IDEX Program Officer, Katherine Zavala, is currently in Mexico on field visits to our grantees there.I awoke early this morning swaying in a hammock in the open air. We'd stayed overnight in the municipality of Roberto Barrios. All the visitors, including the students, slept in hammocks. This had initially posed a problem for the 2 DESMI staff members I was with- Estela and Pedro- as there were so many people here last night we couldn't figure out where to hang our own hammocks. Someone had suggested that we sleep under the "palapa" (hut - pictured) where DESMI held its workshop.
I was a bit dubious about this, as were Estela and Pedro. Estela looked concerned, saying, "I'm not sure that hut will hold the three of us with hammocks." But there was nowhere else and, fortunately, the hut was stronger than it looked!
This morning, DESMI continued their chicken raising workshop series. The students learned how to vaccinate the chickens. Before heading over to the chicken coup, DESMI gave an overview of how vaccinations are done, demonstrating the different syringes and the right direction to poke the needle. The students then went to the chicken coup to practice.
As part of the training, DESMI reviewed how to store the vaccines, and to identify potential side effects that chicken may get after getting vaccinated. The students learned that in order for the vaccine to be effective it had to be kept cold at 4 degrees Celsius at all times. This means that once it’s bought, it has to be kept in a cooler with ice.
This training was a good learning process for the students to be aware of the various complexities in using vaccines. They went on to review the differences between a parasite, virus and bacteria and what preventative care can be given for each.
After the workshop, the DESMI staff got together with community members and teachers to review the work plan they had put together for DESMI to support their initiative to build their own sustainable development center in the municipality. The students also expressed their interest in providing meals for other community members who will come here for training on sustainable livestock-rearing and agricultural practices.
Another long and educational day for the students and for myself, too. Soon after, we were ready to go back to San Cristóbal de las Casas, a 6-hour drive passing through the beautiful valleys of green mountains.
Labels: Chiapas, DESMI, Mexico, Sustainable Agriculture
IDEX Program Officer, Katherine Zavala, is currently in Mexico on field visits to our grantees there.I was told it was going to be a rather long ride from San Cristóbal de las Casas to the autonomous municipality of Roberto Barrios. They were right: it was 6 hours.
I was accompanying 2 members of DESMI's staff, Pedro and Estela. Both are responsible for DESMI's programs in the Northern Zone. Today were to go to Roberto Barrios to conduct chicken-raising workshops with young people there between the ages of 12 and 16.
It's interesting to note that the autonomous government in Chiapas operates its own education system. It is bilingual (Spanish and a local Mayan language) and reflects the local context of the communities' reality. The youth we were to meet today are in their secondary education, a 3-year program that includes developing practical skills to enable them to be productive in their communities.
There are around 95 secondary students in this municipality and they've all chosen different professional tracks. The 20 students that are participating in DESMI's workshop today have chosen the veterinary track, and today they were going to be learning how to raise chickens among other livestock-rearing activities.
In this group of veterinary students, I learned there were 2 teachers who accompany them to DESMI's workshops. DESMI's staff come to this municipality every 2 months for 2 to 3 days at a time to follow-up with the workshops and bring new training materials for the teachers. Between DESMI's visits, the teachers continue teaching the students based mostly on indigenous knowledge and in the local Mayan language.
In the middle of the afternoon, we finally arrived. The sun was blazing with a vengeance. The workshops weren’t going to start until later, as the students had spent the first part of the day in the fields learning how to cultivate maize.
I asked Estela from DESMI what we were going to do in the meantime and she said, "We'll meet with community members and then prepare for the workshop. Time moves slowly here." I had time on my hands – something that would be quite unimaginable in the United States. It was peaceful to be in a place where was no rush or time pressure.
A whistle blew. "It's bath time,” Pedro explained. “All the students go to the river to refresh themselves from the hot weather." I followed them and found myself at a beautiful, crystal-clear river that was just calling at me to jump in. I had forgotten my swimwear. But then I saw girls swimming in their jeans and t-shirts. I dived in fully dressed and enjoyed a wonderfully refreshing swim.Later, DESMI's workshop reviewed what the students had learned so far. They had already learned about the common diseases found in chickens and their names in their Mayan languages: Tzeltal and Ch'ol. But they didn't know the terms in Spanish nor what medicine to use to treat them. That’s where DESMI came in and assisted them in finding the correct terms in Spanish and the corresponding treatments.
DESMI asked the students what they’d like DESMI to train them in regarding chicken raising. The students' responses included learning more about diseases, how to build and maintain chicken coups, and more on general chicken care. In this way, DESMI can structure their new workshops in response to what the youth are wanting to learn.
It is now the end of a long and interesting day and, as Roberto Barrios is far from San Cristóbal de las Casas, we are going to spend the night here and DESMI will continue the workshop tomorrow.
Labels: Chiapas, DESMI, Education, Mexico, Sustainable Agriculture
GuatemalaMines Bring no Benefit to Local People - July 24, 2009, Upside Down World
A new draft law concerning mining in Guatemala continues to favor foreign mining companies despite the nation’s adoption of the International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention 169 in Indigenous and Tribal Peoples. The draft law provides tax breaks to mining companies and does not outline regulatory protections on the use of water or against adverse effects on the environment. Local outrage and demonstrations have risen against the draft law and local organizations call for stricter regulations although Congress lacks political interest in discussing the mining issue.
Forced Displacement of Local Populations - July 8, 2009, Grassroots International
The National Peasant and Indigenous Coordination (CONIC) created this video to illustrate the increases in forced displacement due to the expansion of agr0-fuel plantations in Guatemala. The numbers of evictions in Guatemala has grown at alarming rates.
India
Teachers Against 377, July 19, 2009, Posted by: *Nivedita Menon
University teachers, researches and academics are showing their support of a Delhi High Court judgment which aims to "decriminalize consensual sex among adults" as well as "challenge the legitimacy of 'religious leaders' to speak for the whole of society." More than 180 signatories issued a statement that the criminalization of sexual preference is a violation of their right to freedom of discrimination.
Nepal
Nepal to Save Royal Massacre Home - July 23, 2009, BBC News
The Nepalese Government is planning to restore the house where King Birendra and his family were shot and killed by Prince Dipendra in 2005. It is believed that massacre was a significant event in Nepalese history that lead to Gyanendra giving himself absolute power.
South Africa
Zuma vows help for South African Townships - July 24, 2009, BBC News
Amidst the worst recession in 17 years, President Zuma promises to provide better basic services, such as water and electricity, in an attempt to end township protests. More than 200 people have been arrested in the recent protests. Zuma, who maintains that he values the peoples constitutional right to freedom of assembly argues that there is no justification for violence. However, increasing job losses (in the middle of winter) finds many unable to pay their bills and nowhere to turn.
South Africa Council Workers Strike Threatens Basic Services, July 24, 2009, Reuters
And:
South Africa’s Economy Faces Wave of Wage Strikes
A series of potential and actual strikes throughout South Africa’s major industrial sectors are expected to "threaten" public services. The sectors affected by the strikes are the nation’s most prominent industries and many are necessary for providing basic services including: gold, platinum, coal, municipal workers, chemical, pharmaceutical, rail, communications, doctors, petroleum and more. The Johannesburg council will attempt to minimize the disruption of services but strikes and protests may become more widespread.
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe Children Turn to Sex Trade - July 24, 2009, BBC News
A video produced by the BBC provides a shocking look into the lives of children in Zimbabwe who turn to prostitution in order to survive. As the number of orphaned children increases they must learn to look after themselves in addition to the surviving members of the family.
Women's Empowerment
DAC guiding Principles for Aid Effectiveness, July 2009, Eldis.org
The Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness cites that development goals "will not be possible without progress on gender equality and women's empowerment". Good practice principles and frameworks are provided to promote gender equality as a "priority development issue".
Labels: Guatemala, IDEX NewsFlash, India, Nepal, South Africa, South Africa Zimbabwe, Women's Empowerment
IDEX Program Office, Katherine Zavala, is currently in Mexico on field visits with our grantees there.Today I visited a community called San Francisco from the municipality of Teopisca, 1 hour south of San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas. This Tzeltal community of 300 people has been supported by DESMI for 20 years. The focus of the work is to assist 52 families to work collectively in various income-generating activities.
Don Pablo is the community representative of San Francisco Teopisca and has been the liaison with DESMI and communicates the progress of each collective income-generating project. He accompanied me during my visit, showed me around the community and introduced me to various members.
We went to a couple of parcels of land where organic vegetables are grown. The first patch of land is used mostly as a demonstration site. Here they showcase organic agricultural practices with new crops to communities. Thanks to workshops provided by DESMI, participants learn how to train other community members on these practices, which spreads the knowledge throughout the community.
Last year they cultivated red onions using vermicompost, which yielded successful results. They grew so many red onions that Don Pablo still has many of them hanging in his house. "We don’t have to buy them at the market anymore," he told me, "when you hang the onions, they can last up to 8 months."
8 indigenous women are managing the second parcel of organic vegetables that Don Pablo showed me. They grow lettuce, beets, carrots and onions. DESMI is in the process of teaching these women seed-saving techniques. Already the women are waiting for the flowers of the onions to blossom, and then they will harvest the seeds to sow.
Don Pablo also introduced me to women, who are growing medicinal plants such as dandelions, aloe and Madonna lilies. They create creams and medicinal herbal infusions from extracts of these plants to sell in the community.
