Delegation Nov 2008, International No Violence Against Women March

The No Violence Against Women March this year comprised about 40 groups and 3000 participants, slightly smaller than last year, but this is probably not because there is less violence, but because people are afraid of violence. One group we work with told us that they didn't participate this year because of recent death threats.

Our delegates dressed in black with red capes to signify mourning, bloodshed and hope. Mourning for our fallen sisters, the bloodshed that led to their loss, and hope for a better future. A future where women can walk without fear of violence.

We waved the banner of our sister organization, the Guatemala Peace and Development Network, which our founder, Lucia Munoz (shown at right), co-founded in 2001.










This young man was selling nuts and candy on the street.


















The delegates talked with one of the police officers patrolling the march route and explained what we were doing there.

Delegation Nov 2008, Sobrevivientes and Antigua Guatemala

We visited our friends at Fundacion Sobrevivientes http://www.sobrevivientes.org who gave us a rundown on some of the cases they are presently dealing with.

Sobrevivientes supports the victims and their families in femicide cases, providing social and legal services, holistic health care, and counseling. They also accompany witnesses to court and provide safe shelter when needed.

A generous organization in Sweden gave Sobrevivientes money to purchase a new home/headquarters just around the corner from their old home. Unfortunately, they are involved with some high-profile cases and there are people threatening them and telling them to stop their work.

All the intense human rights work is satisfying but exhausting, and it's important to unwind sometimes. We went to Antigua Guatemala, the old capital, which is surrounded by scenic volcanos.








Colonial architecture gives the visitor to Antigua a sense of traveling back in time.

















Markets in the city have hand made fabrics available for purchase. This display was in Guatemala City in the market downtown, but all the major cities have areas where hand crafts can be found.

Delegation Nov 2008, Safe Passage and the City Dump

These children are in the day care at Safe Passage, an organization formed by a U.S. American woman who saw the need to provide a better life for the kids who live in and around the city dump.











Several hundred families live at the dump. Until recently, they were able to gather recyclables, e.g. plastic milk jugs and get a dollar for 100 pounds of plastic. But the bottom fell out of the market for recyclables when the recession hit hard in Fall 2008, and now they are basically working for nothing.

It is not clear how they are managing to sustain themselves in this situation.



One of the schools where we deliver the "Hombres Contra Feminicidio" program, in Z. 18, one of the worst parts of Guatemala City.












Near the school lives one of our scholarship clients, Bianca (center) who is in high school now, and we are planning to help her with tuition and expenses to go to college next year.

Her mother runs a small store and restaurant where we ate breakfast. Several delegates said it was the best meal of the whole trip; tamales de chipilin, handmade tortillas, and other hand-crafted foods made it a great meal.

Delegation Nov 2008, Police Archives & Lola

During the 36-year armed conflict (aka. Civil War), many people simply disappeared. A lot of these disappearances were at the hands of the army, others were at the hands of the well-known "paramilitaries" -- contractors acting on the orders of the military or local public officials. Others were at the hands of the National Police. Unlike the others, the police in many cases kept detailed records of what they did, where and when. These records were mostly tied with string, and thrown into a big pile in a building near downtown Guatemala City.

The Police Archives Project is unbundling, scanning, and organizing these records so that more can be learned and understood about what happened during the Armed Conflict. The information they gather is forwarded to the Ministero Publico, which makes the decision whether to move forward prosecuting any cases or not.

Inside the police archives with Director Alberto

See more about the Police Archives Project
http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/guatemala704/video/video_index.html

Alba Maldonado aka. Ex-Comandante Lola

Few women attained leadership positions in the people's struggle against the installed military dictatorships during the armed conflict, but Alba Maldonado managed to do so. She also led a coalition of left-leaning organizations in recent years. Here's an article describing the general state of the left as of 2002, which mentions her role:

http://www.envio.org.ni/articulo/1596

Delegation Nov 2008, Ombudsman Office and Xela Aid

We arrived at Guatemala early in the morning, and had breakfast. Right afterwards, we headed to the "Procurador de Derechos Humanos" or Ombudsman's office, which has the job of trying to get the government to protect the rights of the people.





The morning after we arrived, we drove to Xela (Quetzaltenango) and met with a representative of Xela Aid, a non-profit that works to help with economic development in the areas in the countryside around Xela. These young men were returning from a morning of helping their parents in the field.













These women told us about some of the agricultural, medical and other projects Xela Aid is promoting. It is impressive how far a few dollars of contribution can go to making life healthier and safer in the poor areas of Guatemala.

November 2007 Delegation (Moved from web site)

This information was previously posted on MIA's main web site: www.miamericas.info

Shopping and sightseeing were a minor sidelight in this whirlwind visit to beautiful Guatemala. We had important work to do, learning by listening to women who are living there, to individuals and groups involved with solving the sever social difficulties there, and telling what we learned to two Guatemalan Congresswomen and several U.S. State department officials.



he No Violence Against Women March

Societal change is always started by small passionate groups, and our delegation fit that description perfectly. We had students, people active in fighting for women's rights in the U.S., and college professors in our delegation. All were very passionate about the situation for women in Guatemala, and showed they were willing to work to make their views known. We ate breakfast at 7 or 7:30 am most morning and out the door a half hour later, traveling, marching, learning, and making our presence felt.


After the No Violence Against Women march, we met with Congresswoman Nineth Montenegro

Before the trip, some in the group were considering leaving us for a day or so to do the tourist thing, but the work we were doing was so powerful, so compelling, that they decided to stay with us for the whole time. This was a powerful testimony to how worthwhile and valuable the delegation was.

Several of our delegates have told us they will be returning for future delegations, and some promise to bring students or friends with them. We invite you to consider joining our next delegation. If you are thinking about joining, contact us and we can give you a chance to talk with some of the participants of previous trips.

click here to see more photos of the 2007 delegation

Escuela Oficial Rural Mixta Santa Barbara, Z18

Escuela (School) Oficial Rural Mixta Santa Barbara, is in Zona 18 on the outskirts of Guatemala City. It's in the highest-crime area of the capital city, and is the school where MIA has chosen to initiate its campaign "Hombres Contra Feminicido".

This program teaches kids, especially boys, how to interact constructively with each other. Gender stereotypes, gender relations, and gender equality are all addressed in an attempt to break the cycle of men's violence against women. We are implementing the program using materials from the white ribbon campaign. If you want to help, contact us at miamericas@yahoo.com

Below are some photos of the school from our July 2008 delegation.







The kids put on a skit for us.



Our facilitator at work, with the delegates in the background.