In Chile alongside the Mapuche people - 2026
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 engage alongside the Mapuche people, the largest indigenous community in the country.
Mapuche people have always fought for the recognition and defense of their identity and culture, crushed on the one hand by the state that does not fully 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 agriculture and animal husbandry. But their lives are constantly threatened: since the birth of the Chilean state, they have been deprived of much of their homelands, where they have lived for generations, and their access to natural resources, essential for their physical and cultural survival, has been restricted. Their territories have often been granted to foreign-born settlers or international companies that exploit their resources.
Many Mapuche people today have become aware of what has been taken from them and try to fight for their rights. Often, however, they are marginalized, discriminated against, treated as "slackers," and those who vigorously fight for the recognition of their cultural and territorial rights are considered terrorists and subjected to court trials or political imprisonment. Few protections and rights are accorded them by the Chilean state, and as the movement grows, it treats them as subversives.
In the coming months, the change of government portends the escalationof the conflict between the Chilean state and the Mapuche people , and it is likely that the state will increase its use of greater force in repressive actions against the Mapuche resistance.
Volunteers from "Operation Dove" (the Nonviolent Peace Corps of the Pope John XXIII Community) have chosen to stand by their side, sharing their demand for respect for their rights and witnessing the abuses they continually suffer.
Denouncing the injustices they suffer has prompted Italian boys and girls to leave to live in the territories of these ancestral people. Their nonviolent presence serves as protection and support in moments of protest, when protesters are often victims of repression by public force, as a guarantee during trials in the courts and prisons, and as a sounding board to let people in Italy know what is happening in Wallmapu.
Support the presence of volunteers alongside the Mapuche people. Their commitment represents a fundamental contribution to this people's journey towards 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 engage alongside the Mapuche people, the largest indigenous community in the country.
Mapuche people have always fought for the recognition and defense of their identity and culture, crushed on the one hand by the state that does not fully 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 agriculture and animal husbandry. But their lives are constantly threatened: since the birth of the Chilean state, they have been deprived of much of their homelands, where they have lived for generations, and their access to natural resources, essential for their physical and cultural survival, has been restricted. Their territories have often been granted to foreign-born settlers or international companies that exploit their resources.
Many Mapuche people today have become aware of what has been taken from them and try to fight for their rights. Often, however, they are marginalized, discriminated against, treated as "slackers," and those who vigorously fight for the recognition of their cultural and territorial rights are considered terrorists and subjected to court trials or political imprisonment. Few protections and rights are accorded them by the Chilean state, and as the movement grows, it treats them as subversives.
In the coming months, the change of government portends the escalationof the conflict between the Chilean state and the Mapuche people , and it is likely that the state will increase its use of greater force in repressive actions against the Mapuche resistance.
Volunteers from "Operation Dove" (the Nonviolent Peace Corps of the Pope John XXIII Community) have chosen to stand by their side, sharing their demand for respect for their rights and witnessing the abuses they continually suffer.
Denouncing the injustices they suffer has prompted Italian boys and girls to leave to live in the territories of these ancestral people. Their nonviolent presence serves as protection and support in moments of protest, when protesters are often victims of repression by public force, as a guarantee during trials in the courts and prisons, and as a sounding board to let people in Italy know what is happening in Wallmapu.
Support the presence of volunteers alongside the Mapuche people. Their commitment represents a fundamental contribution to this people's journey towards 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.
Share
