Latin America
KAIROS is gravely concerned about the political and human rights crisis currently unfolding in Honduras
December 20, 2017
KAIROS is gravely concerned about the political and human rights crisis currently unfolding in Honduras following the presidential elections on November 26. Hondurans who went to the polls peacefully and in good faith were met with illegal interference from President…
Post filed in: Latin America
Letter to the editor: Locals, women most affected by corporate harm, least heard
October 25, 2017
Re: “House subcommittee hearings on mining in Latin America a public disservice,” (The Hill Times, Oct. 18, p. 15). KAIROS too is alarmed that the voices of people affected by Canadian mining operations have not been heard during the current…
Post filed in: Ecological Justice, Latin America
KAIROS sponsors Guatemalan Hip Hop Artist Rebeca Lane
September 21, 2017
KAIROS is thrilled to sponsor the Mestizo Soul – Identity and Rights Tour with Guatemalan Hip Hop artist Rebeca Lane, organized by Breaking the Silence (BTS) and local committees. Rebeca Eunice Vargas (Rebeca Lane) is an acclaimed Feminist, Sociologist, Activist…
Post filed in: Gender Justice, Latin America
Seeds of Truth: Revolutions, Not Just Reconciliation! #IndigenaSolutions
September 5, 2017
Searching for Indigenous, or Indigena (the Spanish word for Indigenous that is used in Guatemala) solutions for change is a task many revolutionaries have taken on across the world, and it can be complex. If you’re from Canada you will…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights, Latin America
Seeds of Truth: A Tale of Two Mountains (Part 1)
August 31, 2017
We arrived in Guatemala City late Saturday night. Inside the hostel there was a bare wall where a lonely 14 inch TV aired the McGregor / Mayweather fight. What a spectacle. I knew before attending this exchange that there are…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights, Latin America
Seeds of Truth: On our way to Guatemala
August 30, 2017
It was so exciting – and such a relief – to meet up with members of the KAIROS Blanket Exercise Youth Exchange at the airport this afternoon before boarding our flight to Guatemala. Although we’ve had several orientation conference calls…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights, Latin America
Seeds of Truth: Indigenous women, food security and the genocide of the Americas
August 24, 2017
My name is Tyra Cox and I am of Sahtu Dene and Anishinaabe lineage within Canada (North America). As an Indigenous women, there were very specific areas of Indigenous rights that I wanted to explore on the journey with Central…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights, Latin America
Seeds of Truth: Healing Together
August 16, 2017
I’m fortunate to be a part of the first KAIROS Blanket Exercise youth exchange to Guatemala being organized in partnership with Breaking the Silence and New Hope Foundation, Guatemala At the end of May, we had the opportunity to meet…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights, Latin America
Seeds of Truth: The Value of Traditional Crafts
July 20, 2017
I have the privilege of being one of the participants of the KAIROS Guatemala Youth Exchange, and it has been an amazing experience so far. I am a settler living in unceded Mi’kmaq territory under the Peace and Friendship treaties…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights, Latin America
The history of Indigenous Peoples as told through blankets
July 17, 2017
The history of Indigenous peoples on the northern part of Turtle Island, what is now known as Canada, was told through a Kairo Blanket Exercise at St. Paul’s Anglican Church in Southampton on June 21. Reverend Graham Bland of St….
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights, Latin America
Seeds of Truth: The KAIROS Blanket Exercise through Guatemalan eyes
July 10, 2017
Excerpts from an Interview with Lilian Bolvito Gonzalez on Radio Canada International, June 24, 2017 Radio Canada: We will now chat with a Guatemalan youth who participated in the Blanket Exercise on June 2 on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. Her name…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights, Latin America
Seeds of Truth: Reflection on the KAIROS Blanket Exercise Youth Exchange with Guatemala orientation
June 6, 2017
“These bean seeds in my pocket keep me mindful of Mother Earth; they keep me grounded.” ~ Hannah “These Amaranth seeds are to share. Go ahead, eat them. Amaranth was once nearly wiped out in my area of Guatemala, but now…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights, Latin America
TAKE ACTION to demand justice for Topacio Reynoso and her father
May 11, 2017
On April 13, 2014, unknown gunmen attacked 16-year-old Topacio Reynoso Pacheco and her father, Alex Reynoso, killing Topacio and leaving Alex seriously injured. Both were active in their municipality of Mataquescuintla, standing up for land and the health of the…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights, Latin America
GREAT NEWS! Ecuadorian Ministry of the Environment does not close Acción Ecológica
January 13, 2017
GREAT NEWS! Yesterday the Ecuadorian Ministry of the Environment decided not to grant the request to close Acción Ecológica. National and international pressure was key. Dearest friends, We want to publicly acknowledge the thousands of letters, embraces and messages that we…
Post filed in: Ecological Justice, Latin America
Celebrating women defenders of nature in Ecuador
November 16, 2016
From October 14 to 23, Rachel Warden, Latin America Partnerships and Gender Justice coordinator, traveled to Ecuador to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Accion Ecologica, KAIROS’ long time partner, and to participate in the Latin America Network of Women Defenders’ fourth…
Post filed in: Gender Justice, Latin America
Women’s critical role in peace building remains strong and visible in Colombia
November 16, 2016
The day after my arrival in Colombia I was travelling on the Magdalena Medio river in a small ferry with Gloria Amparo, coordinator of the Popular Feminist Organization (OFP), to visit women’s centres (casas de Mujeres) in Puerte Wilches and…
Post filed in: Gender Justice, Latin America
NO MORE! END violence against women now! NO MAS!
