Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all those near and far! As per usual, we were asked to choreograph and perform a dance for the celebration in Chaquijyá. Luckily we had 7 volunteers from Jackson Hole, WY that could easily find work as music video dancers. Check out these superstars redefine the shuffle!

Don't you wish this is how we celebrated Mother's Day in the USA?

Higher resolution video found here.

Otto Perez: Real Change or a Return to Military Rule?

On November 6th, Otto Perez Molina of the Mano Duro Party was elected the new president of Guatemala. As the already unstable government prepares to turn over a new leaf, many wonder what changes lie ahead for this crime-ridden country. Today's blog comes to you from Brendan Crow, a month-long volunteer that's helping us run our summer camp program.

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What's different about General Otto Perez Molina and what direction will the country take now?
 
There has been much discussion about the 2011 Presidential Election in Guatemala, but many are reluctant to get their hopes up with the recent election of Otto Perez. The country has struggled to get back on track ever since the US organized coup of 1954 to oust the democratically elected president, Jacobo Árbenz. Though after multiple military dictatorships, Guatemala has returned to a more democratic forum. Despite the outspoken effort and promises by those in power today, the country still suffers from extreme poverty and one of the highest homicide rates in the world. With Otto Perez now at the head of the government, many hope for a decrease in the crime rate but not many believe he will bring change to the root problems of Guatemala. 

Perez, or Major Tito, as was the pseudonym Perez used as a mid-level commander for the Guatemalan Military in the 1980s, was the head of military intelligence in the Quiche department. During the violence, Quiche suffered the greatest number of atrocities but very little documentation has been found to understand Major Tito’s involvement in the violence (video). Perez still stands by the government’s actions during the violence claiming that his job was to win back the confidence of the people through constructive means. Several survivors of the violence claim he ordered the torture of suspected guerrillas and led the massacre of several villages in the Quiche department. In 1982, revolutionary militant groups united to form the URNG (Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity) and started a long series of peace talks. Fourteen years later in 1996, the Guatemalan Peace Accords were signed by the URNG and the government, including General Otto Perez Molina, who represented the military at the time.

By signing the Peace Accords, both sides agreed to drop arms and reach goals through peaceful means.  Ultimately, the Peace Accords had some success during the following year in 1997. A new structure created 3 levels of committees to increase involvement from Mayan communities in the democratic process in Guatemala. However, lines of permanent communication between the largely rural population and the government never developed and funding for the changes quickly dried up. Shortly after voting for change in critical areas of civil society, those in elected positions lost interest in implementing initiatives agreed upon a year earlier. Focus quickly turned to the impending election in 1999. Power today remains centered in the capital with little regard for the rural towns and villages.

All candidates throughout the electoral cycle this year mentioned the Peace Accords and Millennium Development goals but none were really willing to talk openly about them. The government pledged that the Peace Accords were widely distributed throughout the country, but actual awareness and understanding has a long way to go. With 22 different Mayan languages spoken and a literacy rate of 69%, publishing the document is hardly enough.

Amidst the evidence from Otto Perez's violent past, there is also evidence of hope. His actions in the 1980s to oust one of the most brutal dictators, Rios Montt, show that he has courage to stand for what is right. Following that, in 1992, he stood against President Jorge Serrano when he tried to dissolve congress and suspend the constitution. Finally, he is proud to list the Peace Accords as one of the accomplishments on his resume, despite the lack of progress in implementation. Recently, in his campaign he focused on a return to justice as part of his ‘firm hand’ against violence and drug trafficking. He recognizes that the challenge is steep with the rate of prosecution for violent crimes at an abysmal 2%. That said, the recent success of attorney general Claudia Paz y Paz to prosecute ex-military officers for the crimes against humanity will also be a measure of where Perez’s loyalty and support lie. Hopefully with time we'll see him put his words into action, and do more than just declare war against violence and drugs.

For a more complete analysis of the Peace Accords: http://www.c-r.org/our-work/accord/guatemala/index.php

Sunday Snapshot XXI

Best summer volunteers ever! We miss you all already!

Photo Credit: Dana Zichlin

Photo Credit: Kati Turner

Circle of Life

MPI Guatemala rocks, end of discussion. I’ve been with Manna for about a week and a half and I’m disappointed to be leaving so soon. The last two weeks have completely exceeded my expectations both in and outside the house.

I was nervous to meet all the PDs and summer volunteers but they are so cool! Within 10 days I’ve made 12 new best friends, all with inside jokes and the solid connection that you only get through this kind of experience. The Program Directors do a great job of providing opportunities to get to know the other volunteers in a way that don’t include your typical ice-breakers. This is a crazy fun atmosphere where you are going to make lifelong friends and memories, whether it's singing Disney songs on the back of a pickup truck or sitting around late at night just talking about life.

 As if they weren’t cool enough inside the house, I am blown away by the passion and energy that every MPI volunteer pours into his or her work in the community. Seeing the kids’ faces light up as we entered the building was priceless on my first visit to the community. Both the kids and their parents adore Manna volunteers. This organization is making a lasting impact on the community within which it works. I’m hooked.

