The San Carlos Foundation --

The San Carlos Foundation provides health and educational assistance to refugees and other people living in extreme poverty in the Third World, particularly in Central America.

The Foundation grants minimal living expenses (currently $6000/year) to professionals—doctors, nurses, lawyers, engineers, teachers, etc.—who volunteer their time, live in primitive conditions among the people they're working with, and train them to take over their jobs when they leave. The Foundation has supported a total of 114 volunteers since 1984, including Ben Linder, the 27-year-old American engineer who was killed by the Contras in Nicaragua in 1987.

Roy Bourgeois tells Martin Sheen:
"I'm Still Poking the Beehive"

Father Roy Bourgeois, founder of School of the Americas Watch (SOAW), met with Martin Sheen at a San Carlos Foundation-sponsored event on December 3, 2005, and told a large crowd that, after a recent cancer scare, it was "great to be back on the road and poking the beehive." He brought some encouraging news from the work to close down the School of the Americas (SOA), America's "School for Torture."
At the November protests at the SOA, there were 19,000 demonstrators
Among these, more than half were high school and college students
Central and South American countries are taking notice. Venezuela is withdrawing all of its military from training at the SOA, and several other countries have agreed to consider such a change.

Roy and Martin strongly praised the contribution that San Carlos Foundation volunteers are doing in the region. Roy particularly recognized the valuable contribution the Foundation makes in enabling three peacemakers to do their work: Linda Panetta, Kathleen Rumpf, and Eric LeCompte. (For descriptions of their activities, click here.)

Roy said there have been 180 prisoners of conscience in this movement, and many who "crossed the line" in an act of civil disobedience in November would stand trial on January 30. Some are in jail now because they refused to pay bail, and these include Fr. Louis Vitale. Supporters were encouraged to write to him at this address.

Louis Vitale, Muscogee County Jail, 700 E. 10th St., Columbus GA 31901-2899

Thanks to all who contributed to making the Dec. 3 event so successful!

PBS Frontline visits Santa Maria Tzeja in Guatemala
(Web video available)

A special report on PBS Frontline, created by Brent McDonald, tells the story of a community that is struggling to deal with its own memories of being caught in the crossfire of Guatemala's civil war. McDonald and his team traveled to the village of Santa Maria Tzeja, where, among other things, he filmed activities at the school where San Carlos volunteer Randall Shea works. He also filmed community theater to help young people understand their area's past. Click here to see web-based video reports from the Frontline report. Or click on the picture at right to go straight to the video that features Randall's work.

Note: Santa Maria Tzeja, in the El Quiche state of Guatemala, is an indigenous Mayan village in the highlands. Like many villages, Santa Maria Tzeja was targeted in 1982 during the Army's "Scorched Earth" campaign, forcing many inhabitants into exile. In 1994, volunteer Randall Shea returned with former refugees and helped establish the Santa Maria Tzeja Middle School to provide a progressive 7th-9th grade education for local youth. While most rural, indigenous youth have little opportunity for formal education, Santa Maria Tzeja Middle School has graduated 200 local kids from 9th grade since 1997, with many advancing to high school and then on to university studies in Guatemala City. Randall has contributed several newsletters on his activities. Click here to see them.