PAZ in contexts of violence

A quick search on the Internet and one can find more than enough reports on the current reality of violence that most of Central America and Mexico are experiencing. Indeed the situation at times seems quite grim, leaving one to wonder just what things like the newly elected ex-military President will bring to Guatemala. While many of the region's cities can be found on various "most dangerous" lists, it was more than fitting that the topic of working at peace in this violent context was the focus of the MCC regional retreat earlier this month. The similarities between the various countries and the struggles that they all seem to share is alarming, causing one to feel that this little part of the world is going down, and going down fast. (Read more here about these difficult issues that connect the North with the South). We of course don't want to live in fear nor scare others with these headlines, but it is always important to be aware and question the root causes of these issues. It is important to remind ourselves that these types of things don't happen alone and that like it or not, we are all far more connected than we think. Take the issue of U.S. gun control and firearm smuggling as an example, something that is explained so well on the MCC Latin America Advocacy blog (Mexican Day of the Dead: Cause of Death?).

So often with these overwhelming and seemingly unsolvable issues, one feels like there is nothing that can be done. And although the discussions that we had at the regional retreat were tough and a bit depressing at times, I still left with a sense of solidarity and reassurance knowing that we're not in this alone. It was hopeful to be reminded of the important work communities and partners are doing to take steps towards sustainable change in the region. It was also timely that this past weekend a Guatemalan campaign called "Break the Cycle" organized an activity in which 10,000 people formed a human chain up the "Agua" volcano outside of Antigua, speaking out against domestic violence and the general "culture of violence" that permeates the country; videos here and here. As a side note, President Otto Perez was also at the event, either looking for good publicity or hopefully truly supporting this call for peace, and I was there when he arrived (like him or not, it was exciting to be 5 feet away from the President).

Another encouraging aspect of all of this is that there are small things that you out there can also do to speak out against violence and work at supporting this same sustainable change; for example, learn about and get involved in the Stop Gun Smuggling campaign here and here. Or consider supporting MCC partners like these in Honduras:
Proyecto Aldea Global
Proyecto MAMA

It's the tradition at the end of the MCC retreat for each team to present a talent of sorts during the famous "Noche de Talentos." Among many other creative and entertaining acts this year, the Honduras team shared the following song from the Honduran artist Polache; a fitting reminder of the need to work towards change, both on a large scale and within each of us.

"Mira Honduras"

May your eyes not be covered
Careful with the corruption and incomprehension
The indifference and delinquency
More and more no one can be found in this nation
Pay attention to this heart song
We have more good here
More those we love, we believe in this land
It is a blessing

Look at Honduras with different eyes
This is your land
I discovered that by looking at it with different eyes you will deserve it
Look at Honduras with different eyes
You have to love it
I discovered that by looking at it with different eyes you will deserve it

May your eyes not be covered
Deforestation and contamination
The poverty, injustice, and vulgarity
More and more no one can be found in this nation
Pay attention to this heart song
The richness, grandness, nobleness is more, and more the beauty
That there is in this land is a blessing

ANADESA Update

Visiting Santiago Atitlan and partnering with the work of ANADESA is something that many of you have done. Many hours have been spent interacting with the children's program, hearing about the history of the armed conflict, Hurricane Stan, and ANADESA's programs, planting trees, cleaning the community school (thinking, when oh when will they actually be able to use the school?!??!), listening to ANADESA's dream of buying their own land and building a community center. Yes, all of these have been things many of you have supported and participated in, with much energy and hope that all of ANADESA's goals can one day be met.

Well, guess what?? Some of these goals seem to be just a bit closer than they were before. It has finally been approved for the community of Panabaj to move back into the old school building, and out of the temporary one that they have been using since 2005. (Those hours you spent repairing the roof, painting the walls, and cleaning out mud actually were worth something!) And what's even more exciting is that ANADESA is now the proud new owner of their own land, right next to the Peace Park in Panabaj!

Thank you to Aaron McGarvey who is working with ANADESA through MCC's SALT program, for the following (and thank you to Roxanne Reimer for the photos):

The passing of the holiday months was a busy but rewarding time for ANADESA. In November, we were fortunate enough to host a candle-making workshop for the women of the village of Panabaj. Tobias Roberts and Yasmin Mendez, fellow MCC Guatemala workers in the town of Nebaj, demonstrated how to melt wax, add color and fragrance, and pour the liquid into molds to dry. Currently, we are working on perfecting the process with the idea of adding candles to the list of artisan, hand-made products that we already make and sell to many of the groups from North America that come to visit us.

