ACCOMPANIMENT

 

WHY WE DO IT

GUARJILA Companion Community Project (CCP)

RIO ABAJO/LIMAY Hermanamiento Project

IFCO/Pastors for Peace

GUATEMALA - Current Issues

HONDURAS - Case of Padre Guadalupe Carney

VENEZUELA - Venezuela Solidarity & Hands Off Venezuela

COLOMBIA - Support for Peace Communities

EL SALVADOR - Current Issues

NICARAGUA - Current Issues

WHY WE DO IT

“In the decades of the 1970-90’s, tens of thousands of U.S. citizens traveled to Central America. For many it was their first time outside the borders of the U.S. In a time marked by civil war and violence they went to see the reality of poverty and experience the resilient hope of the Central American people. What they saw and experienced left a permanent mark. Their vantage point on the world was radically altered….”
       Like Grains of Wheat: A Spirituality of Solidarity
        by Margaret Swedish and Marie Dennis (Orbis, 2004)

In St. Louis, the women and men who formed the Inter-Faith Committee on Latin America learned the meaning of solidarity through their accompaniment of refugees and exiles, human rights workers and legal advocates, and most importantly, the people we met in Central and Latin America.

We welcomed speakers from various countries who told their stories of struggle and oppression, we opened places of sanctuary for those who fled death squads and massacres, we risked arrest to draw attention to the injustices and we sent courageous people to work with Witness for Peace and Peace Brigades International.

This led us to realize that ACCOMPANIMENT was central to the work of IFCLA. It is a work of transformation in which...

  1. We really look honestly at our planet, our political structures, and our lives

  2. We recognize how unjust systems oppress our world

  3. We realize that we need to share resources more equitably

  4. We reverence all creation and seek creative ways to protect it

  5. We risk letting what we have learned change our lives

 

GUARJILA COMPANION COMMUNITY PROJECT (CCP)

In January of 1988, IFCLA made a covenant with the people of Guarjila, Chalatenango, El Salvador who had just returned from the Mesa Grande refugee camp in Honduras and who were courageously rebuilding their lives in the midst of war. We began by raising awareness about their precarious situation with our members of Congress and the people of the St. Louis region. We sent people to visit and challenge the army’s disregard of their status as a civilian community. We raised funds for land titles, for cows, for a roof for the school, for a water project, and for teacher salaries. Dr. Ann Manganaro, Sister of Loretto, went to live in Guarjila and opened a clinic which served the entire area. She trained health promoters, many of whom are health professionals today. Sadly, Ann died of cancer in June, 1993.

After the Peace Accords were signed in 1992 and the combatants returned to live with their families, more people from St. Louis were able to visit Guarjila. Two health promoters and a German doctor who worked with Ann came to visit St. Louis in the 90s.

In 1998, students from Ann’s high school began to visit Guarjila. This annual visit has deepened the bonds of friendship and expanded horizons for many young women. Each year we learn first hand the challenges which the community faces. It helps inform our work for justice in El Salvador.

In addition to visits, the CCP sells embroidery and hand work from the women’s collective and raises funds to supplement the stipends of the health workers at the clinic.

The Nerinx students hold an annual volleyball tournament to raise funds for high school scholarships for young women.

RIO ABAJO/LIMAY HERMANAMIENTO PROJECT

After Hurricane Mitch in October, 1998, IFCLA responded to the need of a community which was washed away by the hurricane. A delegation visited the people of Rio Abajo and agreed to help them rebuild their community. Delegations followed and today the community of Rio Abajo has housing, water, electricity, a corn mill, buildings for sewing and for pottery, and a community center.

In order for the project to proceed, Reyna Moreno was hired to be the project coordinator. She received training for community organizing and has led a campaign to get the road from Esteli to Limay paved. She has expanded her work from Rio Abajo to neighboring communities. After eight years, the IFCLA project has decided to end the funding of her position. Efforts will be made to continue a connection with the communities in the Limay Valley through potters, student volunteers and the New Roots Farm Collective.

