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A Voice For the Voiceless

The Advocacy Project helps marginalized communities to tell their story, claim their rights and produce social change. We recruit graduate students to volunteer as Peace Fellows with partners.

The Impact of Service "Speaking with locals and living in a country is the best way to learn about the real lives of citizens, not just the stories in the mainstream media. I will be more critical of what I read as a result of this experience. I also feel even more grateful for my education, and I feel a stronger responsibility to assist others who do not have resources or access to opportunities in their communities." Maria Skouras (New York University) volunteered in 2011 as a Peace Fellow for eHomemakers in Malaysia. For more 2011 feedback click here.

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Partner Campaigns > Advocacy Quilting > Rio Negro Memoria... > The Memorial Quilt > The Weavers > Ermelinda Uscap L...

Ermelinda Uscap Lopez

Ermelinda was born in the mountains outside the village of Chitucan in 1983. Her mother fled Chitucan after an Army raid in the village. After Ermelinda was born in hiding during their year in the mountains, the family traveled to Pacux in 1984, and soon returned to Chitucan when they could.

As a young girl, Ermelinda learned how to weave belts and huipils and worked picking melons and coffee to make a living. While in the fields, she met her husband, José Osorio Osorio, and then moved to Pacux.

Ermelinda’s textile commemorates her mother-in-law, Maria del Rosario Osorio Chen, who left her fire burning and her tortilla masa unfinished the morning she was killed at Pak’oxom. Her husband, José, was one of the children taken to Pak’oxom. He witnessed his mother’s death and was held in slavery in the nearby village of Xococ for two years following the massacre. Ermelinda and José have three children. She weaves belts to order and is a member of the Pacux artisan’s cooperative.

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