paz en suchitoto

stayed at the center of art for peace

and met a wonderful sister named peggy. she's been at the center for five years, since its start. she was entirely open with us and really attempted to connect with each one of us. to start the conversation with her, she asked us to introduce ourselves. instead of the boring name and major, she asked us to share from where we draw our strength. a very important question, and what a great way to get to know someone! after that, she gave us great life lessons:
"enjoy life. pig out." "sin is destroying right relationships" "teh question isn't whether or not there's life after death. rather, is there life before death for everyone?" "learn to stare" "we need to dream differently" "ask yoursevles: what is your commitment to live out your deepest truths?" she also shared that "el salvador is a low-grade version of the herpes virus" (its charm and beauty will always stay with us and many times draws  people back.)

what a great woman.

the center has a section for visitors (where we stayed) and helps with paying for programs, renovations, etc. they have a great gathering space for businesses to rent, or to use within their own community. the purpose of the center is to create a drug and gang-free place where youth feel comfortable hanging out. they have jewelery making, music, radio, video, photo, and collective memory projects. they also offer classes to parents (which many times includes the youth): alternatives to violence, parenting, and security.

it has such a positive vibe, from the beautiful buildings to the warmhearted people.

"in this house we have a life free of violence against women"

got some DELISH crepes : )

suchitoto, the area where the center was created, is a community terrorized by war. the entire village was forced to live in the mountains of wasapa or in the refugee camps of Honduras. many people were murdered and families were torn apart. brothers were fighting against brothers, just as a means of survival. the people of suchitoto had obvious reasons to return: it was their home, their land, their community. so they rebuilt the destroyed city before the peace accords were signed and are now stronger than ever. but they are still struggling with the scars. there are few opportunities, and many youth turn to gangs or drugs. and that's where the center comes in. it is therapeutic in that it provides a means to process all that happened.