Cafeteros de Colombia - Guatemala. 1. Introduction. Municipal Setting

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1 Cafeteros de Colombia - Guatemala 1. Introduction Municipal Setting The social dynamic has been characterised by the depth of the social problems that affect the municipal area, the various organisations have not managed to create a solid bond between the local Government and the community. Citizen participation in the municipal area in politics, programmes and projects up until now is quite weak, the Municipal Government is authoritarian and the municipal council administers the State resources without taking into account community participation in the decision making relating to the development of the municipal area on the basis of its most urgent needs. Despite the fact that on the national level the boards of urban and rural development system is in place as a space for the political participation of the civil society and the municipal government in the implementation of public policies. In the municipal area the main economic activity is agriculture, with coffee, banana and corn farming, the latter for family subsistence, most of the population are day labourers and farmers who sell their daily work to the local plantations, and the crisis due to the fall in the price of coffee led to the mass dismissal of day labourers and farmers affecting the already precarious situation in which these families find themselves. This same economic crisis affecting the population also means that the population has little access to the different basic services like education, health care, housing, nutrition, clothing and which is even more acute in the rural area where most of the indigenous population live who have been the victims of social exclusion, where the poverty rate continues to increase which prevents them from obtaining a better quality of life and human development. On the other hand there is an increase in crime and a spread of maras (criminal gangs) who under the effects of alcohol and drugs commit different criminal acts in the municipal area which leads to citizen insecurity. Most of the young people are loosing their cultural values due to the invasion of cultures from other countries, they become ignorant of their roots which is seen in the loss of identity and they do not wear their traditional dress due to the economic factor and because the climate is hot. The language is being lost due to the Spanishspeaking influence and the marginalisation to which the indigenous population has been subject. Women have been marginalised due to them being poor, women and indigenous, they do not have access to the social practices the same as the men due to historic, structural and cultural reasons. They have also recently been the object of all kinds of abuse and human rights violations. Commitment to Faith and Justice: 1

2 The MMB sisters have set out as a long-term VISION to be a community that prays and perceives, women who with the MMB charisma are committed to full human promotion, evangelisation, defence of life and nature with the active participation of lay people who encourage the liberation of the most needy and vulnerable people in order to build a fairer and more dignified society. Its MISSION is to strength the integral training of leaders mainly with women and young people in the rural and urban area of the parish, so that they can become committed to the various actions in their priorities, pastoral, groups and communities from 2005 to Given the current situation of the religion and the socioeconomic reality in Colomba the following pastorals have been established as work priorities: 1. Health Pastoral: With the aim of promoting and consolidating an integral health service based on FAITH and on the reality of the communities so that it generates a critical and liberating awareness that brings about favourable life conditions for everyone. 2. Nutrition Programme: With the aim of: Accompaniment of a group of women through integral training in organisational and administrative aspects in order to improve the functioning and sustainability of the programme, improving the nutrition of the beneficiary persons with products made from soya and in particular bread. 3. Women Pastoral: Support the promotion and liberation of women, so that from FAITH in Jesus and the gender perspective they can develop their abilities and promote equality and the evangelical commitment in the family, parish, community and in the society. However an awakening is being seen in the role of women supported by training actions from the Colomba women pastoral accompanied by the MMB community and the civil society. 4. IGER Project: Promotion of the systematic training of young people and adults through primary, basic and secondary education mainly by applying the distance methodology through IGER. 5. Voluntary Service: Generate with young people an experience of the MMB community life which allows them to get to know the situation in Guatemala and in particular Colomba so that they take part in tasks coordinated by the MMB community which brings them into contact with the weakest people and a greater FAITH commitment based on Justice. 6. Youth pastoral vocational: To promote and encourage the integral training to strengthen the Christian commitment of the lay people which will give continuity to the pastoral work and the human promotion in groups and communities. 2. Methodology Used The people are selected according to their age, gender and origin, individual and group interviews are used, with a total of 8 people being given a guide of structured 2

