The theme surrounding the provision of community facilities in the sites-and-services project, and in particular its afterlife, remains important. I seek to answer the question – which essential community-based facilities, programs, and initiatives form part of Colonia El Pepeto today, and to what extent has the sites-and-services program launched in the 1970s contributed to their development?
The FSVDM-initiated project intended to engage community building by means of 1 multi-purpose community center, 1 sports-field, 1 school, 2 parking lots, 1 park, and 3 roads along the perimeter of the site to allow access to transport infrastructure.1 Today, the evolution of the sites-and-services project is most evident in its appropriation and expansion of these community facilities.
The single sports field has expanded to 3, which highlights the value of play and leisure within the growing community. The local football and the junior football leagues have become a great source of pride and identity in Colonia El Pepeto.2 Additionally, the playgrounds and the community center also serve as a basis for educational programs. For instance, the NGO Fundación Salvador del Mundo (FUSALMO) works with the socially vulnerable youth of El Salvador and offers educational support for their development.3 Founded in 2001, its work is based around one of the sports centers in Soyapango, which is considered one of the main regions in El Salvador facing high levels of violence among youths, including those affected by gangs.3 Literacy programs initiated as part of the Colonia El Pepeto primary school, Centro Escolar Agustin Linares, and the community church seek to counter these issues of violence, marginalization, social exclusion, and stigma.4
The single sports field has expanded to 3, which highlights the value of play and leisure within the growing community. The local football and the junior football leagues have become a great source of pride and identity in Colonia El Pepeto.2 Additionally, the playgrounds and the community center also serve as a basis for educational programs. For instance, the NGO Fundación Salvador del Mundo (FUSALMO) works with the socially vulnerable youth of El Salvador and offers educational support for their development.3 Founded in 2001, its work is based around one of the sports centers in Soyapango, which is considered one of the main regions in El Salvador facing high levels of violence among youths, including those affected by gangs.3 Literacy programs initiated as part of the Colonia El Pepeto primary school, Centro Escolar Agustin Linares, and the community church seek to counter these issues of violence, marginalization, social exclusion, and stigma.4
Sports fields and playgrounds. Source: Peace Direct. “Fundación Salvador Del Mundo.” Jan. 2016, https://www.peaceinsight.org/en/organisations/fundacion-salvador-del-mundo/?location=&theme.
An increased access to paved roads since the start of the sites-and-services project has enabled Soyapango’s mobile primary care brigade (specializing in general medicine, reproductive health, and clinical psychology) to access the neighborhood.5 This mobile unit is particularly important for the residents of Colonia El Pepeto, who face difficulty accessing health facilities. In addition, a comprehensive mental health initiative has been launched, aiding in the promotion of health-care practices within the social fabric of the community. These programs also take place in Colonia El Pepeto’s park and green spaces in the form of pop-up health services initiated by local social and community workers.
Healthcare services. Source: Cruz Verde Soyapango. Facebook post, 11 August 2022. Retrieved 7 December 2022 from https://www.facebook.com/cvs.soyapango n=&theme.
By tracing the development of these community facilities from their beginnings as part of a sites-and-services initiative to the programs today, it can be concluded that these social, cultural, and health-care interventions have become deeply integrated within the urban fabric of Soyapango. Through the appropriation and expansion of the initial programs, the infrastructure has been adapted to the needs and values of Soyapango today.
Literacy Programs. Source: Labios, V. “Our program is multiplying!” Salvador's HOPE. 27 October 2022. Retrieved 7 December 2022 from https://www.salvadorshope.org/blog/our-program-is-multiplying.
Sources
1. World Bank. El Salvador: Appraisal of a Sites and Services Project. 20 Sep. 1974.
2. “Fiesta navideña, Col. El Pepeto, Soyapango.” Facebook, uploaded by Efraín Guatemala, 9 Dec. 2020, https://www.facebook.com/efrainguatemalaNI/videos/404350114222026/.
3. Peace Direct. “Fundación Salvador Del Mundo.” ( Accessed Jan. 2016) Link.
4. Labios, V. “Our program is multiplying!” Salvador’s HOPE. 27 October 2022. (Retrieved 7 December 2022) Link.
5. Médecins Sans Frontières. “El Salvador: MSF Facilitates Access to Healthcare in San Salvador and Soyapango.” Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) International, (Accessed 20 June 2018) Link.
Cover Image
Overview of community-based facilities and programs as part of Colonia El Pepeto, Soyapango today. Source: Own work, based on sources cited in text.