This is the fourth in a series of stories about Fountain Hills Sister Cities, which is celebrating its 20th year this year.

Ataco, El Salvador, joined Fountain Hills as its third Sister City in 2007.

The small mountain town in northwest El Salvador is a town of resilience and hope. Affected frequently by hurricanes, flooding and poverty, the community is filled with residents who love their town, their country and everything they have, which may not be much, relatively speaking.

According to an article in The Times by former editor Mike Scharnow, safe and secure housing remains a major issue for families throughout the country.

“While the country’s landscape is beautiful with greenery, hillsides and inactive volcanoes, the flipside is a real and distinct vulnerability to such natural disasters as hurricanes, mudslides, earthquakes and active volcanoes,” Scharnow wrote.

He continued in his essay about a trip he and his business partner took with their company Thrivent Financial working with Thrivent Builds and Habitat for Humanity:

“The ever-shrinking world we call Earth becomes more real when we leave our sheltered lives in Fountain Hills and witness firsthand the humble conditions experienced by most others around the globe.

“We now realize more clearly that life does not consist in the abundance of ‘stuff.’”

From day one, the relationship between Ataco and Fountain Hills has been a blessing.

In the early days of developing the connection, a group of Fountain Hills dignitaries including the then-mayor, the late Wally Nichols, Frank Ferraro and Sharon Morgan, along with Honorary Consul of El Salvador Enrique Melendez talked about adding a Sister City from Central or South America.

They visited El Salvador and were greeted by the country’s president and invited to explore the country. They visited three cities and selected Ataco. When they returned to Fountain Hills, they offered a proposal to adopt Ataco as the community’s third Sister City. The Town Council unanimously approved the proposal.

In November 2007, Mayor Nichols and Ataco’s Mayor Oscar Gomez formally signed the papers in Fountain Hills making everything official. Since then, Gomez has made official visits to Fountain Hills, and there have been visits from Fountain Hills dignitaries to Ataco. There have been a number humanitarian visits and student exchanges through the years.

In June 2011, Fountain Hills High School teacher Claire McWilliams organized 44 students and chaperones to travel to Ataco to help build houses.

Melendez, one of the adults who accompanied the young people, said the logistics and arrangements to organize the trip included safety precautions and assurances to parents that the kids would be fine.

“We can’t guarantee their safety, but we will protect them as best as possible,” Melendez told parents.

He said the beautiful American kids went to Central America not quite knowing what to expect but returned to Fountain Hills changed.

They stayed in hotels in Ataco and enjoyed activities planned by the mayor and other residents in the city.

The young people hopped in the back of pickups and rode to the area where they would clear the land and build 26 houses. The visitors were in Ataco for 11 days.

“So many of our kids said the trip was life changing,” Melendez said. “I see some of them at the store or around town, and they always remind me how grateful they were to experience the trip.”

Since then, Nichols went down to help plan a water system for the community. Ataco residents had been carrying water on their backs up a steep hill. The new water system brought water from the nearby river to a canal system.

Former Mayor Jerry Miles was instrumental in helping build Fountain Hills Village, a 20-acre area near Ataco. Coffee growers donated the land so Fountain Hills School, an academic and vocational facility could be built. The construction started, but the plan was interrupted due to the pandemic.

To complicate the situation, while Ataco was spared damage from Hurricane Eta, two weeks later, the community suffered from mudslides after Hurricane Iota.

“The project has been delayed due to COVID-19 and devastation form a recent hurricane (Iota),” said Fountain Hills Sister Cities President Carol Carroll. “Communication is still difficult, so we will approach in spring 2021 to reassess their needs.”

Meanwhile, Ataco abides. The people are determined and unbowed.

“They have had so many instances where their community has been destroyed or damaged,” Melendez said. “They carry on proudly. And we are proud to call them our Sister City.”