Dear friends & colleagues,
We're members of a small delegation of Saint John business professionals going to El Salvador this December. Working with a Canadian not-for -profit called SalvAide, an organization bringing Canadians and Salvadorans together to foster social and economic development in El Salvador.
The team has varied interests in El Salvador and with this particular mission. To hear our stories please read our bios: Beth Kelly-Hatt, Russell Hatt, Anna Nisbet, Robert Michaud, Kendall McMenamon and Lori Weir.
One of the key elements to SalvAide's mandate is to develop Canadian awareness about the social and economic development challenges that Salvadorans face. As volunteers of SalvAide, we will connect with two grass-roots Salvadoran non-governmental sustainable development organizations with whom SalvAide has worked since 1985-- CRIPDES and CORDES. During our time in El Salvador, we will work with initiatives like Fair Trade Coffee Co-ops, Organic Cashew producers, forest conservation projects, several eco-tourism projects, a women's microcredit program, and an appropriate technology irrigation project.
I'm sending this email to you to ask for your support with a donation to SalvAide. Your contributions will support SalvAide's work to help people build a better life for themselves, their families and their communities, empowering those in need to ascend out of poverty. You can find more information at www.salvaide.ca.
Join us and become an active partner with the people of El Salvador as they strengthen their communities and build hope for the future. Cheque or money order: Saint John SalvAide c/o Aquila, PO Box 6895, Saint John, NB E2L 4S3. (Please include your full name and address for them to send your receipt) Or On-line at: http://www.canadahelps.org/CharityProfilePage.aspx?CharityID=s27589. You should be at "SalvAide screen", and then click on "Donate Now", and on the next window that opens select the "New Brunswick Eco-Development Delegation" from the drop-down list under "Fund/Designation". Charitable tax receipts will be issued automatically for donations of $10 and more. We are also accepting toys, clothes, etc to bring with us if you would like to donate any practical items like these. Please make note on all donations our delegation name: The New Brunswick Eco-development Delegation.
Thank you so much for any help you can offer. We will send stories from the trip when we return in December. Please keep us in your thoughts.
Love and thanks,
Beth & Russ
with other participants Anna, Robert, Kendall and Lori
"The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share
your riches but to reveal to him his own." ~ Benjamin Disraeli
Our Delegation bios:
Russ & Beth Hatt: As some of you are aware, we have been on a few building programs with Habitat for Humanity Canada. Our first build was in El Salvador and our second in Zambia, Africa. For us, to experience the authenticity of a place, and to engage with the people and the culture is what travelling is all about. At the end of our journeys, we always found that despite all we had given, we received and brought back much more. With El Salvador being our first trip, the beauty of its people has called us back, and this time, our small delegation is going to work with a Canadian not-for -profit called SalvAide. SalvAide brings Canadians and Salvadorans together to foster social and economic development in El Salvador, and being business professionals, we hope to be able to make a meaningful contribution to the businesses we meet with as well as to bring back more understanding of the challenges they face. We look forward to travelling with this awesome team and learning all we can so we can share our experiences with you on our return.
Lori Weir and Kendall McMenamon: As entrepreneurs in management consulting and technology, we are excited to work with fellow entrepreneurs and business people in El Salvador. This will undoubtedly be a life changing experience for us both, and for those we consult and work with during this initiative. SalvAide has created a program to allow professionals like us, to help them with their mission. With lots of pre trip activity and post trip follow-up, the in-country commitment is only 2 weeks. This isn't the first trip of this nature for either of us, and it would appear we've got the seven year itch! In 2003, Lori travelled to Haiti with Healing Hands for Haiti, which focuses on improving mobility through therapy and assistive technologies. Being part of a group that delivered prosthetics and wheelchairs to grateful children, adults and seniors was a powerful experience. In 2002, Kendall travelled to Colombia and has done business in other Latin countries including Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador and Chile. We are excited to be travelling with such amazing people, and know that our collective experiences, knowledge, skills and passion truly will make a difference.
Anna Nisbet & Robert Michaud:
This will be our first experience working as part of a volunteer delegation, and we are thrilled to be part of such a wonderful team, and to be supporting SalvAide. Our educational background in adventure tourism had a strong focus on environmental sustainability. That, along with our experience working with local tourism operators in New Brunswick, will be beneficial while working with the many businesses throughout El Salvador. We are looking forward to helping the people and businesses of El Salvador; however we are greatly looking forward to learning from the Salvadorans, as much as they will be learning from us. We hope to continue working in partnership with SalvAide and the Salvadoran partners long after our time spent visiting their country. We also hope to bring the Salvadoran culture and business practices back home to Canada, and spread awareness of SalvAide and our experiences during our mission.
New Brunswick Eco-Development Delegation
From left to right: Beth, Russ, Kendall, Lori, Anna and Robert
