Hope for the Future in Guatemala, by Kerry Pettis

Kerry Pettis is a participant in a current JustJourneys delegation to Guatemala.

Even though it was stark to see the bones and skulls of the genocide victims and the many boxes of remains stacked from floor to ceiling of the Forensic Anthropological Foundation of Guatemala (FAFG), I thought it was the most positive place. They had seen a need, made a plan to address it, and were moving forward toward the goal.

The FAFG follows specific steps from the moment they go to a mass grave site through establishing a chain of evidence that will stand up in court, to returning the remains to the families for proper burial and closure. They have exhumed close to 5000 remains, and their work has served as evidence to bring justice in two cases. It presented a more positive hope for the future.