Eight hundred people from 5 congregations led the first organizing process in Central America based on the PICO Model.  Four mayors and an owner of a cheese factory (who is also the president of the National enterprise Association in El Salvador ) responded to public demands from community and clergy leadership to begin taking steps to clean up the water problem and to return in March to give a progress report to the community.  They also signed a covenant.

Contamination of the river Rio Pedro – attributed to faulty and incomplete processing methods of the cheese factory and the dumping of street garbage from the region – was the priority issue out of one-to-ones.  Over the last 10 years people have struggled unsuccessfully to get the factory's attention as well as the area mayors to resolve the problem.    A variety of protests, marches and law suits were an array of past activities that may have polarized but not created paths of tangible solutions.  Bishop Bolanos, Diocese of Zacatecouluca and member of the PICO Central American Sponsoring Committee, called the action a milestone for Central America – an innovative, relational organizing process based on dialogue and negotiation skills of local leadership.

More information
PICO Central America

PICO Central America Year End Report (English Version)
PICO Central America moves forward with leadership training events in Honduras and Panama