Peace with Social Justice

Photo: Omar Ponce/AFSC

The Peace with Social Justice program supports communities in Guatemala and El Salvador in achieving significant and sustainable change.

We are committed to a bottom-up approach to transformation. We understand that great transformations arise from local empowerment and community initiatives. 

In Guatemala, we support initiatives that defend self-determination in the face of dispossession. We work in the regions of Laguna del Tigre and Sierra del Lacandón in Petén, and the municipality of Chajul in Quiché. We work to create spaces for dialogue and exchange. We support communities constructing conservation models based on ancestral knowledge and community management. We strengthen voices calling for change.

In El Salvador, the challenge is equally urgent. In Sonsonate and Morazán, we are working to strengthen initiatives for food justice. We especially center on work led by women, emphasizing community leadership. We promote sustainable agriculture and empower communities. 

We do not stop there. In both countries, we are developing case studies and convening community meetings. This research analyzes links between dispossession practices and restrictions on civic space. These injustices affect not only the region but the freedom of all communities. 

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