cispes annual report 2014

8/10/2019 CISPES Annual Report 2014

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AnnualReport

2014

Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador CISPES Education Fund


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Dear Friend of El Salvador,

In June, I had the honor of attending the inauguration of Salvador Sanchez-Cern,the first popular movement leader to be elected president of El Salvador.

It was a hard-won victory for which the Salvadoran people have been fighting forgenerations and for which thousands gave their lives: the right to elect one of theirown.

You were there with us in spirit. We are so grateful to everyone whose financialsupport has made it possible for our staff and volunteers to play a critical rolein accompanying this historic peoples victory so many decades in the making.

This year, CISPES gave everything we had to ensure the Salvadoran people couldparticipate in a truly democratic election, free of US intervention.

Were thrilled to report that, for the first time in history, no US Congresspersonor State Department official publicly attempted to sway the election results read on to find out how we held our government to this position of strict neutrality!

Many of our election observers hadnt even been born yet when Reagan began hiswar on the Salvadoran people. But that didnt diminish the impact of witnessingtheir efforts to build a just and democratic society first-hand.

As we toured the transformative new projects of the FMLN government, one youngdelegate remarked, In the US, its one attack after another on healthcare andeducation. I want to be part of defending a country where the government isimproving the lives of the poor.

Unfortunately, several times this year weve been called to do just that defend ElSalvadors advances in the face of outrageous US backlash (more details inside) .

These recent victories against US interventions demonstrate the power andimportance of international solidarity. Our solidarity and your support willcontinue to be essential in the months and years ahead.

With El Salvador joining the leftward tide in Latin America, its an exciting timefilled with possibilities. I hope this report inspires in you some of the hope that ouryoung organizers have inspired in us this past year.

As our Salvadoran partners in struggle have proven once again, S se puede!

With heartfelt thanks,

Alexis Stoumbelis, Executive Director, CISPES Education Fund

CISPES and the CISPES Education Fund can be reached at:1525 Newton St. NW, Washington D.C. 20010

voice: 202.521.2510 / fax: 202.332.3339email: [email protected]; web: www.cispes.org

A Letter from Our Executive Director


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July 2013 - June 2014 Program

With US corporate interests threatened by an

FMLN victory, we waged strong campaigns onlocal, national and international levels to keepUS intervention out of the equation. CISPEScontributed to the freest and fairest electionsin Salvadoran history by:

El Salvadors March 2014 Presidential elections were extremely high stakes. Wouldthe right-wing with help from friends in Washington take back the governmentand roll back all of El Salvadors progress? Or would a leftist popular movementleader become the next President and deepen the transformation underway?

Hist oric Election Accompanim ent

Winning US Neutrality Mobilized over 50 Congressional Representatives to call on the State Departmentto issue a public commitment to impartiality Generated media buzz that pushed the US Ambassador in El Salvador to publiclystate US support for whomever was elected Publicized official statements of US neutrality in Salvadoran press

Monitoring the Elections Brought one of the largest international missions 100 delegates! to bear witness to every stage of the

electoral processProvided international presence at right-wing street

protests to prevent violence

Defending the Results Affirmed the integrity of the electoral process in the faceof right-wing destabilization attempts through our blog, socialmedia, radio & TV interviews in Salvadoran media

Became a principal news source for US media on ElSalvadors election, including interviews with the WashingtonPost and Democracy Now

Worked with Congressional offices to pressure the StateDepartment to acknowledge the FMLN victory, which they did(2 weeks later)!

Special thanks toSHARE Foundation,

US-El Salvador SisterCities, Food & Water

Watch, US FoodSovereignty Alliance,

Oxfam, and others fortheir solidarity

throughout many of these campaigns!


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Alongside US and Salvadoran allies, CISPES went head-to-head with the US StateDepartment on economic policy several times this year and won!

Water: A human right, not a commodityLast spring, the FMLN successfully fought toexclude water from the US-backed public-

private partnership law. In August 2013,the Salvadoran rightwing with supportfrom the US Ambassador tried to putwater back on the chopping block.

CISPES targeted the US Embassy with anaction alert echoing the demands of labor and environmental activists who floodedthe streets to defend this public resource. Thanks to unified Salvadoran resistance

and pressure from CISPES, the Embassy shied away from insisting on waterprivatization as a condition for development aid.

