Open Science Network in Ethnobiology

Vision
NISGUA participates in a global movement for human rights and fair and just economic systems. We support the oppressed peoples of Guatemala and hold the powerful in Guatemala and the U.S. accountable for their actions. By linking grassroots movements in Guatemala and the U.S., we promote positive social change in both countries as well as solidarity that is mutually respectful and beneficial.

While acknowledging the dynamics of power inherent in our relationship, we strive for new approaches to North/South and South/South exchange grounded in a joint approach to strategizing that engages people from diverse race and class backgrounds, values different types of authority and experience, and places the priority for action on the people and communities impacted by the issues. As a trusted conduit for information, access, and people-to-people interactions, NISGUA will exchange new tools with activists in Guatemala, connect North Americans to this work, and link shared struggles and pockets of hope across the globe.

History
The Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA) was formed in 1981 to coordinate local activism on Guatemala in the United States. At the time, the civil war in Guatemala, which lasted 36 years, was at its most vicious. In 1981 alone, the U.S.-sponsored military government killed or disappeared 19,000 civilians. NISGUA emerged as one of the first organizations that dared voice strong and continuous criticism of the U.S. government’s implication in these crimes. The situation in Guatemala – and in the United States – has changed since 1981, but NISGUA is still one of the strongest and steadiest grassroots voices for responsible U.S. policy in the region.

Today NISGUA works with Guatemala and Latin America solidarity committees around the country, channels information about Guatemala to U.S. activists, and organizes ongoing grassroots advocacy and lobbying campaigns. Through our annual tours of Guatemalan speakers and delegations to Guatemala, NISGUA strengthens people-to-people ties across borders. As one of the only U.S.-based organizations to provide international accompaniment in Guatemala, NISGUA maintains 9-10 human rights monitors in country at a time who accompany threatened human rights organizations and witnesses involved in precedent-setting human rights cases. NISGUA coordinates its work with Guatemalan grassroots organizations and NGOs and often works in coalition with other U.S.-based organizations to magnify our voice here in the U.S.