Thank you to everyone who joined us at IDEX this past Thursday for our Open House. It was good to see you all.
The film, IDEX in South Africa: Community Initiatives to End Poverty is now available below, as well as on both YouTube.com/idexorg and Facebook.com/idex.org. Enjoy it and please share it with your friends and family.
IDEX has experienced sustained growth in recent years, and has built internal systems to continue on a path of expansion. Acquiring the CSD program allows IDEX to grow its Latin America support significantly in one year, while achieving greater efficiencies and engaging new funding opportunities.
Seva Foundation, based in Berkeley, California is most widely known for its eye care programs around the world. Seva also works in the US with Native American communities, and until recently, with indigenous communities in Guatemala and Mexico.
In early 2009 the Seva Foundation, based in Berkeley, California engaged in a strategic re-visioning process. The Seva Board made the difficult decision to focus its efforts on its eye care programs, and discontinue supporting the CSD Program. Seva began to look for another organization already doing similar work in Latin America.
IDEX and Seva have a long history of working with indigenous communities in southern Mexico and Guatemala. The two organizations have common goals of supporting community development initiatives. Both Seva and IDEX are committed to providing sustained support, as both organizations have found this to be fundamental to poverty alleviation.
IDEX has always encouraged best practices to be shared among our grantees. This will allow us to facilitate more opportunities for like-minded groups to share their successes and challenges and learn from one another. We are confident that this will be an enriching experience for both IDEX and Seva grantees.
Over the next 12 months IDEX will work to transition the Seva CSD program to match the format of our existing programs. We hope you will join us in extending a warm welcome to the Seva CSD program.
More details are available at www.idex.org. We also invite you to contact IDEX directly at (415)824-8384 to discuss this, or any other aspect of IDEX's work. IDEX is expanding its work. Come learn about IDEX staff's recent trip to South Africa to select new grantees.
What: A casual wine and cheese get-together and the unveiling of a 5-minute video featuring the work of our newest grantees
Who: IDEX Program Officers, Katherine Zavala and Vini Bhansali, staff, board members and you!
When: Thursday, September 10, 2009 from 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Where: IDEX, 827 Valencia Street, Ste 101, San Francisco (See map)
Why: The vibrant civil society in South Africa is full of energy and hope despite widespread poverty in rural villages and urban townships in the post-Apartheid era. Come learn about inspiring people leading change in their communities and IDEX’s role in their initiatives.
We hope to see you there!
Join us this Tuesday to hear award-winning author Claire Hope Cummings talk about sustainable agriculture and seed-saving and why the are important development tools around the world.
What: IDEX Annual Event: Seeds Of Change
When: Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009 from 6:30pm - 9:30pm
Where: The Solarium, 55 Second Street, San Francisco (See map.)
Featured Speaker: Claire Hope Cummings
Tickets: $60 includes appetizers and host bar. Catering by Jane Hammond Events.
RSVP: Tickets are $60 each.
Bring your friends! Buy 3 tickets and get 4 tickets for the special price of $180. Reserve your tickets online, or phone Gillian Wilson at (415) 824-8348.
Celebrate the success of our local partners, in Guatemala, Mexico, India and Nepal that are using sustainable agriculture to build food security and mitigate the impact of climate change, while developing flourishing livelihoods and communities.
We are delighted to have Claire Hope Cummings, farmer, environmental lawyer, journalist and author of the critically acclaimed book Uncertain Peril: Genetic Engineering and the Future of Seeds, as our Guest Speaker. Claire is well known in the Bay Area as food and farming editor for KPFA where she hosted a weekly radio program.
Learn about IDEX’s current partners. Bid on incredible gifts at the IDEX Silent Auction. Enjoy tasty appetizers, wine, music and reconnect with your friends at IDEX.
Our Office Manager Ces, is relocating to LA. Which means IDEX is looking for an Office Manager.
If you are interested, or know someone who might be, you can find the full job description and details on our Vacancies page.
We are accepting resumes now and would like to get this position filled in the next month.
If you think the job description is a good fit please send us your resume and cover letter to omhire@idex.org.
What led me to IDEX? That's a good question. It wasn't an obvious or linear path, but I guess career paths these days rarely are, right? I went to school to learn how to be a journalist, dabbled in different forms of media, and worked in television production for number of years…
But a move to San Francisco after living in New York for a while sparked something in me. It’s like that line… "Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; Live in Northern California once..."
Well, perhaps I moved just in time before becoming irrevocably jaded! In truth, it wasn’t New York itself so much as my state of mind. I had long been interested in learning about different cultures, in traveling, in social justice issues, and in international development. The interest was always there, but really, I wasn’t doing much about it.
Finding IDEX, an organization whose mission I truly felt aligned with— it just clicked.
Practical, meaningful and sustainable solutions to issues of poverty and social injustice. Embracing locally run organizations at the grassroots level. Supporting communities in setting their own agendas. Leveraging relatively small amounts of money to create lasting social and economic change. Community by community.
Yes, the world is largely unfair and the stories we hear of poverty and suffering are often overwhelming. And sometimes it seems as if nothing we do really matters. It's easy to feel cynical and hopeless. I know, I’ve been there. But it's also possible to turn that energy and compassion into action.
I have seen this in the drive and determination of my colleagues. I’ve seen it in the amazing, inspiring leaders who work tirelessly in their communities. I’ve seen it in the generosity of our supporters and donors. I’ve seen it in the transformative stories of the many individuals have been part of the programs we help support.
On a daily basis, I am reminded that we all have the power to change the world in small but important ways that, in the end, really add up. Step-by-step, dollar-by-dollar, action-by-action, person-by-person.
I gotta say, it’s pretty cool to be able to share in this collective vision of hope.
New charges against MDC official - Aljazeera.net – 15 Feb 09:
Charges of treason against Roy Bennett have been dropped and replaced with sabotage.
Roy Bennett Charged with Treason - allAfrica.com – 14 Feb 09:
MDC Treasurer General and Deputy Minister of Agriculture designate Roy Bennett was arrested Friday and charged with treason for allegedly taking part in a plot to overthrow President Mugabe in 2006.
Teachers dig their heels in over dollars - IRIN – 13 Feb 09:
Striking teachers rejected Prime Minister Tsvangirai appeal that they return to work. The teachers are demanding that their salaries be paid in foreign currency.
Lawyers in Three-day Jail Stakeout - allAfrica.com – 14 Feb 09:
Members of Zimbabwean Lawyers for Human Rights have spent three days outside Harare’s Chikurubi’s maximum-security prison in an effort to get three seriously ill detainees hospital treatment
New Government Comes at Price - allAfrica.com - 12 Feb 09
The newly sworn in 46-member cabinet is reported to be the largest and most costly in the history of post-independence Zimbabwe. Salaries alone will cost taxpayers about U.S $ 400,000.
South Africa
New Budget Leaves Vulnerable Teens in the Cold- IRIN – 12 Feb 09:
Although South Africa has plans to expand some social safety nets this year, Finance Minister Trevor Manuel announced that a plan to extend the age of qualification for child grants from 15 to 18 would not be among them at this point.
President ‘Creating Confusion’ Over Poll- allAfrica.com – 13 Feb 09:
President Motlanthe has set the election date for April 22; however, the Freedom Front Plus will ask the Constitutional Court to give South Africans working abroad the right to vote. If the FF+ is successful, it will likely mean a delay.