3 questions according to what is established, and the information that is gathered is then processed. 3. The Christian faith and its commitment to social justice. Colomba Costa Cuca. 3.1 First experience: FROM FAITH, ORGANISATION AS AN ALTERNATIVE FOR SOCIAL DEMANDS What commitments to justice and a dignified life for all have you acquired as a Christian community, in other words helped by your shared Christian faith? First of all by feeling the call of God to accept the commitment to fight for one s neighbour who is living in a unfair situation, by following the example of Jesus as Christ the liberator, announcing the great values of the Kingdom and condemning everything which goes against justice, as the gospel must be lived and announced, but also condemning every human rights outrage. The commitment is accepted of being catechists with the mission of spreading the gospel, organising catechist leader groups, receiving the full training through biblical studies with the aim of being more socially aware and being more critical of our reality, contributing to a certain extent to its transformation, relying on the support for this training on the Misioneras Mercedarias de Berriz (MMB). Work is started on the building of the Kingdom of God, in this case by ensuring justice for the day labourers on the coffee plantations in the Colomba area, where the workers are being exploited through unfair wages whilst living in infrahuman conditions, under the oppression of the plantation owners and managers who treat them inhumanly. Are these commitments for you a meeting point with God? How? Jesus chose the poorest, Jesus is found with those who suffer and are exploited, oppressed or victims of injustice, working for one s neighbour is to find God, we have been created in his likeness and as such we must fight for a dignified and fair life. God is also found through solidarity and by having a fighting spirit to achieve man s freedom. In the commitment and involvement that those who set up and maintain the farm workers union on the coffee plantations, actively participating in demanding their rights through strikes, demonstrations, in the fight for fair wages and a more humane treatment in order to achieve a more dignified life, receiving the moral support of Father Angel Barreno, and later from Father Bernardo Castro and the MMB, and also receiving the support of the various methods of communication provided by the Parish. On the other hand confronting the repression of the period of internal armed conflict during the years (most critical years), persecution of catechists, priests and other members of religious orders, where some catechists got involved in 3

4 the communist organisation supporting by recruiting leaders and making propaganda and organising groups in the communities, with the aim of improving the living conditions of the majority of the population. Later an organisation was set up called APADIMEC in order to promote the development of the community and at the same time actions were carried out in the fight for justice and the welfare of the population, recruiting more and more leaders. Later with the support of Fr Bernardo Castro, the catechists accept the undertaking to promote and strengthen the CODECO organisation, the coordinator of the development organisations of Colomba (with the technical and legal advice of the pastoral of Quetzaltenango and of the local Parish and the support of the MMB for the integral training), this organisation supports the plantation workers, many of whom with the drop in the price of coffee in 2003 lost their jobs, there was a mass dismissal of workers, and it was through CODECO that a subsidy was requested from the Government agricultural platform for the families who lost their work, and our demands were met. This organisation covers the Parish level, and is promoted and managed by catechist leaders, its main functions being: Political impact for access to land for families without anything, participation in demonstrations for the basic provisions and a minimum wage, organisational and political training, supporting the agricultural platform. Up until now this organisation prevails. We find God by committing ourselves to the service and welfare of the weakest people, in the total dedication to the work that is done, sharing with our brothers who are victims of oppression and social exclusion, and also when we risk our lives for the common good of others. We have also found Jesus through Prayer and our Christian training which is with us always in strengthening our spirit to be renewed. God has used us as instruments or as bonds so that all of the good that flows from him is received by man, God blesses the spiritual life and gives his guidelines so that the life of the human being is dignified based on respect and love between the members of the community. What signs of the Spirit have appeared in this committed life that you consider particularly important? Attitudes, community dynamics, lifestyles, people involvement, etc. At the celebrations of the word of God, at the patron saint s day, Holy Week, prayers, the presence of the Holy Spirit is present, and also in their total dedication for the liberation of their people, the demonstration of solidarity by others who are not directly affected but who activity support the work of the union to improve working conditions, eventually achieving a fair wage and avoiding the exploitation of the day labourers on the plantation. Sick or disabled people and victims of the struggle for better life conditions on the coffee plantations have also been accompanied. The involvement of the people in the organisation and their participation in the various activities that are planned in order to fight the repression at the time, and the involvement of all of the peasants in the march from Escuintla to Guatemala to demand a minimum salary for the workers, in which 80,000 peasants took part, and where some of their demands were met by the Government of the time. 4