The biggest piece of news, however, is our recent acquisition of land. In December, with the help of the Flaman Foundation, ANADESA was able to purchase a plot of land directly next to the Peace Park right here in Panabaj. This is a dream come true for us, as we have been running our entire organization out of a tiny little house office for over 5 years now. What right now is just a bunch of coffee trees will hopefully soon become the new Educational Center and Office of ANADESA. The idea right now is to have our own classrooms where we can support our own educational programs as well as a small meeting/convention center to host groups of visitors. The purchase was the culmination of years of work and planning on behalf of both Juan Ramirez and other leaders of ANADESA, the Flaman Foundation, Irma and Antony Sanchez-Solano (Directors of MCC programs in Guatemala and El Salvador), as well as countless other volunteers that have come and gone in past years. It is an understatement to say that we are excited, and we want to take this opportunity to thank those of you who have helped us get this far as well as ask for your continued support as we begin the planning and construction process.

In short, thanks to our wonderful supporters, ANADESA continues to grow. All of us here hope that you have had a wonderful Christmas and holiday season. As for us, we are constantly reminded of all that we have to be thankful for as we look towards the future with eager expectation.

Service Week (a bit less, a bit more)

Every year, MCC Guatemala/El Salvador organizes a Service Week for youth from both countries, offering them an opportunity to learn and serve; kind of a mini-version of what we do with groups from North America. What this "week" really ends up being is 3 days of interacting, learning, and sharing about each others' lives, with a half day of service thrown in for good measure. For many of the youth that participate, it is the first time they have traveled outside of their communities and a unique opportunity to learn about other cultures and traditions within their own country. This year, there were 6 different languages represented between the youth and the MCC workers who participated! It is also an opportunity for these youth to share with each other about the reality of their lives, the work they are doing in their communities, and generally have a good time and inspire each other (and us!) Seeing how motivated and spirited the youth are, how quickly they want to get to know each other, ask questions, laugh, and work together is always impressive; a sign of hope that there are positive things happening in this often difficult context. This year more than others as I observed and spent time with the youth, I was struck with how full of life they are and how much I hope that this spirit of joy and animation can continue to grow in them and their communities. The reality is that often times this can't happen because of the endless complexities and challenges of being a young person in Latin America (see here and here to read more). However, it is encouraging to know that by providing more and more spaces like these days of service, we are doing something, albeit small, to understand the difficult lives these youth are living and to encourage and support them in their processes of change.

this year's event took place in Altaverapaz at Bezaleel School


in addition to working on a painting project, the youth spent time learning about restorative justice and how to incorporate it into their personal lives

visit to lovely park near Carcha


the event ended with a talent show; very funny comic act from youth from Santiago and San Marcos

THANK YOU to Lilian for the fotos

Women in Leadership

One of the successes of this year's groups has been inviting 1-2 local youth to travel with each group for a portion of their time here. Again and again, both the groups and these youth have commented on the value of these experiences. Providing Guatemalans and El Salvadorians the opportunity to learn about the issues their own countries and communities are facing, and stretching their minds to think outside of the box, is such an important aspect of the work of Connecting Peoples. It was with much excitement that we were also able to schedule a local Learning Tour for women in October, focusing on the different leadership roles of women within the church and various social development projects. We traveled to El Salvador with a group of 9 Guatemalan women, adding another 4 El Salvadorian women to the group once we arrived. The experience of visiting projects in three different communities where women are the primary leaders, hearing of both their struggles and achievements, was very motivational for the group. The exchange was a great success and something we hope to replicate in 2012, focusing on the Connecting Peoples goal of promoting more of these "South-South" exchanges. With the help of funds from groups that come from North America in 2012, we hope to grow a budget to be used for these local Learning Tours.

