Searching for Justice in Guatemala
Introduction
The Sierra Madre de Chiapas mountains
In the fall of 2006, Alison Crosby, Inter Pares' program manager for Mexico and Central America, and Samantha McGavin, fundraising program manager, travelled to Chiapas, Guatemala, and El Salvador. The following is Samantha's travel journal about the Guatemala portion of their trip.
It seems as if all of Inter Pares' stories about Latin America include tales of bumpy roads, and now I understand why. Alison and I have just spent a week driving along extremely long, windy, and uneven roads in the rural areas of Chiapas, southern Mexico. We are travelling with colleagues from Project Counselling Service (PCS) – Christina Laur, coordinator of PCS' regional human rights program in Central America and Mexico, and Jorge Campo, PCS program assistant. Our journey will now take us across the border into Guatemala, where we will spend the next week.
Map of Central America
Inter Pares and PCS have worked together in Latin America for almost thirty years in support of populations affected by the armed conflicts that have devastated the region. Throughout this history, we have emphasized the organized participation of civil society – in particular, those directly affected by the violence – in official processes to establish the necessary conditions for healing and peace. We work with civil society organizations that protect displaced peoples' human rights, promote inclusive resolutions to conflict, and foster projects for restitution and redress, including truth-telling, justice and reparations processes.
On the road to Guatemala
As part of this work, Inter Pares staff collaborate closely with PCS through daily contact – planning activities, strategizing on future program directions, generating funds, and raising political support. Alison visits the PCS regional Central America/Mexico (CAMEX) office at least twice a year, travelling with PCS to visit Inter Pares' counterparts in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. I am accompanying her in order to glimpse first-hand this work that I have heard so much about, and to share the solidarity of our supporters back home.
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| Reviewed July 31, 2009 |  |
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