Conflict and Poverty in El Salvador

 • El Salvador is the most densely populated country in Central America

 • 70,000 people lost their lives in the El Salvadorian civil war

 • 1 in 5 people live in extreme poverty and 1 in 4 have no access to health services

Between 1978 and 1991, El Salvador was ravaged by a bitter civil war which was stoked by inequality between a small wealthy elite and the poor majority. The war claimed around 70,000 lives and cause damage worth $2 billion.  

In 1992 peace accords brought an end to the armed conflict but a series of natural disasters have severely hampered reconstruction. Hurricanes and earthquakes in 1998 and 2001 alone left over 1200 people dead and more than one million others homeless.

Conflict, natural disasters and poverty have led at least a thrid of the population to flee the country. This has had a terrible effect on the economy as it has become increasingly reliant on money sent home from relatives. The decline in agricultural production brought about by deforestation and soil erosion have also hurt people's economic livelihoods. Poor Salvadorians are also vulnerable to violence from street gangs and exploitation in the workplace.                                                                       

In the San Francisco Javier municipality where the collapse of coffee prices has almost halted production, your donations are funding an organic producers' society which provides economic support to small-scale farmers producing coffee, animal feed, soaps and herbs. The project has enabled these farmers to increase productivity and obtain organic certification which has given them access to international markets. By buying directly from the growers middle men are cut out and more money can go to the producers.

Vocational training and loans to establish small businesses are among the other activities that are helping the people of San Francisco Javier to build a brighter future for their community. 

 Statistics provided by Trocaire and the BBC