In the years following a civil war and genocide that spanned nearly four decades, Guatemala has struggled to grow into a thriving democracy. There is strong collusion between the economic elites, retired military and organized crime, who have maintained their power with impunity. And social movements pushing for greater respect for democratic institutions have been criminalized by the government. In this challenging environment, AJWS supports Guatemalans to fight for their right to political expression and association. We accompany organizations helping communities affected by the Guatemalan genocide to fight for justice, and work to lift up the voices of women, youth and Indigenous People within Guatemala’s growing movements for change.
As the climate crisis causes increasingly severe natural disasters in Guatemala, AJWS also supports Indigenous and peasant communities in rural areas to defend their territories against the construction of hydroelectric dams, pipelines and monocrops. Our grantees also work with communities to fight against the rampant expansion of palm oil plantations, which have deforested vast swaths of land, diverted precious water, and caused forced evictions of Indigenous and peasant families.
