Introducion: Saul is a young man who we first met when he attended community assemblies in Los Torres, 45mins bicycle ride from his community Capaderillo.
Saul attended monthly meetings & with passion, participation & persistence managed to get a project in his community - Capaderillo.
He has since gone on to "apprentice" as an outreach worker with Cedesa & co-ordinate a 40 cistern project in Capaderillo. He is a natural leader, whom we are lucky found us! He has already done great things for his community & I am sure there are more to come... here is his testimony...
SAUL JUÁREZ: Reflections upon my work with CEDESA
(translation by Holly Yasui, original by Saul Juárez in Spanish available upon request)
The work that I have been doing up to now as a CEDESA “promotor” (outreach worker) has been for me the most satisfying.
Now that I have found a way to give meaning to my life, knowing that I am helping to provide solutions to some of the many problems that Mexican families are facing today, above all in the most marginalized communities, which makes me feel ever more committed to my people, to the people with whom I identify or whom I identify with my family, the people who work hard to have a better quality of life, but don’t have the resources necessary to achieve it.
Every day that passes that we are unable to accomplish much to help, I feel impotence, anger and even resentment toward those in power whose actions show that they are opposed to the self-improvement of the people most in need, instead greedily seeking benefits for only themselves and their cronies.
Although sometimes it has made me wonder if it makes sense to struggle against such obstacles, when I go to a community and see so many people gathered in assembly, their faces reflecting their dreams and hope, it is knowing that they are putting their confidence in us, that CEDESA will support them – that fills me with the energy and courage to carry on and to defend my ideals and convictions.
To say that one day I will stop doing this work that I love is not true, because I believe that in one way or another I will continue to do it for the rest of my life.
It is something I have inside of me, and even if they don’t know it, I appreciate very much the people who have helped me to discover this path that I must follow: working to give life to that which makes us what we are - the earth, the water, the air and all of nature, and the fight to live and help others to live dignified lives, in which the human element is the most important.
I think that nothing can compare with this, and that is why I am sure that it is worth it to do everything humanly possible to achieve it.
Saúl Juárez Cabrera
