AMERICA/EL SALVADOR - A school for the poorest of the poor

San Salvador (Agenzia Fides) - More than 500 boys and girls, who mainly come from poor families, attend St. Louise School in El Salvador. It is an oasis of peace away from the city drowned by drugs, violence and rebellion. For many it is the best opportunity to exit the cycle of poverty that surrounds them daily. Founded in 1935 by the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, the school currently has a staff of 23 lay teachers and 4 sisters of Charity. Prayer is a fundamental part of everyday life within the school where students are formed to 360 degrees. St. Louise School would not have reached its goal without the strong support of some ex students of the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania, led by the Jesuit Father Brendan Lally, currently the spiritual director at St. Joseph University in Philadelphia, with the Foundation no-profit 'Salvadoran Children of the Poor Education Foundation' (SCOPE) in the last ten years has helped the school to cover basic needs. SCOPE is the result of two programs run by father Lally for two decades at the University of Scranton. The first, the International Service Program, launched in 1987 for street children in Mexico City and the second in El Salvador which originated from the success of the first. Each year the school has a deficit of thousands of dollars covered thanks to the volunteers indicated by SCOPE. The nuns help to run a shop that produces hosts for the local parishes. Even if the parents of pupils of St. Louise have to pay a fee, a full year costs about $ 50 per student, the nuns never send anybody away. For this reason, SCOPE is committed to helping the staff to set up a reserve fund to cover any deficiencies. Father Lally defines St. Louise "a city of joy in the midst of poverty and despair. It is a school for the poorest of the poor, whose mission is to get to the heart of the problem in society". Moreover, adds the Jesuit" if the life of an innocent child is saved from dirt and death on roads, then all efforts were worth it. (AP) (Agenzia Fides 11/10/2011)