Funds Given to Community Groups to Repair Roads

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2006-03-27
USAID Strategic Development Office: (503) 2501-3471
U.S. Embassy Public Affairs Section: (503) 2501-2471
www.usaid.gov/sv

USAID Director Mark Silverman greets a representative of one of seven community development associations (ADESCOS) receiving emergency funds to repair roads damaged by Tropical Storm Stan.

SAN SALVADOR– Today, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) made its first allotment of funds, $125,240, to seven community development associations (ADESCOs in Spanish) to finance the repair of five neighborhood roads damaged by Tropical Storm Stan and to improve two access roads to local markets.

The projects, which will benefit 6,400 people, are part of the Small Infrastructure Program that USAID/El Salvador created in 1998 to meet the needs of rural communities and to respond in a timely manner to requests at a national scale.  To date, the program has financed 149 projects at a total of $4.7 million.

USAID Director, Mark Silverman, thanked the local governments for their support and the efforts of non-governmental organizations FUNDAMUNI and Fundación Campo, who acted as strategic partners to implement the projects.

Moreover, Silverman addressed the seven ADESCO representatives and encouraged them to keep striving for the best in the repair process for the neighborhood roads and access roads to the markets.

“Today you accept the challenge and commitment to finish the neighborhood road repairs for your communities and other works, in winter and summer, adequate access to local markets will reactivate your economy”, said the USAID Director.

The benefitting communities on this occasion are: neighborhood Los Llanitos, the village of La Puerta, in Mercedes Umaña, Usulután; the village of El Yomo, in Alegría, Usulután; neighborhood Pajuilar, the village of San Felipe Abajo, in Berlín, Usulután; neighborhood Los Villatoro, the village of Carbonal in Anamoros, La Unión; the village of Santa Ana, in San Antonio de la Cruz, Chalatenango; the village of Volcancillo, in Joateca, Morazán, and the village of Concepción, in Lolotique, San Miguel.