Real progressWith the support of Plan, children and adults inEl Salvador are working together to developtheir communities and claim their right to abetter future. And real progress is being made.Last year, our work included:

• Protecting children from disease by helpingcommunities to build or improve 74 watercatchment tanks, 23 new water systems, 16 water system upgrades, 4,585 latrines,three sewage systems and three rubbish dumps

• Working with 100 educational networks involving parents and schools toimprove the quality of learning for children at nursery and primary school levels

• Enabling women to increase their families’ income by offering training in skills like baking and floristry and by offering materials to help them start small businesses

• Helping to keep children safe from violence by promoting local and nationalcampaigns on the effects of violence and the ways in which communities canwork together to stop such abuse.

Plan’s greatest successes come from a joint effortcombining the hard work and determination ofcommunities, children, volunteers, staff, and partnerorganisations. The ongoing support of our sponsors is avital ingredient, too. It’s their generosity and commitmentthat allows us to continue to help children in 49 of the poorest countries in the world.

So on behalf of the children and communities we work with, thank you to all our sponsors!

Plan UK Registered Charity No: 276035

SLV

We’re supporting school vegetable gardens to boostchildren’s nutrition and help them learn valuable skills

�

Challenge and change in El SalvadorEl Salvador is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world. Battered in recentyears by natural disasters, plagued by high levels of violence and facing almostconstant rises in the cost of food and basic services, the country offers little securityfor children and young people.

Plan is working with communities in some of the poorest areas of El Salvador to builda secure future for children.

Together, we’re creating better health services and schools, connecting families toclean water, improving sanitation and opening doors to employment with loans forsmall businesses and training in new skills.

We’re committed to promoting respectfor young people and their rights, helpingthem to play their part in theircommunities’ progress. As Rossana Viteri,Country Director for Plan El Salvador says:“We are confident that by working withthem it is possible to improve the qualityof their lives.”

The project we highlight in this CountryProgress Report is just one success amongmany that Plan has had, working hand inhand with children.

El Salvador country factsPopulation: 6.9 million

Capital: San Salvador

UN Human Development Indexranking: 101st (of 177 countries)

People living on less than 1 US dollara day: 19%

People without adequate sanitation: 38%

Children under five who areunderweight: 10%

(Sources: the UN, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office) Country ProgressReport 2007

Admagic No:Bright No:

Client name:File name:

Date:Size:

Studio proof:

0407100647PLAN0407_El Salvador30.11.07210x443.5mm FOLD TO A54 Client proof: 2

Any enquiries please contact:Nick Burton. e: nick@bright-uk.comm: 07884 367567. d: 020 7620 8150

Size (Prod) Colours(Prod) Art (A/D) Copy (C/W) Content (Acc.)

146.5mm FLAP 148.5mm BACK 148.5mm FRONT

Children’s radio programmes are a great way for kids topromote their rights

�

El Salvador

Real progressWith the support of Plan, children and adults inEl Salvador are working together to developtheir communities and claim their right to abetter future. And real progress is being made.Last year, our work included:

• Protecting children from disease by helpingcommunities to build or improve 74 watercatchment tanks, 23 new water systems, 16 water system upgrades, 4,585 latrines,three sewage systems and three rubbish dumps

• Working with 100 educational networks involving parents and schools toimprove the quality of learning for children at nursery and primary school levels

• Enabling women to increase their families’ income by offering training in skills like baking and floristry and by offering materials to help them start small businesses

• Helping to keep children safe from violence by promoting local and nationalcampaigns on the effects of violence and the ways in which communities canwork together to stop such abuse.

Plan’s greatest successes come from a joint effortcombining the hard work and determination ofcommunities, children, volunteers, staff, and partnerorganisations. The ongoing support of our sponsors is avital ingredient, too. It’s their generosity and commitmentthat allows us to continue to help children in 49 of the poorest countries in the world.

So on behalf of the children and communities we work with, thank you to all our sponsors!

Plan UK Registered Charity No: 276035

SLV

We’re supporting school vegetable gardens to boostchildren’s nutrition and help them learn valuable skills

�

Challenge and change in El SalvadorEl Salvador is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world. Battered in recentyears by natural disasters, plagued by high levels of violence and facing almostconstant rises in the cost of food and basic services, the country offers little securityfor children and young people.

Plan is working with communities in some of the poorest areas of El Salvador to builda secure future for children.

