Help Indigenous Q'eqchi' Families Who Lost It All

We are asking for donations to buy medicine, food, diapers, and other essentials for the Q'eqchi' Maya families who lost their homes during a government pronounced siege in Guatemala. These families form part of an indigenous group who made a large scale protest against CGN PRÓNICO, a Russian funded minery company in Guatemala practicing extreme criminal activitiy in order to extract Nickel, Cobalt, and Iron in the Q'eqchi' lands. To shut down the protests, the government and national police burned down and destroyed the houses of over 90 indigenous families. In order to send help we have created an immediate plan of support that will be taken into action as soon as we have enough funds to get the help to the community. Someone will personally bring the support to the victims in Izabal. You can learn more about this at www.mayanwisdomproject.com/donations and below we will explain the situation in depth:

 

Guatemala is a beautiful country placed in the center of the Americas and known as the heart of the Mayan world. However, it is a country that is known for its poverty, corruption, and exploitation of its people - specially of its indigenous people. For hundreds of years the indigenous nations of this country have been enslaved, murdered, exploited, and kept from basic rights and opportunities. What I'm about to share with you is simply one of the highest manifestations of crime, obstruction of human rights, and yet again another example of evil towards the indigenous nations.

 

The Maya Q'eqchi' territory is found in big areas of Guatemala. In this case we will talk about the situation which is ocurring in Izabal, Baja Verapaz, and Alta Verapaz. On the 23rd of October of 2021, Russian Miners invaded a town in the area of El Estor, Izabal, while being escorted by Guatemalan police. Their main goal: profiting from the Nickel, Cobalt, and Iron mines located in the area. While promoting minery that leaves nothing but a small percentage of their profits to the country of Guatemala. In addition to going against the wishes of the indigenous peoples in the territory. People whose houses and lands stand on top of the mines, who want to protect the nature (including one of the biggest lakes in the country) and the biodiversity of the area, and who have been feeding of these sacred lands for thousands of years. Lands which have held peace, harmony, and the sacred altars of one of the most prosperous civilizations in the history of the world: the Mayans.

 

The Q'eqchi' are known as warriors and keepers of the millenary and ancients traditions. Keepers of knowledge and wisdom who live in harmony with the Earth.

 

In Guatemala there is an internationally recognized law that states the government must convene and make a previous, free and informative consultation with the people of the territory before allowing for activity of minery to occur in their lands. A law that has not been fulfilled. For decades these lands have been abused for the purpose of minery. There are several records of assassinations and incarceration to people trying to investigate, oppose, and/or document the illegal activities of the mines. These criminal events have been observed in the years 2012, 2016, 2017, and 2021. Minerals have been discovered in the territory of Izabal, Alta Verapaz, and Baja Verapaz that have been clasified as extremely rare and exist ONLY in Guatemala and China.

 

The companies that are responsible for the destruction of land in the past and present are:

 

Recently the Q'eqchi' people pronounced themselves against the Russian/Guatemalan company CGN PRÓNICO and made large scale protests against minery. The government of Guatemala declared siege for 30 days. Siege is defined as "a military operation in which enemy forces surround a town or building, cutting off essential supplies, with the aim of compelling those inside to surrender". In the linked video below we can observe how the siege has been applied by destroying and burning the houses of over 90 indigenous families which include children, women, and elderly people. It has come to light that in the past weeks or so, the war against minery has been fought mainly by Q'eqchi' women, as the men were either killed or incarcerated.

 

 

Through this fundraiser, we will send immediate basic emergency relief to the victims of the burnings and displacement promoted by a government pronounced siege and taken into action by the Guatemalan national police. We are also planning on finding new ways to support the victims long term and will be publishing updates on this.

 

 

 

Watch video on Facebook (warning - the content of this video is sensitive): video of the houses of the victims burning

 

Credits for the images and videos we have used in all of our platforms during this fund raiser go to: Denuncia Ciudadana Izabal (you can find them on Facebook under that name)