The Institutional Dimension of Mbeki’s Legacy - allAfrica.com – 12 Feb 09:
Opinion piece that discusses varying discourse and action to deal with HIV and AIDS at the government and local organization levels in South Africa.
Mexico
Drug cartels behind Monterrey protests - Prensa Latina- 13 Feb 09:
Authorities in Monterrey are claiming that recent demonstrations against the presence of the Armed Forces and Federal Police in the local area were financed by drug cartels.
Mexico Readies for mid-term elections - Prensa Latina – 15 Feb 09:
Mexico’s political parties have begun preparations for July 5th midterm legislative and municipal elections.
Guatemala
PAHO Praises Cuba Docs in Guatemala - Prensa Latina – 14 Feb 09:
Representative of PAHO (Pan American Health Organization) in Guatemala praised the work of Cuban doctors and graduates of the Latin American School of Medicine working in Guatemala’s rural areas.
Nepal
"Existing laws affecting education sector":eKantipur.com – 15 Feb 09:
Minister of Education, Renu Yadav stated that the present government is unable to provide qualitative education because of the existing laws and policies set by prior governments. Minister Yadav said she would work towards improvements.
No U.S timetable to remove Nepal Moaists’ terror tag - Reuters- 12 Feb 09:
Even with the Maoist elected to power in Nepal, U.S Secretary of State Official says there is no timetable to remove them from the U.S list of terrorist groups.
Bangladesh
Report blasts primary school education - IRIN – 11 Feb 09:
An internal report by the Department of Primary Education states that 70 percent of children in Bangladesh who have completed primary school are unable to read, write, or count properly.
Bangladesh elects new president: BBC - 11 Feb 09:
Zillur Rahman was elected president last Wednesday and will take the oath of office on Thursday.
India
People’s Manifesto Gets Political Support in India - OneWorld.net – 16 Feb 09:
A member of parliament in Maharashtra has endorsed All India People’s Manifesto, a development agenda put forth and conceived by regular citizens and to be implemented in over 300 districts across India.
Go to Wada Na Todo Abhiyan for more information.
Nearly, 1,400 forged land deed cases await action - Times of India – 16 Feb 09:
In Jaipur, the government has been unable to resolve disputes involving forged land deeds and property worth hundreds of millions rupees.
Spotlight on removal of iodine deficiency - The Hindu – 16 Feb 09:
The Global Network for Sustained Elimination of Iodine Deficiency will be holding its board meeting in Jaipur on February 19 and 20. Gillian Wilson, Communications Director
How Did I Get Involved With IDEX?
If I’m being honest… I was bored. I was staring unproductively at a blinking cursor all day, trying to write my final MBA project. Frankly, I needed to get out.
I started looking online for volunteer positions. My search parameters: international, women, poverty, weekdays, and critically, less than one mile from my home! Okay, I would have expanded the distance if necessary, but happily IDEX popped up. I submitted my volunteer application and I embarked on a new stage of my life.
Why Am I Still Involved?
That was December 2002. I’ve had many roles at IDEX since then and occasionally get asked why I stay.
It’s simple: IDEX methods, to create lasting solutions to poverty, work.
There is no quick fix: the causes of poverty are complex. Ending poverty takes time and many pieces of the puzzle need to be addressed. IDEX understands this and works with communities that have an integrated approach to tackling poverty.
IDEX’s approach challenges the status quo that leads to endemic poverty. We support people as they learn new skills, grow their income, become involved with their community, change laws and begin to dream about future possibilities.
As a kid I would often protest to my Dad, “That’s not fair!” at some new injustice. His response was always frustratingly the same, “Life’s not fair”. No one would argue with him, on that point at least, but that’s no reason not to strive for fairness.
I work at IDEX because it allows me make the world a fairer place. Good news! Change has truly arrived...
IDEX has a new website. Check it out at http://www.idex.org.
This is what we are calling our 'transitional site' as we develop an even better site in the coming months.
Why 2 sites?
There have been an increasing number of challenges posed by our website. These recently came to a head after our web host upgraded some of their protocols. This upgrade caused a lot of bugs on our site.
Rather than wrestling with fixing an outdated site that no longer met anyone's needs, our time and energy went into producing this new site.
It is a simpler design and is more functional.
We'll continue to develop the IDEX website of our dreams and may use this site to test out a few features. In the meantime enjoy the many improvements offered here.
As you use the site please forward me any feedback. Leave your comments below, or use the form on our Contact Us page to email me your thoughts. Suggestions, likes, dislikes, will all be very helpful as we move forward in developing a long-term solution.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Gill
I need to be brief this morning as the connection is haphazard here and we also need to head off soon to see more of GRAVIS' work.
GRAVIS took us to see their hospital which serves the community within a 75km radius (a little under 50 miles). The hospital was founded in 2001 and since then is has expanded considerably, adding an eye care unit in 2005. This was critcal as cataracts are an issue for everyone here. Even young children get cataracts as a result of poor nutrition and the harsh glare of the sun.
From here we headed off to visit a woman community leader and see her small craft business that she has grown with the assistance of loans from her self-help-group (SHG). SHGs are the model used here build women's skills as they provide a venue for women to come to together and talk about their problems. This has not been traditional in Rajasthan. The women in the SHGs go on to learn a variety of skills that benefit themselves, their families and communities. They also save 50 rupees each month ($1) and the group can loan funds this to each other to start small business initiatives. We sat with the rest of her SHG asking questions and responding to their questions. We drew a large crowd of children wanting us to take their photos over and over again and squealing with delight as they then saw their images on the digital camera screens.
Taanka's (water storage devices that collect rain water) are also critical to women's empowerment as women spend many hours a day walking to collect water. I believe we are seeing more water storage methods today. But after seeing photos of taankas, reading and writing about them for several years it was a thrill to finally see one, and peer into the water below and discover lots of frogs! The communities introduce frogs to the taankas to ensure unwanted insects that could damage crops and bring disease are managed.
I hope to post more later, and maybe even photos if I can upload them on this connection. I arrived in Delhi 3 days ago. For now I’m traveling by myself. IDEX is hosting a donor tour of our partners in Rajasthan, India and I am the staff member fortunate enough to accompany them.
Despite flying from San Francisco for 24 hours, I wanted to get out and see the city. It was 7am after all and I couldn’t sleep for 24 hours!
Delhi was fun. It completely surpassed expectations, which to be honest weren’t very high. No-one seemed to have a good word for Delhi, or they’d pull a face and say it would be fine for a day. Congestion, pollution, poverty, and the warning to “be careful” came up a lot. All valid comments. It was also vibrant, rich in history, welcoming and I had an incredible few days there.
The hotel staff was very helpful and arranged a driver at no notice to take me on a tour of the city. Over the next few hours I saw Mahatma Gandhi’s Memorial, the Parliament buildings, India Gate, Lotus Temple, plus many others and my favorite: Humayun’s Tomb. While it was too much to truly appreciate in one day it gave me a good feel of the city and allowed me to get my bearings.
This past Sunday was perceived to be a special day that could bring good luck. 17,000 marriages took place in and around the city creating a traffic nightmare. To compound this, it was marathon day. Not really associating India with marathon running this had surprised me when I’d briefly flicked on the TV in my room. It has been going just since 2006 but it is already attracting big name marathoners and lots of locals running for fun. It also shut down a lot of roads, my driver was not amused!
