The Mountain That Kills
As a young girl, Bongekile Pozane loved the beautiful yellow mountain she could see from her home. It was where she learned to swim, where she went to find peace, and where she holds some of her most cherished…
NCA celebrates 50 years in Guatemala
It began with the earthquake in 1976. This year, NCA marks 50 years of presence in Guatemala.
NCA has a long history in Guatemala. Here, Johan Hindahl, NCA's Country Advisor for Guatemala in Oslo, is photographed with inhabitant Ana Alvarez during av visit in 2024. Photo: Håvard Bjelland
The devastating earthquake of February 4, 1976, claimed more than 23,000 lives and left around one million people homeless in Guatemala. NCA immediately sent staff to Guatemala to contribute to the relief efforts and, months later, opened a permanent office.
What began as emergency aid gradually became a long-term project. Now, NCA has been present in 50 years in Guatemala.
Local Resources
In its early days, NCA implemented its work directly, in conjunction with local welfare committees. Over time, that model evolved into one where local organizations themselves are the driving force behind implementation, a core philosophy that has guided the organization for five decades.
Today, NCA works directly in five departments of the country. From 2017, NCA has been part of a joint office together with three sister agencies from the ACT Alliance: ACT Church of Sweden, Bread for the World, and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF). Jotay is the name of the joint program.
Yolanda Salazar, who worked for 30 years with NCA in Guatemala, explains the distinguished nature of the Norwegian Church Aid’s work from the start.
“NCA’s work was based on three fundamental principles”, she says.
- The first: unwavering respect for the dignity, culture, and customs of the people.
- The second: using the community, organized into committees, as a foundation, prioritizing collective action over individual efforts.
- The third: prioritizing and valuing local resources above all else, rather than imposing external solutions.
“It was a work ethic that set us apart,” she emphasizes, referring to what for decades constituted the identity of Norwegian cooperation in Guatemala.
Norway - an architect of Guatemalan peace
In 1961, an armed conflict started in the country, and from the mid 1970’s, it became more intensified. The victims were mainly civilians, especially indigenous population in the Western part of the country.
One of the most remarkable episodes in the shared history between Norway and Guatemala has a little-known origin.
In 1989, Gunnar Stålsett, then General Secretary of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), arrived in the country leading a delegation. After holding talks with representatives of the army and the guerrillas, he managed to get both sides to resume the dialogue, which had begun years earlier in Spain and Costa Rica.
It was this contact that opened the door for the Norwegian government and its Ministry of Foreign Affairs to become formally involved in the Guatemalan peace process.
Peace agreement
The NCA representative in the country, Petter Skauen, who had lived and worked in Guatemala for many years, also played a key role thanks to his extensive contacts within Guatemalan society.
Norway joined the so-called "group of friendly countries," along with the United States, Spain, Mexico, and Venezuela, and the UN actively participated in the process from 1994.
The appreciation for Norwegian participation was symbolically sealed in December 1996, when the conflicting parties agreed that the ceasefire agreement would be signed in Oslo. In 1993, Norway formally established its embassy in Guatemala, institutionalizing a relationship that until then had been built almost exclusively through civil society organizations such as NCA itself.
The peace accords from 1996 have not been fulfilled in many respects. But in these 30 years, the rights of women and Indigenous peoples have been strengthened, and their participation in Guatemalan politics has increased.
What NCA does in Guatemala
Over the past 20 years, gender-based violence, human rights, especially those of Indigenous peoples, and climate and territorial rights have become central to Norwegian cooperation in the country.
NCA, through our partner organizations in the joint office, and though different local partners, works with the following programs in Guatemala:
- Gender Justice. NCA Guatemala promotes multidimensional gender justice, eliminating discrimination based on gender in all spheres.
- Environmental Management and Sustainable Territories. We support sustainable management of natural resources to fulfill people's needs, ensure food rights, and enhance resilience to climate and environmental risks.
- Rule of Law and Civil Democratic Security. NCA Guatemala advocates for governance models that uphold human rights and liberties.
- Risk and Disaster Management. We strengthen community resilience through organisation and preparedness for emergencies.
The future
50 years ago, NCA arrived in Guatemala to help rebuild homes destroyed by an earthquake. Over time, NCA learned, alongside the communities, that the most important reconstruction is the one that takes place from within: the reconstruction of the social fabric, the reconstruction of political dialogue, and the reconstruction of the identity and autonomy of the people.
NCA will continue to support the peace, justice, and development processes that the country still needs, says Johan Hindahl, country advisor for Guatemala in NCA.
“We are still there, and we are continuing our important work with our partners,” Hindahl says.
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