5 At the same time as all of this the doctrinal training continued, through the Parish, and on the hand there were political and leadership training workshops designed to increase the population s standard of living, with more and more people taking part, the organisation becoming bigger and bigger. What other aspects of your faith have become clearer, emphasised or strengthened? In the way of seeing the life of Jesus, or interpreting the face of God, or choosing the people or seeing the presence of God in those who are not Christians By considering son of God created in his image and similar to fight for the dignity of others, and being prepared to give your life for others without any fear, being a leader to guide and advise the group of workers; the devotion of Jesus, his tenacity and perseverance which overcame adversity in the widest sense, the Jesus revolutionary who came to give life a new meaning. On the other hand the conviction, being convinced about what you have to do, courage to confront opponents, obedience to the Father, to act, not only in discourse but rather to generate changes of attitude based on limitless Love, because the love and spirit of Jesus is also in non Christians. The value of prayer to strengthen and the power of the spirit to be in the best conditions of dedication and perseverance and to fight for justice and the dignity of all people. In non Christians there is a mysterious force in giving solidarity and supporting the actions that they do, the spirit of Jesus is in them, God is in all people, God calls them to be useful to society. Commitment to serving others promoting humbleness, equality and fraternity for the common good, and not taking the staring role, working for God and for what he has promised us. We also see how the Holy Spirit is seen in those who provide food and clothing to the brothers coming from the altiplano (high plateau) to work on the plantations. The municipal area of Colomba. In this commitment, what have been they biggest difficulties that you have encountered? How have you dealt with them? Amongst the difficulties that we have encountered we have the comments of people who are unable to understand and who inform against the leaders with no regard as to the consequences, they ridicule thinking that they have lost the way of Jesus. Members of the Church and the community did not support because they thought that the word of God was being manipulated. The lack of support from some Parishes that consider that some catechists are conflictive because they fight against the injustices in the municipal area, stating that the word of God can not be manipulated. On the other hand the loss of the material goods, and of the memory of some of the catechists who were victims of the persecution and kidnapping during the period of repression. 5

6 Forced military recruitment, persecution and threats on the plantations. The mass dismissal of day labourers on the plantations thus losing sources of work and with no land to farm. Because of the economic necessity of the population they have got used to receiving from different institutions. This generates conformism in the population and they become victims of manipulation by political parties. The CODECO organisation is not functioning properly at present due to the lack of interest of the current leaders. The difficulties have been dealt with as follows: Permanent prayer, through the word of God we are given strength to continue the fight through those who trained us, through dialogue to request out demands. Making the population aware in order to promote unity and equality, so that they are not deceived and sell their conscious in order to avoid manipulation, to promote communion with God, to encourage them to persevere in order continue seeking social justice, giving the opportunity to change. Facilitate communication through the catechists in order to maintain the unity of the communities with the support of the coordination of the catechists. As catechists to remain united, to persevere and to work in the Church according to a strategic plan. From this faith and commitment to Justice in favour of the poorest, what do you ask of your Church? What do you think it can change or improve? What would you like its commitment to justice and life to be? To be a more organised, united and committed Church with a liberating and not a conservative vision, a church with a young spirit, which has an identity of its own culture. That the pastors managing the Church are aware of the reality of the people and show their option of following Jesus through their FAITH. That there is no male chauvinism and the gender equality is reinforced in the pastoral work. That the church provides liberating training to young catechists according to the reality and that there is coherence between FAITH and LIFE which helps change in the communities. That the work is more coordinated between the parish priest and the MMB. That the priests as pastors of the Church are more open, with a mind that is more supportive and liberating faced with the reality of the Parish, a more united Church committed to the poorest. 6

