Guatemala
Two questions: Why are there so many widows in Chichi? And what, for them, is the doorway to hope and healing?
Estimates say there are fifty thousand or so—that's the number of widows living in Chichicastenango ["Chichi"], Guatemala and its surrounding areas. Why so many? Because during the most brutal years of Guatemala's recent civil war [1960-1996], a nationwide genocide that left an estimated 200,000 Mayans dead or missing, this rural, mountainous region was a principal site of repeated massacres, arbitrary killings, and forced disappearances.
Of those who lived and remained, many had seen their homes and villages desecrated, their crops destroyed as part of a "scorched earth" policy practiced against their communities by members of the Army. Many had been threatened, tortured, brutalized, raped. Many had endured seeing their children stolen. The atrocities of the Guatemalan civil war left hundreds of thousands displaced or abandoned, their families severed, their lives and livelihoods in ruin.
With the signing of a peace treaty in 1996, the people of Guatemala made efforts to move forward, yet hope still seemed particularly dim for Mayan widows. On top of having no means to earn a living, many were unable to speak Spanish and most could not read or write. How would these women survive and succeed enough to step into a new life? What, for them, would be the doorway to hope and healing?
In Chichi and its surrounding villages, we're finding that one of the first doorways needed is an actual, physical doorway, one that leads into a room with a concrete floor underneath, a roof overhead, and walls on every side. Home. So as part of our Community Development Initiative, we're working with Pray America to build 12' by 12' homes for Mayan widows in the Guatemalan highlands. Teams from Mars Hill travel to Chichi where, in just over a week, they help build homes for five widows and their families. But first steps like these are made even more effective when they go hand-in-hand with long-term efforts for community development. That's why we’re planning an assessment trip to Guatemala in the fall of 2008, researching potential economic and agricultural opportunities for those who live in the region. In time, our aim is to help provide not only roofs and walls to Mayan widows, but also to help establish livelihoods and life.
Our 2008 Trips
June 20-28 – Family Trip [adults + children over 8]
October 17-25 – Adults only
November 7-15 – Family Trip
Want to get involved? Want to learn more?
Email info@marshill.org