Sombrilla Refugee Support Society 62 CONTACT INFORMATION:
11424 - 77 Avenue Edmonton, AB T6G 0L8 Tel: 780.988.2976 Email: sombrillahome@gmail.com Web: www.sombrilla.ca
In 1985 members of Edmonton's civil society, including journalists, professors and human rights activists, joined together in solidarity with the people of Guatemala in response to the armed conflict in Guatemala and the severe human rights violations being carried out against civil society After incorporating in 1987, Sombrilla, in coordination with the Government of Canada, sponsored more than 50 individuals with their refugee applications. During the mid 1990s Sombrilla shifted its focus to support resettlement of internally displaced refugees in Guatemala. This allowed Sombrilla to assist Guatemala in its process of post-war reconstruction while also developing valuable institutional experience in international development. Since 2001, Sombrilla has been expanding its international development activities to other Latin American countries such as: El Salvador, Honduras, Argentina, and Peru. Presently Sombrilla has projects in two countries, Guatemala and Peru. Sombrilla's projects in the recent past have focused on: • food security through school and family garden projects • access to clean water - involving the construction of a community water system in Peru and biosand water filters in Guatemala • basic education in Guatemala with plans to build a new school with enough space for all children in the community • economic development in Peru assisting the community in developing their own tourism businesses in the Cordillera Blanca Sombrilla works in partnership with other organizations, both in the partner countries and here in Canada. We have undertaken public education and fundraising events together with a local high school, Boy Scouts and other Edmonton-based NGOs. Sombrilla's Mission To empower the marginalized communities and people of Latin America so that they may assert their rights - economic, political, environmental, cultural and social - thus enabling them to improve the conditions and quality of their life in a just and sustainable manner.