Country Programs – Page 3

How border militarization in southern Mexico is putting Central American migrants at risk

May 7, 2021

Doña Francisca* keeps a photo of herself and a young relative, Kevin*, on her phone. In the photo, Doña Francisca is wearing a mask, but Kevin is bare-faced, clean-cut and smiling. He looks like a good kid. “H...

Partner Spotlight: The Children’s Program in Palmira

February 5, 2021

Advocacy, Colombia, Partner Organization

These photos were taken February 2020, before social distancing measures were put into place in Colombia. It is a Saturday afternoon and a group of children gather in a community hall located in Palmira...

The Heresy of U.S. Exceptionalism

January 22, 2021

Advocacy, Honduras, Peace and Non-Violence

As extremists scaled the wall of the U.S. Capitol, I sat less than four miles away, staring at my computer screen and trying to follow the news reports covering what some called an attempted coup. Sirens waile...

A chapina in Nicaragua

October 22, 2020

Advocacy, Nicaragua, Peace and Non-Violence, SALT/YAMEN/IVEP

*chapín/chapina is a word many Guatemalans use to refer to themselves. “Dale”—a slang word that means something like “go for it”—is one of the most common words among Nicaraguans. This year as a MCC volunte...

Yes, Racism is Alive in Colombia

October 2, 2020

Advocacy, Colombia, Peace and Non-Violence, SEED

This article is part of a series about racism in Colombia. Read more. “I can’t believe what you say, because I see what you do.” James Baldwin Of course, racism is very much alive in Colombia. To know o...

For What Was, For What Is To Come

September 21, 2020

Advocacy, Colombia, SEED

I believe that one of the most challenging things in life is to understand the meaning of our existence and therefore, the things we do about it. Thinking about how everything could be different as the&nb...

Lessons on systemic racism from Chocó

September 10, 2020

Advocacy, Colombia

This article is part of a series about racism in Colombia. Read more. When I was 26 years old, my husband and I moved to Colombia to participate in MCC’s Seed program. We were placed with the Mennonite Bret...

Redeeming a Lost Decade

August 14, 2020

Advocacy, Honduras, Peace and Non-Violence

The date was December 1981; the place, La Ceiba, Honduras. Oscar Dueñas, a young Mennonite electrician’s assistant, was leaving work with his cousin in the dark, around 6 p.m. As they walked by the high school...

We are all family

August 7, 2020

Advocacy, Colombia

This article is part of a series about racism in Colombia. Read more. In our modern age, we sometimes have the idea or sensation that the world has evolved and we’re constantly moving forward, but in the mi...

Let’s Talk About the Elephant in the Room

July 16, 2020

Advocacy, Colombia, SEED

This article is part of a series about racism in Colombia. Read more. Racism has existed all over the world for hundreds of years, and while it may not always be expressed the same way, one common factor ac...

The Food We Share

Lluvia Esperada: Más Allá del Agua, Una Reflexión Sobre Incendios y Esperanza

5-Part Series: International Day of Peace and Nonviolence (part 5)

5-Part Series: International Day of Peace and Nonviolence (part 4)