IFCO/PASTORS FOR PEACE

IFCLA welcomes caravans of material aid which pass through St. Louis on their way to various countries including Cuba.

GUATEMALA

IFCLA does not have a sister community in Guatemala. St. Joan of Arc Catholic parish has a long-standing relationship with the diocese of Coban. The Arco Iris Sanctuary welcomed several families and individuals from Guatemala as did the sanctuary at the ASC community in Ruma, IL.

The Association for Justice and Reconciliation, an organization of 22 communities of survivors of the massacres of the 1980s, has launched legal cases against former dictators and military officers who were involved in the campaigns against the indigenous peoples. Amnesty International (www.amnesty.org and www.amnestyusa.org ) is actively supporting these efforts. AI has documented the recent murders of women in Guatemala.

IFCLA participates in the speaking tours sponsored by NISGUA (Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala).

HONDURAS

The main focus of IFCLA’s accompaniment in Honduras has been related to the case of Fr. James Guadalupe Carney who was assassinated in 1983. His brother-in-law continues to testify before human rights tribunals and promotes Jim’s book, To Be A Revolutionary.

VENEZUELA

Sources for information on current issues:

Venezuela Solidarity
The basic purpose of the Venezuela Solidarity Network is to increase communication among groups that oppose US intervention in Venezuela, support the right of the Venezuela people to self-determination, and support the Bolivarian revoluntion. The Venezuela Solidarity Network also seeks to enlist additional progressive groups into Venezuela solidarity work, and to facilitate our ability to unite in joint actions.

Hands Off Venezuela
We have tirelessly organised solidarity activities with Venezuela's Bolivarian revolution through public meetings, video screenings, raising the issue within the trade union movement in different countries, organising speaking tours, moving motions in Parliaments, and sending solidarity delegations to Venezuela.

The basic principles of the Campaign are:
  • solidarity with the Bolivarian Revolution
  • opposition to imperialist intervention in Venezuela
  • building direct links with the revolutionary and trade union movement in Venezuela

COLOMBIA - Support for Peace Communities

IFCLA has made a couple efforts to develop relationships in Colombia through delegations and participation in National Organizations. There have been campaigns to raise awareness about fumigation of farmland (and farmers) and to stop funding for the U.S. sponsored Plan Colombia.

top


Accompaniment is about more than material aid, it leads us to join the struggles of our companions in Central America:

EL SALVADOR - Current Issues

1. Millennium Challenge Corporation grant to build a highway through Guarjila.

US Finally Approves $461 million from Millennium Fund for El Salvador
Vice President of the Millennium Challenge Account in the US, John Hewko, paid a visit to El Salvador on Nov. 8 to formally announce the approval of Millennium Fund cash. Delays in making the announcement had been attributed to cash shortages in the account leading up to the closing of the US fiscal year.

Of the $461 million, $85 will be dedicated to “production incentives,” in the agricultural sector. Another $138 million will be applied to a controversial highway that will carve through northern El Salvador. The highway plan has been criticized by church and social movement leaders as filling the interests of large corporations, but largely ignoring the needs of local communities and the environment. (www.CRISPAZ.org)

2. Opposing Strip Mining - Various mining interests plan to strip mine the mountains in Chalatenango against the wishes of the people of the area. The communities have organized a powerful campaign to oppose this project.

Resistance to Mining Exploration Forces Work Stoppage for Pacific Rim
Last week, residents of San Limón, Sensuntepeque confronted exploration workers from the Pacific Rim Mining Company, asking them to dismantle any equipment related to the exploration process. The request was immediately honored by Pacific Rim employees. The action was the next in a series of responses by communities organized to prevent mining activity, and to defend farmlands and water supply from permanent contamination.