7 That there are more spaces for dialogue between the catechists and the parish priest in order to improve their relationship and training. Have more training support from the Misioneras Mercedarias de Berriz, and the parish team. The Church must continue supporting other groups in the civil society for the protection and defence of our rights in order to obtain a better life. That the support and participation of the communities is promoted in the construction of social justice, preparing more people with critical awareness in order to avoid the system of oppression and exclusion that still continues up until this day. From this same commitment, what do you ask of the society in which you live? Also, what do you ask of those who live in the rich countries of the world? That society organises itself, gets to know its rights and obligations, that the authorities respect the human rights of the society, and serves the people for their welfare and does not take advantage of them. That the participation of the indigenous population and women is improved in the various areas of participation and in particular in public positions. The compliance be monitored of the peace agreements signed in 1996 which at present more resemble memories of peace. That the society acts with gestures of solidarity in order to satisfy the basic needs of the population most at need, particularly the vulnerable and the poor. That the Government listens to the demands of the people in order to deal with the most pressing needs of the population and communities avoiding somehow dependence, that the work is done together between the people and the Governemnt. That the resources are more fairly distributed by the authorities avoiding corruption. To behave with solidarity so that there is more fraternity, equality and so that love and social justice reign in our socieity and the confidence that has been lost can be recovered. That the society stops being afraid and reports all of the injustices that we suffer, that our voice becomes heard. Demand that our rights be respected and the laws imposed by society are complied with. That Justice be applied equally without any discrimination, that impunity is avoided and the justice system in our country is improved. That the rich countries are not manipulated by the third world governments, negotiating without knowing the real situation and avoid the resources coming from 7

8 abroad being the object of political manipulation. Also that the countries in the developed world respect our culture and do not take advantage of our ignorance and illiteracy, that they support our economy through the small and medium sized producers and avoid increasing poverty. That the rich countries promote programmes to combat poverty and seek alternatives that take us out of this situation of underdevelopment. That the projects coming from other countries reach their destination avoiding corruption and help the population to come out of their poverty. That the loans granted to the third world countries do not have too many conditions which eventually affect the weakest population, so as to avoid increasing the external debt and the underlying poverty. 3.2 Second Experience: WOMEN PARTICIPATION AND THEIR APPRECIATION IN SOCIETY What commitments for justice and a dignified life for all have you acquired as a Christian community, in other words helped by your shared Christian faith? From our Catholic Christian FAITH we have taken as an option to work with women who have been the victims of marginalisation (because they are women, poor and indigenous), exploitation, social exclusion, sexual abuse and intra family violence by a sexist society, a situation suffered daily and not by God s will but rather that of man. Fighting for better treatment in conditions of equality, defending our rights in order to obtain a fair and humane life, where we value ourselves as people and that also women work for the development of our communities. The training that we have received with the support of the MMB sisters has woken us up to the reality in which we live, it makes us critically aware in order to fight to defend ourselves and depart from our ignorance and illiteracy in which we have lived for many years. Are these commitments for you a meeting place with God? How? We found God when we lose our fear of talking, we get the strength of the Holy Spirit and greater work commitments are taken on when we organise our group of women as the Women Pastoral, and share our problems, needs and interests, supporting each other with common objectives that improve of quality of life. We find God when we work with widows, with women who are the victims of exploitation and intra family violence, and also with women who prostitute themselves from a very early age who are also addicted to drugs and commit crime in society, also with who are unfaithful and are criticised by others. We take into account how Jesus lived with everyone without any kind of discrimination. 8

