UU Guatemala Scholarship Partners

In March 2013 Juan de Dios lobbied US senators and the World Bank in Washington, DC to put pressure on the Guatemalan government to pay the negotiated reparations to the Chixoy dam victims. 

In January 2014, the US Appropriations Bill passed including restrictions on military aid to Guatemala until they pay reparations. This language has been continued in all  Appropriations Bills since then.

The bill also requires the World Bank to document progress towards compliance with the reparations agreement by the Guatemala government and to restrict loans until they do. 

It took six years of international court cases and pressure from the US through economic sanctions for the government to finally begin reparations payments in October 2015. 

The reparations are paid over a 15 year period and every new government means an opportunity for non-compliance.

However, many people whose lands were confiscated by the hydroelectric dam have received economic compensation and the 33 communities around the dam finally have electricity. 

Roads, schools, clinics, water, sewers and community development projects are still to be implemented.