Together, we’re creating better health services and schools, connecting families toclean water, improving sanitation and opening doors to employment with loans forsmall businesses and training in new skills.

We’re committed to promoting respectfor young people and their rights, helpingthem to play their part in theircommunities’ progress. As Rossana Viteri,Country Director for Plan El Salvador says:“We are confident that by working withthem it is possible to improve the qualityof their lives.”

The project we highlight in this CountryProgress Report is just one success amongmany that Plan has had, working hand inhand with children.

El Salvador country factsPopulation: 6.9 million

Capital: San Salvador

UN Human Development Indexranking: 101st (of 177 countries)

People living on less than 1 US dollara day: 19%

People without adequate sanitation: 38%

Children under five who areunderweight: 10%

(Sources: the UN, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office) Country ProgressReport 2007

Admagic No:Bright No:

Client name:File name:

Date:Size:

Studio proof:

0407100647PLAN0407_El Salvador30.11.07210x443.5mm FOLD TO A54 Client proof: 2

Any enquiries please contact:Nick Burton. e: nick@bright-uk.comm: 07884 367567. d: 020 7620 8150

Size (Prod) Colours(Prod) Art (A/D) Copy (C/W) Content (Acc.)

146.5mm FLAP 148.5mm BACK 148.5mm FRONT

Children’s radio programmes are a great way for kids topromote their rights

�

El Salvador

homes should another disaster occur.The committee is part of a widerproject launched by Plan and 56communities across El Salvadorfollowing Hurricane Mitch.

Called Disaster Risk Reduction, theproject aims to increase communities’understanding of how a disaster mightaffect them and what they can do toreduce the impact of emergencysituations on their children.

Children and young people have beeninvolved in the project from the start,an innovative step in a country wherechildren are not often given the chanceto express their views, or make acontribution to the development oftheir communities.

Children and young people havebeen involved in the project fromthe start.

Involving young peopleCantón Petapas is different however.The people here understand the rolethat children can play in keeping thecommunity safe from disasters. After all,they’ve seen them in action.

When Maria and her friends werewondering how to stop the men takingrocks from the Sumpul river, youngpeople across the banks in Honduras

were just as concerned. So, they gottogether.

“We talked to children from the otherside of the river, and organised ingroups to talk to each truck driver wesaw,” says Maria. “We made themunload the truck to put the stones backin the river.”

Maria is a member of the youth groupin Cantón Petapas. It works closely withthe emergency committee onpreventing and preparing for disasters.There’s a group like this in each of thecommunities working with Plan on theDisaster Risk Reduction programme.

With training and support provided byPlan, they’re learning how to identifypotential dangers in their local areasand make sure their communities knowwhat to do when an emergency strikes.

“It all started with Plan training, wherewe learned that we, the children, hadrights and one of our rights is to beinformed and to participate,” says Aida,15, another member of the CantónPetapas youth group. “We talked aboutthe risks in our community and how toprevent them, and the group grew andgrew until it became what it is now.”

Stopping the destruction of the Sumpulriver has been just one of the group’ssuccesses. Since it began, it has worked

148.5mm INSIDE 148.5mm INSIDE 146.5mm INSIDE

Every stone they took from the riverbedweakened the banks of the river, andbrought her community closer to thepossibility of flooding.

The Sumpul river is something of alandmark in Cantón Petapas, the ruralcommunity in Chalatenango, northernEl Salvador where Maria lives. DividingEl Salvador from neighbouringHonduras, the river is an importantlocal resource surrounded by beautiful,mountainous countryside.

Although stunning, the terrain is alsodangerous. Its steep slopes are prone toerosion and landslides. Forest fires areanother hazard. Drought is common.

Reducing the risksMaria and the young people in hercommunity are no strangers to theeffects of disasters, whether man-made,like taking rocks from the Sumpul river,or natural, like storms and hurricanes.Large parts of El Salvador weredevastated by Hurricane Mitch in 1998.Two earthquakes followed three years

later in 2001. More recently, in 2005,Hurricane Stan left thousands offamilies homeless.

In communities like Cantón Petapas,where families depend on farming tosurvive, disasters like Hurricane Stanhave the potential to wreak havoc,leaving families without shelter, cleanwater, schools and the means to providefor their children.

