The Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA) was formed in 1981 to coordinate local activism on Guatemala in the United States. More than twenty-five years later, working in partnership with Guatemalan communities, organizations and movements, NISGUA remains one of the strongest U.S.-based voices for human rights, social justice and responsible U.S. policy in the region. They are an activist organization that supports the Guatemalan people in their struggle for justice, human rights, and self-determination. NISGUA provides human rights monitoring for grassroots movements; works to reorient U.S. policy toward Guatemala; contributes to a broad U.S. movement for a democratic Guatemala based on socioeconomic justice; and educates the U.S. public about Guatemala.
NISGUA works for economic and social justice in Guatemala and the United States by building mutually beneficial north-south ties. Their organizing aims to challenge elite power structures and oppressive U.S. economic and foreign policies through fostering the development of long-term cross-border relationships. Some of the core vehicles for NISGUA’s campaigns include speaking tours, delegations, print and electronic publications and grassroots action.
The Guatemala Accompaniment Project (GAP) of the Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA) trains and places qualified candidates as human rights accompaniers. Accompaniers work as human rights observers, providing an international presence to Guatemalans organizing in defense of their rights in a variety of contexts, including precedent-setting genocide cases and local opposition to mega-projects. Accompaniment is one tool used in response to the threats, harassment, and violence faced by survivors of Guatemala's 36-year long civil war, grassroots organizations working for justice, and indigenous communities combating destructive mega-development projects on their land.