Mujer Salvadoreña
by Patricia Ferrell

Woman of El Salvador, worker and peasant

I sing to your hand of tenderness and strength
Hands that know so well how to shape tortillas
and how to caress
Hands that work for a new society

Woman of El Salvador, so long suffering and so brave
I sing to your scars, to your tears of war
Tears shed for the children that you lost
Tears that will wash away the suffering of your people

Woman of El Salvador, heart of the homes
I sing to your strength of family and solidarity
Strength of wife and mother,
Strength so loving and brave
Strength of hands united, that grow stronger every day

Woman of El Salvador, woman of faith and hope
I sing to all the women of Chalatanango
The repopulated women are seeds of a future
That we will reach together, with God and hard work.

Once again, we visited the "Promised Land" in San Martin where progress is being made on things like this wall (Enlace 2011)

Visit to Saskatchewan

Yes, it may be hard to believe that I would choose to leave warm Guatemala and travel to Saskatchewan in the middle of November, but I did. And I can say that below-zero temperatures and all, I had a wonderful visit and really enjoyed this place that so many of you Canadians often talk down on! All of us from MCC Guate/El Salvador are so grateful for the opportunity Rosthern Junior College gave us to continue growing the relationship RJC started with MCC more than 10 years ago. As I mentioned while at RJC's annual fundraising banquet, (see here for more news and photos from the night) RJC's commitment to integrating service learning into their curriculum is more than evident and certainly something to be admired. Below is a portion of what I shared with the RJC community while there; a thank you of sorts to RJC and all of you who have supported the work of Connecting Peoples in Guatemala, El Salvador, and beyond.

Unfortunately, Anotny and Irma were not able to accompany me but we hope they will be able to visit Canada in the coming year!

"Time and time again, our partners have expressed how important these types of experiences are for building a sense of hope and solidarity in their communities; when they see that a group of young Canadians are genuinely interested in sharing with them, learning about their daily struggles, working and playing alongside them, they are motivated and encouraged by this authentic show of support. I can’t count the times I have heard a local person say that they cannot believe that these young people are “preocupados” for them; they can’t believe that you are worried or concerned or even interested in their lives. Showing solidarity with a people that has often been forgotten, is huge and the power of that cannot be emphasized enough. Likewise, these cross cultural exchanges allow for the local communities to see the beauty of their own culture and way of living in a new light. So often, especially in the indigenous communities in Guatemala, people have been taught to think that they are not good enough, that their traditions are backwards or of little value, that even the natural beauty in which they live and work is just “normal”, and that in order to really advance in life they have to leave it and search for “better” lives in the cities or outside of their own country. Bringing groups from the North, which still very much represents the land of endless opportunity for many Central Americans, and seeing these groups enjoy the local nature, culture, and traditions, is something that helps the communities to start recognizing their own richness. Many times in the communities of San Marcos, which is one of the most beautiful places I have been, I have heard people tell groups that we probably think their communities and the way they live is “sad”. It’s almost comical to hear because over and over again groups comment on the beauty of these communities, the warm hospitality they find there, and the valuable skills and talents that these communities use to work at improving their lives. Again, these signs of solidarity, respect, and encouragement are invaluable and a concrete example of how Guatemalans themselves are finding beauty in what they sometimes could otherwise consider sad and undesirable.

Lastly, these exchanges help the communities to open their minds and see that there are more sides to North Americans then what past governments, churches, and multinational companies have shown them. The CP program has created a strong relationship with groups across North America, but even more so across Canada; in Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and beyond, there is a growing interest to continue connecting with Guatemala. It is clear that a connection between North America and Guatemala has already been forged in a way very different from that of these groups as seen in the presence of Canadian mining companies in the San Marcos region. When visiting that area, I often think not only about this negative impact, but even more so the conversely positive impact that many other Canadians are having there. Instead of causing conflict and environmental damage, the Canadian groups we have worked with are supporting small community initiatives in hopes of creating jobs and sustainable income for people of San Marcos. These groups have supported community cooperatives as they start eco-tourism projects, trout production systems, and small farm centers, all the while just over the mountain, these Canadians' fellow countrymen are working at something all together different and certainly not as sustainable. It is exciting to think about this small, but important way that North Americans are working at building bridges with the people of Guatemala and at changing the way we are often viewed by the world outside of our comfortable North American borders. It gives me hope that these kinds of projects are working at supporting and growing the richness that exists in San Marcos, a kind of wealth that cannot be measured by gold.