Finally, I met with 3 members of a bakery collective, which has 30 members, all women. This collective has been baking bread for 15 years now, and sustainably generates income for its members. Marta, a 51-year old woman who has 7 children, recently became president of the bakery collective's board. She explained how the collective has helped bring the community together, as before none of the neighbors used to know each other and now they are work together.
DESMI provides these different groups through technical assistance and supports them in strengthening their unity as well as raising awareness in gender equality. DESMI will wait for the community groups to bring forward their future plans of how they want to improve their livelihoods. The members of San Francisco Teopisca are hoping to restore their land with more trees and are requesting support from DESMI for this project.
Labels: Chiapas, cooperatives, DESMI, Mexico, Sustainable Agriculture
IDEX Program Office, Katherine Zavala, is currently in Mexico on field visits with our grantees there.I’m in Chiapas, Mexico visiting our grantees here. It’s nice to be in warm weather, after the summer fog of San Francisco. Even better, I get to spend time in the beautiful colonial town of San Cristóbal de Las Casas. I’m going to be in Chiapas for 2 weeks visiting IDEX partners DESMI and EduPaz.
IDEX has been supporting DESMI for over 10 years and we’ve worked with a number of communities. On this trip I’ll visit 2 communities in the Southern and Northern zone of Chiapas. DESMI works to strengthen indigenous communities in Chiapas who are organizing using Solidarity Economics and the values of justice, gender equality, dialogue and respect to the environment. Their goal is to support social change that promotes autonomy and self-sufficiency within the communities.
DESMI was founded in 1969, and this year is their 40th anniversary. DESMI is celebrating with communities in the 3 different regions they work in: Northern, Central (Los Altos) and Southern zone, as well as in San Cristóbal de las Casas, where their office is.
As well as DESMI, I will visit IDEX’s newest partner EduPaz. EduPaz is based in Comitán, and works with communities in the Southern zone of Chiapas, near the border with Guatemala.
EduPaz was founded in 1998, initially to serve Guatemalan refugees who were escaping Guatemala’s internal conflict across the border into Mexico. As Guatemalan refugees started to go back to their home country, EduPaz began to work with the local population in the Comitán region. But their experience with Guatemalan refugees was also needed in their own communities in Chiapas after the Acteal massacre in December 1997.
Today EduPaz’s focus is to promote peace and social transformation through the programs of Solidarity Economics, Holistic Health, Agroecology and Popular-based Organization.
I’m looking forward to catching up with DESMI and growing my knowledge and relationship with EduPaz.
Labels: Chiapas, DESMI, EduPaz, Mexico
GuatemalaGuatemala Miners Protests - 7/17/09, Inside Costa Rica
The Guatemalan government has a 90-day deadline to deal with the demands of the mining protesters starting Wednesday 7/16/09. The protesters’ main demand is to avoid the private construction of a mine for mineral extraction and the operation of a plant to produce cement.
India
Clinton Arrives in India to Improve Partnership - 7/17/09, VOA News
Secretary of State Clinton arrived in India for talks intended to improve US-Indian relations. The U.S. and India are in the progress of finalizing two agreements. One agreement will allow U.S. companies to build nuclear power plants at two sites in India and the other will ensure U.S. arms technology sold to India is not leaked to other countries.
Mexico
Anti Drug Forces Increases - 7/17/09, BBC News
Mexico’s head of state is sending 5,500 police and military personnel to Michoacan to fight the drug violence. Since December 2006, more than 11,000 people have been killed in drug related violence. Most recently were twenty police officers and troops in a revenge attack after arresting a drug cartel boss.
Nepal
Child Soldiers Being Freed in Nepal - 7/17/09, BBC News
The process of freeing thousands of child soldiers from camps holding former Maoist rebel fighters has begun. The released soldiers were briefed about their transfer to rehabilitation programs. The freeing of child soldiers is a key part of Nepal's peace process.
Nepal Widows Dismiss Marriage Incentive - 7/17/09, BBC News
Widows in Nepal are protesting the government’s decision of offering a cash incentive to men for marrying them. Early last week the incentive was announced in the government’s annual budget of $641. The country has a large number of widows because of the bloody conflict, high rates of HIV and other diseases.
South Africa
Landmark Ruling Allows Apartheid Victims to Sue MNCs - 7/17/09, Pambazuka
Victims of apartheid are now able to sue multinational corporations that openly aided and assisted the regime. The legal ruling is called a progress in international human rights law. A US judge found that MNCs engaged in aiding and assisting apartheid, torture, extrajudicial killings, denationalization and other crimes. The legal ruling will have immense implications for Africa and the rest of the world. The lawsuits were previously dismissed because the suit could have serious consequences for US foreign relations and US commercial trade.
