The Kitchen of San Antonio has a history of difficult encounters. Señora Martha Vargas founded the Kitchen with a group of mothers in 1994 on a property in Jicamarca. Since then, with changes of "Dirigentes" (similar to our local Shire Councilors), the majority of whom have been corrupt, the illegal sale of land has been rife. An extended family group have claimed ownership of a tract of land upon which the Kitchen of San Antonio stands. Ignoring the legal documentation that assigns the land to the Kitchen, as well as disregarding the fact that in this part of the world "possession is more than 9/10's of the law", these people have embarked on a campaign of intimidation in an effort to frighten the women and children from the site of the Kitchen.
The Shared Table has been subsidising costs for the feeding of children in this Kitchen for the past two years. For this reason, we are attempting to assist Martha and her women in protecting their Kitchen and their right to the land upon which it is situated. Seeking help from local authorities and the police has proved frustrating and at times futile. Everything has its cost here, and we are refusing to pay bribes for protection that should be lawfully afforded the Kitchen as a community project.
There are some small signs that we may win the struggle yet, but there is the very real fear also that more serious violence may occur before the victory is secure. As well as the dollar a week that people are so generously contributing, we ask also, on behalf of our mothers and children, that this project be remembered in your prayers.
We thank all our supporters once again, and look forward to the developments of 2008.