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Canada Outfit

A Classy Outfit for Canada day festivities- red cardigan, simple white top, black bermudas, pearl accessories, white belt, and cute striped shoes- Heres hoping that the weather is nice to celebrate this great country

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Christy Turlington- Fellow Salvadoran

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Jackie O- Always Graceful and Dignified

Support for Central America

At the conference being held in Guatemala, the World Bank announced that they will put up $1 Billion dollars to combating the violence that has so plagued Central American and that has made it into one of the most violent regions in the world. This certainly signals a shift in the way the international community has responded to the crisis but the money will have to be used in a productive way, not just be spent on militarizing these nations further. Hopefully this will be a “made in Central America” solution whereby the officials of these nations with thorough consultation from civil society actors, academics and the populace in general come up with effective strategies to address the urgent issues. It will certainly not be an easy task and my hope is that the money will not aggravate the situation.

  First of all the youth of Central America must be brought into the dialogue, they must be active participants. Many youth get sucked into a life of crime because of few options available for them to get a good job or go to school and establish a long term career. The problem of corruption in state institutions is also an important area that has hindered efforts and a problem that will be very challenging to confront because it is very systemic. I find very encouraging the prospect of judicial training proposed by the U.S because this is an institution that historically has been very weak in Central America. The criminal justice system is horribly unreliable and not trusted by many people.

 It is my hope that with this announcement officials in Central America will step up and come up with comprehensive strategies to address the prevalence of violence but also that these issues have deep roots in these societies and that far more than money will be needed if a real impact is to be made. The will power is needed among all sectors of society and the realization that there will be no “quick fixes” to such a complex set of problems. The nations will have to work together along with the U.S as a mutual partner and as well as international organizations and regular meetings as the one in Guatemala will be needed because this is a region wide problem that transcends borders.

A better way

Immigration is a touchy topic especially in the United States where 
policy makers have been afraid to address the issue in any concrete 
manner. However beyond the politics the true scope of the problem 
should be seen from migrants themselves. There is no question that 
there is a crisis. Thousands of people a day attempt to get to the 
United States and there are millions of undocumented people living 
within the nation. A large cargo truck was found in Guatemala a few 
weeks back with more than 500 people crammed in the truck, they were 
mostly from Guatemala and some from El Salvador. This is sadly just
one example of the lengths people  go through to try to make it to the United States.
 Drug Cartels and  criminals are raking in for certain millions of dollars from desperate 
people who pour their savings and borrowed money into trying to pay 
human smugglers to take them over the border.

   Documentaries and movies like Sin Nombre show the perilous journeys 
that migrants undertake to try to escape their unstable homelands. 
Throughout their journey in Central America and Mexico they encounter 
corrupt officials, cartels and gangs that threaten them and take 
whatever they have. Attempts have been made to try to address 
treatment of Central American migrants by Mexican officials but little 
action has been taken. Mexico itself is fighting a war with the drug 
cartels that has claimed tens of thousands of lives and these cartels 
are working all throughout Central America. The constant state of 
conflict throughout the region feeds into the immigration and gang 
problem that is being experienced.

   A truly comprehensive strategy is the only way that all these 
issues can be addressed. The United states must work with Mexico, and 
the nations of Central America and Mexico must work with its Central 
American neighbors in issues regarding drugs, weapons and immigration 
policies. These are regionwide problems that can only be effectively addressed
in a comprehensive manner and this will certainly take a lot of will and time. There
are no easy fixes and throwing that army or police at the problem will not make it
better.