El Salvador research update

I have completed my research for my Kiva essay for English. I started with no idea where I wanted to go with my Kiva candidate but I was finally able to select a candidate. After that, I had no idea where I wanted to go with my research. I knew I had picked Maria for my Kiva loan because she wanted to give her children an education so they could be professionals and have better lives. So, I started my research with education statistics in El Salvador. According to USAID.Gov:

"only about 50 percent of youth attend early secondary school (7-9th grades), and only half of these go on to complete high school.  There are over 300,000 youth aged 15 to 24 that neither study nor work.  El Salvador has the highest homicide rate in the world of youth under the age of 19."

Once I read those statistics, I assumed most of the kids that don't go to school are the kids that end up having to work to help out the family. My chosen candidate only made it to 3rd grade because her parents couldn't afford to continue her education. That's why I was impressed with Maria wanting to expand her business and provide a better future for her children. I was also blown away y the fact that El Salvador has such a high homicide rate and I started looking more in to that statistic and found a lot of the reason was because the kids that grow up in poverty want better things, faster, and they see crime as a way to get what they want. They also look for acceptance and a family, which is why a lot of kids join the gangs. I started looking at gangs and some of the reasons people believe they exist and what can be done to stop them. One of the continuing themes of what people were saying was that the youth of El Salvador need more education and opportunity to keep them off the streets and out of gangs. This is the stance I decided to take for my Kiva essay because it all goes back to Maria wanting to expand her business to give her children an education so they can have better lives. Not only will giving them an education give them a chance to break the cycle of poverty for their family, but it will also help to keep them off the streets and out of gangs. That's why I feel that education is very important for all kids, but especially the kids in El Salvador.

My research progress

When I started my research for my essay, I was having trouble with the argument I wanted to make for my chosen candidate. I knew I wanted to help my chosen candidate because she was a single mother and wanted the loan to help her small business, which would help to keep her kids out of poverty and in school so they could have better lives. As I did my research, I began to realize that keeping kids in school is very important in El Salvador because, according to Donna DeCesare in her report, "The Children of War: Street Gangs in El Salvadaor," 40% of children in El Salvador go to school and 29% work, which leaves 31% of children's time unknown. If we could get the other 31% in school, it will help keep them away from gang activity. Education is also important for kids' future because it can also work towards ending the cycle of poverty for these families. As Howard Cotto, assistant national police chief and a former guerrilla commander said in an article titled, "As Gang Violence Sweeps El Salvador, Rumor Has It That Only Gangsters' Girlfriends Can Be Blondes," written by Alberto Arce for The World Post, "nothing will change unless the country addresses problems of poverty and a lack of opportunity for young people." Education and lack of opportunity is what needs to be focused on to help keep kids out of gangs, but it all does begin with the poverty they experience at home. Helping the parents who want better lives for their kids and who want their kids in school is where the action needs to start. As El Salvador's Child Protection Agency director, Zaira Navas said in an article for CBS News titled, "In El Salvador, Kids Seek Refuge from the Violence," by Manuel Bojorquez, "we need to attach out economic problems and invest in our communities," It all begins with helping the families that want better futures for the kids, like my chosen Kiva candidate, Maria Magdalena. https://www.kiva.org/lend/1025132

Beautiful skyline phone of El Sunzal, El Salvador. Image courtesy of Travel @ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/centralamericaandcaribbean/7479289/El-Salvador-a-guide-for-beginners.html

My Kiva Loan Candidate

It was very hard, but I was finally able to choose a Kiva loan candidate. There are so many people who need help and just a $25 loan can go such a long way to helping those people. However, I did make my decision and here is her profile: www.kiva.org/lend/1025132.

When I made my loan over the weekend, she only had $50 loaned to her but when I checked today, her loan was fully funded! I am very grateful to everyone that gave her a loan so she can give her children an education. As I have been doing my research on El Salvador for my English assignment, I have found out that gang violence is a very big problem in El Salvador. I also found out that El Salvador is the country with the worst homicide rate and it is due to the gang violence. A lot of the reasons behind the youth joining gangs are because of poverty and acceptance. These children experience such poverty and with the gangs and the criminal activity, it's an easy way out of poverty. Therefore, education plays a big part and that is ultimately why I chose my Kiva candidate. She wants to give her children an education so they can have better living conditions. She knows the importance of education in making the lives of her children better, and I know education is what will help all children in El Salvador. With education they can, hopefully, get better jobs and end the cycle of poverty. I know it isn't a cure all, but education can go a long way to helping one of the poorest nations in the country.

Kiva

For our big English 112 assignment, we are learning and taking part in online activism. We are doing this through a program called Kiva. If you have not heard of Kiva, it is a program that gives entrepreneur's in underdeveloped countries around the world a chance to fulfill their dreams and provide for their families. Kiva specializes in microfinancing. What is microfinancing, you ask? Well, microfinancing is loans in low increments that are available for people who would otherwise be unavailable for traditional bank loans. A lot of the people that apply for these loans are from very poor areas so would not qualify for big loans. 

What is special about Kiva is they have field partners all over the world that submit loan applicants online and you can loan as low as $25 to these applicants, and truly make a difference in their lives. What is even more great about Kiva is that your $25 is not a donation, it is a loan that, when repaid, will be repaid right back to you. So you can truly make a difference, while at very little risk to you!

I had heard of microfinancing in my Economics class but had not heard of the Kiva program until this English assignment. I think what Kiva is doing is a wonderful thing and I believe they are truly making a difference. You can check out their website at www.kiva.org to get more information, and to read about some of the stories and even pick a candidate for a loan. That's what I get to do for my English class. I haven't picked a candidate yet, because there are so many people that deserve it, but hopefully I will have one picked by my next blog!