In May of 2006, I travelled to El Salvador with 13 other Canadian Rotaract members from Queen's University and the University of Ottawa. We spent two weeks participating in a variety of service projects - including a few days of activities with New Acropolis. On a previous trip to El Salvador, a Canadian Rotarian had met a member of New Acropolis and discovered some of the common interests and goals shared by New Acropolis and Rotary. It seemed like a great partnership!

A few very friendly members of New Acropolis brought us to visit a school in Coatepeque where we played games with the children and donated some school supplies that we had carried with us. We had a lovely lunch of tortillas and cheese with a family nearby the school and enjoyed a fantastic view of Lake Coatepeque. Another day, we helped plant tree seeds on hills where much erosion had occurred since Hurricane Stan. In addition, we helped move rocks to form barriers to hold back rain water as much as possible.  We had the chance to see and hear about a number of the other initiatives of New Acropolis in the Coatepeque area and were very impressed with the holistic approach taken to address the needs of the community members. I stayed in El Salvador for a couple of months after my Canadian friends had left and during those months had the chance to spend more time with New Acropolis. I returned to help build more rock walls near Coatepeque and enjoyed lots of fun and laughter with my new friends from New Acropolis.

I would absolutely recommend collaboration with New Acropolis to anyone looking to volunteer in El Salvador. I was very impressed with the great variety of activities in which the organization is involved and the friendliness and welcoming spirit of all those I met during my stay. Keep up the good work!