Climate change and its pivotal role in migration
Dear friends of Voces y Manos, The New York Times recently reported that the number of migrants arriving at the southern U.S. border in June 2021 was the largest in years, with border agents encountering migrants an astounding 188,289 times. The article cites the migration as being driven, in part, by “violence and poverty in […]
La Vida Dura
This past week, I had the honor of working on community projects with the students of Pacux, a relocation site for the indigenous people who survived theRio Negro’s massacre. When I visited the small community with the students, I immediately noticed the difference between this site and the surrounding aldeas. Whereas other communities are relatively […]
Remembering our Beloved Coworker, Loida Sanjay
On the morning of Monday, September 30th, 2024, we in Voces y Manos received the devastating news that our beloved team member, Loida Sanjay, had passed away due to a serious case of dengue fever. Loidy was and is still deeply loved — by her family, her church community, her friends and colleagues in Voces […]
Allison presenting about VyM to an 8th grade class at Vista Magnet Middle School, an IB World School.
Climate Change & the Line 3 pipeline
Dear friends, family and colleagues, From Friday July 30 – Saturday August 7, I will be participating in a human rights delegation to northern Minnesota to support Anishinaabe communities in protecting their lands and rivers from the Enbridge Company’s efforts to install the “Line 3” pipeline. I decided to join this delegation on a last-minute […]
Team Retreat to Rio Negro
Below is the first in a series of short, weekly blogs to be written by the Voces y Manos team about our solidarity work with the Maya-Achí community in Guatemala. Writing from a community grappling with the acute shocks of climate change, poverty, and the attendant issue of forced migration, we are motivated to write […]
José Oswaldo López Toj’s incredible journey to becoming a teacher
By Jenifer Valey Gomez, Voces y Manos program coordinator; translated by Josh Hoerger and Michael Bakal José Oswaldo López Toj, age 21, is a recent graduate of Voces y Manos’ high school scholarship program, and one of two students in our college scholarship and internship program. Over the past 3 years, José has worked tirelessly […]
Life Lessons from Genocide Survivors: The Story of the Tum Pérez Family
When I first travelled to Rabinal, Guatemala 10 years ago, I was so deeply inspired by the history of the community — and in particular its young people — that I’ve returned each of the past 10 summers since. This year, I once again had the opportunity to work with an amazing group of young […]
A softening of edges
With my last day (tomorrow) looming large in front of me, I am left with a whole lot to contemplate (well, more than usual – I’m a thinker and my mind is constantly moving). For those of you wondering, despite my witty and lighthearted blog posts (you’re welcome), I’m not going to lie and say this […]
How I learned the definition of tejido
I am completely captivated by the rich Mayan culture in Rabinal. Look, my own family has been in the United States for at least three generations, if not more: our traditions consist of turkey on Thanksgiving and presents on Christmas. So when we discussed the importance of interculturality in Voces y Manos’ leadership classes, I […]
