Solidarity is the heart of the work of sister city committees. Through solidarity we build relationships, walk shoulder to shoulder with people who face global threats and learn that we face those very same threats. Through solidarity we share our sisters' stories and they become more visible to the world. Through solidarity we organize and analyze. In the name of solidarity we raise funds, give talks, go on delegations, send letters, faxes, e-mails and have meeting after meeting. The work is inspiring, life changing and so often overwhelming. How do we preserve our energy to continue the work? That is the challenge of every committee in our network no matter if they are new or old.

We are fortunate in Maine to have 3 different sister city projects with sister communities all in the department of Chalatenango, so we try to take advantage of the opportunities this brings us. By coincidence, each committee has one member who is on another of the committees. This helps us stay aware of the work of the three committees and also support each other. We come together to link up for delegations, to work on human rights campaigns, anti-mining work or any critical issue of the day. At our yearly Maine sister committee meeting, we examine not only each committee's work but also how we've worked together and what we can do together in the future.

 

While  most states do not have this gift of multiple committees in a close geographical area, there are committees which do not live near each other in the U.S., but have sister communities in the same region in El Salvador. Plus, we can communicate through the internet and phone. This can open up all kinds of great possibilities for working together committee to committee. The coordination is not that difficult and it is  worth it, we encourage anyone interested to give it a try. Members from the Bangor, MOFGA or WERU committees would be happy to provide information to anyone who is interested.

Committees working together strengthen each other and in turn strengthen our network.

In solidarity,

 

Karen Volckhausen