Noah Bullock's Work in El Salvador
Noah Bullock spent a good portion of his formative years growing up in our Parish. Many fondly remember Noah running up and down the aisles of Christ Church, sometimes while his father Michael, our Rector, was trying to celebrate the Eucharist in a dignified manner. The Bullock's moved to Columbia, SC where Michael was called to serve in 1999.
Noah returned to Christ Church in June 2009 to share with us his work in El Salvador. He presented the Homily during our 10:15 a.m. service and, thereafter, provided a 45 minute presentation of his activities. Noah's work is discussed further below.
In February, 2006 members of our Parish, while serving in rural El Salvador as part a Diocesan Medical Mission team from Central New York, had the opportunity to work with Noah. He is employed by the Diocese of El Salvador living and working with communities in which the Episcopal Church has established a presence.
Noah's work consists of advancing human rights and the general welfare of residents of these communities. During the years Noah has been in El Salvador, he has helped facilitate improvements in infrastructure and promoted educational opportunities which will enable local families and communities to become more self sufficient. His work is ongoing.
Noah is a wonderful example of a young man whose values and ideals were in part formed while part of our parish family. His efforts continue to benefit those around him in many ways.
Immediately below is information about a project Noah is currently pursuing; Hasta La Cosecha. He is soliciting our support in this effort.
Further below is a photo essay of a project Noah led which was completed in December 2008; Puente El Carmen. This involved the design and construction of a bridge to permit uninterrupted access to the Village at El Carmen which previously would be cut off during portions of the rainy season.
A Sustainable Agriculture
Project
The Episcopal Church of El Salvador and the Foundation Cristosal
December 2008
Click Here for a Report on Noah's current Project: Hasta La Cosecha
A Family Garden Project with a Big Vision
This December we are celebrating the completion of the first quarter of the Episcopal Church’s sustainable agriculture project in El Salvador, Hasta La Cosecha (Until the Harvest). Members of the Episcopal missions in the eastern department of Usulutan conceived the project as a response to what was, in 2006, a burgeoning economic and food crisis in rural El Salvador. The Episcopal Church is administering the project jointly with a local community organization, The Mangrove Association, under the auspices of it’s nationally recognized sustainable production program.
Hasta la Cosecha consists of family gardens, agricultural education, and a big vision to change the systems of agricultural production from the family farm up. The projects seeks to provide education, technical, and infrastructural support for families to cultivate small garden plots that in the short term will guarantee food security for the participating families. The larger vision is that this first phase will be a springboard towards implementing new production methods on a larger scale in order to generate income on family farms.
Education and formation are the foundations of the project that will drive a community transformation in agricultural production. This first phase of the project got under way in August 2008. Since then, farmers have taken part in community trainings, exchanges with other local farmers, as well as technical support from the agricultural technicians dedicated to the project. Additionally, we have founded two community agriculture schools that meet weekly and have an attendance of over fifty students, the majority of which are women and young people.
The planning and development of family gardens is the second phase of the project, and runs parallel to the educational components of the project, as it creates a space for farmers to put theory into practice. In the household gardens, families are cultivating over twenty plant species in each garden and are experimenting with alternative production methods. In the village of El Carmen the community has divided up in to groups to produce organic fertilizer collectively. In San Juan de Letran families are specializing in fruit based fertilizers. All of the communities are selecting and preserving the best seeds from every harvest to build up local seed banks of native seed that can be replanted for years to come.
The most urgent issue since the onset of summer has been the establishment of sustainable irrigation systems. In San Juan de Letran families are establishing drip irrigation systems and experimenting with electric pumps, as there is no reliable water system in the village. In El Carmen, the community has undertaken a unique project to double the capacity of their gravity power water system. The community is doing all the labor, and the system should be in place by the end of January.
This new water system comes at an exciting time in the life of the EL Carmen; in December we opened a new bridge and road that has already improved commercial access to the community. The community and the technical team are drawing up plans to incorporate commercial production of small livestock into diversified family farm system. The plan is to raise a variety of species in the community individually, and market the meat collectively creating a brand name, “El Carmen” for the products.
In this first quarter we have made exciting steps in the forging of mutual commitment between farmers and the technical team to the project. In this vein, we have begun regular meetings between the technical team and the communities to establish local control and evaluation of the project. In these early stages there is a great need to educate people that this is not an agricultural hand out, but rather a permanent process for change. Empowering and educating families to control and evaluate is an extremely important way of breaking patterns of dependence, and has produced great feedback that already has improved the administration of the project.
The project is being financed through the Cristosal Foundation, and currently has funding to continue the project through these first phases. The project's success will require funding for at least an entire year to fulfill its goals and has yet only reached about one quarter of its fiscal goals. Because of the recent economic down turn, we have lost donations that would have guaranteed funding through the next year. This good work is in need of partners who wish to collaborate with large or small donations that will permit us to follow through on our commitment to support the Episcopal communities in Usulutan as they work to reduce dependency, vulnerability, and break the cycles of poverty in rural El Salvador.
If you, or your, parish community is interested in finding out more about this important work please email nfrancisbullock@gmail.com for a full project proposal, or to make a donation contact the Cristosal Foundation at visit www.cristosal.org or contact the Reverend Richard Bower at ricardobower@yahoo.com.
The Following is a May 5, 2009 note from Noah
Estimados Companeros,
It is the time of year when the heat and humidity build to almost intolerable levels in El Salvador, and the only relief will come when the rain finally breaks the steam. This year this transition is particularly significant for me, as it will be the first time in three years that I will not be in El Salvador to watch the dust turn to mud on my boots. Last week I concluded my time working for the Episcopal Church in the communities of Usulután. It has been difficult to imagine myself apart from the communities, but the work is not mine alone, and I am consoled by the words written in cement on the EL Carmen Bridge, “ United We Move Forward.”
I want to personally thank, and express my greatest admiration, for the people who give their love and support to build community with the people in El Salvador. El Salvador for has been a unique experience with vocation where my work and greatest passions met; it was an education beyond diplomas. For that, I am deeply thankful and humbled by both the Salvadorans and North Americans who trusted me with opportunity, responsibility, and support. It has been difficult to leave this work where I still feel so much life, but I know that some things do not come to a conclusive end, rather they die and resurrect in the same breath, and we grow and continue.
In the next few months I will continue to work with Cristsal giving presentations on El Salvador, development, and mission in both Canada and the United States. It will be an opportunity for education and interchange, as well as, to promote fund raising for my next project, in which, I will be returning to El Salvador to research and write a book. The idea for this project came to me through the suggestions and encouragement from many of you who visited El Salvador. The goal of the book is to create a resource for the bettering of our understanding, and partnerships, in the shared challenges presented by poverty, inequality, and community.
My long time friend and photographer Jeff Hammond will join the project and we will be working together on both photographic and written pieces. For more information, I have attached a PDF copy of our project profile, or you can visit our blog at www.elsalvadorproject.wordpress.com where we will post articles and photos regularly once the project gets underway. If you are interested in organizing a workshop or presentation feel free to contact me.
La paz,
Puente El Carmen - El Carmen, El Salvador 2008
"Unidos Avazamos" - United We Move Forward
March 2008 - Preparation
The community worked together to reach an agreement to encourage all the families to send at least one representative per household or they would be required to pay a four dollar fee, which is one day’s pay.
The Foundation
Inaugurated - December 7th, 2008
The Plaque Reads
"United We Move Forward"