Driving in India is not as bad as some countries. I could identify road rules for instance. And for the most part people obeyed red lights, stop signs etc. On the other hand cars cram in next to each other, mopeds weave in and out, auto-rickshaws putter along and pedestrians, for lack of anywhere else to go, walk in the street, joining the throng. Horns are tooting constantly, both to let other drivers know they are there as well as to demand you get of the way.
One of the more amusing incidents was on the way into Delhi from the airport. We were on a two lane freeway and the traffic ground to a halt. You would expect this to just be a traffic-jam that you need to wait patiently to get out of. Or you could spot that the oncoming traffic has two lanes, and they should share. Drivers shot over, into traffic and commandeered one of the lanes to continue their journey. This is exactly what my driver did, horns blaring.
At least there was safety in numbers.
Watch both the Bangladesh and Nepal films on our site click here.
Or you can see the Nepal multimedia piece on YouTube at youtube.com/user/IDEXorg.
Let us know what you think and post a comment.
IDEX invites you to join us for a special screening of the acclaimed movie Maquilapolis [city of factories], a film by Vicky Funari and Sergio De La Torre.
A benefit for IDEX's Programs, the screening will feature women factory workers on the U.S- Mexico border where many multinational corporations have factories. Jobs are available, but salaries are low, labor violations plentiful, and the environmental devastation is shocking. Find out how workers are mobilizing to end these abusive practices.
Come watch their inspiring stories, and stay for a short post-film slideshow about similar efforts supported by IDEX in Guatemala. IDEX will host a reception with appetizers and drinks before the film.
Attend the screening for a chance to win a selection of books from Lonely Planet!
When: Thursday, September 27th, 6:30pm -9:30pm (6:30 reception, 7:15 movie, 8:30 discussion)
Where: The Red Vic Movie House, 1727 Haight Street, San Francisco.
Tickets: $15-50 recommended donation (no-one turned away for lack of funds), includes appetizers and beverages.
RSVP: To reserve your ticket visit www.idex.org/maquilapolis.html, email maquilapolis@idex.org, or call (415) 824-8384.
EduPaz's health program is focused on mental health as they felt that the issue of addressing people's traumas after having lived through a conflict was missing in many indigenous communities. Maria Elena, the director of EduPaz's health program, studied Gestalt therapy when she was in Argentina years ago and now has shared her knowledge with other community members to provide a space for families who need more psychological support.
Jose, an indigenous man who comes from a community that speaks Tojolabal, manages the economic development program. He is the son of indigenous farmers who used to work on a large finca back in the day. He told me how when he used to be a young boy of 8 years old that he would talk Tojolabal with all the other children on the finca and that his father would discourage him from doing so and told him he should only speak Castilla (Spanish). So he did and he lost most of his Tojolabal until he was in his 20s and when he began interacting with Tojolabal-speakers outside of the finca and gained it all back. Now, as director of the microcredit project in EduPaz, he speaks Tojoloba all the time.
EduPaz has a more personalized way in managing its microcredit program than many other non-profit organizations. Before a group of community members can receive microcredit, EduPaz will have a dialog with them 3 times to make sure everyone understands the conditions and why these conditions exist. All members of the group have to become responsible for the group members to pay back their loans. A board of directors is selected and then Jose, with the support of Javier, EduPaz's executive director, will check one by one all the microcredit proposals and budgets to ensure that the proposed income-generating project will be guaranteed a positive result.
EduPaz will also assist the groups by providing financial administration training to each group. But they do not organize workshops and then ask people to come. Instead, they go to each of the groups they work with, one by one, and give each group the necessary training to build everyone's capacity to administer their loans.
Before, EduPaz used to offer many workshops such as training in agroecology and seminars on NAFTA and the World Bank but they discovered that not many would attend and people were just not interested. They decided to stop offering the workshops and focus on giving more personal attention to each group.
EduPaz's office includes a collective store on the first floor where group members involved in the microcredit program can sell their products. The store is focused on offering products that are both organically made and qualify as fair trade. The main product they sell is organic coffee as EduPaz has given a microcredit to organic coffee collectives.
EduPaz has only three staff members and all of them are constantly traveling, mostly to the communities in the Zona Selva and Fronteriza, that border with Guatemala. In spite of the small staff they seem to be covering lots of neglected areas and the advantage of having a Tojolabal native on staff makes a lot of difference.
********
After finishing this visit, I feel sad and happy that my work in Chiapas has been completed. I am sad to leave Chiapas as this has been a magical place to be and for me it has been quite an eye-opening experience where I have witnessed the hard work that is being done on the ground with the financial support IDEX has provided. This is a place where you can meet many activists, many community members and people living with another type of government. I am happy to be able take all that I saw and learned back with me to San Francisco to do a better job in raising more funds and working harder to make my small contribution to supporting the various groups that IDEX supports there.
I hope you have all enjoyed reading about my trip and has encouraged you to visit Chiapas and/or learn more about the work that is being done there.
Until the next trip.... Peace out!
Kat
I am waiting to meet the Good Governance Council (Junta de Buen Gobierno) in the caracol (regional center) of Morelia. I came in the morning with a group of 4 staff members of DESMI. They have been invited to give workshops to community members in agroecology, organic fertilizers, cooperative management and cattle rearing. I am here with Rosaluz from Enlace Civil to meet the Council members that are in charge of the plan of production (focusing on food security and arts and crafts). IDEX is supporting specifically the group of women artisans who are starting an autonomous cooperative to build the capacity to market their textile products.
Each caracol has its own security commission, which receives every guest who enters the premises. They then make an appointment with the Council. I am already participating in this alternative governance system.
Right now it seems that there is a conflict that has occurred in a nearby municipality and it is taking the Council a long time to resolve. I might not get to meet the Council before lunch.
After some beans and tortillas...
The Council has received me and has asked me to explain the reason of my visit. They welcome me and tell me that this is my home too. They ask whether I have a space to spend the night and if I had eaten. It is nice to know that even though this is all a procedure that the communities have created, it feels like a genuine service to all people who enter this place.
I then went to meet a Commission of the plan of production, which includes IDEX's support to the artisans cooperative. The Commission has just formed as the plan is too big and required a separate commitment by the Council. It was an interesting dialogue where I explained what IDEX was and they told me about their plans and hopes for this project.
From the meeting I could instantly tell that this was a project that has ownership amongst the people themselves. This project was planned and initiated by them and now they are building their capacity to see the project through with the support of Enlace Civil. It is a constant support that encourages professional development as Enlace Civil helps them administratively such as guiding the financial administrator to practice Excel to track the funds.
These people have been chosen by the communities to be in this commission and Enlace Civil is giving them the basic skills to govern their people and to help them improve their quality of lives.
You can't come here and not feel that people have taken ownership of their own governance and that this is all done with the goal of providing a better future for their communities.
Katherine, with Toño, DESMI's Director
When I entered DESMI's office, I thought to myself, "I want to work here!" DESMI's office is in a beautiful colonial house with a huge garden, which they have owned since 1979. I knew several of DESMI's staff from my IDEX trip to Guatemala last year, so seeing them again felt like seeing old friends.
