Pro-Busqueda

The association Pro-Busqueda of missing girls and boys, was a wonderful agency to visit. Most of the children that are missing belong to the guerrillas, those fighting for justice, and the poor people fleeing for their lives. What's most horrific is that many of these children witnessed their family members be murdered by the military soldiers and some even raped the women as well before killing them in front of her children, then they would take the surviving children and raise them as their own so as to make sure they would not grow up and join the guerrilla and take over, instead they would raise them and have them join the country military.  Other children were put up for adoption.  Most of the children ended up in the United States and European countries. Some of these kidnapped children recall what occurred through unexplainable nightmares.  Pro-Busqueda has found approximately 800 children, and there are many more that need to be reconciled with their Salvadoran families. However, there are even more Salvadoran families that have not come forward to ask for help in finding their missing children because they fear and mistrust the authorities.  Many families are not even aware of this agency that can help them find their children. 

Pro-Busqueda also offers services for the found child as well as their biological and adoptive families.  They offer mental health services in a culturally relevant context which is so important.  Sadly, as the presenter of the agency shared from personal experience there is a pain that will never go away no matter what you do.  Thirty years have gone by and the Salvadoran government has not offered to help this agency find the missing children. They have not offered any formal apology and the U.S. government who funded this war, has not offered to help this agency either, at least financially, and this time the money will be used for a good cause.  It is unfortunate because Pro-Busqueda could really use the resources.  They have a DVD that could be shown perhaps in the Universities around the United States to help track more missing children (adults now) and to help raise money for this organization.  Please check out their website at http://www.probusqueda.org for more information or if you know of any Salvadoran adoptee that might be a missing child of war please direct them to this site.If you wish to make a donation, you may through this site- every little bit helps, poco a poco (little by little).

 Identity-Justice-Memory