The SimplyHelp Foundation sent five representatives to El Salvador last week to oversee distribution of needed items to impoverished communities, visit the foundation’s senior centers for the homeless elderly, and vocational training schools for single mothers.
On the first day of the trip, SimplyHelp visited its senior center in Cojutepeque, which was opened in January of 2010. The center houses 30 residents who are cared for by dedicated volunteers and staff members, who assist in feeding, bathing, and providing love and support to seniors who have nowhere else to go, and no one else to care for them . Many of the seniors who live at the Cojutepeque center were abandoned by their family members, and have no financial means to care for themselves. At the center, the residents are able to shower daily, receive 3 nutritious meals a day, have access to health care, enjoy entertaining activities, and are provided a funeral service and burial when they pass away. The center’s manager Armando Martinez said that his job is motivated by the love he has for the residents. “Sometimes we shed tears for them because some of them feel lonely because their family has abandoned them,” Martinez said. “They express their love to us and that’s incomparable to anything else.”
SimplyHelp intern Jenny Wang was especially moved by the stories she heard from the residents. She spoke to one woman who has been experiencing leg pain for years, and has not been able to find appropriate treatment. “The medical system isn’t up to par,” Wang said. “They’ve taken her to the hospital but there’s nothing they can do about it. All they can do is rub ointment on her legs to relieve pain.” At the end of the visit, after observing the dilapidated state of the center’s mattresses, Wang was inspired to donate money to purchase new, more supportive mattresses.
SimplyHelp founder and president Tina Bow is motivated to work with seniors because of the nature of the relationship she had with her own elderly parents.
“I do this because I didn’t have enough time with my own parents to take care of them when they needed me,” Bow said. “When I take care of other peoples’ parents, I feel like I’m doing something for my own, and getting closer with my own parents.”
The second day of the trip was spent visiting vocational training schools and distributing bags of donations in the village of La Libertad. 200 impoverished families, selected by the mayor, received one bag of clothes and one bag of food items. Bow spoke to the families about the vocational training schools located in the village –there are schools that teach skills in beauty, cooking, baking, and restaurant/ hospitality industries. The school focuses on serving single mothers and offers free daycare while mothers are attending classes. The daycare serves children as young as 5- months and as old as 9- years. There are about 18-20 children in each morning and afternoon session.
“I told the families that received our donations that they should come to our schools so they can get out of poverty,” Bow said. “You won’t have to worry about feeding your children anymore. You can learn a skill, and own your life.”
SimplyHelp also toured the additional two senior centers and the SimplyHelp computer training school, and visited the poor neighborhoods that surround the centers. Bow was struck by the impoverished living conditions these people live in, who use bamboo and plastic for their shelters because they do not have money for concrete or more stable materials to build their homes. “It’s muddy and rainy season is going to be hard,” Bow said. “Every time I come back I realize how fortunate I am.”
The trip to El Salvador proved to be a great success to the lives touched, and was also a valuable learning experience to those who saw firsthand how people in an impoverished countries lived. “We shouldn’t take what we have for granted,” Wang said. “These people just need food and shelter, and they don’t even have that. If we have the ability to help, then we should. Whatever we’re giving will have a greater impact on their lives.”