Sitting down with the staff on my office visit, DESMI taught me a lot about their programs, and specifically their microcredit program. DESMI works in 3 regional areas in Chiapas: North, South and Los Altos. Currently, they have one person managing each regional area but they are in a process of staff restructuring to see if there is a way to better facilitate the work in these areas by distributing the responsibility.
I found DESMI's microcredit program very interesting. DESMI's loan fund will only be distributed to collectives. The whole process from the moment the community applies for microcredit to receiving it may take 2 to 3 months, as DESMI wants to ensure that the microcredit they receive will guarantee success of their project. There hasn't been a case where DESMI has rejected an application. Instead, if something doesn't make sense or the application is not complete, DESMI's staff will take the time to visit the collective and work together on the application. Every first Monday of the month, DESMI's staff sits down together to look at all the applications. Since 2003, they have not received many applications.
DESMI expressed to me their excitement on the exchange trip they're doing next week together with K'inal Antsetik to visit IDEX's Guatemalan partners: AFEDES, APROSADSE and ISMU, as well as other organizations. They are planning to visit AFEDES' Weavers' Store in Santiago Sacatepequez and APROSADSE's agricultural program in Chimaltenango.
DESMI is hoping to learn especially how these organizations work with gender issues into their programs, since DESMI is also initiating their own workshops on masculinity. These exchange trips, organized by IDEX partners themselves, came about during IDEX's regional conference in Antigua, Guatemala in January 2006. IDEX's partners decided they wanted to exchange experiences as they saw that they all were facing similar challenges although living in different political and cultural contexts.
IDEX has been a long supporter of DESMI and it's easy to see why. DESMI is continually working to become more efficient in their site visits, training and in being more aware of the needs of the communities. DESMI is currently working on developing a monitoring and evaluation plan to ensure they are achieving the objectives they have set themselves to accomplish."It hasn't been successful yet, to be honest," Toño, DESMI's Director tells me, "but we are doing our best to get this plan together because we want to make sure that DESMI is working well to improve the quality of life of these communities."
Kat
August 11, 2007
Today, I sat down with the two operative staff members of COMPITCH, Ana and Juan Ignacio.
COMPITCH is integrated by 17 organizations with the objective to recover, defend and develop the practice of traditional medicine and knowledge of the indigenous community in Chiapas.
I had spent one day at its regional forum, and I was curious to see how just two people had planned such a large event.
Several representative leaders of the 17 organization members of COMPITCH were in the office to welcome me.
Don Arturo from the community of Margaritas asked me what I thought about the forum. I told him I was excited to have been there even if it was only one day, but I could already see the impact the gathering was making among the midwives present there. In addition, I'd enjoyed seeing how participative the midwives had been in their work groups.
Doña Francisca, another representative leader, said that actually this was the first time the forum had brought such a high level of participation because they were able to bring so many midwives. On other occasions, when COMPITCH tried to bring midwives together, they would get busy at the last minute because of women going into labor and would send community members instead. These members usually would not understand these gatherings and therefore, would not participate. This time, the midwives did come and thus, encouraged the constant dialogue among them.
From the brief conversation I had with these representative leaders, I noticed just two COMPITCH staff hadn't coordinated the forum, but it had been an enormous group effort from the 17 organizations that made the forum such a huge success. Without them, there would not have been the extensive outreach or planning for the forum to happen.
Talking to Ana and Juan Ignacio, demonstrated to me their depth of information in all biodiversity-related themes. They keep themselves updated on all the recent laws, actions, campaigns and research to be always prepared to protect natural resources.
COMPITCH's first priority is health for all communities - to the point that they will sacrifice their own salaries if it meant the money will help cure someone's sickness. COMPITCH is continually working and mobilizing to protect the indigenous culture, local biodiversity and the practice of traditional medicine in Chiapas. COMPITCH exists because the Mexican government is not encouraging these crucial elements to survive. Someone has to defend every citizen's right to healthcare, whether it is in the hospital or in nature.
At the office, Ana and Juan Ignacio are working seven days a week with few resources for this defense. I don't know how they manage but their determination to do the right thing, in spite of the odds, to ensure everyone's right to have good health is clear and inspiring. Money will not be an obstacle to them. Their work continues and one can be guaranteed that COMPITCH is not going to go away any time soon.
Katherine
Katherine Zavala is IDEX's Programs Coordinator. Katherine is currently in Chiapas, Mexico visiting our long-term partners, DESMI and K'inal Antsetik, plus 5 new grantees, to meet with staff and the local communities and evaluate their progress.
August 9 2007:
As my flight left Mexico City today I saw endless buildings and houses below me. It was a beautiful sunny day to fly and I could see the diversity of bright colors from the buildings' rooftops. As the plane reached altitude, I saw the layer of snow on one of Mexico's famous volcanoes called Popocatépetl, rising just above the clouds.
One hour later, I see a completely different picture - large green patches of land everywhere! This was my first introduction to Chiapas.
Driving towards San Cristóbal de las Casas, the people I shared my taxi with fell asleep while we traveled through the green landscape, the fog and again through the green mountains as the sun shone through.
"What are those?" the lady next to me had woken up.
"Those are milpas [cornfields]," I said. There were miles of them!
"Maize, correct?"
"Yes, if you prefer it that way."
After an hour of thinking I was heading towards Emerald City, we came upon the city of San Cristóbal de las Casas.
August is high season for foreign travelers, especially from Europe and the US, so finding a place to stay was not so easy. But I finally found a room in a posada just north of the zócalo (central plaza). As I walked with my suitcases to the posada, a new friend I made accompanied me. She had originally tried to help me find another posada but apparently, it no longer existed. We passed a group of indigenous women and children on our way. One of the women was wearing a black woolen skirt or "fur" skirt with a fairly plan white blouse. "Than woman is from San Juan Chamula," my friend tells me, "see the skirt."
I know I have just arrived but I have yet to see many indigenous people. I feel I have been here before, though this is my first time to San Cristóbal and I haven't had time to explore this beautiful colonial town. But I think that feeling is related to how close this place looks to Antigua, Guatemala.
Tomorrow, I'll be going to the outskirts of San Cristóbal to a training center called CIDECI, place that helps indigenous communities by coordinating seminars and meetings there. One of IDEX's catalyst grantees, COMPITCH, is having its final day of its regional forum for indigenous midwives of Chiapas. I can't wait to be there!
Katherine
The film, IDEX in South Africa: Community Initiatives to End Poverty is now available below, as well as on both YouTube.com/idexorg and Facebook.com/idex.org. Enjoy it and please share it with your friends and family.
Labels: IDEX, South Africa
On September 1, 2009, IDEX assumed responsibility of Seva’s, Community Self-Development (CSD) Program in Mexico and Guatemala.IDEX has experienced sustained growth in recent years, and has built internal systems to continue on a path of expansion. Acquiring the CSD program allows IDEX to grow its Latin America support significantly in one year, while achieving greater efficiencies and engaging new funding opportunities.
Seva Foundation, based in Berkeley, California is most widely known for its eye care programs around the world. Seva also works in the US with Native American communities, and until recently, with indigenous communities in Guatemala and Mexico.
In early 2009 the Seva Foundation, based in Berkeley, California engaged in a strategic re-visioning process. The Seva Board made the difficult decision to focus its efforts on its eye care programs, and discontinue supporting the CSD Program. Seva began to look for another organization already doing similar work in Latin America.