9 We find God when we receive the training with the MMB sisters, who guide us and position us to protect and defend our rights, and we multiply this training in our communities, when we join together and help each other to discover our rights as women in a sexist society. What signs of the Holy Spirit have appeared in this committed life that you consider particularly important? Attitudes, community dynamics, life styles, people involvement, etc. The unity of the group of women, the mutual support that is given to carry out actions in benefit of those persons who are most in need. The solidarity in the group to support specific case of illness, disability and death, helping with food, cash or donations, always working as a community, strengthening our faith through prayer and the gospel. When we see the participation of the women at the demonstrations in favour of the most destitute population and they respond to the work that they are assigned within the organisation. The involvement in the organisation of a group of women who work in a nutrition production project which makes bread, cereals and other SOYA products that are high in protein which allows the population mainly women and children to improve their nutrition, and at the same time the project generates financial income which improves the family economy of the women involved in the project. What aspects of your faith have become clearer, emphasised or strengthened by seeing the life of Jesus, or interpreting the face of God, or by taking people in, or by seeing the presence of God in non-christians? The love of Jesus gives strength to share, forgive and fight for society, it gives us the example of forgiving those who trespass against us, to strengthen ourselves through prayer and to perform acts for the common good. Total commitment to others without any kind of discrimination, aiming to achieve the appreciation of the role of women in the family, community and society, for their own welfare and self-assurance within it, promoting their participation in different areas. Solidarity and mutual support is shown when the group of women works with the nutrition project, where work is done from the FAITH, when the integral formation and technical training is strengthened in order to maintain the unity of the group and to generate the technical ability for the execution and administration of productive projects that promote the joint economy. We consider that God is also present in the non-christians because they often do social projects sometimes with more commitment than the Christians, they share the needs of the Church, community supporting the brethren at times of suffering without any discrimination, and this is where we see the spirit of Jesus. In this commitment what are the greatest difficulties that you have encountered? How have you dealt with them? 9

10 Amongst the difficulties we sometimes come across a lack of understanding in the family because sexism persists in the society, the woman asks her husband for permission for any activity that she has to do outside and inside of the home. There is limited participation of the women because there is still the fear of talking about and condemning that which they have gone through in the past and are still going through. In the community the training for women is not well accepted because some consider that this is outside of the word of God, that this type of training is more political that Christian training, because they still consider that the women must be completely submissive to the man, and so some women only want to receive spiritual training and to continue being manipulated and ill-treated by their husbands. There is scarce participation of women in the training due to the citizen insecurity in our country and communities, where recently the women are victims of indiscriminate rape and killing because of the spread of the maras (criminal gangs). First of all the organisation of the women pastoral has been strengthened with the support of the MMB sisters, in the ongoing training and projects designed to improve the standard of life, including a project supplying water to some communities in coordination with other Institutions and the bakery project with SOYA products. From this faith and commitment to Justice in favour of the poorest, what do you ask of your Church? What do you think it can change or improve? What would you like its commitment to justice and life to be? We would like the Church to be more united, together seeking justice and gender equality and which encourages more training on the women s rights, to train us as leaders to discover complete fraternity and to participate in the decision making in different areas. That as members of the Church we do not only have training on the doctrine but rather that we put our FAITH to work so that there is a greater coherence between FAITH and LIFE. And from this same commitment, what do you ask of the society in which you live? What do you ask of those who live in the rich counties of the world? That the society is more thoughtful when it comes to selecting the authorities that govern us because they always trick us and manipulate especially the rural women, buying votes during the elections, taking advantage of the ignorance and the economic needs faced by most of the population of Guatemala. That society as a whole and women take part in the demonstrations against the rise in the cost of basic supplies, against the law of concessions, the mining law and the law of water and that proposals are made to benefit the majority and that they negotiate with the Government. That women are appreciated and taken into consideration in the decision making under the same conditions without any discrimination, that our rights and dignity as women are respected. 10

