Buenos Aires Community
“Buenos Aires” (“Pleasant Air”) is a rural area in El Salvador that has received humanitarian aid from St. Andrew Presbyterian Church since 1999, when this community was ravaged by Hurricane Mitch. Guillermo Gonzalez, president of Sonoma Foie Gras and member of St. Andrew, asked the congregation to assist this impoverished community by helping to send urgent food staples and medicines. To this day, he serves as a continuous link between his congregation and the community leaders, travelling frequently to coordinate social benefit projects.
In 2001, this humanitarian support was crucial in alleviating the human and material damage caused by two devastating and consecutive earthquakes in a one month period. Guillermo contacted a humanitarian association funded by a Franciscan priest from Boston, Father Flavian Mucci, and again brought assistance to the region. Father Mucci was instrumental in the building of 56 semi-permanent houses that replaced the mud huts which had collapsed.
In 2002, a group of volunteers from St. Andrew, with the logistical support of Sonoma Foie Gras, built a community center and small school in Buenos Aires. Today, over 200 students from 1st to 6th grade receive classes in one of the three classrooms and don’t have to walk the long distance to the nearest school, avoiding crossing unsafe creeks and rivers.
In addition, an assortment of valuable educational tools (including notebooks, paper, drawing and coloring books, pencils, crayons, games, sport accessories, finger paint, etc.) was sent to this school which only receives $15 per year per student from the government. The students in this three classroom school, built with the material, hands and hearts of Sonoma’s St. Andrew Presbyterian Church and the support of Sonoma Foie Gras, have more to smile about.
Moreover, St. Andrew is committed to fostering micro-farms, family vegetable gardens, and health and education programs with the joint efforts of other Salvadoran organizations. Right now there is an ongoing project to solve the water supply and sewage system of the community, and St. Andrew is considering an ambitious small-family loan program. Guillermo continues to coordinate and direct resources where there is a need. All of these contributions are positively changing hundreds of lives in this neglected part of El Salvador.