But in Cantón Petapas, local peoplehave formed an emergency committeeto help them protect their families and

with the emergency committeeto draw up a map of the places intheir locality that would be mostvulnerable in a disaster,identifying how to keep themsafe. It has found ways toprevent disasters, for examplebuilding a retaining wall at theschool to stop mudslides. And ithas helped to devise earlywarning systems and emergencydrills for the whole community,so everyone knows what is expected ofthem in a crisis.

“Children have valuable ideas andif given the chance, they can bevery insightful and creative tofind a solution to a problem.”

The project has brought unexpectedbenefits for the children, and theirfamilies. As the young people haveworked with Plan and with the adultson the emergency committee, theirconfidence has grown. “We havelearned to relate better with adults, and this has made us feel valued,” says Carmen.

Ramon is the father of one of the youngpeople. He has seen the value of thechildren’s work, explaining: “Childrenhave valuable ideas and if given the

chance, they can be very insightful and creative to find a solution to a problem.”

He believes the children’s experiencewill transform the community’s future.“The children who participate today arethe trainers of the children oftomorrow,” he says. “They are going topass on their knowledge and theirexperience… we did not have that kindof opportunity. If we had, things wouldbe very different nowadays.”

Some names have been changed for privacy and childprotection reasons.

The Sumpul is one of the main rivers of El Salvador�

Prepared for emergencyEvery day, Maria and her friends would watch the men arrive at the river intheir trucks, ready to load them with rocks to sell for construction.

The children’s emergency committee in Petapa�

homes should another disaster occur.The committee is part of a widerproject launched by Plan and 56communities across El Salvadorfollowing Hurricane Mitch.

Called Disaster Risk Reduction, theproject aims to increase communities’understanding of how a disaster mightaffect them and what they can do toreduce the impact of emergencysituations on their children.

Children and young people have beeninvolved in the project from the start,an innovative step in a country wherechildren are not often given the chanceto express their views, or make acontribution to the development oftheir communities.

Children and young people havebeen involved in the project fromthe start.

Involving young peopleCantón Petapas is different however.The people here understand the rolethat children can play in keeping thecommunity safe from disasters. After all,they’ve seen them in action.

When Maria and her friends werewondering how to stop the men takingrocks from the Sumpul river, youngpeople across the banks in Honduras

were just as concerned. So, they gottogether.

“We talked to children from the otherside of the river, and organised ingroups to talk to each truck driver wesaw,” says Maria. “We made themunload the truck to put the stones backin the river.”

Maria is a member of the youth groupin Cantón Petapas. It works closely withthe emergency committee onpreventing and preparing for disasters.There’s a group like this in each of thecommunities working with Plan on theDisaster Risk Reduction programme.

With training and support provided byPlan, they’re learning how to identifypotential dangers in their local areasand make sure their communities knowwhat to do when an emergency strikes.

“It all started with Plan training, wherewe learned that we, the children, hadrights and one of our rights is to beinformed and to participate,” says Aida,15, another member of the CantónPetapas youth group. “We talked aboutthe risks in our community and how toprevent them, and the group grew andgrew until it became what it is now.”

Stopping the destruction of the Sumpulriver has been just one of the group’ssuccesses. Since it began, it has worked

148.5mm INSIDE 148.5mm INSIDE 146.5mm INSIDE

Every stone they took from the riverbedweakened the banks of the river, andbrought her community closer to thepossibility of flooding.

The Sumpul river is something of alandmark in Cantón Petapas, the ruralcommunity in Chalatenango, northernEl Salvador where Maria lives. DividingEl Salvador from neighbouringHonduras, the river is an importantlocal resource surrounded by beautiful,mountainous countryside.

Although stunning, the terrain is alsodangerous. Its steep slopes are prone toerosion and landslides. Forest fires areanother hazard. Drought is common.

Reducing the risksMaria and the young people in hercommunity are no strangers to theeffects of disasters, whether man-made,like taking rocks from the Sumpul river,or natural, like storms and hurricanes.Large parts of El Salvador weredevastated by Hurricane Mitch in 1998.Two earthquakes followed three years

later in 2001. More recently, in 2005,Hurricane Stan left thousands offamilies homeless.

In communities like Cantón Petapas,where families depend on farming tosurvive, disasters like Hurricane Stanhave the potential to wreak havoc,leaving families without shelter, cleanwater, schools and the means to providefor their children.

