Indigenous and campesino communities across Guatemala continue to face the threat of violent evictions, criminalization, and attacks. In just the past few weeks, the CCDA has documented a worrying series of human rights violations affecting its leaders and members. BTS expresses its solidarity with the CCDA as they continue to [...]
Contemplating crabs in Rabinal By: Ally Lord, BTS Intern There’s a phrase unique to Spanish which I’ve found myself reflecting on often lately. “Pensar en la inmortalidad del cangrejo” or, “thinking about the immortality of the crab”, which refers to the places your mind goes when you are free of [...]
Celebrating the contributions and insights of our volunteers (from left to right) BTS volunteers Kathryn Anderson, Yvette Michaud, and Lisa Roberts By: Maren Mealey and Rae Millis, BTS summer interns Like many solidarity organizations, Breaking the Silence (BTS) relies heavily on the dedication and commitment of volunteers to [...]
BTS 2025 Delegation to Guatemala: Sowing Seeds of Justice in San Lucas Tolíman October 26 to November 5, 2025 BTS 2024 Delegation participants visit IMAP. Photo credit: IMAP Join us next year for the BTS 2025 Delegation to Guatemala, taking place October 26th to November 5th in [...]
Women and the agrarian resistance in Guatemala By: Mélisande Séguin, Campesino Committee of the Highlands (CCDA) Cooperant CCDA women activists, planning and organizing. Land dispossession as a historical root of the latest wave of evictions Guatemala has one of the most unequal land distribution and titling systems in [...]
First summer trip to Meander River Market By: Maren Mealey and Rae Millis, BTS summer interns On July 21st, Breaking the Silence (BTS) had their first Meander River Market day of the year. Several BTS volunteers set-up a tent along with other vendors outside of the Meander River Farm and [...]
Short film Pacoxom 2024 and World Day for International Justice By: Romi Fischer-Schmidt, New Hope Foundation Cooperant This short film, titled Pacoxom 2024 was shot during this year’s commemoration of the Rio Negro Massacres at Pacoxom. I created it for the New Hope Foundation (FNE) and for BTS. Special thanks [...]
Summer interns visit Just Us! Café and Roastery Just Us! Café and Roastery in Grand Pré By: Maren Mealey and Rae Millis, BTS summer interns On June 28th, Breaking the Silence (BTS) summer interns, Maren and Rae, had the privilege of visiting the Just Us! Café and Roastery in [...]
Ch’eken and other turning points of the rainy season’s arrival The rains have arrived and transformed Rabinal into a misty, lush and green landscape. By: Romi Fischer-Schmidt, New Hope Foundation cooperant Late on Monday June 10th, around 10 p.m., I received a call from Luis Tecú, the new [...]
We're so excited to share the BTS 2023 Year in Review, celebrating our accomplishments and recognizing the incredible contributions of our partners, staff, cooperants, interns, volunteer committees, and donors! The report also provides an overview of the Guatemalan context, including the historic, Indigenous-led, pro-democracy protests and includes updates from all [...]
