city is the contrast between large, busy roads and, just around the corner, quiet streets filled with century-old trees.

The local diet is based on beans, maize, rice, chicken, and eggs. Prices are high compared to people’s salaries, partly because the country uses the US dollar.

I have met Eva, ESF’s expatriate in El Salvador, and the technical team from ACUA, ESF’s local partner, with whom I will be working over the coming months. They have taken me to some rural areas: Panchimalco, Comasagua, and Berlín. People in rural communities are more approachable, and I’ve been able to interact more closely. What stands out to me is the strong community organization and collective way of life. The lack of state support forces communities to continuously fight for and defend their rights.

I’m really looking forward to getting to know the country more deeply and contributing to the project.

Laura

If you would also like to take part in international volunteering like Laura, get in touch and join our projects. We look forward to hearing from you!