IDEX and Seva have a long history of working with indigenous communities in southern Mexico and Guatemala. The two organizations have common goals of supporting community development initiatives. Both Seva and IDEX are committed to providing sustained support, as both organizations have found this to be fundamental to poverty alleviation.
IDEX has always encouraged best practices to be shared among our grantees. This will allow us to facilitate more opportunities for like-minded groups to share their successes and challenges and learn from one another. We are confident that this will be an enriching experience for both IDEX and Seva grantees.
Over the next 12 months IDEX will work to transition the Seva CSD program to match the format of our existing programs. We hope you will join us in extending a warm welcome to the Seva CSD program.
More details are available at www.idex.org. We also invite you to contact IDEX directly at (415)824-8384 to discuss this, or any other aspect of IDEX's work. IDEX is expanding its work. Come learn about IDEX staff's recent trip to South Africa to select new grantees.
What: A casual wine and cheese get-together and the unveiling of a 5-minute video featuring the work of our newest granteesWho: IDEX Program Officers, Katherine Zavala and Vini Bhansali, staff, board members and you!
When: Thursday, September 10, 2009 from 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Where: IDEX, 827 Valencia Street, Ste 101, San Francisco (See map)
Why: The vibrant civil society in South Africa is full of energy and hope despite widespread poverty in rural villages and urban townships in the post-Apartheid era. Come learn about inspiring people leading change in their communities and IDEX’s role in their initiatives.
We hope to see you there!
Labels: Events, IDEX, South Africa
Join us this Tuesday to hear award-winning author Claire Hope Cummings talk about sustainable agriculture and seed-saving and why the are important development tools around the world.What: IDEX Annual Event: Seeds Of Change
When: Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009 from 6:30pm - 9:30pm
Where: The Solarium, 55 Second Street, San Francisco (See map.)
Featured Speaker: Claire Hope Cummings
Tickets: $60 includes appetizers and host bar. Catering by Jane Hammond Events.
RSVP: Tickets are $60 each.
Bring your friends! Buy 3 tickets and get 4 tickets for the special price of $180. Reserve your tickets online, or phone Gillian Wilson at (415) 824-8348.
Celebrate the success of our local partners, in Guatemala, Mexico, India and Nepal that are using sustainable agriculture to build food security and mitigate the impact of climate change, while developing flourishing livelihoods and communities.
We are delighted to have Claire Hope Cummings, farmer, environmental lawyer, journalist and author of the critically acclaimed book Uncertain Peril: Genetic Engineering and the Future of Seeds, as our Guest Speaker. Claire is well known in the Bay Area as food and farming editor for KPFA where she hosted a weekly radio program.
Learn about IDEX’s current partners. Bid on incredible gifts at the IDEX Silent Auction. Enjoy tasty appetizers, wine, music and reconnect with your friends at IDEX.
Labels: Annual Event, Claire Hope Cummings, IDEX, Seeds of Change, Sustainable Agriculture
Our Office Manager Ces, is relocating to LA. Which means IDEX is looking for an Office Manager. If you are interested, or know someone who might be, you can find the full job description and details on our Vacancies page.
We are accepting resumes now and would like to get this position filled in the next month.
If you think the job description is a good fit please send us your resume and cover letter to omhire@idex.org.
Labels: IDEX, Office Manager
What led me to IDEX? That's a good question. It wasn't an obvious or linear path, but I guess career paths these days rarely are, right? I went to school to learn how to be a journalist, dabbled in different forms of media, and worked in television production for number of years…But a move to San Francisco after living in New York for a while sparked something in me. It’s like that line… "Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; Live in Northern California once..."
Well, perhaps I moved just in time before becoming irrevocably jaded! In truth, it wasn’t New York itself so much as my state of mind. I had long been interested in learning about different cultures, in traveling, in social justice issues, and in international development. The interest was always there, but really, I wasn’t doing much about it.
Finding IDEX, an organization whose mission I truly felt aligned with— it just clicked.
Practical, meaningful and sustainable solutions to issues of poverty and social injustice. Embracing locally run organizations at the grassroots level. Supporting communities in setting their own agendas. Leveraging relatively small amounts of money to create lasting social and economic change. Community by community.
Yes, the world is largely unfair and the stories we hear of poverty and suffering are often overwhelming. And sometimes it seems as if nothing we do really matters. It's easy to feel cynical and hopeless. I know, I’ve been there. But it's also possible to turn that energy and compassion into action.
I have seen this in the drive and determination of my colleagues. I’ve seen it in the amazing, inspiring leaders who work tirelessly in their communities. I’ve seen it in the generosity of our supporters and donors. I’ve seen it in the transformative stories of the many individuals have been part of the programs we help support.
On a daily basis, I am reminded that we all have the power to change the world in small but important ways that, in the end, really add up. Step-by-step, dollar-by-dollar, action-by-action, person-by-person.
I gotta say, it’s pretty cool to be able to share in this collective vision of hope.
Labels: Deborah, IDEX, Stories
ZimbabweNew charges against MDC official - Aljazeera.net – 15 Feb 09:
Charges of treason against Roy Bennett have been dropped and replaced with sabotage.
Roy Bennett Charged with Treason - allAfrica.com – 14 Feb 09:
MDC Treasurer General and Deputy Minister of Agriculture designate Roy Bennett was arrested Friday and charged with treason for allegedly taking part in a plot to overthrow President Mugabe in 2006.
Teachers dig their heels in over dollars - IRIN – 13 Feb 09:
Striking teachers rejected Prime Minister Tsvangirai appeal that they return to work. The teachers are demanding that their salaries be paid in foreign currency.
Lawyers in Three-day Jail Stakeout - allAfrica.com – 14 Feb 09:
Members of Zimbabwean Lawyers for Human Rights have spent three days outside Harare’s Chikurubi’s maximum-security prison in an effort to get three seriously ill detainees hospital treatment
New Government Comes at Price - allAfrica.com - 12 Feb 09
The newly sworn in 46-member cabinet is reported to be the largest and most costly in the history of post-independence Zimbabwe. Salaries alone will cost taxpayers about U.S $ 400,000.
South Africa
New Budget Leaves Vulnerable Teens in the Cold- IRIN – 12 Feb 09:
Although South Africa has plans to expand some social safety nets this year, Finance Minister Trevor Manuel announced that a plan to extend the age of qualification for child grants from 15 to 18 would not be among them at this point.
President ‘Creating Confusion’ Over Poll- allAfrica.com – 13 Feb 09:
President Motlanthe has set the election date for April 22; however, the Freedom Front Plus will ask the Constitutional Court to give South Africans working abroad the right to vote. If the FF+ is successful, it will likely mean a delay.
The Institutional Dimension of Mbeki’s Legacy - allAfrica.com – 12 Feb 09:
Opinion piece that discusses varying discourse and action to deal with HIV and AIDS at the government and local organization levels in South Africa.
Mexico
Drug cartels behind Monterrey protests - Prensa Latina- 13 Feb 09:
Authorities in Monterrey are claiming that recent demonstrations against the presence of the Armed Forces and Federal Police in the local area were financed by drug cartels.
Mexico Readies for mid-term elections - Prensa Latina – 15 Feb 09:
Mexico’s political parties have begun preparations for July 5th midterm legislative and municipal elections.
