Mega-projects and Respect for Communities and the Environment

There is so much to say on this topic that it's hard to know where to start.  Many of you have learned first hand about the presence of Canadian gold mining companies in the San Marcos region, and the more recent issues surrounding Italian hydroelectric companies in the Quiche region.  These two examples are by far not the only ones to mention in Guatemala or in the entire region.  Conflict over land and who has rights to it and it's resources abound in all of Latin America (and the world).  Although we spend a lot of time focusing on the impact of these issues on Guatemala, El Salvador has similar stories to share that are closely connected to our North American friends.  The presence of mega-projects and the conflict that surrounds them is a current challenge that El Salvador is also facing.  El Salvador’s fight against gold mining companies has come to the forefront of recent international news due to a $77 million lawsuit that the Canadian company, Pacific Rim, filed against the country as a result of the government failing to give permission to the company to begin operations on environmental grounds.  Due to local opposition that spurred country wide protests against metal mining, all large-scale operations of this nature have been suspended since 2008.  However, the fight over the lawsuit continues and at a high cost to El Salvador.  The country has spent around $5 million dollars of public funds in legal fees; funds that could be better spent on important social and economic initiatives.  For a complete overview of the situation in El Salvador, read, "Mining Gold, Undermining Democracy." 

These are important issues that affect a country we work in and many of you have visited.  It is our hope that through these updates and our upcoming advocacy tool-kit, we will all continue to learn about the reality here and ways that we can work for change.  One such action is by checking out Voices on the Border, a small non-profit organization working for "just and equitable development in El Salvador."  Please check their website for more information on an Oxfam initiated petition that is asking the U.S. government to end their support of Pacific Rim and the case against El Salvador.

For more information on this issue and other similar struggles, visit the MCC Latin America Advocacy blog:
El Salvador fights to protect its environment 
Working for Peace in Panama

The Latin America advocacy program has also started a Facebook page - another great way to stay connected to these and many other important issues.  Also, thank you to the program for the many great resources that they share with us on a regular basis. 

 

photos by Melissa Engle

the other face

 

 

 

 

All photos by Melissa Engle

See more of Melissa's pictures and read the stories of those who represent the other face of immigration here 

Learn more about MCC U.S.'s work on this issue here

Migration and Stengthening Local Economies

The MCC Guatemala/El Salvador program is currently working on an advocacy tool-kit that focuses on the following key advocacy areas that we have identified as integral parts of the Connecting Peoples work here: 

Migration and Strengthening Local Economies

Violence and Protection for Vulnerable Populations
(see here for more on this topic)

Mega-Projects and Respect for Communities and the Environment

In the coming months, we plan to share the tool-kit with you and hope that it will provide you with information and ideas on how you can continue working on these issues in your home communities.

Back in March, we spent time with the Rockway group in the area of Cotzal, Quiche near Nebaj, an experience that impacted me for many reasons, especially considering it was the first time we had taken a group there.  Part of the time included connecting with a group of youth who are starting a small, community bakery; by youth, I mean young people - mostly 14 and 15 year old girls and by small, I mean building a brick-oven in a roughly 6 by 6 foot space.  Often with these new and small initiatives, one never really knows where they will end up - how much of a long-term impact they will have on these young peoples' lives, and whether or not they will actually become strong enough reasons for the youth to stay in their communities and avoid the temptation to migrate.  During Rockway's visit, we shared time with a young man (a boy really) Jacinto, from another community in Nebaj where a similar bakery was started last year and is still going strong.  Unfortunately, a few weeks after seeing Jacinto, I found out that he had decided to take the increasingly dangerous trip through Mexico in attempts of making a life for himself in the U.S., without official documents of any kind.  Hearing this news hit me like a strong punch in the stomach and I have since been anxious and worried to hear whether or not Jacinto is able to survive the trip (and of course, cannot even imagine the worry of his family).  Stories like this, ones in which you are personally connected to the people and places from where these immigrants come, certainly give a new face to the "immigration debate" that is so strong in the north.  (Read this reflection by MCC SALT participant, Kelly, for another look at this debate)  These kinds of stories also continue to reinforce the need for small initiatives, like these community bakeries, in Guatemala and other parts of Central America.  More and more young people will continue to leave their home communities and migrate if they do not have viable economic and educational opportunities that give them a reason to stay.  Even though there are young people like Jacinto, who decided to leave even though there is such a project in his community, there are more and more young people that haven't left because of these same projects.  In now three different communities in the Nebaj/Cotzal area, there are small, youth-led projects that are flourishing, projects that are giving youth hope in themselves and in the futures that are possible without migration.  

 up and running stove that Rockway helped build (Cotzal)

 

 

 bread-making workshop and new flyer advertising their products (Cotzal)

small store that will be part of the bakery in Jacinto's community (Nebaj)

MCC U.S.is planning a learning tour to Guatemala in early October that will focus on immigration and the importance of these types of projects; visit here to learn more about  the "Alternatives to Migration" Learning  Tour.