Rio Negro Massacre Survivors Build for the Future

The following post was written by Will Russell, of the Unitarian Universalist Church in Arlington, Va. Russell writes from Guatemala, where he is participating in a UUSC JustJourney.

On Wednesday morning, our group heard from Juan, of UUSC program partner ADVIMA. He described their many programs, which include reconciliation (following the Guatemalan genocide and decades of internal strife), scholarships for middle-school children, and micro-finance initiatives.

Later, we visited the new village of Rio Negro. I say new because the original village now lies under a lake, flooded by the Chixoy Dam. Today, 12 families live there, and 21 children attend the grade school. Yet, as far as I could tell, there was no visible means of support, beyond an impressive visitors' center, funded by a German organization. Outside the building, there was a small construction project, as well as a woman vendor selling her weavings.

This is a remote enclave. Getting here requires a 1.5-hour drive on a gravel road followed by a half-hour boat ride. Alternatively, one can hike 4 hours from the nearest road. The village also uses two mules to bring people in over the trail. To get to the visitor’s center from the lake requires hiking up a steep hill, which is perhaps 400-feet high. Another 300-foot vertical climb and a half-mile walk brings one to the school and residential area. While the project [of re-establishing this community] seems a long way off, the people sure have hope.

Early in the evening we met several people from NIGUA, including Sue and Bridgett from the Guatemala City office. After introductions we had a circle connecting our energies for successful programs and then went to dinner.

Tad [our guide] took us to an organic restaurant with great food. We heard a presentation from a group sponsoring organic farming and healthy eating. They told us they ensure farmers have access to supplies of non-genetically modified (non-GMO) seeds. They also work to convince farmers not to use GMO seeds, which are given away for free. Flowing out of their operating philosophy, they are campaigning to include both women and men in their projects. They were quite pleased when I told them that ADVIMA's scholarships encourage girls, as well as boys, to become educated (instead of the tradition of only educating boys).