Dear GoFundMe supporters…
Thank you from the bottom of our hears for your donations, your messages of support, your sharing of the campaign and all the many ways in which you have shown your support for Máxima Acuña and her fight since we started the fundraiser. We are beyond moved to have reached our original goal!
I spoke to Máxima on the phone this morning and she wanted me to thank you all on behalf of her and her family, and also tell you what a huge difference your donations have made in their life, especially during COVID-19 times. Your donations have allowed her and her family to pay for living expenses, medical care, trips to the city of Cajamarca related to their legal cases, as well as farming needs including purchases of potato seeds and cattle for the last year. They were even able to grow a small trout farm in her land.
Your funds have been particularly critical to them for the last three months in which Peru has gone on a military lockdown due to COVID-19. That means that there is no transportation available and all local markets and grocery stores are closed in the nearby towns. As a result, they have had to travel much further – and pay triple the price - to buy the basics such as cooking oil, flour, beans that they cannot longer grow, rice, sugar, etc. that are also being sold at much higher prices. She remarked how without your donations, they wouldn’t have been able to afford that.
I asked her about the number of COVID-19 cases in her area and she said that so far there are 70 cases in the Sorochuco town nearby and zero deaths. Thankfully they are in a very remote area in the Andes, so they are not too concerned about direct exposure, but they are still taking precautions when they have to travel for food. At the moment, they are being more directly impacted by the lack of transportation and access to food supplies. She said that being able to grow potatoes on her land has been a life saver.
Regarding any current harassment, Máxima mentioned that they continue to experience difficulties exiting and entering through the security checkpoint near their house. They have also woken up to find death sheep and trout that seemed to have been poisoned. Also, a mine employee came to their land a few weeks ago to warn them to stop farming. That said, Máxima and her family remain strong and refuse to be intimidated. She also said that the support of people like you is what keeps them going.
On the legal side, the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware recently ruled again that the case should be heard in Peru rather than in the United States. This was devastating to us but not surprising. Máxima and her family understand that this is a process and are staying hopeful and optimistic that justice will be served eventually. Early this week EarthRights International filed an appeal before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit on behalf of them. You can find more information on the appeal and the U.S. case on this link: https://earthrights.org/media/earthrights-files-appeal-on-behalf-of-maxima-acuna-atalaya-family-against-newmont-mining-corporation/
While everyone feels confident that the new evidence submitted should really bring a favorable outcome for the family, it is also clear that the legal case will take years to resolve. Therefore, we are stretching our original goal to continue to provide financial relief to Máxima and her family for as long as we can. We are currently working on the distribution of the film, so we plan to continue to build robust support for her case and the causes she stands up for worldwide.
Finally, here are some pictures of Máxima from yesterday that her son Daniel shared with me. Thank you again for your ongoing support, it means the world to us!