Since the colonial era, the indigenous communities of Chiapas have been isolated from the cities and have suffered from marginalization, land seizure, racial discrimination, lack of education, and poor health and hygiene. People who have protested these conditions have often been persecuted, disappeared, or assassinated, giving rise to popular movements such as the Zapatistas. Women suffer disproportionately under these conditions and many are forced to come to cities such as San Cristobal to survive.

Some of these Mayan women in San Cristobal founded FOMMA with the goal of helping others facing a similar plight. The organization provides literacy workshops and creative means of enhancing self-esteem and teaching basic skills. One example is the staging of theater performances, written by participants in their own languages, that enable them to analyze their reality and work to improve their quality of life. The Martín-Baró Fund is providing a third year of support to FOMMA to enable them to continue this important work and expand its reach.