Guatemala
PAHO Praises Cuba Docs in Guatemala - Prensa Latina – 14 Feb 09:
Representative of PAHO (Pan American Health Organization) in Guatemala praised the work of Cuban doctors and graduates of the Latin American School of Medicine working in Guatemala’s rural areas.
Nepal
"Existing laws affecting education sector":eKantipur.com – 15 Feb 09:
Minister of Education, Renu Yadav stated that the present government is unable to provide qualitative education because of the existing laws and policies set by prior governments. Minister Yadav said she would work towards improvements.
No U.S timetable to remove Nepal Moaists’ terror tag - Reuters- 12 Feb 09:
Even with the Maoist elected to power in Nepal, U.S Secretary of State Official says there is no timetable to remove them from the U.S list of terrorist groups.
Bangladesh
Report blasts primary school education - IRIN – 11 Feb 09:
An internal report by the Department of Primary Education states that 70 percent of children in Bangladesh who have completed primary school are unable to read, write, or count properly.
Bangladesh elects new president: BBC - 11 Feb 09:
Zillur Rahman was elected president last Wednesday and will take the oath of office on Thursday.
India
People’s Manifesto Gets Political Support in India - OneWorld.net – 16 Feb 09:
A member of parliament in Maharashtra has endorsed All India People’s Manifesto, a development agenda put forth and conceived by regular citizens and to be implemented in over 300 districts across India.
Go to Wada Na Todo Abhiyan for more information.
Nearly, 1,400 forged land deed cases await action - Times of India – 16 Feb 09:
In Jaipur, the government has been unable to resolve disputes involving forged land deeds and property worth hundreds of millions rupees.
Spotlight on removal of iodine deficiency - The Hindu – 16 Feb 09:
The Global Network for Sustained Elimination of Iodine Deficiency will be holding its board meeting in Jaipur on February 19 and 20. Gillian Wilson, Communications Director
How Did I Get Involved With IDEX?
If I’m being honest… I was bored. I was staring unproductively at a blinking cursor all day, trying to write my final MBA project. Frankly, I needed to get out.
I started looking online for volunteer positions. My search parameters: international, women, poverty, weekdays, and critically, less than one mile from my home! Okay, I would have expanded the distance if necessary, but happily IDEX popped up. I submitted my volunteer application and I embarked on a new stage of my life.Why Am I Still Involved?
That was December 2002. I’ve had many roles at IDEX since then and occasionally get asked why I stay.
It’s simple: IDEX methods, to create lasting solutions to poverty, work.
There is no quick fix: the causes of poverty are complex. Ending poverty takes time and many pieces of the puzzle need to be addressed. IDEX understands this and works with communities that have an integrated approach to tackling poverty.
IDEX’s approach challenges the status quo that leads to endemic poverty. We support people as they learn new skills, grow their income, become involved with their community, change laws and begin to dream about future possibilities.
As a kid I would often protest to my Dad, “That’s not fair!” at some new injustice. His response was always frustratingly the same, “Life’s not fair”. No one would argue with him, on that point at least, but that’s no reason not to strive for fairness.
I work at IDEX because it allows me make the world a fairer place. Good news! Change has truly arrived...
IDEX has a new website. Check it out at http://www.idex.org.
This is what we are calling our 'transitional site' as we develop an even better site in the coming months.
Why 2 sites?
There have been an increasing number of challenges posed by our website. These recently came to a head after our web host upgraded some of their protocols. This upgrade caused a lot of bugs on our site.
Rather than wrestling with fixing an outdated site that no longer met anyone's needs, our time and energy went into producing this new site.
It is a simpler design and is more functional.
We'll continue to develop the IDEX website of our dreams and may use this site to test out a few features. In the meantime enjoy the many improvements offered here.
As you use the site please forward me any feedback. Leave your comments below, or use the form on our Contact Us page to email me your thoughts. Suggestions, likes, dislikes, will all be very helpful as we move forward in developing a long-term solution.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Gill
Labels: IDEX
Yesterday, Saturday, Nov 15 was the first day of field visits. But I should introduce myself. I am Gillian, the Communications Director at IDEX. This is my first trip to visit the work of IDEX's partners and I have been amazed at everything I've seen so far.I need to be brief this morning as the connection is haphazard here and we also need to head off soon to see more of GRAVIS' work.
GRAVIS took us to see their hospital which serves the community within a 75km radius (a little under 50 miles). The hospital was founded in 2001 and since then is has expanded considerably, adding an eye care unit in 2005. This was critcal as cataracts are an issue for everyone here. Even young children get cataracts as a result of poor nutrition and the harsh glare of the sun.
From here we headed off to visit a woman community leader and see her small craft business that she has grown with the assistance of loans from her self-help-group (SHG). SHGs are the model used here build women's skills as they provide a venue for women to come to together and talk about their problems. This has not been traditional in Rajasthan. The women in the SHGs go on to learn a variety of skills that benefit themselves, their families and communities. They also save 50 rupees each month ($1) and the group can loan funds this to each other to start small business initiatives. We sat with the rest of her SHG asking questions and responding to their questions. We drew a large crowd of children wanting us to take their photos over and over again and squealing with delight as they then saw their images on the digital camera screens.
Taanka's (water storage devices that collect rain water) are also critical to women's empowerment as women spend many hours a day walking to collect water. I believe we are seeing more water storage methods today. But after seeing photos of taankas, reading and writing about them for several years it was a thrill to finally see one, and peer into the water below and discover lots of frogs! The communities introduce frogs to the taankas to ensure unwanted insects that could damage crops and bring disease are managed.
I hope to post more later, and maybe even photos if I can upload them on this connection. I arrived in Delhi 3 days ago. For now I’m traveling by myself. IDEX is hosting a donor tour of our partners in Rajasthan, India and I am the staff member fortunate enough to accompany them.
Despite flying from San Francisco for 24 hours, I wanted to get out and see the city. It was 7am after all and I couldn’t sleep for 24 hours!
Delhi was fun. It completely surpassed expectations, which to be honest weren’t very high. No-one seemed to have a good word for Delhi, or they’d pull a face and say it would be fine for a day. Congestion, pollution, poverty, and the warning to “be careful” came up a lot. All valid comments. It was also vibrant, rich in history, welcoming and I had an incredible few days there.
The hotel staff was very helpful and arranged a driver at no notice to take me on a tour of the city. Over the next few hours I saw Mahatma Gandhi’s Memorial, the Parliament buildings, India Gate, Lotus Temple, plus many others and my favorite: Humayun’s Tomb. While it was too much to truly appreciate in one day it gave me a good feel of the city and allowed me to get my bearings.
This past Sunday was perceived to be a special day that could bring good luck. 17,000 marriages took place in and around the city creating a traffic nightmare. To compound this, it was marathon day. Not really associating India with marathon running this had surprised me when I’d briefly flicked on the TV in my room. It has been going just since 2006 but it is already attracting big name marathoners and lots of locals running for fun. It also shut down a lot of roads, my driver was not amused!
Driving in India is not as bad as some countries. I could identify road rules for instance. And for the most part people obeyed red lights, stop signs etc. On the other hand cars cram in next to each other, mopeds weave in and out, auto-rickshaws putter along and pedestrians, for lack of anywhere else to go, walk in the street, joining the throng. Horns are tooting constantly, both to let other drivers know they are there as well as to demand you get of the way.
