Who are the people?
Salvadorians are industrious people. Even those who are unemployed or live in dire poverty work hard to provide food, clothing, and other essentials for their families.

Farmers try to grow enough produce to sell excess for profit. Most often, however, they need all of the food they grow to feed their own families and must find additional sources of income to meet basic needs.

Approximately 90 percent of the people are mestizo, of mixed Spanish and Native American descent. Your sponsored child probably speaks Spanish.

Parents are very protective of their families. Although children are accepted into school at age 7, many mothers and fathers keep them home until they are as old as 10.

Ironically, children sometimes marry at a very young age. Since families are close-knit, many children often continue to live on the same land as their parents even after marriage.

Most people do not celebrate birthdays since they may not know of the specific date they were born. Instead, your sponsored child’s parents may associate his or her birthday with a particular season.
Salvadorians are industrious people. Even those who are unemployed or live in dire poverty work har

Country Comparison	El Salvador	United States
Population	6.7 million	295.4 million
Land Mass	494,211 sq. miles	3,537,439 sq. miles
Life Expectancy	71 years	78 years
Infant Mortality Rate (per 1,000)	24	7
Literacy Rate	80%	97%
Primary School Enrollment	90%	92%
Access to Safe Water	82%	100%
Average Annual Income (GNI per capita)	$2,350	$41,400

Religion

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What is it like to live there?
Located on the Pacific Coast of Central America between Guatemala and Honduras, El Salvador is the smallest and most densely populated country in Central America. Known as the “land of volcanoes,” it experiences frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity.

El Salvador’s economy depends on agriculture, relying on coffee for at least one-half of its exports. If your sponsored child’s parents are farmers, they most likely rent their land. Much of the land is poor quality due to deforestation and soil erosion, but people still find ways to cultivate it.

The rainy season in El Salvador lasts from May to October. During this time, floods sometimes prevent sponsored children from attending school. The summer months, from October to April, are warm, dry, and windy.

Although school is free and compulsory, many families keep their children home to help in the fields, especially during the rainy season when planting starts.

World Vision encourages parents to keep their children in school. Nevertheless, many are pulled from class when their families move temporarily to earn extra income by working on coffee plantations.
Located on the Pacific Coast of Central America between Guatemala and Honduras, El Salvador is the
El Salvador Projects
With the support of generous donors like you, World Vision is partnering with families throughout El Salvador to build brighter futures filled with hope for their children.

Many activities are under way to help meet immediate needs and promote lasting changes that will strengthen communities and move families toward self-reliance.

Overall program goals include:

• Improving the living conditions of families by supplying building materials for the construction of safe housing.
• Conducting immunization campaigns to protect children from deadly diseases.
• Providing dental check-ups and oral hygiene instruction for sponsored children.
• Providing families with clean, safe water for drinking and cooking.
• Providing ongoing training for teachers to improve the quality of education.
• Providing uniforms, shoes, and school supplies so that sponsored children will be allowed to go to school.
• Teaching farmers techniques to increase harvests and improve their children’s nutrition.
• Helping families establish small businesses to increase income and provide stability.
• Supporting Bible education programs for children.

• Pray that your sponsored child might respond to God’s love and grace.
• Ask God to guide your sponsored child as he or she learns, grows, and moves toward a future full of hope and possibilities.
• Pray for God to protect the health of your sponsored child and his or her family.

Please click here to peruse online picture folders of children from this country.