Guatemalan Indians educate children, seek better future

August 10, 1996
Web posted at: 9:40 p.m. EDT

From Correspondent Harris Whitbeck

NUEVO MEXICO, Guatemala (CNN) -- Down the muddy roads of rural Guatemala, Indians of Mayan descent -- often victims of persecution in their homeland -- strive to overcome a history of hardships.

In makeshift schools, children learn about human rights and protecting the environment. Women discuss much-needed community improvements, like better health clinics and affordable medicine. Local leaders, meanwhile, press for more funds to make the improvements a reality.

Guatemalan Indians have lived amid poverty for years and suffered various human rights abuses. But better education is providing hope that the current generation will overcome repression while maintaining their heritage.

Most of today's Guatemalan Indian children were born across the border in Mexican refugee camps after their parents fled a bloody civil war in Guatemala. The families returned later only through United Nations sponsorship.

The experience in Mexico opened the Indians' eyes. Running water and electricity were readily available, and women were able to discuss issues.

"When we left Guatemala we didn't know what a woman's organization was. Only the men were allowed to meet and talk," one repatriated refugee said. "We were never taken into account."

Now the families want fair treatment in their homeland. The Guatemalan government has pledged more than $16 million to help the returnees obtain land but those efforts have sometimes stalled.

Carlos Boggio with the UN High Commission for Refugees said part of the problem is that Guatemala has little public land available and "the majority of land to be purchased for refugees is private."

Repatriated refugees, nonetheless, continue to urge the Guatemalan government to improve conditions in their communities. Some of the Guatemalan Indians have even considered returning to Mexico if their demands are not met.

But the true test may come years down the road -- when the Guatemalan Indian children pursue opportunities their parents never had.

Tell us what you think! You said it...

© 1996 Cable News Network, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.

Terms under which this service is provided to you.