CASA

CASA is a Spanish acronym for Colectivos de Apoyo, Solidaridad y Acción. In English, that's: Collectives of Support, Solidarity and Action.

We were founded by Colin Bossen and Roxanne Rivas as the Chiapas Peace House Project in November, 2001. After a period of fundraising, we hired a coordinator and began accepting volunteers in Chiapas in August 2003. Our Oaxaca program began in the summer of 2006. Our non-profit sponsor is Faithful Fools.

Our coordinator in Chiapas is Rodrigo, and in Oaxaca, Diana. 

Mission Statement

CASA, Colectivos de Apoyo, Solidaridad y Acción, responds to the call for international solidarity with grassroots indigenous and campesino movements by maintaining two centers in Mexico for education, support, and activism: one in Chiapas and another in Oaxaca. We seek to further social justice and sustainable development in Mexico and the United States through education, network building and facilitating first hand experience of globalization and human rights issues. We collaborate with other non-governmental organizations and local communities according to the needs, demands, and methodologies they express.

Vision Statement

CASA maintains two centers for solidarity work and education in Mexico, one in San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, the other in Oaxaca City, Oaxaca. We seek to further movements for social justice and sustainable development in Mexico and the United States and build awareness of corporate globalization and human rights issues through first hand experiences.

Volunteer Hosting

We provide volunteers affordable housing, resources, a space for reflection and support, and orientation to social justice, privilege and solidarity issues in Chiapas and Oaxaca. We provide them assistance in finding placement in San Cristobal and Oaxaca solidarity organizations, or with Indigenous communities. See Volunteering.

Our volunteers learn about the interconnections between the U.S. and Mexico and are encouraged to support and organize around social justice issues and the growing international movement against corporate globalization.

Supporting Our Partners

Our volunteers carry out essential solidarity work for nonprofit organizations and Indigenous communities. Our volunteers are screened through our application process and are provided an orientation in order to provide partner organizations and communities competent and conscientious volunteers.

The groups we work with do not align themselves with any particular political party. They endeavor to do appropriate work in line with the expressed needs of communities, always striving to empower Indigenous leadership.  In Chiapas, our volunteers also undertake projects proposed directly to the Zapatista Juntas of Good Government.  See Our Partners.

Educating Home Communities

Our goal is to share lessons we learn from the resistance movements in Oaxaca and Chiapas with our home communities. We do so by publishing news and analysis in our monthly newsletter, hosting and providing workshops for short-term solidarity delegations, and coordinating speaking events.