Several transnational corporations including Pacific Rim and Aura Silver Resources from Canada have stepped up exploration of potential mines over the last two years. The focus is on the northern provinces of El Salvador, especially Chalatenango and Cabañas. Communities along with sustainable development and environmental organizations have come out strongly against mining in the country due to the high quantities of water (an already taxed resource in El Salvador) that would be needed for the extraction process and the highly toxic chemicals that would be used which pose a threat to the environment and health of people living in those zones.

On November 20, community leaders from the municipalities of Metapan, Ilobasco, Sensuntepeque, El Divisadero and others resolved to expel companies that are looking to exploit mineral wealth in and near their communities from the area. Presently the prognosis for mining companies does not look too promising. In July, Archbishop Fernando Saenz Lacalle announced that the Catholic Episcopal Conference had discussed the issue of mining and determined that “metal mining is not convenient for the country.” Later, in August the Minister of Environment, Hugo Barrera, also announced that metal mining is not “convenient” for the country and that the Ministry would not grant licenses to mining companies if they could not guarantee 100% that they would not harm the environment. Civil society is also pushing for the creation of a national mining law that would ban metallic mining in El Salvador

Sources:
New Strategies, New Challenges: The Struggle to Halt Mining Continues
Comunidades dispuestas a expulsar empresas mineras
Conferencia Episcopal en contra de minería metálica
www.oxfamamerica.org/es/noticias/salvador_mineria

3. Anti-terrorism laws which restrict civil liberties

On September 28, an anti- terrorism law was passed by the National Assembly after hot debate. With penalties of up to 86 years in prison, opponents say it is meant to stifle dissent since building occupations, street blockades and other protest tactics are included in the law. No written proof is required and denunciations of co-workers and neighbors are encouraged. luterano.blogspot.com

NICARAGUA - Current Issues

1. How the U.S. will respond to the presidency of Daniel Ortega and his plan for reconciliation and social development. The Archbishop of Managua (Brenes) has called for unity and cooperation

Nicaraguan Pres. Daniel Ortega Visits Saca, Allays Fears
“Ortega Affirms He Will Not Intervene in El Salvador” read the front page headline of last Thursday’s Diario de Hoy, a major El Salvador daily. Last week, Nicaragua’s president elect Daniel Ortega paid a courtesy visit to President Saca to discuss a variety of issues. During the meeting Ortega assured Saca that his Sandinista Administration and would not interfere in Salvadoran politics.

The media fanfare surrounding Ortega’s visit revealed deep concerns within the Salvadoran government and private enterprise over a leftist government in the region. During Nicaragua’s presidential campaign, the US State Department and Republicans “warned” Nicaraguans that an Ortega win would alter US-Nica bi-lateral economic relations, including cuts in foreign aid and cutting off remittances from family members in the US. Those statements were reminiscent of similar declarations made by Bush Administration officials who warned against an FMLN victory during the 2004 Salvadoran presidential elections. Shafik Handal, the FMLN candidate lost the election, but received more votes than any other FMLN candidate in the party’s 14 year history. www.crispaz.org

2. Privatization of electricity and water.

One of the "hot issues" in all of Latin America is the privatization of water and electricity. This is becoming an insidious way of controlling the lives and livelihood of rural and urban populations.

Water Privatization in Latin America By Carmelo Ruiz Marrero, IRC Americas
     http://americas.irc-online.org/am/2885

Other sources of articles on water privatization:

Center for Global Development <www.cgdev.org> and
The Inter-American Dialogue <www.thedialogue.org>
Sourcewatch Privatization "Privatization, dubbed piratization by critics, refers to the sale of publicly owned assets to the private sector..."

3. A devastated environment and economy

Government announces plans preserve forests and water sources
At a press conference on May 7, Minister of the Environment and Natural Resources Juana Argeñal announced that the Ortega administration will be making an effort, through programs and more bio- friendly policies, to reverse the effects of contamination to the principal water sources in the country as well as the deforestation that has taken place in a number of departments. The administration has already sent to the National Assembly a bill to regulate water usage and will be working on reforms for agricultural land use among other projects.

