Indigenous Empowerment
Ch’ieltik
Chiapas (Mexico)
March 2021.
Since the start, our trip in Mexico is marked by the incomparable warmth and kindness of its inhabitants. We get all the more excited to discover Chiapas, known to have hosted the greatest number of pre-Hispanic civilizations. In this region, nearly a third of the population is of Native American ancestry, mostly Mayans (90%). No less than 12 different indigenous groups speaking their own languages coexist in this region with a very rooted identity, the most numerous being the Tzeltals and the Tzotzils. The heritages of the Mayans and the Spanish conquistadors thus coexist closely. It then becomes natural that we choose this region to carry out our humanitarian mission.
Contents
Problematic
Chiapas is located in southern Mexico at the border with Guatemala. It is the state with the lowest HDI and the highest child poverty rate (82.3% of minors suffer from poverty).
It is also the third state with the highest concentration of Native Americans, and these populations are unfortunately severely discriminated against. The school system is not adapted for young indigenous people as their identities and difficulties are not represented. This prevents them from developing the necessary skills to live in today's world. Classes are taught in Spanish while 27.3% of the Mexican population speaks an indigenous language. This severely limits their access and presence in educational institutions. 1.5% of middle school students are indigenous, 1% manage to enter university, and only 39.8% complete higher education. Besides, an estimated 31.1% of the indigenous lag behind at school compared to 15.4% of the non-indigenous. The education system is thus a real source of discrimination for these communities.
In addition, indigenous women suffer from an additional type of discrimination within their own communities, which concerns the violation of their human rights. Indeed, there are many forced marriages and early pregnancies leading them to disengage from school prematurely. Poverty, lack of access to education, health and justice services are many obstacles to the development of indigenous girls and teenagers. Restricted access to information in their mother tongue as well as the limited availability of family planning methods bring the fertility rate of teenage girls (aged 15 to 19) to 9%. Chiapas has the highest teenage fertility rate in Mexico.
Ch'ieltik
Founded in 2009, Ch’ieltik is an NGO run BY young indigenous FOR young indigenous. The association has worked for over 10 years for the rights of Chiapas indigenous children and teenagers, so that they can be empowered and have an active role in transforming their lives and those of their communities. The organization is based on fundamental principles: interdependence, respect for differences, peace and solidarity. By focusing on important topics such as human rights, gender equality and interculturality, the NGO aims to develop and strengthen the skills and capacities of young people, while encouraging them to conserve their cultural richness.
In order to achieve its mission, Ch’ieltik has defined 4 lines of action based on educational, cultural and artistic activities:
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Education: informative sessions on sexual and reproductive health, vocational orientation workshops, provision of tools for managing emotions and self-confidence, strengthening of equality, equity, peace and tolerance notions among others.
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Leadership: capacity building and reinforcement of the indigenous identity within group work, development of critical thinking in the search for alternatives, decision making and public speaking...
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Advocacy: awareness-raising workshops, round tables, forums, conversations, seminars with key players (teaching staff, health staff, etc.) in order to discuss youth issues and open spaces for reflection.
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Creativity: artistic workshops, skills development, release/expression of emotions and creation of cultural events within communities (sport, short films, painting, etc.)
In addition, the NGO has set up a structure allowing them to maintain close relationships not only with young people, but also with the community, the education and health authorities as well as fathers and mothers.
The association works mainly on two regional sites (San Cristobal de Las Casas and Las Margaritas), each site having its own team in addition to the headquarters in Mexico City. Composed of indigenous people, the staff is professional and multicultural to reach out to communities, encourage the inclusion of diverse identities and set an example of a harmonious union.
Obstacles
Despite its multiculturality, the organization sometimes encounters obstacles in setting up activities and therefore in carrying out its mission. In some communities, topics such as sexual and reproductive health are considered taboo and therefore are difficult to discuss. Many words do not even exist in indigenous native language. It takes a lot of tact, perseverance and patience for educational workshops to be successful.
