Project Launch:

The Aire Mejor, Vida Mejor (Better Air, Better Life) project in Shucutitan in western El Salvador used a World Connect grant to launch a school-based recycling program that allowed students and families to repurpose recycled plastics into materials to make brooms and to receive financial compensation for their efforts. Students learned waste management lessons including how to use the newly purchased trash receptacles and recycling bins. The mothers, responsible for 1,000 school meals a week, began to use the new oven to bake in earnest and to sell their goods in their community. As it so often does, the women’s success bred success and they moved into shampoo and jewelry production. They used the proceeds to open a community bank account, feed and clothe their families and to plan a festival on the beach.