Chiapas is one of the poorest states in Mexico, despite being one of the richest in natural resources. Its indigenous people, 35% of the total population, suffer political abandonment, poverty, and abuse by the military. The 1994 Zapatista uprising was a response to centuries of such oppression. In response, the federal government militarized the state of Chiapas. Government tactics have included threats, withholding of basic services, disappearances and arbitrary detentions, massacres, isolation of communities in the conflict zones, and the sponsorship of paramilitary groups. This ongoing low-intensity warfare against the indigenous communities has led to enormous psychological distress.

K’inal Antzetik is a grass roots organization which has been working with the indigenous populations of Chiapas for about ten years, promoting human rights and economic justice. Since 1998, their work has incorporated a mental health component. This year’s grant from the Martín-Baró Fund will help K’inal Antzetik to train 325 indigenous mental health and education promoters who will reach approximately 10,000 people from the Altamirano-Ocosingo-Comitan region of Chiapas. Specifically, the award will help to support one community psychologist, six training workshops in different regions of Chiapas, and the production of training materials including pamphlets and videos. The workshops will enable participants to share experiences, acquire basic support skills, and begin to form networks to maintain connections among their communities. Consequently, they will serve to break the barriers of isolation erected by the state as a form of psychological warfare against the indigenous population. Visit the website of K’inal Antzetik.