Las Atarrayas Community
Seven years ago, Guillermo Gonzalez, Founder/CEO of Sonoma - Artisan Foie Gras invited his former high school classmates in El Salvador to come together and take social and humanitarian action to aid Salvadorans in need. With their economic support and enthusiasm, the Fundación Nuevos Horizontes was born, as well as its U.S. counterpart, the USA New Horizons foundation.
Guillermo, who was elected founding president, traveled back and forth from Sonoma to El Salvador several times a year in order to construct a social aid network with other institutions and nonprofit foundations. His fellow classmates, most of whom still live in El Salvador, collaborated to pinpoint a marginal community in the port city of Acajutla in western El Salvador, which was in need of urgent help.
This community is located on a deforested mangrove in the outskirts of Acajutla, the main port in El Salvador, where economic activity has plummeted. The worst social problem is the growing number of ruthless gangs which has raised the crime level to a point that is considered by authorities as “one of the most dangerous communities in El Salvador”.
The first task was to build a community services building on high ground to shelter people during the annual floods. This edifice provides a valuable and immediate sense of belonging and social inclusion to the impoverished inhabitants, who now have a secure community hall in which to convene. Training workshops and courses are now available, including handicrafts, cooking, sewing, carpentry, etc.
Guillermo, as a member of the board of the Fundación Nuevos Horizontes, motivated Father Andres Saiz to come to the region in June of 2007. Father Andres is a former teacher from their Jesuit high school and now head of a Spanish non-profit foundation aimed to foster humanitarian, social, economic and cultural programs. He will live in this region and is committed to identify the most urgent needs and design effective programs. To start, he will seek funds in Spain to furnish a fleet of artisanal fishing boats to promote sustainable fishing, with the institutional support of the local and national governments.
Las Atarrayas population of about 500 people live in small shacks. Over one-third of these have been abandoned due to the high crime rate and lack of jobs. There are over 200 boys and girls under the age of 10. These young children are the focus of the foundation’s projects, since they are targeted to become members of the growing gang culture. Interestingly enough, the socially disgruntled gang members have abstained from defacing the community center. This is a beacon of hope!