[act-ma] 4/17 Grassroots Revolution in the Andes - Challenging Bechtel! (Thursday, 7:00 @ e5)

[Suren Moodliar]

Join Mass Global Action in welcoming César Cardenas!

With an Andean revolution in the making, Ecuador is taking up the causes of
economic development, social equity and participatory democracy. Befitting
their strong tradition of indigenous resistance and civil society activism,
Ecuadorans are rewriting their constitution and pioneering new strategies
for development from below.

César Wilfrido Cardenas Ramirez is the founder and president of El
Movimiento Mi Cometa a human rights organization in Guayaquil, Ecuador's
largest city (pop. 3.2 million). He ran for the 2007 Constituent Assembly on
a platform making privatization unconstitutional and protecting the human
right to water.

Following the water privatization in 2001, Bechtel has caused water
cut-offs, water contamination, public health crises (including a Hepatitis A
outbreak), flooding, unserved communities and unfair billing practices. The
Observatorio Cuidadano has recently filed a complaint with the World Bank
for its role in financing the project. The delegation can also discuss the
exciting process of the Constituent Assembly which is writing a new
constitution for Ecuador! Emily Joiner's book, Murky Waters (or Aguita
Amarilla) documents the water problems in Guayaquil. It may be downloaded
from:
http://www.micometa.org.ec/descargas/Murky%20Waters%20By%20Emily%20Joiner.pdf

Event followed by a light wine & cheese style reception.
Also joining us for the evening is a representative from Venezuela's
Communal Councils movement and the Boston Bolivarian Circle.

The event will take place in Spanish with translation for English speakers.

http://www.massglobalaction.org/projects/flyer-2008-04-17.pdf

For directions to encuentro 5, see http://www.encuentro5.org/contact.htm
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Suren Moodliar
Telephones: 617-482-6300 (wk); 617-482-7300 (fax); 617-968-0880 (cell)
Projects: encuentro 5 & fair employment
Address: 33 Harrison Ave, 5th floor, Boston, MA 02111
Websites: www.massglobalaction.org; www.fairjobs.org; www.encuentro5.org

Visit: www.reclaimingtheivorytower.org for a handbook on organizing and
strategizing!
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