Encounter El Salvador is a 10-day International Immersion experience in partnership between Loyola's Center for Community Service and Justice and CRISPAZ (Christians for Peace in El Salvador). The group spends the majority of their time in the capital city of San Salvador, learning about the many issues facing the Salvadoran people as well as the work that is being done by social service agencies and NGO’s, religious and educational institutions and the government. The Loyola group spends the weekend in a rural community outside of San Salvador, living with host families, joining them in some of their everyday activities and learning about the community. 

During the trip to El Salvador, the participants visit many small non-profit community cooperative groups that make crafts and sell them to support their families, communities and/or small organizations. Participants in the Encounter El Salvador program purchase these arts and crafts to sell at Loyola with the goal of helping Salvadoran organizations and raising money for the Encounter El Salvador program. The small cooperatives doing these crafts struggle to sell their products and this is a great help to those that are visited.

Click here for more information about Encounter El Salvador.