One of the more amusing incidents was on the way into Delhi from the airport. We were on a two lane freeway and the traffic ground to a halt. You would expect this to just be a traffic-jam that you need to wait patiently to get out of. Or you could spot that the oncoming traffic has two lanes, and they should share. Drivers shot over, into traffic and commandeered one of the lanes to continue their journey. This is exactly what my driver did, horns blaring.
At least there was safety in numbers.
Labels: Delhi, Donor Tour, IDEX
At IDEX's event on June 10, we screened a couple of films about our work, both of these multimedia pieces are also available for viewing on our website.Watch both the Bangladesh and Nepal films on our site click here.
Or you can see the Nepal multimedia piece on YouTube at youtube.com/user/IDEXorg.
Let us know what you think and post a comment.
IDEX invites you to join us for a special screening of the acclaimed movie Maquilapolis [city of factories], a film by Vicky Funari and Sergio De La Torre.
A benefit for IDEX's Programs, the screening will feature women factory workers on the U.S- Mexico border where many multinational corporations have factories. Jobs are available, but salaries are low, labor violations plentiful, and the environmental devastation is shocking. Find out how workers are mobilizing to end these abusive practices.
Come watch their inspiring stories, and stay for a short post-film slideshow about similar efforts supported by IDEX in Guatemala. IDEX will host a reception with appetizers and drinks before the film.
Attend the screening for a chance to win a selection of books from Lonely Planet!
When: Thursday, September 27th, 6:30pm -9:30pm (6:30 reception, 7:15 movie, 8:30 discussion)
Where: The Red Vic Movie House, 1727 Haight Street, San Francisco.
Tickets: $15-50 recommended donation (no-one turned away for lack of funds), includes appetizers and beverages.
RSVP: To reserve your ticket visit www.idex.org/maquilapolis.html, email maquilapolis@idex.org, or call (415) 824-8384.
Labels: IDEX, Maquilapolis, Red Vic
Today I had my last site visit of my trip and for that I had to travel one-hour south to Comitan. Comitan is where the organization Educación por la Paz (Education for Peace) more often called EduPaz was founded ten years ago, focusing primarily on supporting Guatemalan refugees in Chiapas. Now EduPaz has evolved to an organization that focuses mainly on 2 areas: health and economic development though microcredit.EduPaz's health program is focused on mental health as they felt that the issue of addressing people's traumas after having lived through a conflict was missing in many indigenous communities. Maria Elena, the director of EduPaz's health program, studied Gestalt therapy when she was in Argentina years ago and now has shared her knowledge with other community members to provide a space for families who need more psychological support.
Jose, an indigenous man who comes from a community that speaks Tojolabal, manages the economic development program. He is the son of indigenous farmers who used to work on a large finca back in the day. He told me how when he used to be a young boy of 8 years old that he would talk Tojolabal with all the other children on the finca and that his father would discourage him from doing so and told him he should only speak Castilla (Spanish). So he did and he lost most of his Tojolabal until he was in his 20s and when he began interacting with Tojolabal-speakers outside of the finca and gained it all back. Now, as director of the microcredit project in EduPaz, he speaks Tojoloba all the time.
EduPaz has a more personalized way in managing its microcredit program than many other non-profit organizations. Before a group of community members can receive microcredit, EduPaz will have a dialog with them 3 times to make sure everyone understands the conditions and why these conditions exist. All members of the group have to become responsible for the group members to pay back their loans. A board of directors is selected and then Jose, with the support of Javier, EduPaz's executive director, will check one by one all the microcredit proposals and budgets to ensure that the proposed income-generating project will be guaranteed a positive result.
EduPaz will also assist the groups by providing financial administration training to each group. But they do not organize workshops and then ask people to come. Instead, they go to each of the groups they work with, one by one, and give each group the necessary training to build everyone's capacity to administer their loans.
Before, EduPaz used to offer many workshops such as training in agroecology and seminars on NAFTA and the World Bank but they discovered that not many would attend and people were just not interested. They decided to stop offering the workshops and focus on giving more personal attention to each group.
EduPaz's office includes a collective store on the first floor where group members involved in the microcredit program can sell their products. The store is focused on offering products that are both organically made and qualify as fair trade. The main product they sell is organic coffee as EduPaz has given a microcredit to organic coffee collectives.
EduPaz has only three staff members and all of them are constantly traveling, mostly to the communities in the Zona Selva and Fronteriza, that border with Guatemala. In spite of the small staff they seem to be covering lots of neglected areas and the advantage of having a Tojolabal native on staff makes a lot of difference.
********
After finishing this visit, I feel sad and happy that my work in Chiapas has been completed. I am sad to leave Chiapas as this has been a magical place to be and for me it has been quite an eye-opening experience where I have witnessed the hard work that is being done on the ground with the financial support IDEX has provided. This is a place where you can meet many activists, many community members and people living with another type of government. I am happy to be able take all that I saw and learned back with me to San Francisco to do a better job in raising more funds and working harder to make my small contribution to supporting the various groups that IDEX supports there.
I hope you have all enjoyed reading about my trip and has encouraged you to visit Chiapas and/or learn more about the work that is being done there.
Until the next trip.... Peace out!
Kat
Labels: Chiapas, Comitan, EduPaz, IDEX, microcredit
I am sitting among the beautiful green trees and mountains. The sky is very clear today. You wouldn't have guessed that the night before Hurricane Dean had gone over the Yucatan peninsula.I am waiting to meet the Good Governance Council (Junta de Buen Gobierno) in the caracol (regional center) of Morelia. I came in the morning with a group of 4 staff members of DESMI. They have been invited to give workshops to community members in agroecology, organic fertilizers, cooperative management and cattle rearing. I am here with Rosaluz from Enlace Civil to meet the Council members that are in charge of the plan of production (focusing on food security and arts and crafts). IDEX is supporting specifically the group of women artisans who are starting an autonomous cooperative to build the capacity to market their textile products.
Each caracol has its own security commission, which receives every guest who enters the premises. They then make an appointment with the Council. I am already participating in this alternative governance system.
Right now it seems that there is a conflict that has occurred in a nearby municipality and it is taking the Council a long time to resolve. I might not get to meet the Council before lunch.
After some beans and tortillas...
The Council has received me and has asked me to explain the reason of my visit. They welcome me and tell me that this is my home too. They ask whether I have a space to spend the night and if I had eaten. It is nice to know that even though this is all a procedure that the communities have created, it feels like a genuine service to all people who enter this place.
I then went to meet a Commission of the plan of production, which includes IDEX's support to the artisans cooperative. The Commission has just formed as the plan is too big and required a separate commitment by the Council. It was an interesting dialogue where I explained what IDEX was and they told me about their plans and hopes for this project.
From the meeting I could instantly tell that this was a project that has ownership amongst the people themselves. This project was planned and initiated by them and now they are building their capacity to see the project through with the support of Enlace Civil. It is a constant support that encourages professional development as Enlace Civil helps them administratively such as guiding the financial administrator to practice Excel to track the funds.
These people have been chosen by the communities to be in this commission and Enlace Civil is giving them the basic skills to govern their people and to help them improve their quality of lives.
You can't come here and not feel that people have taken ownership of their own governance and that this is all done with the goal of providing a better future for their communities.
