Fundraising by Francesca Ferri

When they told me about the Mapuche, I had no idea who they were and what their struggle was. What better way to find out than to go there with them!

So I left for Chile, initially as a volunteer and then with the Civil Peace Corps project. What I was able to learn from these people I would like to summarize in a few simple words:

• resilience, because for more than 500 years they have been resisting abuse first from Spanish colonization and now from the Chilean state that does not recognize them as an original people within the Constitution;
• courage, despite the fact that their traditions, ancestral lands, language and culture are not legitimized, they continue to cry out loudly for their right to recognition;
• awareness, the Mapuche people are a wise people who are aware that the struggle to claim their rights is long and arduous, but their ideals are so strong that they overshadow all difficulties;
• love for the land, their bond with it is inescapable and indissoluble; it is an integral part of their being. Loving and respecting it is all they have taught us. Tañi choyün - we are sprouts of the earth.

And it is precisely to defend their beloved land that the main struggles of the Mapuche are born. And it is precisely here where an international presence is needed that can monitor their right to justice. An international presence that becomes a spokesperson in the world for their resistance.

With your small help we can support this great presence!

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to each and every one of you.

Francesca