January 10, 2007

Dear Friends,

Our Chiapas Caravan is on the road -- carrying ten tons of medicine, medical supplies and other humanitarian aid! This year, the Caravan, which is traveling only east coast routes, will cross over into Mexico on Wednesday, January 17th. Briana Harris-Mayle, IFCO/Pastors for Peace staffer, is leading the group, which includes the intrepid caravanistas Rev. Diane Baker and Bill Hill.

Once in Chiapas, participants will deliver their precious cargo and meet with our partner organizations to hear about the work they are doing. We expect the Caravan to return to the US on February 1st.

Given the recent struggles in Oaxaca, we are keeping a close eye on the Caravan as it moves over the border and into Chiapas and back to the US. We expect no difficulties, but we do want to alert you about the Caravan, in case we need to activate our network to resolve any difficulties we might confront.

Briana also led an IFCO/Pastors for Peace delegation to the global gathering "Communities of the World " called by the indigenous communities of Chiapas, December 30, 2006 to January 2, 2007 in Oventic, Chiapas, Mexico.

She reports that the gathering drew 1500 people from 47 different countries around the world, and provided an opportunity to hear about the struggles in Chiapas and within the Zapatista movement regarding education, health, women's issues and economic and social concerns.

Pastors for Peace caravans are a concrete expression of communities in action. Each caravan is a clear example of love and solidarity in motion. As IFCO enters its 40 th anniversary year, we thank you for your continued support.

Please don't forget- you can help sustain our work with donations made directly on our website: www.pastorsforpeace.org.

Sincerely,

Lucius Walker

Executive Director

IFCO/PASTORS FOR PEACE

C/o The Latin American School of Medicine www.ifconews.org

418 W 145th Street, New York, NY 10031

tel: 212.926.5757 - fax: 212.926.5842 - email: ifco@igc.org