Why does Schools for Chiapas again ask your help to build and repair new Zapatista schools and educational centers? And why might we need to repair Zapatista schools at this moment?

The answer to the second question is easy; a 8.2 magnitude earthquake just hit off the cost of Chiapas! We don’t yet know the full extent of the damages in the autonomous Mayan communities, but certainly repairs may be necessary over the next several weeks.

However the larger, and more complicated question, involves the importance of the autonomous, Mayan schools which continue to flourish throughout Zapatista territory in Chiapas, Mexico.

Therefore, two years after accepting the request of young Zapatista leaders and experienced Zapatista educators to help recuperate ancient Mayan knowledge about Food Forests, Schools for Chiapas is preparing to construct a greenhouse in the highlands of Chiapas. This greenhouse is an expansion of “El Vivero Muy Otro” (The Very Different Nursery) which is already growing lots of plants for the Zapatista Food Forest effort.

“As water protectors, we have a responsibility to be stewards of the water. We’re not going anywhere,” he insisted as a howling blizzard rolled in across the North Dakota plains and all roads out were closed. Surviving this week’s blizzard at the Oceti Sakowin Camp was certainly challenging – especially since I’m used to weathering the weather in Chiapas, Mexico, but with support from the entire camp it was possible to survive and thrive. I strongly urge my friends and all the supporters of Schools for Chiapas / Escuelas para Chiapas to continue supporting Standing Rock, now more than ever!

Donald Trump is President-elect of the most powerful military and industrial empire the world has ever seen. Each of us must search our hearts and our minds to imagine how we can best respond to this startling fact; however, we at Schools for Chiapas hope that old fashioned, international solidarity will remain an important part of our collective and individual response to the current, and the soon to worsen, crises.

Zapatista children living in a remote Mayan community of Chiapas, Mexico are now attending classes in their new school after a ribbon-cutting and traditional ceremony attended by a Schools for Chiapas team and other visitors. The new autonomous school is called “Escuela Autonoma Companera Manuel” and is located in the community of La Revolucion.  The massive concrete and wood school structure was built by members of the Zapatista community known as La Revolucion and was funded by donors through Schools for Chiapas. There are many more communities who still need classrooms.  Click here for more information on donating to help build a school