In El Estor we worked with the organization Amigos del Lago. They explained the situation with the mining companies in the area to us and the consequences these inflict on the local people.

This short movie pretty well demonstrates what they are up against. Sky Resources is a mining company from Canada, which is behind several violant clearing of villages. They promise work, development and opportunities if the people sell their land (at incredibly low prices), but as the film also showes, the people are left with nothing. The men are more likely to become tempted by the offers from the mining companies, which is why woman now start to organize them selves in the villages. They want to kill the ignorence that tempts the men to sell their house and home.

There is not much hope for the Guatemalan people, if they don't get any help from the outside. The government favorizes the big companies at any time, because they believe that "foreign investment is very important". As most other poor countries the government in Guatemala is very corrupt and more or less controlled by the United States.

We spent a week in El Estor. It's a small village on the shores of the beautiful lake, Lago Izabal. The companies are interested in the lake because the want to export the water or use it for production of electricity, also with the US in mind as market, while it is cheaper to produce electricity in Guatemala than the states. Further more there's gold and oil etc. in the country. Guatemala and Central America as a whole is very rich on natural resources and that is why the foreign companies (many American) have big political interests in the area and don't give up without a fight. The labour is cheap and the coutries have no real organized labour union nor labour's rights, as it is normal in the the US and other western countries. The companies have no limitations and what ever challenge they might meet can be paid of.

The small comunities in Guatemala always have a sort of leader. The people trust these leaders as well as the church and always seem to follow their surgestions. The companies are not stupid, and it is very common that they pay of these leaders to speak their cause and trick the people of the lands.