[Aztlan] The Guatemala Accompaniment Project

[Elaine Schele]

Listeros, if there are replies you would like to make to this message below,
please send them directly to GAP at gap at nisgua.org or call them at
510-238-8400.  Please do NOT reply to the entire Aztlan list.

For the first time ever, testimony from genocide survivors is being heard in
Guatemalan courts.

This announcement is from the Guatemala Accompaniment Project (G.A.P.) of
the Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA):

Human Rights Observers Needed in Guatemala
Application Deadline: December 1, 2008
For application information, please visit our website: www.nisgua.org
Next training: January 2009
Six-month minimum commitment required
- Accompaniers act as human rights observers, providing a constant
international presence to Guatemalan witnesses involved in precedent-setting
genocide cases and other individuals, organizations and communities
organizing in defense of their rights.
- NISGUA trains volunteers and matches them with U.S. sponsoring communities
that support the accompanier's stay both financially and personally.
- Accompaniers share in everyday rural life, observe and report on
conditions, and monitor the human rights situation.
Training includes the following:
- Workshops focused on anti-oppression themes and accompaniment philosophy
- Role-plays that prepare participants to live and work as accompaniers in
rural Guatemalan communities
- Historical background on Guatemala and updates on the current political
situation.
Candidates should have:
- A familiarity with the history of Central America/U.S. relations and the
current situation in Guatemala
- A basic understanding of accompaniment
- Previous experience in Latin America, especially rural areas strongly
preferred
- A high level of verbal and written Spanish or the ability to develop it
with six weeks of intensive study
- The ability to document and analyze events and conditions in order to
produce quality written reports
- Cultural sensitivity, excellent judgment skills, physical stamina and good
health
-  Awareness of security issues and willingness to work in a situation which
might involve some risk
Benefits include:
Accommodation and food in community, a small monthly stipend, health
insurance, a re-entry stipend, and a contribution toward international
airfare.
***
About G.A.P.
The Guatemala Accompaniment Project (G.A.P.) of the Network in Solidarity
with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA) is always looking for qualified
candidates to be human rights accompaniers. NISGUA is one of many
organizations around the world that employs accompaniment as a vital tool in
the global struggle for the respect of human rights.  In the Guatemalan
context, accompaniment creates a non-violent response to the threats,
harassment, and violence faced by survivors of Guatemala's 36-year-long
civil war, grassroots organizations working for justice and indigenous
communities combating destructive mega-development projects on their land.
In recent months, testimony from genocide survivors is being heard in
Guatemalan court for the first time ever – please join G.A.P. in supporting
this historic process!
About NISGUA:
NISGUA links people in the United States with the Guatemalan people and
their grassroots struggles for justice, human rights, environmental
sustainability and dignity.  Formed at the height of Guatemala's war in
1981, today NISGUA's network is comprised of thousands across the U.S. who
demand accountability for genocidal crimes of the past and for sustainable
alternatives to destructive mega-development projects in Guatemala.
*For more information, please contact us at gap at nisgua.org or 510-238-8400*


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