But in Cantón Petapas, local peoplehave formed an emergency committeeto help them protect their families and

with the emergency committeeto draw up a map of the places intheir locality that would be mostvulnerable in a disaster,identifying how to keep themsafe. It has found ways toprevent disasters, for examplebuilding a retaining wall at theschool to stop mudslides. And ithas helped to devise earlywarning systems and emergencydrills for the whole community,so everyone knows what is expected ofthem in a crisis.

“Children have valuable ideas andif given the chance, they can bevery insightful and creative tofind a solution to a problem.”

The project has brought unexpectedbenefits for the children, and theirfamilies. As the young people haveworked with Plan and with the adultson the emergency committee, theirconfidence has grown. “We havelearned to relate better with adults, and this has made us feel valued,” says Carmen.

Ramon is the father of one of the youngpeople. He has seen the value of thechildren’s work, explaining: “Childrenhave valuable ideas and if given the

chance, they can be very insightful and creative to find a solution to a problem.”

He believes the children’s experiencewill transform the community’s future.“The children who participate today arethe trainers of the children oftomorrow,” he says. “They are going topass on their knowledge and theirexperience… we did not have that kindof opportunity. If we had, things wouldbe very different nowadays.”

Some names have been changed for privacy and childprotection reasons.

The Sumpul is one of the main rivers of El Salvador�

Prepared for emergencyEvery day, Maria and her friends would watch the men arrive at the river intheir trucks, ready to load them with rocks to sell for construction.

The children’s emergency committee in Petapa�

homes should another disaster occur.The committee is part of a widerproject launched by Plan and 56communities across El Salvadorfollowing Hurricane Mitch.

Called Disaster Risk Reduction, theproject aims to increase communities’understanding of how a disaster mightaffect them and what they can do toreduce the impact of emergencysituations on their children.

Children and young people have beeninvolved in the project from the start,an innovative step in a country wherechildren are not often given the chanceto express their views, or make acontribution to the development oftheir communities.

Children and young people havebeen involved in the project fromthe start.

Involving young peopleCantón Petapas is different however.The people here understand the rolethat children can play in keeping thecommunity safe from disasters. After all,they’ve seen them in action.

When Maria and her friends werewondering how to stop the men takingrocks from the Sumpul river, youngpeople across the banks in Honduras

were just as concerned. So, they gottogether.

“We talked to children from the otherside of the river, and organised ingroups to talk to each truck driver wesaw,” says Maria. “We made themunload the truck to put the stones backin the river.”

Maria is a member of the youth groupin Cantón Petapas. It works closely withthe emergency committee onpreventing and preparing for disasters.There’s a group like this in each of thecommunities working with Plan on theDisaster Risk Reduction programme.

With training and support provided byPlan, they’re learning how to identifypotential dangers in their local areasand make sure their communities knowwhat to do when an emergency strikes.

“It all started with Plan training, wherewe learned that we, the children, hadrights and one of our rights is to beinformed and to participate,” says Aida,15, another member of the CantónPetapas youth group. “We talked aboutthe risks in our community and how toprevent them, and the group grew andgrew until it became what it is now.”

Stopping the destruction of the Sumpulriver has been just one of the group’ssuccesses. Since it began, it has worked

148.5mm INSIDE 148.5mm INSIDE 146.5mm INSIDE

Every stone they took from the riverbedweakened the banks of the river, andbrought her community closer to thepossibility of flooding.

The Sumpul river is something of alandmark in Cantón Petapas, the ruralcommunity in Chalatenango, northernEl Salvador where Maria lives. DividingEl Salvador from neighbouringHonduras, the river is an importantlocal resource surrounded by beautiful,mountainous countryside.

Although stunning, the terrain is alsodangerous. Its steep slopes are prone toerosion and landslides. Forest fires areanother hazard. Drought is common.

Reducing the risksMaria and the young people in hercommunity are no strangers to theeffects of disasters, whether man-made,like taking rocks from the Sumpul river,or natural, like storms and hurricanes.Large parts of El Salvador weredevastated by Hurricane Mitch in 1998.Two earthquakes followed three years

later in 2001. More recently, in 2005,Hurricane Stan left thousands offamilies homeless.

In communities like Cantón Petapas,where families depend on farming tosurvive, disasters like Hurricane Stanhave the potential to wreak havoc,leaving families without shelter, cleanwater, schools and the means to providefor their children.

