Who are we?

The national association of Guatemalan women, Ixmucané was raised the 26th of November in 1993 in the refugee camps for Guatemalan refugees in Mexico.

In April 1995 the first members returned to Guatemala with their families. The women would never forget the experiences from the camps. Experiences that would be the seed that kept them striving for equality of gender and development in the affiliated villages. The work of Ixmucané is a concrete contribution to the peace process and to more balance in Guatemala.

Ixmucané is a legally based association and currently works in 7 villages of returned refugees and in 4 residential villages in the states of Alta Verapaz and El Petén.

It has 650 members. Ixmucané is an association of women on the regional level with national participation. They implement informative activities, productive projects and service to the women and their families.

• Participation at the political, social, economic and cultural level based on equality in the affiliated villages as well as at the regional and national levels. Raising consciousness on the rights being citizens and being women, in order to apply these in daily live.

• The stimulation and the participation of the women in human development taking in notice the particular needs, the rights and wishes.
  
• Having close relations with other women organizations that are, just like Ixmucané, striving for peace, democracy and equality in Guatemala.
  

In each village we have named different teams that coordinate, inform and consult their members at the local level. They help implement the activities and the projects. Furthermore Ixmucané has a team that is working on communitarian participation, co-ownership of land, administration and the formation of managers.

Our name

The name Ixmucané is originated from the holy Maya book ´El Popol Vuh´. El Popol Vuh reveals the history of the creation of the Mayas. In this mythological story the women Ixmucané prepared the juices of maize which were used to create the people of maize.

Ixmucané is like mother earth that gives us life. She is like the sun and the aurora that gives the light for the world to awake. The logo of the organization stands for these two elements.

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Contact Ixmucané

Ixmucané
National Association of Guatemalan women

Zone 1, en frente de Pollo Rey (in front of Pollo Rey)
Santa Elena, Petén
Guatemala

Tel:  (502) 9260280
Fax: (502) 9260280

Email: ixmucanegua@intelnett.com
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