On the afternoon of July 1, the communities of Santa Cecilia and El Porvenir in San Salvador received a visit from a delegation of students from Notre Dame High School, a Catholic, all-girls school located in California.

The Notre Dame delegation decided along with Fundahmer to meet first with the women in the community who belong to the Executive Committee, the Bible Study group, or the youth group.

The exclusively female meeting was attended by members of the communities of Santa Cecilia and El Porvenir #1.  To break the ice and to create an atmosphere of trust and friendship, the presentation began with an introduction of each woman present, which they did through  icebreakers called “Canasta Revuelta” and “El Correo.”

Then the group entered into a discussion about the realities of the communities of Santa Cecilia and El Porvenir.  The women shared the reality of misery, violence, and injustice that the communities suffer, but they also talked about the achievements of the two communities such as the projects for accompanying children, older adults, and youth as well as the empowerment of women in some public spaces in the communities.

They also shared the situation of women on the national level, the struggle for recognition of women's rights, the fight for gender equality, the obstacles to change, and men's resistance to giving up their historical power over women and in public life, which has without a doubt been the biggest obstacle that women in the communities face daily.

The delegation members from Notre Dame also shared the expectations that they had for visiting the country and that community specifically.  They expressed their interest in knowing the reality of Salvadoran women and becoming aware of the totally different situation in which the Salvadoran people live, both in rural and urban areas.

After meeting with the women, the delegation took a tour of the community that ended with a soccer game between some of the delegation members and the community's women's soccer team.  Although the game took place in the pouring rain, it was very fun.  The final score was 5 to 2, in favor of the team from Santa Cecilia.

After becoming thoroughly soaked on the field, the delegation went to the Community Recovery and Pastoral Formation Center (CREFOPC) to enjoy a delicious dinner prepared by members of the community.  While they waited for dinner, the delegation had a chance to learn about the work that the community's youth group does.

After dinner, a community leader shared a little about the reality of El Salvador and the history of gangs in the country and in the community.  Then the delegation said goodbye and fled through the rain to their bus, since it had not stopped raining since the soccer game.