Posts Tagged ‘Guatemala’
Susan Kahn and David Kaskowitz
When Susan Kahn came home to San Francisco after travelling extensively in Guatemala and Mexico in the 1990’s, she came home invigorated with the sense of wanting to give back to the international community. When Susan first learned about IDEX, she offered to become a volunteer in a bid to satisfy her passion for grassroots development and supporting local initiatives.
Reflecting back on the time she spent at IDEX, Susan says she was most impressed by the “really close and personal connections IDEX shares with their local partners.” Read the rest of this entry »
To celebrate International Women’s Day, Tuesday, March 8, many IDEX partners planned and participated in local events.
One partner AFEDES, in Guatemala, led a press conference at the Cultural Center in Antigua with other women’s groups to demand the government support initiatives for women’s development and safety under constitutional law. Read the rest of this entry »
A group of women who are part of APROSADSE's microcredit program.
March 8th is International Women’s Day and 2011 marks the 100th anniversary of this day to celebrate women across the globe.
IDEX staff and volunteers are taking part in Mother’s March in San Francisco- come join us at 4:30pm near the 16th St. BART station and march to protest war and oppression, support social justice and solidarity with women around the world. See our event posting HERE.
IDEX also stands in solidarity with our partners around the world who are celebrating this historic day. We are getting updates from Guatemala, Mexico, South Africa, and Nepal.
Read about the exciting events they are planning below:
AFEDES: In Sacatepéquez, Guatemala, AFEDES is coordinating with other women’s organizations in holding a press conference to demand the Guatemalan state fund the construction of a women’s center for the survivors of violence and to demand public investment for women’s development, including implementing the Femicide Law. Although the 2008 law, a huge victory for feminists and women’s rights organizations, considers violence against women a punishable act, many women and those in the judicial system are unaware of the law and thus implementation is weak. AFEDES has been creating awareness on the law and empowers women to speak up for their rights and come forward about abuse.
APROSADSE: APROSADSE is organizing a celebration with a group of women and mothers of families of the students who participate in APROSADSE’s radio distance-learning education program. They are planning a morning filled with exchanging experiences as housewives and integrating a lens of gender equity. The official theme for International Women’s Day activities is “Access to education for women and girls: training, science and technology” – sharing the rights that women have to education for economic development and social change.
Nepi Behña: Nepi Behña in Mexico is working together with RedPar – National Network of Rural Promoters and Advisors – in a National Gathering of indigenous, rural and mixed race women this week. The gathering will address the findings of an investigation they carried out last year about the impact of the food crisis and climate change – as well as the changes in migration patterns.
Positive Women’s Network: Positive Women’s Network in South Africa will be holding an event to celebrate the lives and achievements of women living with HIV/AIDS. The event will host 50 women from PWN outreach areas and will provide a platform for the women to recognize and applaud each other for their achievements as women, PLWHA, mothers, caregivers and community members. The event will also provide a discussion session for the women to engage each other on issues that predispose women to gender-based violence and risky behaviors leading to HIV/AIDS as well as methods of increasing the involvement of women in HIV/AIDS and sexual and reproductive health policy design and implementation.
Whole World Women Association: WWWA, also in South Africa, will have an event on Saturday, March 12th to celebrate International Women’s Day. The theme is “Women’s Reproductive Health.” An International Women’s Day Panel Discussion will be held with representatives of the reproductive rights alliance, gender activists, and feminists attending.
Women’s Awareness Center Nepal: Women Awareness Center Nepal’s training and resource center will be inaugurated by rural women on March 8th. Women from the village will share their experiences of empowerment with the audience in the program and after the inauguration, 1000 members of WACN promoted cooperatives will participate in a rally in Kathmandu on the occasion of 100th Women’s Day in support of the IWD theme for this year “Equal access to education, training and science and technology: path way to decent work for women.” Informational placards displayed at the rally will address challenges such as, tax break for cooperatives run by village women, allocate more resources for disadvantaged women, timely drafting of the constitution, and the right to citizenship through motherhood.
Look for photos and an update from the event on our blog!
Dec
12“When a Butterfly Comes Out of Her Cocoon” – Reflections on Developing Women’s Leadership Skills in Rural Guatemala
2010
Posted by IDEX
IDEX Program Officers Katherine Zavala and Yeshica Weerasekera traveled to Guatemala in September to visit IDEX partners AFEDES, APROSADSE and ISMU as well as new groups and allies working in various social justice movements. This report is from Katherine on her visit to AFEDES.
