Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala
Building solidarity between the peoples of the U.S. and Guatemala.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Guatemala Accompaniment Project (GAP) Internacionalistas
NISGUA’s Guatemala Accompaniment Project (GAP) has provided international human rights observation to Guatemalan human rights defenders under threat since 2000. We have placed over 200 well-trained and politically-grounded volunteers alongside over 300 Guatemalan human rights and social justice organizations. Our style of international human rights accompaniment has been a reference point of best practices in the region. In 2020, we re-launched as GAP Internacionalista, a visionary volunteer-driven accompaniment program to connect cross-border movements for Indigenous sovereignty and immigrant justice.
Defense of Life and Territory
Our Defense of Life & Territory program works to support communities defending their lands and cultures against imposed natural resource extraction. We provide strategic accompaniment to environmental defenders who have been criminalized, attacked, or defamed for their defense of life and territory.
Justice and Accountability
Our Justice & Accountability program provides important information to our grassroots network on groundbreaking human rights cases and the ongoing struggle to end impunity for crimes against humanity and genocide. We provide strategic analysis to our network, framing present-day struggles in Guatemala within a context of historic and ongoing U.S. imperialism. We respond to survivors’ calls for physical accompaniment and advocacy support as they pursue legal cases, historical memory processes, and community healing.
Cross-Border Organizing
NISGUA is committed to strengthening the global movement for justice by building connections between movements in the U.S. and Guatemala. We ground our work in a commitment to racial justice and the recognition that global systems of oppression impact communities in both the U.S. and Guatemala.
In the midst of deepening corruption and repression in both countries, we bring an internationalist focus into our U.S. activism while standing alongside Guatemalan communities fighting for justice and self-determination. We work with movements fighting for Indigenous sovereignty and immigrant rights in the U.S. and Guatemala. We build connections between movements through tours in the U.S., delegations in Guatemala, horizontal exchanges, webinars, and original media production.
Where we work
External reviews

Photos
Videos
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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Who are the people you serve with your mission?
Our Guatemalan partners are human rights defenders on the frontlines of grassroots, Indigenous, and campesino struggles for transitional justice, environmental justice, and Indigenous rights.
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How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
Electronic surveys (by email, tablet, etc.), Focus groups or interviews (by phone or in person),
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals,
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What significant change resulted from feedback?
All the work that we do is under the explicit leadership of our Guatemalan partners. As an example of a larger scale change, in response to requests that we support water protectors in Huehuetenango in stopping the Asylum Cooperative Agreements (ACAs), we launched a successful year and a half cross-border campaign against the ACAs. As an example of a more everyday change, in response to feedback from one human rights defender that they needed faster text responses from some of our staff, we reconfigured our scheduling and coverage structure.
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With whom is the organization sharing feedback?
Our staff, Our board, Our funders,
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How has asking for feedback from the people you serve changed your relationship?
Since our founding in 1981, all the work that we do has been under the explicit leadership of our Guatemalan partners.
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded,
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback,
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala
Board of directorsas of 02/22/2022
Phil Neff
University of Washington Center for Human Rights
Todd Kolze
Amanda Kistler
Miguel Zamora
Lydia Lopez
Rode Diaz
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Not applicable -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Not applicable -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes