Rights Action forwards this from NISGUA, seeking Human Rights Accompaniers in Guatemala. If interested, contact NISGUA directly.
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From: Bridget Brehen [gap@nisgua.org]
Sent: Friday, September 23, 2011 1:21 PM
To: Rights Action
Subject: Human Rights Observers Needed in Guatemala - Oct 31 Deadline
Greetings and appreciation for your social justice work!
I write you today from the Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala/NISGUA office in Guatemala City. I am a coordinator with the Guatemala Accompaniment Project (G.A.P.), a program which trains and places U.S. volunteers as international human rights observers in coalition with 9 other countries. We are currently searching for future human rights accompaniers, so if you could pass on this information, we would really appreciate it. Find the text below.
NISGUA has a long history of accompanying rural indigenous communities fighting for justice in precedent-setting national and international genocide cases. Today, these same communities continue their struggle in the face of mega-projects and natural resource extraction, while still facing impunity for crimes of the past. In a climate where activists are making gains in the fight for justice while facing the ongoing presence of war criminals in power, the presence of international human rights observers has never been more critical.
The presence of human rights accompaniers is urgently needed to report on and educate people and movements in the north on the current realities faced by the people of Guatemala in the context of globalization and global resistance.
We are currently accepting applications for the early January 2012 training, tentatively scheduled to take place in the San Francisco/Oakland area, California. Our application and reference forms are due by October 31st. You will find the complete information below. The complete application forms and a wealth of helpful information on the G.A.P. program are available here:
http://www.nisgua.org/get_involved/join_gap/
If you would like to get the latest news updates on struggles for justice in Guatemala, including our Solidarity Update and Urgent Actions, I encourage you to sign-up for our e-list here:
https://lists.riseup.net/www/subrequest/nisgua
In solidarity,
Bridget Brehen
Coordinator, Guatemala Accompaniment Project (G.A.P.)
Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala/NISGUA
Phone: (510) 868-0612
www.nisgua.org
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Human Rights Accompaniers Needed in Guatemala
Next training: early January 2012 in Bay Area, CA
Application Deadline: October 31st, 2011
For more information and an application, please visit our website: www.nisgua.org
Six-month minimum commitment required
The role of human rights accompaniers
Accompaniers work as human rights observers, providing an international presence to Guatemalans organizing in defense of their rights in a variety of contexts, including precedent-setting genocide cases and local opposition to mega-projects. Accompaniers work in pairs, travel between the capital city and an assigned region, share in rural life, observe and report on conditions, monitor the human rights situation and provide a link to the international community. NISGUA trains volunteers and matches them with groups in the U.S. that support the accompanier's stay both financially and personally.
Candidates should have:
o The ability to document and analyze events and conditions in order to produce quality written reports
o Cultural sensitivity, excellent judgment skills, physical stamina, ability to work flexibly in dynamic, changing situations, resourceful in self-care and relational dynamics, patient and flexible
o A high level of verbal and written Spanish or the ability to develop it with six weeks of intensive study
o A familiarity with the history of Central America/U.S. relations, the current situation in Guatemala, and a basic understanding of human rights/accompaniment
o Previous experience in Latin America (especially rural areas) strongly preferred
o Awareness of security issues and willingness to work in a situation which might involve risk
Benefits include:
Accommodation and food covered by 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) trains and places qualified candidates as 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 is one tool used in 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.
http://www.nisgua.org/get_involved/join_gap/