In Chile alongside the Mapuche people - 2025
The Mapuche, an indigenous people in Chile, have been persecuted and ignored for years: the State does not recognise their existence or protect their identity. Deprived of their land of origin, they are forced to fight to get it back and are therefore victims of strong repression. The Community, with volunteers, supports them in this path of claim in a peaceful and non-violent way. Support them too.
The Pope John XXIII Community has been in Chile since 1994, a presence based on sharing life with the poorest and most marginalized population. For some years now we have also chosen to commit ourselves alongside the Mapuche people, the largest indigenous community in the country.
The Mapuche have always fought for the recognition and defense of their identity and culture, crushed on the one hand by the state that does not recognize the existence of original peoples and does not protect their survival, and on the other by big business that usurps their land, their only source of livelihood.
The Mapuche live in close contact with nature and sustain themselves through farming and ranching. But their lives are constantly threatened: with the establishment of the nation-states of Chile and Argentina, they have been deprived of much of their homelands where they have lived for generations, their access to natural resources, essential for their physical and cultural survival, has been restricted.
Many Mapuche today have become aware of what has been taken from them and are trying to fight for their rights. The Mapuche are marginalized, discriminated against, treated as "slackers," and those who vigorously fight for the recognition of their of Cultural and Territorial Rights are often considered terrorists. Few are given protections and Rights by the state, and as the movement grows, it treats them as subversives.
Volunteers from "Operation Dove" (the Nonviolent Peace Corps of the Pope John XXIII Community) have chosen to stand with them, sharing their demand for respect for Rights and witnessing the abuse they suffer.
Denouncing the injustices they suffer has prompted Italian boys and girls to leave to live together with these ancestral people, sharing with them their daily lives, their hardships but also their hopes. Their nonviolent presence serves as protection and support in moments of public protest, when protesters are often victims of repression by law enforcement. The Mapuche seek to assert their Rights as a crushed people, even accepting the risk of imprisonment.
The culture and spirituality of this people are a heritage to be defended; their territorial claims clash with an economy that aims only at land exploitation and not land conservation.
Support the presence of volunteers alongside the Mapuche people. Their commitment represents a fundamental contribution to this people's journey toward dignity and justice. Their support, both moral and practical, is essential to enable the Mapuche to carry on their struggle with greater determination and strength.
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SUPPORT THE PROJECT:
create your own fundraiser
or donate for an already active one
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The Pope John XXIII Community has been in Chile since 1994, a presence based on sharing life with the poorest and most marginalized population. For some years now we have also chosen to commit ourselves alongside the Mapuche people, the largest indigenous community in the country.
The Mapuche have always fought for the recognition and defense of their identity and culture, crushed on the one hand by the state that does not recognize the existence of original peoples and does not protect their survival, and on the other by big business that usurps their land, their only source of livelihood.
The Mapuche live in close contact with nature and sustain themselves through farming and ranching. But their lives are constantly threatened: with the establishment of the nation-states of Chile and Argentina, they have been deprived of much of their homelands where they have lived for generations, their access to natural resources, essential for their physical and cultural survival, has been restricted.
Many Mapuche today have become aware of what has been taken from them and are trying to fight for their rights. The Mapuche are marginalized, discriminated against, treated as "slackers," and those who vigorously fight for the recognition of their of Cultural and Territorial Rights are often considered terrorists. Few are given protections and Rights by the state, and as the movement grows, it treats them as subversives.
Volunteers from "Operation Dove" (the Nonviolent Peace Corps of the Pope John XXIII Community) have chosen to stand with them, sharing their demand for respect for Rights and witnessing the abuse they suffer.
Denouncing the injustices they suffer has prompted Italian boys and girls to leave to live together with these ancestral people, sharing with them their daily lives, their hardships but also their hopes. Their nonviolent presence serves as protection and support in moments of public protest, when protesters are often victims of repression by law enforcement. The Mapuche seek to assert their Rights as a crushed people, even accepting the risk of imprisonment.
The culture and spirituality of this people are a heritage to be defended; their territorial claims clash with an economy that aims only at land exploitation and not land conservation.
Support the presence of volunteers alongside the Mapuche people. Their commitment represents a fundamental contribution to this people's journey toward dignity and justice. Their support, both moral and practical, is essential to enable the Mapuche to carry on their struggle with greater determination and strength.
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