November 14, 2016
Partner Tour to highlight violence against women in Colombia and Canada The United Nations has declared the period between November 25, the International Day to End Violence against Women and December 10, International Human Rights day, as 16 Days of…
Post filed in: Gender Justice, Latin America
Partners Tour to highlight violence against women in Colombia and in Canada
October 19, 2016
Gloria Amparo Suarez of the Organización Femenina Popular (OFP), a Colombian women’s rights organization and KAIROS partner, will visit Canada from Nov 23 to Dec 4. The KAIROS sponsored educational tour is timed to include the 16 Days of Activism…
Post filed in: Gender Justice, Latin America, Women of Courage
KAIROS stands with Organizacion Femenina Popular (OFP) in Colombia
September 29, 2016
KAIROS stands with the Popular Feminist Organization (OFP), our partner in Colombia, as they prepare for the plebiscite on October 2 when Colombians will vote on the recently signed final Peace Accord. The OFP is currently working and praying for…
Post filed in: Latin America
Celebrating the Life of beloved JTatik Samuel Ruiz in Chiapas, Mexico
February 18, 2016
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights, Latin America, Women of Courage
A renewed commitment to end violence against women
November 25, 2015
Post filed in: Gender Justice, Latin America
A Time for Hope and Solidarity
June 16, 2015
Guatemalan partner Ana Guadalupe Matzir Miculax joined us in Ottawa for the KAIROS Time for Reconciliation gathering and the closing ceremony of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), May 29-June 3 in Ottawa. An important part of our work with…
Post filed in: Latin America, Women of Courage
Amidst ongoing violence, Colombian Church partners reaffirm their commitment to the peace process
May 15, 2015
Deep in our hearts and minds we have felt the presence of the Risen Christ in our midst. We have also powerfully felt the presence of the children, youth, women and men who have been murdered and disappeared in this long internal…
Post filed in: Latin America
Anti-mining activist killed and Ecuadorean partners harassed on eve of Lima meetings
December 4, 2014
What was supposed to be a celebratory launch for KAIROS partner Acción Ecológica’s delegation to the People’s Summit and COP20 meeting in Lima, Peru turned into a nightmare as delegation members were detained and harassed and news came in of…
Post filed in: Ecological Justice, Latin America, Women of Courage
In Memory of the life of Adolfo Ich Chaman-
September 26, 2014
Today, five years later, KAIROS joins the family of Adolfo Ich Chaman- , his community and human rights and solidarity groups in Guatemala and in Canada in commemorating Adolfo Ich’s life and demanding justice. Angelica Choc, Adolfo’s wife, has called…
Post filed in: Latin America
An Expression of Solidarity in Response to the Death of Merilyn Topacio Reynoso
May 1, 2014
In this expression of solidarity in response to the fatal attack against Merilyn Topacio Reynoso, a young Guatemalan activist, KAIROS affirms its commitment to intergenerational work and youth activism, and to working for a world where young people have the…
Post filed in: Latin America
Sisters are mining for the truth
March 6, 2014
Rachel Warden, gender justice coordinator at KAIROS, draws the relationship between the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) Convention in Toronto, International Women’s Day, and violence against women in this article published in Toronto’s NOW magazine.
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights, Latin America, Women of Courage
URGENT ACTION: Indigenous Partner at Risk in Colombia
January 21, 2014
KAIROS is extremely concerned about the safety of Embera Chamí Indigenous leader, Flaminio Onogama Gutiérre from South West Colombia. Flaminio was in Canada in 2010 as part of a KAIROS sponsored tour. According to reports from Amnesty International, Flaminio is…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights, Latin America