Recently, discrimination against indigenous communities has also worsened with the health pandemic. Covid19 has resulted in the closure of schools across the country and educational alternatives are having a severe impact on vulnerable populations. Only 24.6% of households in Chiapas have a computer and 24.1% have an internet connection. Needless to say, the majority of them are concentrated in the non-indigenous population...
Our participation to the activities
With the schools closed and often acting as a link between Ch’ieltik and the communities, we are not able to participate in as many activities as we have hoped. However, this remains obviously derisory compared to the consequences undergone by young people. The team really goes out of its way to include us as much as possible in its actions and give us the best insight into how the organization works.
We spend most of our time working on projects to empower indigenous women.
We first share with them our experience of traveling the world as young women making their dreams come true. Well aware of our privileges, we act with great empathy. Our goal is to inspire, not to arouse jealousy. Many are very impressed with our ability to speak several languages. They are also very grateful to welcome us into their community and about the aim of our journey, which is to meet people with different lifestyles and cultures.
We participate in women's football training and tournaments organized by Ch’ieltik to promote gender equality, boost confidence and allow girls to release/express their emotions. We don't speak the same language, we don't have the same skin color or the same customs, we don't encounter the same difficulties, but at this moment we are all equal. It's a real moment of sharing and they are all as happy as we are.
However, we live two very distinct experiences in both of the communities. In San Juan Cancuc, the girls are very shy. Few dare to speak up to introduce themselves or express themselves. The educators tell us that the traditions are very rooted here. But when the game starts, personalities reveal themselves and it's easier to exchange.
Photos by Marco Antonio Hernández Pérez
At Las Margaritas, change of atmosphere. The girls swapped their jeans/sneakers for professional football outfits, shyness has returned to the locker room and it is rather difficult to stop them.
And on the field, we are clearly no longer playing confident anymore! Everyone gives its best, but always in a spirit of respect, learning and friendliness.
Las Margaritas is truly a model of success in the development of the sports project. We therefore take the opportunity to conduct interviews for teenage girls from other communities, such as the one of San Juan de Cancuc, in order to inspire, motivate and encourage them.
If you don't speak Spanish, here's a quick summary. Football has become a real passion for these women, totally essential to their well-being. Beyond a simple sport which gives them a lot of happiness, it also allows them to exert themselves physically, to release their stress, to socialize and to overcome their shyness. While at first they did not receive the support they hoped for from their families, their relatives over time accepted and now generally support the project. They encourage other girls to follow their dream and proudly claim that football is not only a sport for men but also for women. We can only approve!
We then travel to Nuevo San Juan de Chamula where we participate in the beginnings of a project aimed at refreshing two basketball courts for girls from another community. The meeting, which brings together those in charge of the program (including a woman for the first time), focuses on the purchase of equipment and uniforms and encourages the participation of the whole community in the renovation process.
In San Juan de Cancuc, we also participate in vocational orientation workshops for the empowerment of young indigenous people. We distribute personality tests created by Ch’ieltik to guide teenagers towards a professional career in accordance with their character, interests, abilities and pace of work. The professions are all equal and encouraged, whether it is doctor, engineer, writer or painter. We tell ourselves that our ministry of education could take some inspiration from it...
What's about the future?
Ch’ieltik aspires to continue its activities and realize its vision: to encourage and empower indigenous youth so that they have the tools to improve their lives and the lives of their communities. However, as explained above, the Covid has accentuated the problems of Chiapas and its indigenous communities.
The NGO has thus lost significant funding and is struggling to find new donors who are nonetheless essential to the organization of educational and artistic workshops during the health crisis. Support from outside the organization is therefore vital.
If you want to contribute, it is possible to make a donation on this page. You can also help by supporting them on social media (Facebook & Instagram) and by sharing their work around you.
Thanks
Our experience at Ch’ieltik was simply memorable. Despite our sudden arrival and a rushed stay, it's like we've always been part of the team. Throughout our volunteering, we have been encouraged, guided and extremely well welcomed, just like the Mexican people in general. Beyond having been able to provide our assistance to the association, we have experienced real moments of complicity, whether with the discriminated communities or with the members of the organization. We have received as much as we have given, if not much more. So a big THANK YOU!
