IFCO/Pastors for Peace 2005 Caravan to Chiapas

Press releases from the caravan

February 11, 2005 - 42 Cities to Host Activists Delivering Aid and Solidarity to Chiapas

CONTACT: Lucia Bruno or Briana Harris 212-926-5757 or email p4p@igc.org

Fifteen intrepid community activists concerned about a continued threat of human rights abuses in Chiapas, Mexico will caravan through 42 US cities this March. The church groups and community organizations that host them will fill their trucks and yellow school bus with humanitarian aid destined for displaced indigenous communities in Chiapas. The activists hope these gatherings will have a ripple effect and raise awareness about the issue.

"The threat of repression in Chiapas continues" says Rev. Lucius Walker, Jr., executive director of IFCO/Pastors for Peace. The area, he says, "remains militarized and the presence of paramilitary groups continues despite international outrage."

Upon arrival in Chiapas, the group will spend ten days visiting schools, clinics and refugee communities. They will also meet with non-governmental and religious organizations who work with indigenous communities in Chiapas, where they will deliver medical and school supplies, bicycles and tons of corn, beans, rice and cooking oil.

An estimated 13,000 indigenous people in Chiapas have been driven from their homes since 1994. Faith based organizations such as the Fray Bartolome Center in San Cristobal de las Casas in Chiapas have documented large scale human rights abuses including assassinations, torture and forced displacement of entire communities. International observers report that the situation remains unstable. Opponents of NAFTA believe that Chiapas has been targeted by multinational corporations looking to exploit the region's abundant resources.

Briana Harris, program coordinator of the Chiapas Caravan for Pastors for Peace says that partner organizations Enlace Civil and Caritas who promote health, education and small business and farming cooperatives will ensure that the aid gets to where it is needed most.

Pastors for Peace is an action/education project of the Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization. Since 1988, Pastors for Peace has organized scores of humanitarian aid caravans to Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Cuba. Over 35 million dollars worth of humanitarian aid has been delivered by thousands of volunteers from the US, Canada, Mexico and Europe.

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