MAB hosts meeting of coordinators in Ceará state

MAB militants held in Ceará state the 1st Meeting of the Coordinators of Grassroots Groups. The meeting was attended by about 90 people affected by dams.

From November 30th to December 1st, the group discussed and deepened several important issues, such as: the method and the organisation of the national construction plan, the national gathering of the MAB in 2013, the struggles and successes, the state agenda, the production and the self sustainibility of the movement.

The priorities of the meeting were: training for the coordinators who work directly at grassroot level in MAB and assessing the struggles and actions of 2012. “Finishing the year with the people excited towards the national 2013 gathering of MAB and to plan our struggles for the next period were also objectives of the meeting” said Sara de Oliveira, a regional member of MAB. According to her, they concluded the meeting with good referrals, with an action plan until June 2013 and with immediate actions aimed at combating the negative effects of the drought in Ceará.

The families affected by the dams suffer more by the extensive drought because they live on the banks of the rivers and now depend on rainwater and supply through the pipe cars. The water from the dam and the transposition of the river Castanhão only serve the big business that produce fruit and shrimps. “And we are thirsty and hungry, we can not leave it this way, they will have to pay” says Dona Mazé, who coordinates a group and lives between the dam and the Castanhão river. “We need to have instantly access to water, we need sufficient supply from pipe cars, we need deep wells and pipelines that are able to meet the needs of the families and the communities affected” concludes Mazé.