On my trip to Guatemala in September, I went to Chimaltenango to observe the first workshop of AFEDES’ leadership training series– a follow up to the last year’s training program on political and civic participation to empower women.
The ultimate objective of the training is to build a network of community facilitators, where rural women gain the skills and capacity for training and community organizing in their respective communities.
The plan is for this group of nine women to graduate from this program next March. AFEDES is excited to see what the women will take from the training program next year, and I am, too.
In honor of International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on November 25th, we present to you an on-the-ground report from IDEX Program Officer Katherine Zavala. Katherine was in Guatemala in September to visit IDEX partners AFEDES, APROSADSE and ISMU as well as new groups and allies that are working in various social justice movements.
Prior to my arrival in Guatemala, I had been reading media reports about increased violence against women in the country. Some articles even claimed that incidences of violence against women surpassed the number of cases in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico (find their website here). According to the site, by Guatemala’s Human Rights department, more than 4,000 women were murdered between 2000 and 2008. The Guatemala Human Rights Commission has also published a more extensive report on violence against women in Guatemala.
The 2008 passage of the Femicide Law was a huge victory for feminist and women’s rights organizations. Previously, the only law addressing violence against women (VAW) was the law to Prevent, Sanction, and Eradicate Domestic Violence, which passed in late-1996. However, as it didn’t recognize violence as a punishable crime, the law’s ability to protect women was limited. Under the Femicide Law, violence against women is considered a punishable criminal act, and perpetrators can receive harsh sentences for their crimes.
Although it has been more than two years since the passage of the law, many people, including those within the governmental judicial system, are unaware of it. As a result, the law is not being effectively implemented.
To raise awareness, IDEX partner Alliance to Promote Equity and Development in Sacatepéquez (AFEDES) actively participates in coordinating municipality town halls and forums. Known as “Tables of Dialogues” (Mesas de Diálogos), legal experts are invited to talk with community members from different sectors about the necessary steps for submitting a denouncement involving violence against women.
The Gift of Life
IDEX Program Officers Katherine Zavala and Yeshica Weerasekera traveled to Guatemala in September to visit IDEX partners AFEDES, APROSADSE and ISMU as well as new groups and allies that are working in various social justice movements.
APROSADE board Vice President Bernadino Ajá with APROSADE board President Nicomedes Xajil Lopez.
We returned to the main road and drove along a long stretch of damaged roads to reach the home of a health promoter, Remigio, in the community of El Sargento. Remigio welcomed us with a group comprising two other male health promoters and three midwives. Each person told us stories about the role they play in their communities and discussed some of their achievements and challenges.
These communities are remote, they told us, and with terrible roads. Some communities even lack access to public transport. As government health services are less than basic, APROSADSE plays a significant role in locating individuals that show potential for providing health services to their communities. APROSADSE then trains those selected for care-giving roles, encouraging and boosting their confidence, while also providing them with supplies and basic equipment kits. Following their training, APROSADSE checks in with them and monitors their progress.
As the heavy raindrops danced noisily on the tin roof, we listened to individual stories about how the health promoters try to take preventive action, the great need in the communities for awareness raising concerning general hygiene, the handling and disposal of trash, and how illnesses are contracted. They spoke of how they deal with particularly difficult health problems, including typhoid, pneumonia, bronchitis and amoebic dysentery—all with bare-bones supplies and medicines.
APROSADE board member and midwife Teodora Balán.
Always impressive is the valuable role that midwives play in these rural communities. The three midwives, Lucía, Anabel and María Concepción, each offered stories of particular cases where they utilized their natural talents, knowledge of plant remedies, and practical experience to birth babies at home and to monitor complicated pregnancies. With no transport available in some of these areas, on occasion they have needed to call around for help and have even appealed to the fire brigade to take women facing complicated pregnancies to the local health center.
Having been born at home in Sri Lanka with the umbilical cord wrapped three times around my neck, I was inwardly thrilled to meet these rural midwives. Their stories were reminders that my own survival was due to the skills of an excellent midwife. And as we traded stories of twisted umbilical cords and birthing twins and triplets, I felt a wave of gratitude and affection for these amazing women, who, despite limited resources, provide a most valuable contribution to their communities.
