Why El Salvador?

When reading about our ministry, you may think to yourself: Why only El Salvador? Aren't there other needy countries? It's so tiny, do they even need that much? Where is El Salvador? I bet other places need more help. And to be honest, I thought some of those same things when I first learned about Crucified Life Ministries.

When my grandmother told me that God wanted her to focus on El Salvador, I couldn't have shown you where it was on a map. I knew nothing about this country! Once I started learning, I realized it was fascinating! Let's go through some interesting facts about the country of El Salvador!

1. El Salvador (ES) is the smallest country in Central America and is smaller than the state of Massachusetts. It has a total surface area of 8,124 square miles and as of 2021 it has a population of 6,534,755 people. That means its population density is about 804 people per square mile. That's a lot of people in one tiny space!

2. The Land of Volcanoes! ES has frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity. I and some of our team have been there during one of their many minor earthquakes. The strongest earthquake in ES happened on January 13, 2001 with a magnitude of 7.7 on the Richter scale and resulted in 844 deaths.

3. Very poor or wealthy - in ES there is not much of a middle class. About half of all Salvadorans live in the countryside and do not have electricity or running water in their homes. School is free, but most families can't afford the supplies and transportation to send their children to school. Most of the wealthy live in the country's capital - San Salvador - in houses or apartments.

4. Crime - ES is no stranger to gangs and violence. After it's decade long Civil War that ended in 1992, the country continues to have a horrifying gang culture where extortion and murder have become the norm. According to an essay in The Guardian, the murder rate in ES spiked in 2015-2016 at more than 100 homicides per 100,000 residents - almost twice as much as the second and third highest countries, Honduras and Venezuela.

5. Cost of living versus salary - If you look at the cost of living for El Salvador (https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/in/San-Salvador) you will see that their costs are similar to many places in the United States. (Our ministry is based in Georgia, so that is how I make my comparison). However, the average monthly net salary (after tax) is $404.62. Putting that into perspective - In a four-person family with both parents working (which is rare in ES), they're bringing home about $810/month and their average expenses before rent are about $2070. Let's just say, it is VERY difficult to live in El Salvador.

There is so much more to learn and love about El Salvador. This country has become my home away from home. From the outside looking in it may seem scary, but God loves this country and the people in it! It can be very dangerous and we are always very careful when we travel there but it really is an incredible place. I encourage you to do your own research and learn more about this beautiful country!

Enjoy some beautiful scenic photos taken by my brother-in-law who was born and raised in El Salvador!