Raining on Our Parade

It rained all day today, which presented quite a production challenge. On the schedule was a trip to the state of Sonsonate, to the west of San Salvador, to see shelters constructed by Manos de Esperanza several years ago for earthquake victims. When we arrived in Nahuizalco, it was confirmed that the road to the shelters was not passable, in part because of the rain and in part because we were traveling in a 20-person bus and the road required a 4-wheel-drive vehicle. Instead, we visited houses built by another organization that replaced the kind of shelters Manos had provided.

To explain: Manos provided money for the construction of shelters made out of metal sheeting. These are similar to houses in the poorest areas of the country, from San Salvador to the countryside. Such houses often have mud floors and no water or electricity, and they are hot in the summertime, but they do keep people out of the rain. The next level is houses made of cinder blocks that have a kitchen, a living area, and two bedrooms. In addition, they have running water and electricity, although the bathroom may be outside. Manos would like to replace the metal houses with those made of cinder blocks, but they have yet to raise the money.

So we visited Comunidad Lirio, outside Nahuizalco, to see both houses made of the metal sheets, and cinder block houses. We were able to interview on tape the residents of two of the cinder block houses. We huddled under the overhangs of these houses as it poured outside, contemplating the simplicity of the nicer houses and the circumstances that made these two families be chosen to receive such houses. The community is built on the side of a hill on tiny parcels of land not much larger than the houses themselves. Interspersed among the houses are gorgeous plants and flowers. This is a coffee-growing area, and we even saw a coffee tree with fruit hanging from it in the midst of the vegetation.

The non-governmental organization, or NGO, that sponsored the building of these houses also trains the people - particularly the youth - in artisanry. We visited a shop run by these artisans, and stocked up on gifts to take home. Much of the work is basketry and caning for chairs. There are also wood crafts and jewelry made from seeds and coconut shells. A percentage of the cost of these goods goes back to the NGO for houses and other programs.

Finally, we traveled to yet another housing development. In this case, an NGO had purchased a flat piece of land appropriate for the construction of houses. There were about 20 houses - some duplexes and some single-family homes - standing side by side on a residential street. All of the houses had bedrooms, kitchens, living areas, and indoor plumbing, as well as electricity and running water. To capture this residential area on tape, we held a tarp over our heads, opened one camera, and set it on a tripod, under the tarp. In that manner, we kept the camera dry as Sadé Warner, the camera person tapped for that shoot, panned the neighborhood. We ended the day with shoots inside two of the houses. Though soggy, it was a great production day!