After an enjoyable lunch by a small waterfall with the APROSADSE staff, we pressed on with our community visits. The rainfall started up again as we began to climb up rocky roads to the community of Cruz Nueva. In a crowded schoolroom full of parents and students, we heard about APROSADSE’s popular scholarship program. In case after case, we listened to the dreams of children and their (often illiterate) parents. One child wants to be a lawyer, another a doctor, and yet another a teacher.
APROSADSE’s approach is to combine all their programs with critical training components that address good health practices, environmental awareness and climate change, sustainable practices and the use of natural remedies and traditional practices. APROSADSE’s Director, Gervacio, explained to the group that working people in the United States lend support to communities in Guatemala, and that IDEX staff hosts house parties to raise funds for their partners. He added that IDEX visits to learn about conditions in Guatemala and later presents the information to people back home in the U.S.
Everyone expressed gratitude for the scholarship program and for the support IDEX provides for APROSADSE. In their words, IDEX and APROSADSE are “fighting for them.”
APROSADSE works in the remote, rural communities of San Martín Jilotepéque, Chimaltenango Guatemala, with indigenous subsistence farming families. To learn more about APROSADE’s work in Guatemala please click here.
IDEX Program Officers Katherine Zavala and Yeshica Weerasekera traveled to Guatemala in September to visit IDEX partners AFEDES, APROSADSE and ISMU as well as new groups and allies that are working in various social justice movements.
Children in an Independence Day Parade
Over a two-day period during Guatemalan Independence Day celebrations, we visited IDEX partner Association for the Promotion of Health and Socio-economic Development (APROSADSE). Based in San Martin Jilotepeque, APROSADE works with indigenous subsistence farming families in the department of Chimaltenango.
Day one began with a gathering of the board directors, all having traveled some distance by public transport to meet with us. Almost all the board directors, who live in surrounding communities, are health promoters and midwives. They talked of their roles and responsibilities as well as the socio-economic difficulties their communities face—particularly in the aftermath of Storm Agatha and the ensuing mudslides.
“We haven’t seen so much rain in a long, long time, and I am almost 60 years old”, exclaimed Nico, the Board president. “The river overflowed so much that it took a lot of the land and crops with it. People had used micro credit loans to cultivate their crops but now they don’t have a way to pay it back.”
It was evident that they take their role very seriously and take pride in APROSADSE’s work in the surrounding rural communities.
Next up was a meeting with the dedicated staff team, including Health Program Coordinator Simon Estrada Guerra, who IDEX had invited on a successful learning tour to San Francisco last year. The Director, Don Gervacio Atz Jicha, had been called away to take care of an agroecology promoter, who had had a bad motorbike accident on his way to a community visit that morning.
During our visit we learned more about APROSADSE’s programs in agro-ecology, health and education. A core element of their success lies is the use of local community members as promoters in these three activity areas. With regular training and assistance from staff program coordinators, APROSADSE has been able to expand to 195 communities, directly reaching more than 16,000 people.
Simon helps to build stepping-stones to get across the stream
Day two consisted of visiting remarkable community activities. Our first stop was to see community member Hector Cos Chajon, whom Katherine had visited two years ago. We were immediately caught off-guard when we began the narrow, steep trek down a forested roadside ravine to reach the field where Hector was working. Simon and two others thoughtfully took a few minutes to build stepping-stones across a stream for us. We listened solemnly as they explained that this was the route that people used on a daily basis to both reach the fields and carry their produce back up to the road. A dirt road nearby would make access much easier, but it cuts through a private plantation and the owner denies access to non-plantation workers.
We reached Hector, who was working in the field with his wife and children harvesting bright red tomatoes. He greeted us with a smile but we could tell his heart was heavy. Two years ago he was thriving. After obtaining a micro-credit loan from APROSADSE, Hector was growing produce on his land, selling his surplus produce and helping others in his community. This year, Storm Agatha had done huge damage. He spoke to us of his sadness and frustration.
“I never thought it would happen,” he said. “We had our own stable home and a good piece of land, but Storm Agatha took it all away and it has been a complete disaster. We lost everything.”
Hector’s father now lets him cultivate a small plot of his own land, but it will take years to rebuild their lives. Moreover, the produce he cultivates now is insufficient to cover his family’s basic needs, and he has had to take his two sons out of school. Nevertheless, Hector is trying to stay hopeful.
“At least we didn’t lose our lives and the family is safe,” he said. “We have to hold on.”
