*UPDATED* 4-19-2011 10:23 CST
Like most people in La Pelota, Irma Morales does not own her land. Instead, she must rent it from land owners who are constantly trying to drive her and her family from their home. While Irma dreams of building a better house, she is reluctant to build it on someone else’s land with the threat of eviction always looming.
Irma, her husband and three children live on just $35 a week. With desert-like conditions in some parts of El Salvador, growing crops and earning an income was difficult for Irma and her family.
Paving Her Path
LWR began working in this area in 2005 with partner, the Association for Health Care and Social Services (ASPIES). At the time, right after Hurricane Stan, water access was the community’s greatest issue. The entire area was flooded by the hurricane, people lost their homes, their drinking water was contaminated, and they were left with few resources to support themselves.
To help Irma and those affected, LWR worked with APSIES to dig wells and make sure everyone had access to clean, safe water. But as time went on, it became clear that the community needed more than water to improve their lives. The women in La Pelota, had a range of needs. Many of the women were plagued by poor living conditions and domestic violence.
Thus LWR and APSIES began a new phase of work and helped women in the community form their own organization. Together, the women gathered to discuss ways to improve their lives. They also met with a counselor about domestic violence issues.
Now She Thrives
For Irma, the project has given her the opportunity to earn more income. She received a small loan from the association to start making and selling tortillas and papusas, a local delicacy. Still, getting ahead was difficult.
Oddly enough, the key to improving Irma’s life came by way of a rooster. The association gave Irma a big, healthy rooster to help her raise chickens. She invested in a new chicken coop and began to work to multiply her flock.
With more chickens, Irma gets more fresh eggs and meat to supplement her family’s diet. Irma also sells extra eggs and some of her chickens to provide supplemental income. The additional food and income allow Irma and her husband to save money to improve their living conditions, so someday they might be able to build a home on their own land.
With one rooster and a lot of determination, Irma looks forward to the day when she can have a strong, sturdy home of her own. In the meantime, Irma is proud that she can now support a healthy family.
Update from Annalise Romoser, LWR’s Director of Public Policy & Advocacy:
Irma’s story illustrates how important property rights and access to land is for sound development policy. She is one of the many reasons that LWR continues to advocate on behalf of the landless poor with both the United States and host country governments. It is also one of the reasons that LWR in Latin America has identified land rights as the corner stone for future civic participation program work.
This is part 17 of a weekly series. Check back every Tuesday to read more stories about how Women Thrive.
Previous stories: Rashmi, Maimowna Boire, Margaret Ngigi, Pastor Anna, Bujiyamma, Bahamuni Hansda, Fada Ngourma, Hazara, Lydia Nabulumbi, Kaushalya Devi, Women of Carrefour, Fatima Guindo, Bira Nagwere, Bertalina Lopez