Seed: Salvadoran Farmers vs. MonsantoThe US Embassy threatened to withold $277 million in aid again in June 2014because the Salvadoran government was sourcing seeds from local farmers ratherthan allowing transnational corporations (like Monsanto) to compete. CISPES stoodwith family farmers and shamed the State Department into backing off for now. Held a joint press conference & rally with campesino organizations, exposingthis intervention in the Salvadoran and US media

Mobilized 16 CongressionalReps to write letters to Secretary ofState Kerry

Convened a coalition of 50international development,environmental, trade policy andfood sovereignty organizations todenounce attacks on thepoverty-reducing Family AgriculturePlan

July 2013 - June 2014 ProgramCross-Border Action & Advocacy


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Education & Movement-Building

Road to Victory Speaking TourLeaders from militant teachers union ANDES-21 de Junio toured the US withCISPES in November 2013. Through presentations, news interviews, and meetingswith Congress & labor allies, they:

Informed community members & policy-makers about advances in universal educationunder the FMLN government Built union solidarity & shared strategieswith the National Educators Association,American Federation of Teachers, and more!

Strategic Campaign Development: Training for TrainersCISPES activists of all ages convened in Boston to gear up for our fall electionwork with a weekend of intensive skill-building. Participants returned to their

chapters energized and equipped to train their members and launch localcampaigns. Workshops included: Grassroots lobbying Recruiting new members Strategic campaign planning Messaging & media work Plus lots of fun community-building

activities!

Human Rights Activists Under Fire: Human rights defenders in ElSalvador were violently targeted in the wake of a September 2013

announcement that the Supreme Court would consider challenges to theAmnesty Law, which has maintained impunity for crimes committed during thecivil war. Archbishop Romeros historic human rights office, Tutela Legal, wasabruptly shut down while Pro-Bsqueda, an organization that searches for

disappeared children, was raided by robbers who set fire to their archives.

CISPES helped bring international attention to these attacks by: accompanying protests in San Salvador mobilizing 1000 people totake action co-sponsoring a letter with 60 signatories generating

coverage in LA Times & Democracy Now! raising emergency funds forarchival recovery

July 2013-June 2014 Program


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FMLN National WomensSecretariatThe Womens Secretariat promoteswomens leadership and politicalparticipation in order to address

socioeconomic exclusion andviolence. With these funds, theWomens Secretariat organizes trainings and assemblies that buildclass and gender consciousness.

Salvadoran Social & Union FrontThe Frente Social y Sindical Salvadoreo (FSS) isa coalition of over 60 unions founded in 2005to demand changes to El Salvadors economicmodel. With these funds, the FSS providestrainings for new union organizers to learnlabor history and collective bargaining skills.

FMLN Youth Secretariat, San SalvadorAfter decades of marginalization, it is an urgent priority tore-integrate youth into political and social organizing. With thesefunds, the Youth Secretariat mobilizes young volunteers to leadliteracy circles in their communities, helping thousands of Salvadoransempower themselves through reading and writing.

Strategic Organizing FundThis fund responds to urgent needs that arise for the Salvadoransocial movement, including mobilizations and strikes. Projects led bywomen are prioritized, as are those that may not get funded bymore mainstream sources.

Fun din g C ha ng e i n E l Sal va dorThis ye ar, t he CISPES Education Fun d co ntributed $10, 000 to Sa lvado ran socia l

movem ent orga nizat ions. Thro ugh tours, de legat ions and B ike-a-Thons, o urcommittees ra ised funds to supp ort those organ izing to b uild a new El Salvador.


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WHO WE ARE

Board of Directors:Josh Elliot, Olympia, WALaura Embree-Lowry, Austin, TXDavid Ayala, Seattle, WA

Efrain Rodriguez, Boston, MADavid Amdur, Stamford, CTMattie Conway, Santa Cruz, CAAllison Aguilar, Washington, DCHilary Goodfriend, San Salvador

Alexis Stoumbelis:Executive Director

Lisa Fuller:Program Director

Janae Choquette:Development Director

Jacob Blickenov:National Organizer

Emily Richardson:Administrative Coordinator

Sean ONeill, David Grosser:Western & Eastern States Development CoordinatorsKarl Kramer,Allen Hines,Frankie Austin-Ochoa,Nicola Chvez Courtright:Local Chapter & Election Campaign Coordinators

Anthony Flores, Janette Linares, Matthew Hurt:San Salvador Interns

CISPES Education Fund National Leadership

CISPES Board of Directors

Cherrene Horazuk, PresidentMadeline Baer, Secretary Tom Leonard, Treasurer

Sha Grogan-BrownBurke Stansbury

Krista HansonDirectors

Our Grassroots Chapters

As a nat iona l g ra ss roo ts so lidar it yorga ni zat ion, our ch ap te rs are a tth e h e art o f o ur w or k!

