Horizons of Friendship sponsored
CANADIAN SPEAKING TOUR
WALTER CASTRO SIMON
Coordinadora Campesina Kab’awil
Quetzaltenango, Guatemala
Horizons of Friendship is a Canadian non-profit international development organization committed to eliminating the root causes of poverty and injustice through cooperation of people from the South and the North. Horizons supports Central American and Mexican partner organizations that undertake local initiatives and implement community development projects. One of these organizations is the Coordinadora Campesina KAB’AWIL in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala.
Coordinadora Campesina KAB’AWIL (Kab’awil Peasant Farmers’ Council) is a non-profit organization based on the Mayan world-view and the principles of freedom, justice and cultural identity. It is an organization that works for the peasant farmer population of Guatemala. The focus on land issues is seen as central to Kabawil’s broader mandate of rebuilding the Mayan culture and identity, promoting the rights of women, increasing participation in local and national political processes, enhancing community empowerment, improving access to education and training and seeking fair wages and working conditions for the rural population.
Kab’awil is a Mayan word meaning “Double Sight”, a spirit being with the ability to see simultaneously up and down, near and far, day and night, good and bad, past and future. Basically, it is a profound and integrated strategic philosophy.
Walter Castro is the coordinator of Kab’awil and has worked for campesino organizations in the southwestern region of Guatemala. He is one of the founders of the National Network of Campesino Organizations (CNOC) and was a member of Consejo TUKUM UMAM, an umbrella body coordinating the efforts and initiatives of over a dozen grassroots groups in the western highlands of Guatemala. Walter has extensive experience training rural youth community leaders and has been involved in the process of negotiation and conflict resolution to land disputes from a Mayan perspective.
During his visit to Canada, Walter will speak about the current challenges faced in Guatemala, the continuing struggle of Mayan indigenous peoples, the process of agrarian reform, and a review of the Peace Accords. The speaking tour hopes to highlight the positive efforts made by community grass-root organizing based on the principle of recovering, valuing and living in harmony with Mother Earth.
Walter will be visiting the cities of Kingston, Ottawa, Toronto, Nova Scotia and Northumberland County from November 13 to 27, 2004.
For more information, please contact:
Jessica Farias
Community Outreach Coordinator
1-888-729-9928 Ext. 24
Email: jfarias@horizons.ca