He continued. “There are those in this country that think we are not important enough and they don’t think of us. A lot of people have forgotten about people like us and that is why we are glad for your visit. Having you come talk to us makes us visible.”
To learn more about APROSADE’s work in Guatemala please click here.
IDEX Program Officers Katherine Zavala and Yeshica Weerasekera traveled to Guatemala in September to visit IDEX partners AFEDES, APROSADSE and ISMU as well as new groups and allies that are working in various social justice movements.
Program Officers Yeshica (far left) and Katherine (middle) in a meeting with community members of Balcones de Palin.
Today we drove 43 km outside Guatemala City to the state of Escuintla to visit the settlement community of Balcones de Palin. Over 400 families live here–all displaced from different states throughout Guatemala after Hurricane Mitch destroyed their land and homes more than a decade ago. Following the hurricane, the government transferred many people from Guatemala City to Balcones de Palin, and IDEX partner Institute for Overcoming Urban Poverty (ISMU) traveled to the area to determine what had become of the people from the community of La Verbena.
ISMU discovered significant needs in the community. Since people lacked the necessary land titles to build new structures, ISMU created a commission to ensure the granting of land titles to community residents. However, despite eventually granting the land titles, the government still hasn’t provided additional services or infrastructure support. Through ISMU, community women are participating in housing improvement programs, a revolving loan fund, and providing children with educational support.
Once we arrived in Balcones de Palin, community organizer Doña María welcomed us to the local school where students were practicing a marching song for their big parade on Independence Day. We were then taken to her house, where many women and youth had gathered to discuss the various ISMU programs in which they had participated. Many of the families have benefited from the housing improvement program, in which ISMU facilitated the acquisition of wooden boards and steel plates to reinforce existing shacks.
A natural community leader, María facilitated the conversation. She has participated in several ISMU-led workshops on self-esteem, leadership, and community organizing. She noted that while her house was humble, “the richness is in my children.” She wants to see continued improvements in the livelihoods of the community and has formed the Holistic Association in Balcones (ASOBAL). Comprised of 3 men and 8 women, the organization is working to identify needs in the community and to find ways in which to address them.
This is a close-knit community in which members clearly look after each other. For instance, it is not unusual for the community to care for children who have lost parents.
As we left Balcones de Palin, we were impressed by the determination of community members to improve livelihoods and rise to the economic and environmental challenges around them.
To learn more about ISMU’s work in Guatemala please click here.
IDEX Program Officers Katherine Zavala and Yeshica Weerasekera traveled to Guatemala in September to visit IDEX partners AFEDES, APROSADSE and ISMU as well as new groups and allies that are working in various social justice movements.
Storm Agatha severely affected communities in the municipality of Chinautla.
This morning we traveled with IDEX partner Institute for Overcoming Urban Poverty (ISMU) to the outskirts of Guatemala City to visit two communities that were severely affected by Storm Agatha.
Our first stop was Tecun Uman in Chinautla. Originally a vacant area that was later settled by people who had been displaced by the 1976 earthquake, about 600 families now live here. Very young mothers—some as young as 13—are commonplace, and while boys in the area are encouraged to go to school, educating girls is not a priority. Many families also lack access to basic services.
While some members of these communities travel to Guatemala City to work, many people’s primary source of income is derived from trips to a garbage dump where they search for any bit of precious metal.
Nicknamed “the mine,” jewelry lost in the city often winds up in this cave-like area at the bottom of the dump. The area is full of toxic fumes and there is a risk of flash floods, which can sweep away someone in a matter of minutes. The recent storm has made an already risky job all the more so.
When we arrived, two of ISMU’s community facilitators – Leticia and Cristina – warmly welcomed us. Both woman are from Chinautla, and explained that most families in the area were affected by storm Agatha.
The storm destroyed 40 houses and even three months after the storm hit, the effects are still devastating. Just recently, three children were killed after their house collapsed. Because the road was blocked, it was too hard to reach them in time.
In the area near the river, where the storm destroyed many homes, we saw how precarious the cliffs were. At the short time we where there, we saw a large piece of land crumble down into the river. The cliff we were standing on didn’t look like it would hold much longer. Many of the houses have been evacuated – still, people cross here all the time. In fact, this is the path that children use daily to get to school.
In the aftermath of the storm, both Leticia and Cristina, who are trained as community organizers by ISMU, contacted the local municipality to obtain temporary shelter in the communities for 13 families. ISMU has also helped with securing construction materials to reinforce damaged homes.
