Mariposas - Butterflies

Day 4 in Guatemala City.

This week I started work at MTM. Everyone there is really nice. It is a team of four women, they’ve got one guy who does administrative work, and if they ever need anything else - they seem to have built partnerships with several psychologists, doctors, lawyers, and other human rights activists. On Monday I was given the grand tour of the office, which isn’t big. Its basically a home that has been converted into office space. It was abandoned, so the owner agreed to let them lease it for a reduced price if they fixed it up. But like most of the homes around here, it is only partially indoors. Its a good thing Guatemala City has really mild weather - except of course for the three months a year where it rains nonstop.

Table set for traditional Mayan invocation prayer.

My experience at nonprofits in the US should have prepared me for the chaos of working for a small NGO. They are always running around with a million things on their To Do lists. The good thing is that whole MTM team is just that - a team. They each have their area of responsibility, but in reality they are all working together on all of their projects.

The last two days have been really educational for me. In the office I was doing a lot of reading on the Guatemalan judicial system and responses to violence against women, or more accurately their lack of response. But I also had the opportunity to attend two events that really helped put the human side into the story of the Armed Conflict, i.e. the Guatemalan Civil War.

(1) On Tuesday afternoon we attended an event commemorating the Burning of the Spanish Embassy in Guatemala on January 31, 1980 and promoting women‘s rights. The panelists discussed the cultural and institutional obstacles faced by women, particularly indigenous (Mayan) women, as they attempt to exercise their political rights and pass legislation in favor of women and their indigenous communities. It became strikingly clear just how patriarchal and machista Guatemalan society is.

Women at the workshop.

(2) Today I attended a workshop that was hosted by MTM and three other women’s rights organizations. The women taking part in the workshop were mostly Mayan women, a group of probably about 35, all of whom were working towards a certificate issued by the University for 200 hours of training in women’s human rights. Today’s topic was Violence Against Women (surprise surprise). Remember, I was once a domestic violence advocate, so much of this was very familiar. Among their many scheduled activities we watched a documentary titled “Mariposas” or “Butterflies”. It was about the Mirabal sisters who were assassinated by Dictator Trujillo in the Dominican Republic. There was a movie about them a few years back called “In the Time of the Butterflies” starring Salma Hayek. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, I recommend finding the movie or another documentary about it - there are a few. But, as much as I enjoyed the video, the thing that had the greatest impact on me, lo mas impresionante, was the stories of the women who had lived through the Armed Conflict and had lost loved ones. Even the younger women who were too young to remember still carry their community’s pain and relate the current problems in Guatemala, including the violence against women, to the history of war and violence in their country.

So, needless to say, every day I learn something new. And it is only going to continue, especially because I came away with THREE BOOKS! One of them includes the stories of the women who suffered sexual and physical violence during the Armed Conflict.

Next week I will be traveling with the MTM team to some court hearings that are out in other departments (think: states). I believe that on Thursday we have to be in Quiche, and Friday in San Marcos. After two days of rest I will be joining the Zacualpa PDHRP team as they tour some of the NGO’s in northern Guatemala and southern Mexico. At least, that’s what I think we are doing. So, up until this point I have not yet done anything “touristy” (perhaps this weekend?). I will definitely be getting a much different view of Guatemala than I would have if I had come here on vacation.

But so far so good. Especially the prices of the food!!! Each of my meals has cost between $0.75 - $2.75, that gives me absolutely no incentive to cook for myself while I’m here. One of these days I will remember to whip out a camera at the dinner table / food stands and dedicate a posting to the joys of Guatemalan food.

Esta foto está dedicada a Tomás para que él vea que la gente puede tener una imagen de Jesús que coincide con su propio tono de piel  ;)