Photos of Fundraising event for CAIS Maloka, 8th January 2009

CAIS MALOKA

Our close friends Javier Sanchez and Maria Delapava, members of the Nueva Generacion collective and former staff of Refugee Youth, returned last October to Colombia to build a Social Action and Research Centre on a farm they bought just outside Cali , Colombia .

The Centre is called ‘Centro de Accion e Investigacion Social MALOKA – CAISMALOKA’, and alongside being their own vision, is also modeled on the Highlander Center in East Tennessee, USA . www.highlandercenter.org
We are currently working on developing a website for CAIS Maloka! www.caismaloka.com

CAIS Maloka , Colombia

Maria and Javier, with daughter Chia, are already doing incredible work with young people using the arts to explore issues in their lives and communities and develop solutions to their own struggles, Youth Hip Hop groups, working on campaigns on environmental justice, with National Indigenous Organisations, and much, much more.

The main barriers they are facing is lack of resources both economically and people-wise; so this is one of the reasons we are organising a series of fundraising events, to support their work on the ground (effectively on the front line), and to fund a delegation of young Activists for a solidarity visit next year to build the centre itself and support them in developing their grassroots work.

Why we are fundraising for Cais Maloka?

Maria and Javier really are doing some heroic and powerful work in the rural areas near to Cali, Colombia – indeed in Cali itself and with national organisations; with little economic resources in the midst of a very volatile situation.

During conversations in Venezuela, we decided they do need more international support both in terms of not only resources, but their safety. We also recognise it is much harder to secure funds for radical and grassroots work, so that’s where we come in!

We are very committed to raising as much resource as we can to support their work, but
also for their integral participation in the Organizing School; where they will be able to share experiences with other Latin American Activists, and also build and gather further solidarity for their organizing in Colombia.

We are approaching and working with different organizations such as No Sweat! and the Colombia Solidarity Campaign; knowing their politics of solidarity with the poor and working peoples’ struggle in Colombia and across Latin America asking for their support in our organizing efforts.

As a result of our reaching out and building these relationships; we have several events organized such as one on 30th January at Bar Fiesta in Brixton, and a further event with No Sweat! on the 12th March where Mark Thomas will be performing in support of our solidarity work. We are asking people and organizations to please come and support our events – and to join us in our organizing!

We would like to say as a Collective we deeply appreciate all of the solidarity and support from all of the people and organizations whom we’ve been working with.

THANK YOU!!!

With peace & love

“The Friends of CAIS MALOKA and the International School for Bottom Up Organizing Collective”

For further details please contact us at:

email: mhari_organiser@yahoo.co.uk