El Salvador

El Salvador, which means "the Savior" in Spanish, is a Pacific-coast country in Central America. One of the smallest countries in the Western Hemisphere, El Salvador is also the most densely populated: in an area the size of Massachusetts, 718 people live per square mile (compared to 75 people per square mile in the U.S.). Most Salvadorans are Mestizo (a mix of native and Spanish ancestors), Roman Catholic and very poor. Rural peasants grow subsistence crops of corn and beans, and 60 percent of them lack access to health care and safe drinking water. An elite minority aligned with the military has historically controlled most of the country's industry and agriculture.

In the 1970s, social inequities led to popular protests that were brutally repressed. Of those who weren't killed, many fled the country or joined the armed opposition. By 1980 El Salvador was embroiled in a civil war; the violence claimed 75,000 lives, including many church leaders such as Archbishop Romero. A permanent cease-fire took effect in February 1992, and El Salvador conducted its first post-war general elections in March 1994. The peace agreements provided a foundation for a new democratic society in El Salvador -- but much work, especially economic development, remains to be done to combat ongoing civilian crime and violence.

Ten Thousand Villages supports the craftspeople of El Salvador through Equal Exchange, an alternative trade organization dedicated to creating more fair trade relationships between producers in developing countries and U.S. consumers. Equal Exchange and other cooperatives active in El Salvador help to market products including coffee, handcrafted wood items, brightly colored folk art, painted wood items, ceramics, and a wide variety of wood items decorated in the famous La Palma folk art style.