Thanks MPI Guatemala for an inspiring two weeks. Nica and Ecuador are going to have to step up if they want to fill your shoes.

-David Sanchez

Summer Lovin'

Welcome to all of our summer volunteers!

We're so excited to welcome our 5 new volunteers to the MPIG team! For the next month, they'll be working alongside our team on all of our programs and projects, and on some of their own as well. Be sure to stay check out their blog tab ("Summer Session 1") for all their updates and progress along the way. Tomorrow we get to work!

Mama D

Manna Resolutions

Fireworks are a daily treat in Solola.

Happy New Years!  We’re thrilled to be going back to Guatemala soon, and after a great break we wanted to share with you some of the resolutions we’ve made as we tackle the new year.  As always, we invite your feedback, questions, and requests in the comments below.

MPI Guatemala Resolutions:

• Increase our Sustainability: sustainability was a key topic of conversation in group meetings as we wrapped up the year.  We’re increasingly cognoscente of our program’s abilities to equip residents to continue what we start and we want this to be a central part of our program pre-audit.  In English, that means the teachers need to teach alongside us, and the curriculum needs to be one they can repeat.  In other programs, that means a renewed emphasis on partner orgs and community involvement.

• Get a community center: The week of Dec. 5 we had a promising meeting about a new room that could be converted for a meeting space and library.  We have another meeting coming up and hope to have this space ready to build out by the time Spring Break volunteers arrive.

Where our boss Dana is right now.  Jealous.

• Show our volunteers why we love our job: We’ll have three spring break trips and two rounds of summer volunteers.  One of Manna's pillars is volunteer development, and we hope to foster an interest in community service and international development.  We want the volunteers who come to have a fun and moving experience abroad, and that takes preparation on our part.

• See more of this beautiful country: We need to travel more.  Less weekends around the house, less holidays catching up on work.  The work will always be there, but if the next six months fly by anything like the first six, we won't have much time to fit everything in.  If you’re in the area, come along, there’s Semuc Champay, Rio Dulce, Tikal, and much more.

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday season, here's to an even better 2011.  All the best.

        -Hudson and the MPI-G team

Full House

One of Manna Project International’s founding tenets is to foster communities of young adults and encourage them to use their passions and education in service to communities in need. In accordance with this mission, the organization has campus chapters at 11 universities which not only raise awareness for international issues and fundraise for MPI programs, but also that send groups of students to live and serve at MPI’s three permanent sites during their spring and summer vacations. 

This March, MPIG will host 2 groups of 10 volunteers from Vanderbilt University and University of Georgia who will stay with us for one week each. Later in June and July, we will have 8-10 summer volunteers who will live with us for 4 or 8 weeks.

This past week, MPIG and I were fortunate to have a taste of life with short-term volunteers as we were joined by five wonderful people who lived with us and helped out at camp. Hailing from Colombus, Ohio, Jason Kluk-Barany and Sean McGrew arrived at the MPI house after travelling throughout Latin America for the previous month. With no hesitations, they jumped right in helping with the Art and Sports programs at our summer camp. So helpful and energetic (they even cleaned our kitchen!), we were so sad to see them leave after a week.

Dana’s friend from Engineers Without Borders in Ecuador, Mark “Marco” Rohan, also stayed with us for a week. He is also on a month-long Central American vacation from his job as a mechanical engineer, testing weapons and completing system improvements for the Navy. Definitely a smart cookie, he assisted our Science program and even led his own class about water filtration. He left on Friday to climb the highest mountain in Central America, Tajumulco, with Dana and continue on with the rest of his adventure.

We were also fortunate to be joined by Chris Barry. Originally from Dallas, Texas, Chris currently works for the non-profit organization Hug it Forward dedicated to both the environment and education system in Guatemala. Normally stationed in the Alta Verapaz region, Chris came and helped run a special program at camp, in which we focused on the importance of recycling and environmental responsibility. The campers watched an episode of LIFE, did fun crafts with recycled bottles, learned about bottle schools and stuffed their own bottle with trash. At the end of the program, numerous campers approached Chris and us with questions about bottle schools and recycling. We were so glad to have Chris present to help motivate the campers about environmental stewardship.

Finally, our last volunteer Kate Bennett will be staying with us for a total of three weeks. After farming her way through Argentina with WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms), Kate received a grant from New York University to research non-profit organizations working with indigenous populations in Guatemala. She is also writing a blog for Idealist.org, a website that allows non-profit organizations from around the globe to exchange resources and identify supporters and volunteers. Our 7th roommate for 3 weeks, Kate has brought a new spark of enthusiasm and optimism to the house. She has not only provided much needed manpower and energy for our summer camp programs, but she has also contributed valuable insight on upcoming projects and we are so thrilled to have her staying with us.

After five months of life here in Guatemala, I can’t tell you how refreshing it is to see our work through five fresh sets of eyes. The past week has really re-energized our mission, work, and general everyday life. To our five new friends, we cannot thank you enough, and we miss you! To all our future short-term volunteers, can’t wait to meet you. Insert cheesy friendship quote here, I can’t bear to choose just one.

Ginny and the MPIG team.