Welcome to the WTIS El Salvador Blog!

Welcome to the WTIS El Salvador Blog!

My name is Molly Heitzman and I'm the Project Intern, one of five student leaders for our trip to El Salvador this Winter Term. Once on site, we will be working with the organization CoCoDa, which encourages cultural exchange through service. Our project will take place at a coffee cooperative and will be composed of two parts. The first component is the technology one, where in partnership with CTEP, a DePauw organization that is donating refurbished computers to our project, we will help set up an internet cafe. Once the computers are installed we will host computer seminars from basic Microsoft Office functions to how to use the Internet. The second component of our project is the medical aspect. We will bring two physicians from the U.S. to El Salvador with us in order to host medical brigades. We'll be handing out vitamins and medicine that is hard to come by in this area of the world. Additionally, we will teach several public health seminars in order to promote preventative treatment as well. Finally, because we will be living with people who produce coffee, we will also help with the January harvest, while learning about the politics of coffee. Another important aspect of our trip is learning about the politics of El Salvador, a country which seventeen years ago ended a long civil war. We will explore the history of this conflict, as well as the United States's role in this political event.

This blog is for anyone who wants to stay informed before, after and during our trip to El Salvador. We will post useful information for pre-departure. Once on site, each team member will make a post on the blog to inform you of the status of our project. It's a great way to stay connected to the group once we're there!

Parents, if you have any questions, please feel free to email me at molly.heitzman@gmail.com or our Reflections Intern, Caroline Baker, at carolinebaker_2010@depauw.edu. Thanks to all of the parents who came to our informational meeting this past weekend. Caroline and I are very excited about this trip and working with our awesome team members!

Molly