temporary shelter in el cambio, 2001, and pablo and julia in their new home, 2003. 

General Demographics

The rural community of El Tinteral is located in the municipality of Coatepeque in the department of Santa Ana in western El Salvador. (El Salvador is made up of 14 departments and each department is made up of a varying number of municipalities.) The estimated population in 2001 was 7000 people. The community is made up of 11 caseríos or hamlets which are the following: Valle Nuevo, El Piñalon, El Caulote, El Pital, El Cambio (Eben-Ezer), Las Mulas, Las Mamitas, Santa Marta, El Centro I, II and III. The community is reached by a dirt road that turns off the main the Panamerican Highway. The community rests on a hillside surrounded by a series of streams. Local institutions include a public school and a private Christian school (both provide up to a ninth grade education), a public health clinic, a police post, and four churches: 3 Assemblies of God, 1 Catholic, and 1 Prophetic. The community has many active organizations including the ADESCO or Community Association, the Tinteral Reconstruction Committee and church outreach committees.

Economic Activity

The principal economic activity is small-scale agriculture which includes the cultivation of beans, corn and tomatoes. The community also has an active brick-making sector. Additionally, a significant part of the population travels to the nearby free trade zones to work in maquilas or sweat shops. Over 75 percent of families do not own the land they work on. They rent land to cultivate or live as sharecroppers and day laborers. Very few make a living wage working in one activity. Most combine activities and work more than 12 hours per day.

The public health clinic includes the services of a doctor and 2 community health promoters that make house visits and provide vaccinations. Diarrhea-related diseases and acute respiratory infections are the most common preventable diseases, especially in children under five. Some parts of the community have limited access to clean potable water, and retrieve water from local springs for home use. Disease vectors include the mosquito that carries dengue fever, a serious but usually not fatal illness if treated quickly. In terms of sanitation, most homes have a pit latrine, but some families still use open spaces for waste disposal.

ENLACE has worked in the community since early 2001 as a result of our earthquake response. Church and Community projects have included immediate relief, shelters, cement and adobe homes (over 225 homes built), water initiatives, latrines, new classrooms, community building, improved stoves and most recenlty risk prevention and mitigation projects (retaining walls and drainage systems). ENLACE has worked with this community through local churches and has seen wonderful miracles of faith and sacrifice over the last years. As they have shown love to their neighbors, by putting others’ needs before themselves and trusting God to provide, God’s blessing has been poured out in new and long-lasting ways.

CLICK HERE TO SEE A PHOTO GALLERY OF EL TINTERAL

SATELLITE PHOTO OF EL CAMBIO

IMPORTANT: Click "SATELITE" to view the satellite Photo