Zimbabwe
Cholera Epidemic Over, but Still in State of Alert - 7/17/09, VOA News
Zimbabwe’s cholera epidemic that hit last year is officially over. There are warnings of another outbreak when the rainy season starts later this year. More than 4,250 people died from cholera and more than 98,000 people were infected during the last rainy season; it was the worst in Africa in 15 years.
Labels: Guatemala, IDEX NewsFlash, India, Mexico, Nepal, South Africa, Zimbabwe
GuatemalaDisputed Property Sale in Guatemala Results in Death Threats, Charges 7/5/09, The Dominion
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights received an urgent request this month that precautionary measures be taken to protect Guatemalan families as Goldcorp, a Canadian gold mining company that owns the controversial Marlin mine in San Miguel Ixtahuacan, expands its operations in the mostly-Indigenous western Highlands.
Guatemalan Democracy: Hanging on by its Fingernails 7/1/09, Council on Hemispheric Affairs
In light of the recent sharp protests that erupted in the aftermath the release of a video of prominent Guatemalan lawyer, Rodrigo Rosenberg, the political divides of Guatemala’s economically and culturally conflicted society are even more obvious now than before the garish Rosenberg murder.
India
New Delhi Court De-criminalizes Consensual Homosexual Acts in a Ground-breaking and Controversial Ruling in the Conservative Indian Capital 7/30/09, ILGA
In a ruling Thursday, the Delhi High Court overturned a 148-year-old colonial law criminalizing consensual homosexual acts saying that it was a violation of fundamental human rights protected under India’s Constitution.
Men in uniform may face stiffer rap for rape 7/5/09, The Times of India
In keeping with increasing instances of sexual misconduct by men in uniform and in positions of authority, the National Commission
for Women (NCW) is pushing for a radical overhaul of laws on crimes against women, including the anti-rape law, to make punishment more stringent.
Mexico
Wives Left behind in Mexico by Migrants Suffer 'Poorer Mental Health' 7/3/09, Los Angeles Times
A Brigham Young University study, called "Effects of Husbands' Migration on Mental Health and Gender Role Ideology of Rural Mexican Women," found that women left behind by husbands who migrate to the United States in search of work generally have a poorer state of mental health than a comparison group.
Fitch Says Mexico Outlook Not Rising Anytime Soon 7/5/09, Reuters
Fitch Ratings does not see Mexico's credit rating outlook improving from negative anytime soon and expects the Mexican government to have a more difficult time negotiating with Congress following mid-term elections.
Nepal
Nepal Prime Minister Urged to Commit to Combating Enforced Disappearances 7/3/09, Amnesty International
Amnesty International representatives visited Nepal's Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal on Wednesday and called on him to ratify a human rights treaty aimed at combating enforced disappearances.
Late Monsoon Brings Fear of Food Shortage in Nepal 7/5/09, AFP
Nepal's long-delayed monsoon finally arrived in the Kathmandu Valley on Monday, allowing local farmers to begin transplanting their seedlings to the waterlogged rice paddies after weeks of anxious waiting. But there are fears the delay could prove devastating for this year's rice crop, and experts say the increasing unpredictability of the weather is causing huge problems for farmers in one of the world's poorest countries.
South Africa
Young, Educated, and Unemployed 7/30/09, IPS
Unemployment among young South Africans is hovering at 30%, shooting up to over 60% for youths in their late teens and early twenties. But tertiary education and skills development seem not to be making much of a dent in what is now regarded as a crisis.
S. Africa Human Rights Bodies Slam Arrest of Homeless Zimbabweans 7/4/09, AFP
South African human rights organizations on Saturday condemned the arrest of about 300 destitute Zimbabwean nationals. Police spokesman Wayne Minnaar said more than 300 people were arrested between Friday night and early hours of Saturday.
Zimbabwe
MDC May Quit over New Powers for Mugabe 6/30/09, The Independent
Members of Mr Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) boycotted a cabinet meeting led by Robert Mugabe yesterday, but sources in the former opposition group said they were not yet ready to disengage.
Civil Society constitutional convention reject use of Kariba draft 7/3/09, SW Radio Africa News
The co-chairperson of the Parliamentary Select Committee on constitutional reform, Douglas Mwonzora, on Friday said comments made by Robert Mugabe that the new constitution must be anchored on the Kariba Draft, were just a reflection of Mugabe's personal view point.
Stakeholders Call for Official Audit of External Debt 7/3/08, Pambazuka News
Stakeholders met on July 1 in Harare to discuss Zimbabwe’s external debt, which threatens the welfare of its citizens who have been ravaged by a deep social, economic and political crisis.
Labels: Guatemala, IDEX NewsFlash, India, Mexico, Nepal, South Africa, Zimababwe