El Salvador: To stay or to run from the river

By UN Humanitarian
IN CLIMATE CRISIS & FLOODING
MARCH 27TH, 2023

“Life’s tough, but it is what it is.” Ana



With each stir around the cauldron, Ana acknowledges her relatively stability. She doesn’t worry much about having to leave the house to sell her tamales, as she can leave her children with her mother, who lives nearby. Moreover, she can rely on her two teenage nephews to take the children to school, also nearby, if she can’t make it.

She tells us that World Vision helps with cash transfers that she uses for her children, and that she always attends World Vision’s gatherings to listen and stay informed on community activities. As a member of the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT), World Vision is helping families improve their livelihoods with a focus on health and nutrition.

As calm as Ana is when discussing her blessings, her eyes grow a little larger and her voice gets a little louder when asked about what worries her.

“The river behind us,” she says. “That river scares me, it’s dangerous. When it rises? The first house is going to go at any moment, and when that first house goes, we all go.”

Ana’s fears are well founded. Soyapango is one of countless communities sprawled along San Salvador’s mountainous terrain that props up informal housing settlements and inadequate infrastructure. She shares her unease just days away from September, San Salvador’s rainiest month with an average of 145 mm of rain.

More:
https://unocha.exposure.co/to-stay-or-to-run-from-the-river