Labels: DESMI, Enlace Civil, IDEX, Morelia
Katherine, with Toño, DESMI's Director
When I entered DESMI's office, I thought to myself, "I want to work here!" DESMI's office is in a beautiful colonial house with a huge garden, which they have owned since 1979. I knew several of DESMI's staff from my IDEX trip to Guatemala last year, so seeing them again felt like seeing old friends.
Sitting down with the staff on my office visit, DESMI taught me a lot about their programs, and specifically their microcredit program. DESMI works in 3 regional areas in Chiapas: North, South and Los Altos. Currently, they have one person managing each regional area but they are in a process of staff restructuring to see if there is a way to better facilitate the work in these areas by distributing the responsibility.
I found DESMI's microcredit program very interesting. DESMI's loan fund will only be distributed to collectives. The whole process from the moment the community applies for microcredit to receiving it may take 2 to 3 months, as DESMI wants to ensure that the microcredit they receive will guarantee success of their project. There hasn't been a case where DESMI has rejected an application. Instead, if something doesn't make sense or the application is not complete, DESMI's staff will take the time to visit the collective and work together on the application. Every first Monday of the month, DESMI's staff sits down together to look at all the applications. Since 2003, they have not received many applications.
DESMI expressed to me their excitement on the exchange trip they're doing next week together with K'inal Antsetik to visit IDEX's Guatemalan partners: AFEDES, APROSADSE and ISMU, as well as other organizations. They are planning to visit AFEDES' Weavers' Store in Santiago Sacatepequez and APROSADSE's agricultural program in Chimaltenango.
DESMI is hoping to learn especially how these organizations work with gender issues into their programs, since DESMI is also initiating their own workshops on masculinity. These exchange trips, organized by IDEX partners themselves, came about during IDEX's regional conference in Antigua, Guatemala in January 2006. IDEX's partners decided they wanted to exchange experiences as they saw that they all were facing similar challenges although living in different political and cultural contexts.
IDEX has been a long supporter of DESMI and it's easy to see why. DESMI is continually working to become more efficient in their site visits, training and in being more aware of the needs of the communities. DESMI is currently working on developing a monitoring and evaluation plan to ensure they are achieving the objectives they have set themselves to accomplish."It hasn't been successful yet, to be honest," Toño, DESMI's Director tells me, "but we are doing our best to get this plan together because we want to make sure that DESMI is working well to improve the quality of life of these communities."
Kat
Labels: AFEDES, APROSADSE, DESMI, IDEX, ISMU, K'inal, microcredit
August 11, 2007
Today, I sat down with the two operative staff members of COMPITCH, Ana and Juan Ignacio.
COMPITCH is integrated by 17 organizations with the objective to recover, defend and develop the practice of traditional medicine and knowledge of the indigenous community in Chiapas.
I had spent one day at its regional forum, and I was curious to see how just two people had planned such a large event.
Several representative leaders of the 17 organization members of COMPITCH were in the office to welcome me.
Don Arturo from the community of Margaritas asked me what I thought about the forum. I told him I was excited to have been there even if it was only one day, but I could already see the impact the gathering was making among the midwives present there. In addition, I'd enjoyed seeing how participative the midwives had been in their work groups.
Doña Francisca, another representative leader, said that actually this was the first time the forum had brought such a high level of participation because they were able to bring so many midwives. On other occasions, when COMPITCH tried to bring midwives together, they would get busy at the last minute because of women going into labor and would send community members instead. These members usually would not understand these gatherings and therefore, would not participate. This time, the midwives did come and thus, encouraged the constant dialogue among them.
From the brief conversation I had with these representative leaders, I noticed just two COMPITCH staff hadn't coordinated the forum, but it had been an enormous group effort from the 17 organizations that made the forum such a huge success. Without them, there would not have been the extensive outreach or planning for the forum to happen.
Talking to Ana and Juan Ignacio, demonstrated to me their depth of information in all biodiversity-related themes. They keep themselves updated on all the recent laws, actions, campaigns and research to be always prepared to protect natural resources.
COMPITCH's first priority is health for all communities - to the point that they will sacrifice their own salaries if it meant the money will help cure someone's sickness. COMPITCH is continually working and mobilizing to protect the indigenous culture, local biodiversity and the practice of traditional medicine in Chiapas. COMPITCH exists because the Mexican government is not encouraging these crucial elements to survive. Someone has to defend every citizen's right to healthcare, whether it is in the hospital or in nature.
At the office, Ana and Juan Ignacio are working seven days a week with few resources for this defense. I don't know how they manage but their determination to do the right thing, in spite of the odds, to ensure everyone's right to have good health is clear and inspiring. Money will not be an obstacle to them. Their work continues and one can be guaranteed that COMPITCH is not going to go away any time soon.
Katherine
Labels: Compitch, IDEX, Mexico, midwives, San Cristobal de las Casas, traditional healing
August 9 2007:
As my flight left Mexico City today I saw endless buildings and houses below me. It was a beautiful sunny day to fly and I could see the diversity of bright colors from the buildings' rooftops. As the plane reached altitude, I saw the layer of snow on one of Mexico's famous volcanoes called Popocatépetl, rising just above the clouds.
One hour later, I see a completely different picture - large green patches of land everywhere! This was my first introduction to Chiapas.
Driving towards San Cristóbal de las Casas, the people I shared my taxi with fell asleep while we traveled through the green landscape, the fog and again through the green mountains as the sun shone through.
"What are those?" the lady next to me had woken up.
"Those are milpas [cornfields]," I said. There were miles of them!
"Maize, correct?"
"Yes, if you prefer it that way."
After an hour of thinking I was heading towards Emerald City, we came upon the city of San Cristóbal de las Casas.
August is high season for foreign travelers, especially from Europe and the US, so finding a place to stay was not so easy. But I finally found a room in a posada just north of the zócalo (central plaza). As I walked with my suitcases to the posada, a new friend I made accompanied me. She had originally tried to help me find another posada but apparently, it no longer existed. We passed a group of indigenous women and children on our way. One of the women was wearing a black woolen skirt or "fur" skirt with a fairly plan white blouse. "Than woman is from San Juan Chamula," my friend tells me, "see the skirt."
I know I have just arrived but I have yet to see many indigenous people. I feel I have been here before, though this is my first time to San Cristóbal and I haven't had time to explore this beautiful colonial town. But I think that feeling is related to how close this place looks to Antigua, Guatemala.
Tomorrow, I'll be going to the outskirts of San Cristóbal to a training center called CIDECI, place that helps indigenous communities by coordinating seminars and meetings there. One of IDEX's catalyst grantees, COMPITCH, is having its final day of its regional forum for indigenous midwives of Chiapas. I can't wait to be there!
Katherine
Labels: Chiapas, Compitch, IDEX, San Cristobal de las Casas
Blog Archive
Blogs We Like
- America’s Mexico Blog
- Change.org – Global Health
- Change.org – Social Entrepreneurship
- Change.org – Women’s Rights
- Change.org – Global Warming
- Change.org – Sustainable Food
- Civil Eats Food Access
- GlobalGiving
- Good Magazine
- Guatemala Solidarity Network
- Mexico Today
- Mimundo.org
- Need Humanitarian Magazine
- Our World 2.0
- Raj Patel’s Blog
- Sokanwele Zimbabwe
- Women’s Net Blog – South Africa
- Zimbabwe Women’s Voices