An estimated 70,000 hectares of forest are lost every year in Nicaragua due to "indiscriminate logging" by timber companies along the Pacific Coast where close to 80% of Nicaragua's population is found. The Sandinista government plans to introduce more bio- friendly logging regulations as well as provide material resources and funding for community-based reforestation projects around river basins and water sources in the Pacific coastal regions.

In addition to the water bill and reforestation projects, the government considers it an immediate priority to look for ways to prevent the contamination of the more than 21 river basins and important lakes that provide Nicaragua with fresh water. In Managua alone there are 11 large industrial companies that do not have adequate treatment systems for what they dump directly into Lake Managua. This, along with poor garbage management and contamination from underground seepages from gas stations are urgent problems for which the administration promises to look for viable solutions.

Ortega administration kicks-off the "Zero Hunger" program

The "Zero Hunger Program," which aims to reduce poverty in the rural areas over a five year period, was inaugurated by President Daniel Ortega and other members of his administration in the northern department of Jinotega. The program was designed to achieve the first objective of the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals, "to eradicate extreme poverty and reduce hunger to zero."

"Zero Hunger" with its budget of US$150 million plans to deliver a US$2,000 bond or voucher to 75,000 rural families between 2007 and 2012. The voucher will consist of the delivery of a pregnant cow and a pregnant sow, five chickens and a rooster, seeds, fruit- bearing plants and plants for reforestation. The project's short-term objective is to have each rural family capable of producing enough milk, meat, eggs, fruits, vegetables and cereals to cover its basic needs while its medium range objective is to establish local markets and export certain products.

The families that benefit from the project will be required to pay back 20 percent of the amount that they receive in order to create a rural fund that will guarantee the continuity of the program. NGOs and representatives from each community will be in charge of managing the project.

4. "Dry Canal"

Ortega opposes construction of inter-oceanic canal through Lake Nicaragua

Environmental issues took the stage this week in Nicaragua when President Daniel Ortega discarded the recommendation by Wilimas Schart, director of the National Forest Institute, to construct an inter-oceanic canal that would cross Lake Nicaragua (Cocibolca) in the southeast part of the country.

Schwart made the recommendation in an exposition about strategies to protect the forests over the next five years. In the presentation, Schwart explained that between 1983 and 2003, Nicaragua's forests have diminished by 70,000 hectors per year, which, if it continues, will leave the country without forests in less than 50 years. He argued that the construction of the canal would help resolve the problem of deforestation because the company that would construct it will have to agree to invest large sums of money in plans and projects for preserving the forest and for reforestation.

Ortega opposed the idea, stressing that Lake Nicaragua is the largest water reserve in all of Central America and the damage that would be caused by a canal could be catastrophic. Though Ortega supported the possibility of a canal he said that it should be built in some other part of Nicaraguan territory.

Schwart and Ortega said that they were going to work on policies and laws that would zone territories to be used for urban areas, agriculture or national forests. Ortega also recommended that the law obligate investors to dedicate part of their profits to reforestation and protection of the forests.

In a related story, President Ortega, prompted by the recommendation of Juana Argeñal, Minister of the Environment and National Resources, stated that Nicaragua needs fast planes and helicopters to protect what is left of its forests. Nicaragua currently has 76 protected areas accounting for some 3.5 million hectors of forests that these aircraft would be in charge of protecting.

On May 8 Ortega said that the aircraft needed to protect the forests will come from either the US or Russia and that he would be seeking a loan or funding from one of the two countries to facilitate the purchase. On May 11 in Camoapa, however, during the closing ceremonies of a water sanitation project sponsored by the armed forces, Ortega approached Taiwanese Ambassador Ming Ta Hung to solicit economic aid in order to purchase the planes. According to local television news stations the proposal was received by the Ambassador but he has not yet responded.

US Ambassador Paul Trivelli said on May 11 that the idea "is not a bad idea" and that these assets should be used to stabilize the military, prevent drug trafficking and assist in cases of natural disasters.

top

 

Updated 7 July 2007. Contact webmaster.