Service-learning in El Salvador: A Report from Dr. Lea Ann Christenson (EDHD)

During January 2009, Dr. Christenson had the opportunity to assist Dr. Paula Beckman with her new study abroad program, El Salvador’s Children: Risk, Poverty and Education. Dr. Christenson’s participation was possible in part from the College of Education’s newly created International Travel Fund. She reports here on her experience.

I had the pleasure of being part of a very eclectic group of 28 University of Maryland students ranging from a freshman to a few doctoral students from a wide variety of majors across the College of Education as well as students from majors outside the College such as government and public health. Unlike other study abroad programs, this one was a service learning trip. The majority of our time was spent working on projects in rural villages.

Before we could begin our work we needed to have a basic understanding of the history, culture, and current conditions in El Salvador. We spent two days in San Salvador getting the back-story. Our first stop was at Equipo Maiz (Team Corn), an organization founded after the El Salvadorian Civil War (1980-92).  Maricio Funes of Equipo Maiz gave us a condensed history of El Salvador which explained the forces that led up to the Civil War. Lunch was spent in the company of Hector Silva the former mayor of San Salvador. He brought to light the current conditions in El Salvador which are highly impacted by the war. Next, we traveled to the University of Central America (UCA), a Catholic University run by the Jesuit order. The main mission of the University is to serve all students regardless of income. Dean Brackley shared his experiences in El Salvador and explained the concept Liberation Theology. While at UCA we were able to visit the site where six Jesuit priests (who supported the opposition to the government), their housekeeper and her daughter were shot by the government 1989. This act turned U.S. public opinion against further support of the government in. Finally, Mauricio Trejo, the Head of the UCA Education Department described the current state of education in El Salvador.

After an overnight stop in the very beautiful Guzapa National Park our group divided in two and headed to our respective villages approximately 80 miles northeast of San Salvador. I was part of the group that lived in Hacienda Vieja, a community of 350 people. Upon our arrival we were warmly welcomed by the community with dancing and piñatas. We lived with the people in very simple houses. The entire village has only two flush toilets and laundry is done by hand at the pila (a stone sink). The woman I lived with, Tereza Amaya could not have been more inviting or made me feel more at home.

During our time in the village the University of Maryland students worked on various project collaboratively with the village leaders. For example, the students majoring in public health constructed and conducted a survey, and a group from EDSP made home visits and assisted individuals in the community with various special needs. Our entire group ran an after school program for the children and offered classes for the entire community in the evening: adult literacy, computers, art, and English.
Several members of our group worked hard to set up donated computers in the library, and although that was not accomplished while we were there their foundational work eventually made it possible. Hacienda Vieja now has internet access!!  Our overall goal was to work with the community leaders to identify people in the community to work with us while we implemented programs who then could sustain these programs after we left. From what we have heard since we left we have met with a high level of success.We also were able to visit four different schools over the course of our stay: an urban school in San Salvador, a rural school that served the students from Hacienda Vieja, a school in a small town and a residential school for children and adults with special needs.

Dr. Christenson taught adult literacy classes in the evening. She is pictured with one of her students Don Mariano Ventura, one of the community leaders.       Dr. Christenson in the preschool classroom.

In addition to having a leadership role Hacienda Vieja which included overseeing the health of the students, I had my own project. I had the privilege of teaching in the preschool and offering professional development to the teacher in the area of literacy instruction. One of our undergraduate students from EDHD assisted with instruction and served as a translator. This trip was an amazing experience and has already impacted my teaching and other work with the University. I gave a presentation on El Salvador at our Early Childhood Education PDS Conference and am scheduled to do presentations to schools in our PDS partnership. The schools in our PDS network have high numbers of students from El Salvador. I hope my presentations can help gain a better understanding of their students and parents. The Washington, DC area is second only to Los Angeles in the number of El Salvadorians living outside El Salvador. Additionally, Dr. Beckman asked me to assist with a presentation to the College of Education Alumni Association. This opportunity has also helped to inform the project I am working on currently as a GATE Fellow.  I believe that the service learning model of this course is a good model for other study abroad courses. By living and working with people in another country students gain a unique insight that is not possible by just visiting. I am looking forward to collaborating with Dr. Beckman in the future and, to possibly designing a study abroad course around this model.  I am very grateful to have been a recipient of a grant from the College of Education’s International Travel Fund which helped to make this experience possible.

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For questions regarding the International Travel Fund contact:

Dr. James Greenberg
Director, Office of International Initiatives
3104 Benjamin Building
jdgg@umd.edu

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