Justice Comes Slowly for Guatemala’s Maya Achí

Boulder weekly cover

In 1982, over 400 Maya Achí men, women, and children were murdered for opposing a hydroelectric dam under construction on the Chixoy River. The next year, the completed Chixoy dam flooded more than 30 Maya Achí communities.

Read this touching Boulder Weekly cover story about Juan de Dios Garcia, a local leader seeking justice for devastation caused by the Chixoy Dam >>

In 2014, the first steps were taken toward justice when Guatemala’s President apologized to those impacted by the Chixoy Dam and massacres. Shortly after, the first reparations check was made to Maya Achí families. Watch and share this 4-minute video about the struggle for justice.

We stand with Maya Achí people and indigenous resource rights defenders around the world: Their safety must be guaranteed, and their rights to water, land, forests, and life must be recognized and respected.

Global Greengrants Fund

Global Greengrants Fund believes solutions to environmental harm and social injustice come from people whose lives are most impacted. Every day, our global network of people on the frontlines and donors comes together to support communities to protect their ways of life and our planet. Because when local people have a say in the health of their food, water, and resources, they are forces for change.

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