J oin us in :Boston

New YorkDC

Olympia, WASeattle

Portland, ORSan Francisco

Santa Cruz

Los Angeles

Gracias Lisa y Bienvenida Laura!

CISPES expresses our profound gratitude toout-going Program Director Lisa Fuller asshe embarks on the next chapter of herwork for social justice. Lisas passion,

commitment, & playful spirit havestrengthened CISPES for over a decade.Were also excited to welcome our newProgram Director, long-time solidarityactivist Laura Embree-Lowry and her

family to the National Office!


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CISPES gratefully acknowledges the supportof this years most generous donors

Financial Picture

Individual donations:86%Program/Misc: 14%

Total: $ 441,316

Sources of Revenue

Percentages for expense

allocations are from the

audited accountsof CISPES &

CISPES Education

Fund for FY2013.Other figuresare unaudited

data fromFY2014.

Audited figures from 2014 willbe available in

early 2015.Totals by

account and further detailavailable upon

request.

Program: 70.3%

Fundraising: 23.4%Admin: 6.3%

Allocation of Expenses

Total: $ 403,831Contribution s to CISPES are not t ax-deductible. To make your

gift tax-deductibl e , write your check to the CISPES Educ ationFun d . To contribute cas h or to make a bequ est or gift of stock ,

contact Emily Richard son: (202) 521-2510 e xt. 203

Peter Alexeas, Aris Anagnos, Grace Anderson, Thomas Angotti, Andrew Anisimov,Hal & Paula Baron, Lou Barsky, Michael Bartanen, Roger Beck, Jo Beecher, Becca &Nate Blumenshine, George & Eleanor Bollag, Linda & Michel Bollag, Blase & TheresaBonpane, Hugh Brady, Sheila Brady, Nancy Braus & Richard Geidel, Duane Brown,Judy & Frederick Buechner, Sally Butterfield, Wes Callender, Jim Campen & PhyllisEwen, Courtney Cazden, Tom Choquette, Lynn Clowes, Robert Corbitt, Betty & CorkeyCuster, Frank Demarest, Harry Demarest, Daniel Derry, Joan Dible, John Diehl, DavidDunning, John Durham, Cliff & Lisa Earle, Peter Edberg, Wally Elliot & Phyllis Palmer,Alvin Eshe, Barbara Francisco, Katrina Frey, John Fries, Linda Gochfeld, Tami Gold,Richard Goodwin & Judith Bell, Mimi Grosser, Renata & John Hahn-Francini, KristaHanson, Susan Hanson, Craig Harmer, Angelica Harter, Gay & Dick Harter, JackHartray, Jim Haynie, Bob Hearst, Brent Hymer, Greg Kafoury, Carolyn & MartinKarcher, Richard Kortum, Fayette Krause, Mary Kruse, Daniel Kurtz, JoneLabombard, John Lamperti, Larry Lewin, Chris Lloyd, Robin Lloyd, Sue & Art Lloyd,

Phyllis Lucero, Zella Luria, Mark Mathews, Cynthia McClintock, John McDonald, PatMcSweeney, Lenore Migdal & William Lloyd, Mary & E.L. Mongan, Robin & MichaelNimkoff, Felicia Oldfather, Ken Olum, Hilvie Ostrow, Michael Prokosch, Alan Purdy,Doris Reed, Jim & Jan Rettig, Carlos Rivera Quijano, David Rohrlich, Jack Sawyer,Sandra & Dan Scheinfeld, David Schweickart, Susan Scott, T.M. Scruggs, JerrySilbert, Elizabeth Sloss, Nancy Smith & David Rockwell, Stephen Snyder, StanSorscher, Burke Stansbury, Michael & Mary Jo Stansbury, Ann Stokes, Ellyn Tanner,Murray Tobak Trust, Max Toth, Linda Tubach & Bob McCloskey, Phil Villers, MarkWainger & Rhoda Woo, Jim Wallace, Tom Wallace Lyons, Bill Weiss, GeorgeWilshire Nelson, Winky Foundation, Richard & Cheryl Yoder-Edney, Phillip Zaeder

& Sylvia Thayer, Carolyn Zecca Ferris, Charles Zug . Special thanks to our sustainers. Mil gracias to all of our supporters, volunteers & allied organizations wecouldnt do it without you!

We honor the memory of long-time supporters who passed away thisyear: Robert Corbitt, Richard Decker, Sue Johnson, Lillian King, J. Gordon Legg, Judy

Leurquin, Warren Rempel, Bernice Rosen, Richard Stanewick, Lee Tollefson, TK Wang, EdmundWeingart, Marjorie Williams, Ann Yasuhara, Henry Young, & Mary Young Presente!

cispes annual report 2014

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