At the end of the 1970s, German Dominican priest Gerhard Pöter began working with Salvadoran civil war refugees. In the parish of 22 April in Soyapango, social projects gradually emerged, mainly in the field of education, which were supported almost from the outset by various groups from Germany and other European countries. Even today, four years after Father Gerhard's death, the social projects continue, as do the lively contacts and exchanges with groups such as the Freundeskreis El Salvador (Friends of El Salvador) from Braunschweig.