Frequently asked questions

Violence against human rights defenders and their work in Guatemala has risen sharply. In the first five months of 2018, 13 activists were killed and 135 instances of aggression against them were reported. These courageous activists deserve our protection. That is why we have designed an effective tool to help: the Activist Alert. Read more about it on hivos.org.

The alert system scans media and the web for signs of danger and provides a place to report threats. Digital security experts investigate every report immediately. If deemed serious, the activist is warned and preventive measures are taken. The threat is published and, when possible, legal action will be taken. In neighboring Honduras, a similar warning system was installed with Hivos’ support. It has already proven very effective. Our goal is to make this system available to Guatemala as soon as possible. 

In neighboring Honduras, a similar warning system was installed with Hivos’ support. It has already proven very effective. Our goal is to make this system available to Guatemala as soon as possible. Read more about it on hivos.org.

100 percent of all donations made through this crowdfunding page will benefit the Activist Alert. The costs for the platform and the information campaign to promote it are covered by Hivos’ regular income. 

Thanks to generous donations from private donors in January and February this year, we can go ahead and start the project. These contributions are enough to build Activist Alert’s basic infrastructure in Guatemala. However, to make the system work optimally and for a longer period of time, extra money is necessary. That’s why we started this campaign to ask everyone to help.

We’re doing everything we can to make the Activist Alert possible in Guatemala. We’ve asked our existing donors for contributions, we’re working with the VPRO TV Guide magazine (a Dutch Public Broadcasting company), and we’ll start a crowdfunding campaign from our office in Latin America.

Hivos is an international organization that seeks new and creative solutions to persistent global problems; solutions created by people taking their lives into their own hands. We offer a positive counterbalancing force against discrimination, inequality, abuse of power and the unsustainable use of our planet’s resources. We do this together with courageous people and their organizations – like the human rights defenders who stand to benefit from the Activist Alert system. Find out more on hivos.org.