Chaculá Partnership

During the 1980's, thousands of Guatemalans fled their homes in the wake of genocidal attacks by the Guatemalan Army. Many of them crossed the border into southern Mexico, where they remained living in refugee camps for some 12 years. In 1994, after the signing of an agreement with the government of Guatemala, a group of these refugees returned to northwest Guatemala, to establish a new community called "Nueva Esperanza" (New Hope). As one of the conditions to guarantee their safety, the refugees requested international accompaniment, and CMSA responded to that call by sending our Director, Martha Pierce, to travel with them.  Each year since then, a delegation from the CMSA has traveled to the community, which is popularly known as "Chaculá" on the anniversary of the community's return to Guatemala (January 12).  Every year, CMSA also gives a portion of our annual Pedal For Peace Bike-A-Thon fundraiser donations to the local school, and supports international human rights accompaniers in the village.
Over the past 14 years we have shared Chaculá's challenges and successes, the people's hard times and celebrations. We have watched the settlement grow from a collection of plastic-walled tents to a thriving village that serves as a model of industry, persistence, and vision for all around them. We have welcomed the births of new babies, watched children growing up, and mourned the loss of friends to both disease and old age. Throughout this time, we have learned much about hospitality, courage, and faith, as well as the difficulties of living out these values in the midst of a country marked by ongoing political turmoil, economic inequality, and racism.