Association of the United Communities of the Lower Lempa (United Communities)

History

Resettling the Lower Lempa

Cradled along the Pacific Ocean and the Rio Lempa, El Salvador’s largest river, lies the lowland area known as the Lower Lempa. As a river delta, the area is among the most fertile in El Salvador. Once controlled by only five owners, most of the land was used to farm cotton and raise cattle. The land was largely deserted and lay fallow for most of the 12-year civil war, allowing it to become overgrown.

As the war wound down, ex-combatants from both sides of the conflict, as well as refugees returning from Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama, settled the Lower Lempa, often forming new communities, far from their own places of origin. Though initially squatters, the land was officially transferred to the new settlements with the singing of the Peace Accords in 1992.

When the communities first arrived in the early 1990’s, they had to adapt to the hot and humid climate that was much different than the cooler mountainous regions from which most of them came. Overgrown brush and no road made entry into these abandoned areas difficult. In addition, government military forces created roadblocks and harassed the settlers to prevent their taking the land that once belonged to wealthy landowners.

With the assistance of international organizations, Salvadoran NGOs, and the local church, infrastructure such as houses, health clinics, and classrooms began to rise up, changing the landscape and developing new and strong communities. Government support and provision of basic services was absent from the start, and settlers had to learn to provide for themselves.

From out of the Storm

In 1998, Tropical Storm Mitch wiped out much of the growth and development that settlers had accomplished. As the communities confronted the daunting task of rebuilding, they recognized the need for greater organization to address their infrastructural and development needs, and mitigate risks of future flooding and disaster. And from the out of the Storm, United Communities was born.

In their first years, United Communities gained important experience and credibility among the communities by leading initiatives to improve the area’s security and coordinate relief efforts following Mitch and the 2001 earthquakes. In 2003, the “Walk for Life of the Lower Lempa” rallied national support for the communities. The Walk was a 5-day, 70-mile march to the Presidential Palace in San Salvador, during which they demanded that government agencies provide them with the basic assistance and services guaranteed them in by the Constitution. During Hurricane Stan in 2005, United Communities took on the major role of serving as the center for all evacuation and rescue operations, exerting political pressure, and organizing rebuilding efforts. As they took on more responsibilities and executed larger development projects, United Communities’ national and international reputation grew dramatically.

Over the years, United Communities has grown into an efficient, well organized, democratically run organization that serves 29 communities in the Lower Lempa. To ensure high levels of participation, and that projects and activities reflect the interests and priorities of all in the region, United Communities holds regular General Assembly meetings with representatives from each of the member communities. This General Assembly and the active board of directors work closely with the coordinator and staff to ensure that the organization lives up to its name, and unites the region’s diverse interests around a common development cause.

United Communities has three objectives:

Demand that government agencies provide adequate health and educational services, and develop the region’s infrastructure;
Provide such services when the government fails to do so; and
Empower and organize communities to meet their own development needs.

Voices and United Communities

Voices has accompanied United Communities since Tropical Storm Mitch flooded the region in 1998. In addition to financial support, Voices continues to provide United Communities staff with the advice and guidance necessary for them to acheive high levels of organizaitonal capacity. Over the years we have funded projects that have diversified the agricultural sector and provided farmers with access to micro-loans to purchase cattle. We have also partnered with Horizons of Friendship, The Salvadoran Association of Public Health, and other organizations to fund long-term development projects. In addition, we also provide United Communities with smaller, emergency grants to assist with emergencies.