Our Story
On a soccer field in Morristown, NJ in 2000 a group of young undocumented immigrants from Cajola (in the western highlands of Guatemala) gathered to talk about a companion, Pedro Vail, who had been hit by a car. None of his friends had felt safe enough to come to his aid while he was in the hospital. Outsiders decided to send him back to Guatemala, where he died two days after arriving. This incident inspired the young men to organize themselves. They vowed to watch over Cajolenses and other countrymen when they faced illness, accidents, or tragedy while in the United States. The commitment to community solidarity led them to people who helped them understand their underdog position in the US and the structural causes that led them to leave their homes. And thus was born their dream to change the situation in their home town of Cajola so that people weren't forced to migrate. So, In 2005, some members returned to Cajolá to begin that work, and thus was born Association Grupo Cajola in Cajola.
In 2021 we organized Grupo Cajola in North America to support the work of Grupo Cajola in Cajola.
Mission
Promote the well-being of the people of Cajola who live in Cajola or in the United States.
Protect the rights of women, men, children, youth, and the elderly to a dignified life, including access to health, education, safety, and well being
of Cajola lives below the poverty line
How much of the Cajola community lives in the United States
