Rosa beats odds to become town's first female mayor

El Salvador emerged from 12 years of civil war in 1992 and its people are still suffering the consequences. But for the mayor of the town of Las Vueltas, the hardships she faced only served to increase her determination to succeed.

Rosa Candida Alas de Menjivar, 32, is a survivor of the war. As a 5-year-old girl she witnessed unimaginable horrors - the death of loved ones, bombings and constant hiding from the Army.

She began working with Plan in 1992 and is now one of only two female mayors in the province of Chalatenango. Here is her story:

"I grew up during the war. I was only five in 1980 when my father was persecuted for belonging to a farmers' association demanding better wages. Many people at that time got killed.

"My family was one of many displaced when the war broke. Thousands crossed the border to Honduras and lived as refugees for many years. But my father decided that we should stay in El Salvador.

"My life was hard as a little girl. I remember hiding in the bushes, sleeping on the dirt, running barefoot to avoid military operations, and hiding in underground shelters that people built to survive the army bombardments.

"I did not go to school, I learnt to read and write with teachers who were hiding like us. I completed ninth grade as an adult through distance education and now I am studying for my high school diploma.

"I was 17 when the Peace Accords were signed in January 1992. I got married and my child was born in October that year. When Plan began working in Las Vueltas after the war, I registered my son as a sponsored child. Little did I know at that time how much Plan would help me reach my goals.

"Plan's field worker told me about becoming a volunteer to help with communication with sponsors and invited me to a training workshop. The knowledge I learned through Plan is mine, it is something nobody can take away from me. I learned to be more communicative, to work hard, be patient with people and listen to opinions different than mine.

"As a volunteer I visited every home to collect information for the annual report, building a rapport with the families. Plan trained volunteers on leadership skills that to this day have been very useful for me.

"After many years doing that, all the families in this area knew me quite well. That's why I say I have a lot to be grateful to Plan for. It turned out that for the last municipal elections the families wanted me to become a candidate for mayor, and I won the elections in 2006.

"So now I am their new mayor. This is the first time a woman has been elected mayor in Las Vueltas. Moreover, in the Department of Chalatenango, with 33 municipalities, only two women are municipal mayors, and I am one of them.

"I became the leader that I am now because Plan trusted me and gave me an opportunity."