Lucy, who works in “the mine” and her two children.
One woman we met in the temporary shelters was named Lucy, a single mother of two young sons who relies on visits to “the mine” to eke out a living. Lucy has no other means of earning an income. The Q200 (about $24.50) a week is enough to cover food and a portion of electricity, so she takes the risks to support her children.
To address these ongoing community issues, ISMU-trained community facilitator like Leticia and Cristina are following up with their neighbors to document updates of each family’s situation, and is requesting appropriate support from the government for communities that are positioned in high-risk areas.
ISMU is also taking part in a national alliance in Guatemala to educate and contribute to climate change discussions and have delegated a representative from the alliance to be present at COP16, the UN Climate Change Conference in Cancun, Mexico this year.
To learn more about ISMU’s work in Guatemala please click here.
Sep
21“This is not a poor country, this is a country that has been impoverished.”
2010
Posted by IDEX
IDEX Program Officers Katherine Zavala and Yeshica Weerasekera are in Guatemala this month of September to visit IDEX partners AFEDES, APROSADSE and ISMU as well as new groups and allies that are working in various social justice movements. Yeshica Weerasekera writes this blog from Guatemala to start off our series on Guatemala.
Guatemala has its share of challenges, but also possesses striking natural beauty.
Katherine and I arrive in Guatemela on a bright and clear morning, eager to get a firsthand look at the progress made by our partner groups. We are particularly excited to arrive, since we nearly had to cancel the trip due to two subsequent natural disasters that destroyed bridges and roads around the country. Torrential rains following the devastation of Storm Agatha caused mudslides that killed dozens of people, displaced thousands of others and made even major roads impassable. Enormous sinkholes remained in Guatemala City due to the May eruption of the Pacayo Volcano, making travel even more treacherous. However, after talking to our partner groups, we felt reassured that we could make the trip.
After an overnight flight, we hit the ground running. Like many capital cities around the world, Guatemala City is swept up in the hustle and bustle of big-city activity, with scores of cars and buses spewing diesel fumes. Sadly, one of the first things we hear about is the elevated crime rate. As in other regions of Guatemala, the high crime rate can impede normal business and leisure activities. Machine-gun carrying guards are everywhere, standing outside of banks, malls and other facilities. It makes for an uneasy feeling, and locals warn us about our safety. So wary are we of crime, in fact, that during our three-day visit to Guatemala City we can’t even hail a cab on the curbside. Although I am a visitor, I cannot help but wonder about the psychological effects of living with this constant threat on a daily basis.
Despite the destruction from the recent natural disasters and the high crime levels, another picture of Guatemala emerges almost immediately. There is a sweetness present in the interactions with ordinary people, who go out of their way to help us with information and personal insights. Such kindness is rivaled only by the country’s dramatically beautiful landscape, where views of volcanoes and lush mountains are commonplace. We also feel fortunate to have trusting and open relationships with our partner groups, and look forward to seeing the reality of the country’s challenges and opportunities from their eyes.
On our first day in the city we learn about the general situation from local organizations—United Farmworkers Committee (CUC) and National Coordination of Indigenous Peoples and Campesinos (CONIC)—both of which are working for sustainable livelihoods for indigenous people and rural farm workers.
Prior to the signing of peace accords in 1996, Guatemala was the site of a brutal 36-year armed conflict that killed some 200,000 people. Fortunately, the peace process has brought the armed resistance movements to the negotiating table with the government. These resistance movements had formed to fight for improved conditions for Guatemalan communities, largely indigenous and rural “campesinos,” descended from the mighty Maya and other indigenous groups.
Economic disparity remains severe here, with much of the wealth concentrated in a few hands or extracted by foreign corporations. The elevated poverty levels most severely impact the indigenous and rural communities.
“This is not a poor country, this is a country that’s been impoverished,” says Daniel, a CUC staff member.
He goes on to explain how the peace accords had addressed structural changes like land reform, social benefits and labor reforms such as the minimum wage, and changes to the judicial system. Disappointingly, however, the signing of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) led to the unraveling of any progress towards those accords. Now, there are concessions made to mining corporations, the building of big dams, and the pressing onset of agrofuels industries.
In the light of these serious issues, we wait to meet with our partner groups to see the impact on the communities they work with for ourselves.
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