Did You Know?

People of Hope Crafts is a division of the non-profit organization Project Salvador. Project Salvador funds community projects to promote sustainable development in El Salvador, while POHC promotes community development though craft sales.

Mission

Project Salvador’s mission is to aid the people of El Salvador in implementing their own vision of justice: “We express our solidarity and deepen our relationship with El Salvador by creating awareness in the United Stated of the plight of the marginalized in Central America and by supporting grassroots community development through funding of projects in El Salvador and marketing of fair trade crafts in the United States.”

History

Project Salvador began in 1986 with the efforts of Dominican priest, Father Jim Barnett, who worked in the marginalized community of 22 de Abril in metropolitan San Salvador. Father Jim organized a group of young people who made crafts for sale in the United States to help generate some income for their families. Since these humble beginnings, Project Salvador has funded over 150 development and material aid projects and has worked with as many as 30 different artisan groups helping to market their crafts in the United States. At our 20 year anniversary in 2006, we celebrated over $1.5 million in projects funded and $1million in craft sales.

Scholarship Program

In addition to crafts sales, Project Salvador assists with community development through a scholarship program. Many students in El Salvador cannot afford to go to school and drop out at a young age in order to help their families financially. Project Salvador provides many young adults with the financial support they need to attend school and ensure better opportunities as they become adults. This program began in 1998 with a dozen students and has grown to nearly 200 students today.

Proyectos Los Ninos Health Promoters

Project Salvador has supported the Nutrition Project at Plan del Pino Parish in Cuidad Delgado since July 2005. The health promoters involved in Proyectos Los Ninosare all volunteers and help people in the community with basic health care needs that they otherwise would not have access to. Volunteers are trained in basic first aid, personal hygiene, dental care, nutrition, pregnancy and postnatal health, common illnesses and natural medicines and how to use them correctly. The program assists the nutrition needs of 80 children and 140 seniors in the 16 communities that make up the parish.

Hope…

Project Salvador offers basic need programs to communities in El Salvador that need extra help to get on their feet and become self sustainable. By assisting these communities Project Salvador is teaching them about nutrition, providing an educational outlets and giving them a market to sell their artisan crafts. Across the globe developing communities lack access to basic needs,which prevents them from further development, but Project Salvador and People of Hope Crafts give many communities in El Salvador hope for the future. Learn more about Project Salvador at www.projectsalvador.org!