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© MADRE

Support Indigenous Peoples in Chiapas, Mexico

Indigenous Peoples in Chiapas, Mexico are among the poorest in the world. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), enacted in 1994, has unraveled hard-won land reform in Mexico and deflated the price of corn, driving thousands of local farmers to the brink of starvation. Now the Mexican government is trying to create a giant "free-trade zone" known as Plan Puebla-Panama that would enrich multinational corporations and make local people even poorer. This proposal is widely opposed by indigenous communities because it will create more maquilas (sweatshops) and displace even more people from their land.

Indigenous Peoples' struggles to defend their rights and resources have increasingly been met by US-supported government repression. There has been a crackdown on legitimate forms of dissent like the mass civil actions that Indigenous communities have used to try to win democratic rights. Since September 11, there has been an alarming increase in militarization in the region. Large numbers of soldiers mean an increase of rape, sexual harassment and prostitution of women and girls.

MADRE is working in partnership with K�inal Antzetik to provide much needed assistance to the people of Chiapas who face escalating poverty, increased military presence and a plan to turn their region into a cooperate free-trade zone. Thanks to MADRE's support, K'inal Antzetik can:

• Bring better healthcare to the communities
• K'inal Antzetik wishes to hire a physician and a mental health worker to help the clinic address the enormous increase in psychological disorders brought about by military violence.
• Prepare the community for even tougher economic times
• By improving the profitability of their weaving cooperative, opening a storefront, purchasing weaving materials and hiring a teacher, K'inal Antzetik will help more women earn a living as weavers.
• Launch a literacy project to improve the skills and education of young people
• By hiring a teacher and buying school supplies, K'inal Antzetik hopes to expand literacy in poor communities, which will help increase people�s options for work.
• Fight for workers rights in the maquilas
• K'inal Antzetik will provide training for women who work in the maquilas to defend their rights and fight against long-hours, abuse and below-poverty pay.




*How to Help*

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