Help me support long-term solidarity with grassroots struggles in Guatemala!

As most of you know I’ve been involved in Guatemala solidarity work since the late 1980’s and continue today as a board member of the Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA). Throughout that time I’ve taken on many roles and seen a lot of ups and downs in the organization and the political situation in Guatemala and the US. I have also solidified a lifelong commitment to international solidarity as a grounding principle in my vision of social justice.

For a few weeks in May a small group of donors have pledged to match all gifts up to $50,000. Please join us in raising a total of $100,000, to build on the 40+ years of impactful solidarity and deepen this work for the years to come. Thank you for your generosity!

Who is NISGUA and What is Out Work?

NISGUA accompanies Guatemalan water and land protectors and genocide survivors who are under threat as a result of their work for justice and self-determination. This work includes providing international accompaniment in trials and resistance camps to dissuade violence; facilitating connections between communities similarly impacted by colonialism through delegations and exchanges; organizing campaigns against brutal U.S. foreign policy and corporate plunder in Central America; mobilizing people for urgent actions if our partners are threatened or attacked; and sharp internationalist political education.

What does your donation support?

NISGUA does many important things, so I will only list 4 from the last year that stand out as uniquely important:

• Encuentro Trans-Territorial: A historic achievement, the encuentro (encounter or gathering) brought every NISGUA partner together in one physical place for the first time in NISGUA’s history. Over three days, organizations at the front lines of transitional justice, land defense, Indigenous migrant justice, and solidarity, exchanged knowledge from their struggles, building alliances and strategies for the future of Guatemala.
• NACLA Interview Series: During the 106-day Indigenous-led national strike to defend democracy, NISGUA interviewed three leading Indigenous organizations who participated in the strike, and whom NISGUA has long-standing relationships with. This publication in NACLA, which has a continent-wide readership, is the only English language publication on the Guatemalan elections and national strike that centers the voices of Indigenous leaders.
• "Ixil Genocide Trial" Accompaniment: Our Internacionalista accompaniers have spent countless hours before, and during, the trial accompanying the Association for Justice and Reconciliation, NISGUA's longstanding partner and plaintiff in the historic 2013 conviction of ex-dictator Rios Montt on genocide charges. Accompaniers dissuade violence against the AJR by being a visible international presence in the courtooms, documenting threats and attacks against them, and mobilizing our U.S. base in solidarity.