Interview with Ruth Tánchez, Executive Coordinator at Fundación Tierra Nuestra
What is the core mission of Fundación Tierra Nuestra, and how does it translate into their daily community work?
Fundación Tierra Nuestra emerged with a vision centered on rural economies, which are, at the time being, largely ignored by public policy agendas in Guatemala. To bring visibility and support to these often-overlooked needs—many deeply rooted in agrarian issues, rural development, and food security— Fundación Tierra Nuestra works closely with rural and indigenous communities, focusing particularly on women and young people. These groups, organized in agrarian communities, have long struggled for land access since the signing of the peace accords. While not all have succeeded, some have, and they are now actively working to secure their food supply, produce for local consumption, and advocate for the recognition of their economic, social, and rural rights. This is the heart of Fundación Tierra Nuestra’s mission.
The Foundation supports associations of people seeking to "promote Buen Vivir." What exactly does this mean to you?
At the core, we believe everything starts with people. All of us, men and women alike, contend with deeply ingrained machismo and racism, which far too often translates into social exclusion. This is why our work first and foremost follows a deeply humanistic approach, as we focus on healing internal wounds, including experiences of sexual and domestic violence. Our goal is to create environments where everyone can express themselves freely, without the silence that is often the result of fear, and which keeps people from sharing their voices.
The first phase emphasizes personal growth. The second one focuses primarily on political and humanistic education, where we delve into our very own histories in search for our roots—which are the Maya people. We recognize that in today’s world, we are part of a capitalist system, which often promotes an individualistic, commercial vision that divides rather than unites us.
Identity is also essential, and by learning about our country’s history, we work toward freeing ourselves from inherited oppression that is passed on from one generation to the next. This process empowers us to engage with authorities as interlocutors, identifying those who govern us and aiming for a future where rural communities themselves can fill these positions to then advocate for more beneficial public policies.
To us, Buen Vivir entails caring for natural resources—water, land, forests—and acknowledging the work indigenous communities have done in this regard, in contrast with large corporations that harm ecosystems and promote monoculture. However, it goes even further for us as Buen Vivir also involves mental and physical well-being and access to public practices aimed at protetcting these natural assets.
Could you share some of Fundación Tierra Nuestra’s most significant achievements in recent years?
One of our proudest achievements at Fundación Tierra Nuestra is the strengthening of indigenous rural women’s political leadership. Through training programs such as “My Body = My First Territory” and workshops on sexual and reproductive health rights, these women have now become active participants and strong voices in community development councils at the municipal level where they serve as national representatives.
In the economic arena, these women have developed a community-driven savings and loan system, which is entirely led, authorized, and overseen by the women themselves. This initiative helps them to organize reliably, save, apply for loans, and invest in their priorities—whether it’s education, healthcare, or small business ventures, such as poultry farming or starting local sales and services businesses.
Another notable accomplishment we can highlight here is the inclusion of young people in these financial inclusion efforts I mentioned. For youth, artistic expression has become a very powerful and liberating way to voice their concerns in municipal spaces and contribute to public policy, especially regarding youth issues. Through theater and murals, they depict their lives and offer alternative perspectives to their current realities.
In terms of recreation, we are challenging a deeply ingrained culture where work from dawn to dusk, seven days a week, is the norm, leaving little to no room for any leisure or recreational activities. In Guatemala, it’s all about work for most people. We are therefore actively working to involve young women in sports and the arts—especially in areas like the Theater of the Oppressed, mime, and muralism—to help reshape how they engage with their communities and express themselves creatively.
You already mentioned youth and adolescents. What role does rural and indigenous youth play in Fundación Tierra Nuestra’s programmatic work?
For us, youth is essential. We work closely with adolescents of all genders on issues of identity, new masculinities, and individual rights, fostering respect on both individual and collective or community levels. Some young women hesitate to participate due to past experiences of harassment, so we take a holistic approach—prioritizing sexual and reproductive health rights while fostering a culture of respect and harmony between men and women. This forms the groundwork for youth organizations in communities, often through the church, where young people are frequently active.
We also support young people’s political education, including those already skilled, so they can join community decision-making bodies. This helps us dismantle the belief that adolescents and youth are unprepared to take on important community roles where they can have a say. We aim to integrate them into community organizations, empowering them with both a voice and a vote.
We further promote gatherings and exchanges across departments, including places like Huehuetenango, which enriches each group according to their unique strengths. We believe intergenerational dialogue is crucial, as is communication between young men and women, who bring distinct perspectives. Currently, we are working alongside these young people to establish youth policies within their municipalities, supporting them as they advocate for their rights and shape their communities.
How did the collaboration between Fundación Tierra Nuestra and horizont3000 initially begin?
At Fundación Tierra Nuestra, we have known horizont3000 for a long time. This solidarity-driven organization, rooted in the Catholic Church of Austria, has collaborated for decades with Monsignor Álvaro Ramazzini’s work in the Diocese of San Marcos. In the 1990s, while still operating under a different name, horizont3000 supported the establishment of the Pastorales de la Tierra (Pastoral Ministries for the Land), promoting work with rural and peasant communities and organizations at all levels.
As Fundación Tierra Nuestra, with the legacy of our founder, we have continued to receive support from horizont3000—affectionately known to us as “H3.” This support has focused on rural and Indigenous actors, facilitating their dialogue with public institutions, and later, specifically targeting women and youth. This collaboration has been exceptional on so many levels, not only for Fundación Tierra Nuestra but also for other organizations, as we work together to uphold social, economic, and cultural rights.
Why do you consider horizont3000’s technical advisory program important, and what are the most valuable aspects of this program?
I believe the technical advisory program’s key strength lies in its mission to foster collaboration between countries in the Global North and South. Our country, Guatemala, faces significant educational barriers; only 5% of the population attends university, and the country has just one public university. Moreover, a neoliberal model has spurred the rise of private universities, which remain largely inaccessible.
It is against this background that horizont3000’s technical advisory program allows highly skilled professionals deeply committed to the communities we serve at Fundación Tierra Nuestra to work alongside us, enhancing our service, support, and advocacy. For example, Wolfgang Krenmayr not only engages with our team and board but also communicates effectively, both technically and empathetically, with the organizations we work with. His deep understanding of their challenges— at both individual and collective levels—adds immense value to our collaboration.
How has Wolfgang’s technical advisory service impacted your organization’s work in institutional development? What has been his most significant contribution?
As already outlined, we support the social movement, which serves as an important political actor in various different settings. Engaging with public institutions usually requires clearly formulated proposals, and we work with the movement to monitor public policies across administrations, which is core to our mission.
First, the technical advisory we provide with the help of Wolfgang serves as a form of specialization, enhancing our ability to conduct scientific research, particularly in rural areas, where we gather valuable information from farmers. This data is supplemented by written sources from monitoring local municipalities and ministries. Processing this data into reports, analyses, and petitions presented to public institutions equips the social movement with analytical tools that enable more effective institutional engagement.
Secondly, human rights defense is a priority that also demands rigorous research, documentation, and legal support, especially in regions where Indigenous and rural leaders face persecution linked to large-scale projects, such as hydroelectric developments, that proceed without prior community consultation. In such cases, community assemblies are often criminalized, and our documentation work fosters coordination with other advocacy networks, maximizing collective resources and synergies.
The third pillar is the institutional strengthening of Fundación Tierra Nuestra itself. We have worked closely on developing our strategic plan, and implementing planning, monitoring, and evaluation tools. The foundation’s board also receives advisory support informed by in-depth analysis on state operations, public policies, and social movement dynamics, further empowering our organization’s role and outreach.
