Guatemala on the mapNonviolent Peaceforce is providing protective accompaniment to human rights defenders under threat in Guatemala.

National elections will be held in Guatemala on September 7 and November 9, 2007. The most violence is anticipated during the time leading up to and after the elections. The situation is expected to normalize and NP could end its accompaniment by February 2008.

Nonviolent Peaceforce is providing a team of four accompaniers, including a Team Coordinator, starting from April 2007 up to Feb 2008. The other three accompaniers are volunteers who will serve on average for three months in Guatemala. As volunteers, they do not receive an offshore salary like the field team members of other NP projects.

The total budget for the ten-month project is around 95.000 USD.

Objectives

The objective of the project is to ensure the security of the human rights defenders against politically-motivated violence through the volatile period before, during and after the September and November elections. Nonviolent Peaceforce is pursuing this objective by providing individual protective accompaniment.