A Journey to El Salvador and GuatemalIntroduction

From March 18 - April 5 2000 seven people from Sydney undertook a cultural immersion journey to El Salvador and Guatemala in Central America.  Organised by the Edmund Rice Centre for Justice and Community Education, the journey was part of an ongoing program of immersion experiences.  So far there have been journeys to Vietnam, Northern Ireland, Pakistan and in the future journeys to Rwanda and other Third World countries are planned.   

Likewise, people from other countries come to Australia for an immersion here.

The Centre also organises immersion experiences with Australian Aboriginal communities for non-aboriginal people.

Our group was led by Sean Cleary, an Australian, now living back in Australia.  Sean had lived and worked with the Jesuit Refugee Service in Belize and El Salvador for about ten years, and had experienced first-hand something of the civil war in El Salvador.

The group also comprised two teachers from the Parramatta diocese in Sydney, Jenny Woods and Linda Attard, two staff from the Edmund Rice Centre, Nicole Breeze and Marie Loller, Bruno Verhwee from Belgium, a volunteer who is looking to work in the Third World, and myself.

I am currently on a six-month sabbatical and this journey is fulfilling part of my requirements for a Masters in Education degree.

So let's begin the journey...............