Roofs over El Salvador

Fire and water unleashed twin disasters upon El Salvador this past October. Each tragedy by itself would overtax the country’s emergency system, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The Kiwanis International Foundation is helping the nation’s recovery, putting roofs over the heads of displaced families.

The American Red Cross reports more than 26,000 persons needed shelter as a result of the October 1 eruption of Ilamatepec and flooding caused by October 2004’s Hurricane Stan.

The Kiwanis Club of Los Robles, El Salvador, responded to the emergencies by delivering water, powdered milk, and clothes. It also set up a collection center in a member’s office and recruited volunteers to accept, sort, and prepare donated items for distribution among the refugees. The work garnered repeated mention in El Diario de Hoy, one of El Salvador’s largest newspapers.

As the need for immediate assistance waned, El Salvador Kiwanians turned their attention to long-term needs and established the “Un Techo para El Salvador” (A Roof for El Salvador) project, for which they obtained a US$5,000 Kiwanis International Foundation grant. Adding $1,000 from club fundraising profits, the Kiwanians made arrangements to build five houses for disaster victims.

“Our members participated ourselves in building one of the houses in a rural area called Los Zontes near the Pacific Ocean,” reports club spokesman Juan A. Valiente. “All five houses already have been built, changing lives one child, one family, and one community at a time.”

To learn more about the Kiwanis International Foundation Disaster Relief Fund, click here.