San Salvador, El Salvador, February 24, 2018 – With its new goals and the eyes set on 2018, the Scalabrinian shelter in San Salvador began its activities offering its services and helping the most vulnerable. Among several of its activities to highlight in the first two months of the year are the following:
On Thursday, January 25, 2018: The Planning and Studies Unit of FUNDASAL: invited the shelter to participate as a speaker in the Analysis Conference that the shelter is planning with the institutional staff of FUNDASAL and popular organizations about the political and socioeconomic landscape that it is coming up for the year 2018, which will be marked by the next elections in March and the deepening of changes in US immigration policies with respect to Central America, in addition to other relevant phenomena. The theme of this conference was: Habitat and Migratory Situation in El Salvador.
On February 8, 2018, at the World Day of Peace, organized by the Archbishop of San Salvador, another presentation was given by our brothers, Edgar Vallecillo, Lay Scalabrinian of El Salvador, Sr. Carmela Gibaja, of CONFRES, and Julio Buendía from CARITAS El Salvador. The theme of the presentation was “Experiences on Actions and Programs in the Catholic Church in the Phenomenon of Migration.”
Other activities to be highlighted is the visit from Philadelphia, United States, Mr. Jason Towar who is the global representative of international affairs of AFSC (QIARs for its acronym in English), Fabiola Flores and Douglas Juárez of the offices of AFSC in Guatemala as well as Gloria Rosales and Berta Guevara of AFSC in El Salvador. The objective of the regional visit was to know and learn about the work that is being done in the countries with the topic of migration and culture of peace, and in this way to elaborate an articulated work strategy, under the approach of one of the main principles, which is “shared security”.
And finally, on Tuesday, February 20, 2018, a workshop was organized to raise awareness about migrants, refugees and victims of trafficking under the theme “Biblical, Doctrinal and Theological Foundations of Migration.”