But in Cantón Petapas, local peoplehave formed an emergency committeeto help them protect their families and

with the emergency committeeto draw up a map of the places intheir locality that would be mostvulnerable in a disaster,identifying how to keep themsafe. It has found ways toprevent disasters, for examplebuilding a retaining wall at theschool to stop mudslides. And ithas helped to devise earlywarning systems and emergencydrills for the whole community,so everyone knows what is expected ofthem in a crisis.

“Children have valuable ideas andif given the chance, they can bevery insightful and creative tofind a solution to a problem.”

The project has brought unexpectedbenefits for the children, and theirfamilies. As the young people haveworked with Plan and with the adultson the emergency committee, theirconfidence has grown. “We havelearned to relate better with adults, and this has made us feel valued,” says Carmen.

Ramon is the father of one of the youngpeople. He has seen the value of thechildren’s work, explaining: “Childrenhave valuable ideas and if given the

chance, they can be very insightful and creative to find a solution to a problem.”

He believes the children’s experiencewill transform the community’s future.“The children who participate today arethe trainers of the children oftomorrow,” he says. “They are going topass on their knowledge and theirexperience… we did not have that kindof opportunity. If we had, things wouldbe very different nowadays.”

Some names have been changed for privacy and childprotection reasons.

The Sumpul is one of the main rivers of El Salvador�

Prepared for emergencyEvery day, Maria and her friends would watch the men arrive at the river intheir trucks, ready to load them with rocks to sell for construction.

The children’s emergency committee in Petapa�

Real progressWith the support of Plan, children and adults inEl Salvador are working together to developtheir communities and claim their right to abetter future. And real progress is being made.Last year, our work included:

• Protecting children from disease by helpingcommunities to build or improve 74 watercatchment tanks, 23 new water systems, 16 water system upgrades, 4,585 latrines,three sewage systems and three rubbish dumps

• Working with 100 educational networks involving parents and schools toimprove the quality of learning for children at nursery and primary school levels

• Enabling women to increase their families’ income by offering training in skills like baking and floristry and by offering materials to help them start small businesses

• Helping to keep children safe from violence by promoting local and nationalcampaigns on the effects of violence and the ways in which communities canwork together to stop such abuse.

Plan’s greatest successes come from a joint effortcombining the hard work and determination ofcommunities, children, volunteers, staff, and partnerorganisations. The ongoing support of our sponsors is avital ingredient, too. It’s their generosity and commitmentthat allows us to continue to help children in 49 of the poorest countries in the world.

So on behalf of the children and communities we work with, thank you to all our sponsors!

Plan UK Registered Charity No: 276035

SLV

We’re supporting school vegetable gardens to boostchildren’s nutrition and help them learn valuable skills

�

Challenge and change in El SalvadorEl Salvador is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world. Battered in recentyears by natural disasters, plagued by high levels of violence and facing almostconstant rises in the cost of food and basic services, the country offers little securityfor children and young people.

Plan is working with communities in some of the poorest areas of El Salvador to builda secure future for children.

Together, we’re creating better health services and schools, connecting families toclean water, improving sanitation and opening doors to employment with loans forsmall businesses and training in new skills.

We’re committed to promoting respectfor young people and their rights, helpingthem to play their part in theircommunities’ progress. As Rossana Viteri,Country Director for Plan El Salvador says:“We are confident that by working withthem it is possible to improve the qualityof their lives.”

The project we highlight in this CountryProgress Report is just one success amongmany that Plan has had, working hand inhand with children.

El Salvador country factsPopulation: 6.9 million

Capital: San Salvador

UN Human Development Indexranking: 101st (of 177 countries)

People living on less than 1 US dollara day: 19%

People without adequate sanitation: 38%

Children under five who areunderweight: 10%

(Sources: the UN, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office) Country ProgressReport 2007

Admagic No:Bright No:

Client name:File name:

Date:Size:

Studio proof:

0407100647PLAN0407_El Salvador30.11.07210x443.5mm FOLD TO A54 Client proof: 2

Any enquiries please contact:Nick Burton. e: nick@bright-uk.comm: 07884 367567. d: 020 7620 8150

Size (Prod) Colours(Prod) Art (A/D) Copy (C/W) Content (Acc.)

146.5mm FLAP 148.5mm BACK 148.5mm FRONT

Children’s radio programmes are a great way for kids topromote their rights

�

El Salvador