11 To the counties in the developed world I ask them to collaborate with the justice system in Guatemala, that they do not protect the presidents and other civil servants that have illegally become rich during their Government and that the law is applied without any discrimination, that justice is above all in favour of the indigenous people and peasants of Guatemala who are the main victims of the poverty and extreme poverty. On the other hand ask them that the external financial support provided through the Government is checked at the final destination in order to avoid the misappropriation of funds and the corruption which is present at all levels. That the peace agreements are monitored to ensure compliance with regards to the participation of women in the economic, political and social aspects. 3.3 Third Experience: HEALTH PASTORAL FOR THE WELFARE OF THE POPULATION What commitments for justice and a dignified life for all have you acquired as a Christian community, in other words helped by your shared Christian faith? On seeing the bad health conditions of the rural communities of Colomba, the lack of access to health services, on seeing every day of every year that so many children die in the communities because there are no health centres nearby, the commercialisation that is done with people s health, the sale of medicines at very high prices, and that the population does not have the resources necessary in order to look after their health, I was inspired from 1997 to work in health, to train myself in natural medicine as an alternative to the basic health problems in the area, from then on supporting the health pastoral with the training of health workers and in the sale of natural medicines with the support of the MMB sisters. Are these commitments for you a meeting place with God? How? Yes because God loves us and gave us his life, finding God with the sick, disabled and malnourished, who we encourage, strengthen and accompany both in their spiritual training as well as with medical care and support with medicines or natural medicines at affordable prices, in the training of health workers who receive different subjects for the prevention of diseases, multiplying in the communities, mainly in the women and children who participate in the mother infant programme, supporting malnourished children with the foods programme giving a family ration of corn, beans, rice and oil, also supporting them with the food programme making and selling SOYA products. On seeing these needs I have committed myself to morally supporting them with my Christian Faith, with the support of the MMB sisters. What signs of the Holy Spirit have appeared in this committed life that you consider particularly important? Attitudes, community dynamics, life styles, people involvement, etc. From my Christian Faith I know that God is present in all good things that we do for the sick, on feeling the confidence of the population with the medical service that we 11

12 provide them through the health pastoral, on seeing people interested in becoming health workers and supporting their sick brethren, giving them closer services and helping them financially when necessary. What aspects of your faith have become clearer, emphasised or strengthened by seeing the life of Jesus, or interpreting the face of God, or by taking people in, or by seeing the presence of God in non-christians? On seeing the compassion of Jesus to cure the sick without any qualms, performing miracles to cure their illnesses through FAITH. This motivates me to follow his example, to be supportive and charitable in order to try to support my brethren although their illnesses are difficult and to look for the resources that are necessary for their relief or healing without any discrimination due to race, religion, etc. In this commitment what are the greatest difficulties that you have encountered? How have you dealt with them? Sometimes we are criticised, insulted by some people who do not understand that apart from strengthening ourselves spiritually we must commit ourselves to supporting through action in a pastoral in order to support our communities and in this way build the Kingdom of God. This situation has been dealt with by continuing the pastoral work and persevering in the fight without losing hope of being able to save many lives and improve the quality of the health services and that they reach places that are further away. From this faith and commitment to Justice in favour of the poorest, what do you ask of your Church? What do you think it can change or improve? What would you like its commitment to justice and life to be? That the Parish coordinates and supports all of the health actions that are done with the MMB sisters, in order to improve the quality and access to the health services. That a food security programme is coordinated in the municipality because the health problems are increasing and the needs are worsening for various reasons. And from this same commitment, what do you ask of the society in which you live? What do you ask of those who live in the rich countries of the world? That the society does not allow the health services to be privatised and that the Government is required to comply with the entire population s right to health, mainly the underprivileged. That the state complies with the laws established in the Constitution of the Republic in order to improve the health which is the responsibility of all. I would ask the rich counties that the Government is not the intermediary in order to receive the foreign donations because they are diverted or do not reach their final destination, this due to the corruption which has always been present. 12