Breaking New Ground in Guatemala |
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| Written by Janet Creery |
| Wednesday, 17 June 2009 19:00 |
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In mid-March, while El Salvador prepared for its ground-breaking elections, a group of Canadians set out to accomplish a smaller but nonetheless important transformation some miles North, in Guatemala. Twenty-one Canadians worked with Mayan villagers in the coffee-growing highlands, amidst lakes and volcanoes, to build nine houses over nine days. It was an awakening for many of these avid coffee-drinkers. They not only worked long hot hours wrestling beams into place, but also spent an afternoon discovering just how painstaking a job it is to pick coffee beans. So much labour for that cup of coffee!
The Comite Campesino del Altiplano (roughly translated: the agricultural workers committee of the highlands), which welcomed and housed the Canadian builders, also manages the fair-trade coffee brand Café Justicia. It's thanks to Café Justicia - and its buyers in cities such as Halifax, Ottawa, Toronto, Burlington and Vancouver - that these villagers are able to make about three times as much as the average Guatemalan coffee grower. By helping the villagers build simple but solid houses to live in, project participants made a noticeable difference in their lives, and brought them new skills. They also worked in solidarity with a wider Guatemalan movement to improve the lives of these coffee-growers. The Public Service Alliance of Canada contributes funds to the project, and provided this year's building team leader. But the solidarity extends far beyond the labour movement, with participants joining from many walks of life and organizing well-attended fundraising activities throughout the year.
Education in Action is now thriving, with a new website up and a video on the latest house building project in production. If you are interested in getting involved, you can send en email through the Education in Action website, or contact Janet St. Jean at the PSAC Social Justice Fund, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . This article was also printed in Vision Latina, a new magazine in the Ottawa-Gatineau region which encourages the meeting of cultures by publishing in English, French, and Spanish. Vision Latina aims to weave the Hispanic community into the Canadian mosaic while preserving and building on its unique cultural identity. Vision Latina, will celebrate its first birthday this August, and is distributed through the Ottawa public library system, Latin American stores, and community events. Publisher and Editor Felix Grande is always looking for new writers and also takes on printing projects - you can reach him at
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I need to know if this is the janet I´ve been looking for. I´m Anabela, we met in Toronto, remember my house in the beaches...if so email me please....if not sorry
