Guatemala Programs

Qachuu Aloom (Mother Earth) Farmers’ Association - Location Rabinal, Guatemala

Qachuu Aloom works in the municipality of Rabinal, department of Baja Verapaz. Rabinal was heavily affected by the 36-year civil waged by the Guatemalan military. The consequences of the war were severe, in particular for the indigenous population.

During the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, a genocide policy was carried out aimed at decimating the country’s Mayan population. Rabinal communities endured numerous massacres in the hands of the Guatemalan military. Men, women, the elderly and children were systematically tortured, raped and killed, later to be buried in mass graves.

The official justification of these acts was that they were ‘guerrilla’ fighters, a notion unknown to most of them. Villages are still suffering from the direct and indirect effects of what is now known as la violencia (the violence) – the shattering of the social fabric, the lack of leadership due to the mass murders, and the severely weakened economy. The extreme poverty levels and lack of access to resources such as land, drinking water, schools and medical care add a greater level of difficulty to the current situation that most rural Guatemalan families face.

Qachuu Aloom is a Maya-run organization in rural Guatemala that was created to rebuild communities in the aftermath of the war. Through the work of community leaders, it strives to strengthen cultural identity, traditional farming and building practices, and to create economic opportunities for its members.