UPdate on Guatemala EIA 2012
Friday, February 17, 2012 at 12:45AM Date: Thu, 16 Feb 2012
Good day folks,
The Education In Action group is working really hard and very well together, learning about the struggles against impunity in Guatemala, and the struggle for change. We attended a meeting with "Hijos" and learned how this group of sons and daughters are working for justice for there parents who disappeared during the armed conflict. Our next meeting with at IMAP, a permaculture organization working to teach the importance of sustainable agriculture and seed banking.
Next we found ourselves with the Comite Campesino del Alitiplano in Quixaya and received several presentations on the past and current political situation in Guatemala. We traveled to the Cafe Justicia beneficio in San Lucas Toliman and learned the benefits of fair trade and learned how long it takes to process coffee. This year, due to the torrential rainfall, the coffee yield decreased 30% nationwide.
Then we traveled to Oyo de Agua and started on the construction of our first house. This new alternative building is a pilot test initiated by the CCDA for sustainable living. This new construction of adobe building is typical of Guatemala. It has a life expectancy of approximately 100 years; is healtier to live in and creates jobs locally as all materials for the construction is from the land, soil, water, pine needles etc. Another important reason for returning to this style of construction is to preserve the forest.
The Education In Action team understands the purpose of this solidarity work and we are delighted to be invited into these community to work with them. Here is a photo of our first day on the building site. We spent an entire day with picks and shovels digging the footing for the new house.
In Solidarity,
Janet, for EIA and PSAC SJF
Education in Action
Hola,
After many days of hard work, today, Sunday we visited Peace Park in Santiago Atitlan to learn about the masacres that took place on December 2, 1990. We had our friend, Theodoro from the CCDA, share the history of what took place and continued to learn more history with a visit to the church in Santiago Atitlan, were we heard the story of the assisination of the Father "Abal" who fought with the Mayan people for justice. Father "Abal" was American and came from Oklahoma, but dedicated the last 20 years of his life to fight for justice and was a respected human rights activist in Guatemala, by the indigenous people. He was so dedicated to helping the people, that he was considered a threat to the army, thus one day, the army came looking for him and assisinated him on the church. His body is buried inside the church, and people still come to pray by his tomb. This church had begun being built in 1571. What we found quite unusual, was how the Mayan's still come to pray at this church today, but not to the cross, but rather to their "God", a swan, which sits on the opposite side of the cross inside the church.
Later on, we traveled to San Lucas, were we were generously fed a meal prepared by Roberto's family "Dona Chusita". At the end of the meal, Andre, an EIA delegate and PSAC member graciously presented Dona Chusita with a gift from Canada and for the group, to thank her for her kindness.
Tomorrow, we visit the school teacher in El Esfuerzo, supported by Education In Action, followed by a presentation by Leocadio Juracan, CCDA about agrarian conflict and reform.
Buenos noches de el grupo y hasta luego.
Janet, on behalf of the EIA 2012 delegation.
Education in Action
Hola amigos y amigas,
The Education In Action 2012 delegation has returned to Canada, with many experiences and memories, from picking coffee beans in the highlands of Cero des Oro; working with the community in Oyo des Agua building adobe homes; learning more about the struggle against impunity in Guatemala and receiving a better understanding about agrarian conflicts and reform.
Visiting El Esfuerzo, a community that continues to struggle for the right to their land, is deep in the heart of Education In Action. Progress in this community is visible having just completed the first water station since the community was developed, 10 years ago. Now with access to water, the community has started to grow vegetation on small plots of land. Along with the new homes built with Education In Action, EIA has been supporting the salary for "Oscar", the only teacher and acting Director of the school "Connecting Hands from Around the World", since 2007. With the continued support from EIA, El Esfuerzo now has a second teacher. Both Carlos and Oscar teach the primary grades (1-6). The younger children go to school in the morning and the older attend in the afternoon. Once they have completed their primary school, students must travel long distances, often by foot and on a dangerous road to attend high school more than 20 km away, making it difficult to attain additional education.
PS. There is one person missing (Bill Howson) from the group photo. Unfortunately, that is the only group photo I have (different from the first), taken at the Beneficio before I dropped my camera and was no longer able to take pictures. I do have footage on film, but I have not uploaded them to my computer yet.
I will be receiving more of an update and testimonies from the participants, but they have a lot of processing to do before providing us with that.
Hope this is good enough for now.
Janet
