The ACTuando Juntas Jotay Program is a response to the GOAT initiative launched by eight European members of the ACT Alliance, a global faith-based coalition with 140 members in over 120 countries. Together, they share a strong foundation and history as ecumenical organizations among their allies and international organizations. As members of the ACT Alliance, they are committed to working together and with other partners within this alliance, both nationally and internationally.
The Program was established in Guatemala in April 2017, with the active collaboration of six organizations present in the country, continuing historic partnerships with civil society organizations to work on behalf of the most excluded populations. It currently consists of four organizations: Norwegian Church Aid, Bread for the World (Germany), ACT Church of Sweden, and the Lutheran World Federation.
Jotay builds on the extensive and significant experience accumulated by the organizations and brings a distinctive touch, aligned with an ecumenical identity and a commitment to human rights and social justice. It was created with the commitment to support, empower, and promote the voices, capabilities, synergies, and strategic processes of social movements and organizations representing women, youth, indigenous peoples, rural communities, human rights defenders, and faith-based actors. The focus is on exercising rights, changing policies, and challenging the unequal power relations expressed in wealth distribution, violence, exclusion, racism, and discrimination.
For the 2023-2028 period, the aim is to strengthen the added value of the Programme in that it has an ecumenical identity that gives us the capacity to link the local and global spheres parting from a critical context analysis in which we are working, as well as to deepen the interdependencies of the socio-economic and environmental systems in which we accompany organizations in their territories.
The primary objective of the Program is to strengthen and empower civil society organizations in Guatemala. To achieve this, it works in four programmatic areas:
- Gender justice focused on women's rights
- Environmental management and sustainable territories
- Justice and human rights
- Disaster risk management and humanitarian aid
Along with the following cross-cutting approaches:
- Gender equality approach
- Human rights-based approach
- Indigenous peoples' rights approach
- Conflict sensitivity and do-no-harm approach
- Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS) on quality and accountability
- Environmental and social sustainability approach
Our Vision
We long for a world of peace, freedom, and equality, with social and climate justice; we contribute to a Guatemala where peoples, communities, and individuals live with dignity, grounded in the sustainability of life with Mother Earth, promote democracy, and build their coexistence while respecting diversities and differences
Our Mission
From our ecumenical identity and through local and international collaboration, we work in alliances to contribute to the strengthening of organizations, peoples, communities, and individuals in the exercise of their rights and those of Mother Earth for a life of justice, equity, equality, and sustainability.
Values and Principles
The ACTuando Juntas Jotay Program is rooted in faith and ethics that celebrate the integrity of creation and life as a fundamental value. Therefore, it is based on the conviction that its work is to recognize and promote the unity and diversity of humanity in harmony with nature and Mother Earth. Likewise, the Program also embraces the following values to achieve its objective of human rights advocacy while establishing ethical parameters that guide our attitudes and behaviors in our political work, both inside and outside the organization:
RESPECT
The recognition of the being, value, interests, and knowledge of each person. Self-esteem is self-respect and the starting point for valuing one's own life and that of others and all living beings. Respect is the heart of a plural coexistence, where we are part of a whole, contributing to and receiving from our personal differences, and collaborating in a space of trust and horizontality with full respect for humanity, Mother Earth, and the Web of Life. Respect for creation and the life of the Common Home.
FREEDOM
The faculty of each person to act or not, autonomously, according to their criteria and will. Indigenous peoples have the right to self-determination, by virtue of which they participate and represent themselves in society, define, and enhance the priorities of their economic, social, cultural development, and environmental and territorial management. Likewise, women's freedom and autonomy to decide about their bodies and defend their rights to a life free of violence are recognized.
DIGNITY
The intrinsic and supreme value that each person has, regardless of their sex, gender, sexuality, identity, age, ability, people, migratory status, social status, education, or beliefs. It is the right of each person to be valued as an individual and social being.
EQUALITY
The recognition of the equivalence of value, dignity, and rights of each human being to access and exercise the same capacities, opportunities, and freedoms that allow their well-being and contribution to society as a whole.
EQUITY
Value that implies justice and equality among people; however, it is necessary to identify that there are different needs and interests of people who are at a disadvantage or inequality that must be considered. This is an ethical normative principle associated with the idea of social justice.
COLLECTIVITY
The power of the individual to create community, value the common good, and defend life as a whole from the territory in which one lives. It is the sense of communal, belonging to a common identity and history, and gives strength to the defense of collective rights. It values interdependence and eco-dependence against logics that exacerbate individualism and environmental degradation.
SOLIDARITY
The sense of collaboration and fraternity to carry out actions of common interest. It is the cooperation that gives unity and health to societies. Solidarity is based on equality, equity, the need to share, and the need for mutual support, not only thinking about present life but also about the responsibility to inherit life and well-being to future generations. Within solidarity, we recognize sisterhood, from the recognition of specific alliances among diverse women who act especially in the face of exclusion, inequality, and discrimination they experience.
JUSTICE
Knowing, respecting, and upholding each person's rights, recognizing their specific realities. Mother Earth is acknowledged, and environmental justice is promoted in which people are seen as part of the Web of Life, not its center. It means building bridges for equality and equity in the exercise of all people’s rights. It is to act in response to truth, reciprocity, and the fair distribution of goods, services, and rights. We understand that as progress is made toward justice for indigenous peoples and women, broader social justice and freedom will be achieved in Guatemala.
Significantly building bridges for equality and equity in the exercise of all people's rights. It is acting in response to truth, reciprocity and equal distribution of goods, services and rights. We understand that to the extent that there is progress in justice for indigenous peoples and women, there will be progress in a change of social justice and broader freedom in Guatemala.
Prioritized Change Actors
1. Indigenous Peoples:
We recognize their contribution to the concept of 'Good Living' and the defense of Mother Earth, facing exclusion, poverty, and racism. They are key in democratizing the State and defending territories.
2. Women:
Protagonists in the fight against machismo, racism, and xenophobia, seeking a dignified life free of violence. We prioritize the empowerment of indigenous women and their participation in transforming Guatemala.
3. Farmers:
Maintain sustainable agricultural practices and promote food sovereignty. Despite poverty and criminalization, they lead resistance against territorial dispossession and environmental degradation.
4. Faith-Based Actors:
Challenge religious norms that undermine human dignity, contributing to social and environmental justice. We work in partnership with those promoting inclusion and equity.
5. Migrants and Displaced People:
Vulnerable to human rights violations, seeking better conditions due to violence and persecution. Their protection and empowerment are fundamental to our actions.
6. Youth:
They are the generational relay and promoters of change, reviving ancestral knowledge and fighting against corruption and impunity. Their participation is key in social mobilization.
7. Human Rights Defenders:
They act in favor of individual and collective rights, fighting against impunity and rights violations. Their work is essential for accountability and compliance with international human rights obligations.