Again and again, it has been affirmed that indeed groups’ visits are having a positive affect on our partner communities and the work they are developing. Of course, our continued hope for both these communities and the groups that visit, is that these experiences don’t end after the week or two they spend together. Rather that once back in their normal routine, what they have learned continues to challenge them and that ultimately, changed attitudes turn into visible action; something we hope you have seen in your own students and childrens’ lives. It certainly can be difficult to measure these changed attitudes, which is why visible action and physical change can be so motivating in this work. Having the opportunity to revisit communities allows for us to see and hear about the “emotional” changes, but also the more visible, material changes that continue to happen long after a group helps to start building the foundation of a farm center for example. For many years, RJC funds have helped support projects in many parts of Guatemala and more recently in El Salvador. It is always exciting to see that these funds and the hours groups have spent at what seems to be the thankless work of mixing cement and moving rocks, do turn into real things; preschools, tourist cabins, and co-op centers. These concrete changes keep us and the local communities motivated in the work we are doing, and are a clear sign that the relationship of solidarity RJC continues to build with Guatemala and El Salvador has been successful at creating beauty amidst the pain. It is encouraging to know that we have partners, like RJC, who are committed to continue working at creating this positive change, this beauty, in their students, in their own communities, and in communities far beyond. My hope is that both MCC and RJC continue to value the importance of this and that we remember that we are far beyond being able to say “no” to becoming global citizens. Although we know that there are risks and possible pain involved in taking steps to think and live internationally, and that beauty and brokenness are so very hard to untwine, I encourage all of us to continue to believe that there is great beauty and richness in expanding our horizons and those of others."

2012 Calendar

We are gearing up for a busy first semester here in 2012. We look forward to seeing those of you who are planning to come! If you are interested in organizing a trip, we have space starting in July 2012; contact connecting@guatemala.mcc.org for more information. Click on the links below to read more about each organization's connection to service learning.

February:
Food Resource Bank
Eastern Mennonite University

March:
Rockway Mennonite Collegiate

April:
University of Saskatchewan
Rosthern Junior College

May:
Avila University

Working at peace through the arts

This month we are pleased to highlight another member of the Guatemala/El Salvador MCC team, Lilian Guenther. Like similar projects that are becoming more and more important in the region, Lilian coordinates an arts and recreation program that works at building peace and providing healthy alternatives for individuals from high risk areas. The reality of violence in urban centers around Central America is alarming and discouraging, one that often affects youth the most; more than half of Guatemala's population is between the ages of 18-30 and are often involved, or accused of being involved in crime. Programs like AMAR (see below) and Trasciende (read Guatemala youth transcend violence through hip-hop) are offering creative ways for youth (and adults!) to develop their artistic abilities, an opportunity that is seldom part of their everyday reality.

Lilian (left) with fellow MCC worker, Elizabeth

My name is Lilian Guenther and as of February, 2011, I work with A.M.A.R. (Academia Menonita de Artes y Recreación, which stands for Mennonite Academy of Arts and Recreation) in Guatemala City. A.M.A.R. is a program of the Mennonite Church of Guatemala and is funded by MCC. The main objective of this program is to contr ibute to peacebuilding and the artistic and recreational development in the eight Mennonite churches and their surrounding communities. Together with my co-worker Isabel Garnica, we coordinate the program, look after the administration, direct choir, teach music classes to children, youth and adults, and provide weekly music classes in a pre-school program of one of the churches. At this point AMAR has about 70 students at the two current venues where music classes are offered and 40 students at the pre-school program. The students range in age from 7 to 59 years of age. In the work as coordinators there is never a dull moment as there are always students to encourage, songs to arrange, classes to plan, reports to write, decisions to be made, meetings to attend, and most importantly to connect with students, teachers and parents. I deeply cherish the relationships that have developed over these 7 months of my time with AMAR and I look forward to many more!


Lilian playing the Paraguayan harp


directing a choir that is part of AMAR

In 2012, the Connecting Peoples program hopes to coordinate more with AMAR and other projects of the Mennonite churches in Guatemala City. This could be an exciting opportunity for groups who are interested in connecting with urban youth and learning more about the complex reality here. In addition to AMAR and other projects, the Mennonite churches in the city support a community library that was organized mostly by youth, and a pre-school project that some of you know well. We look forward to what 2012 will bring and welcome groups that are interested in partnering with these projects.