Mission
Julian Cho Society’s mission is “to provide support to the 39 Maya villages to pursue The Future We Dream by protecting Maya rights, caring for natural resources, and promoting cultural, social and economic development.”
Securing Land Tenure
Who the Maya people are, and their struggle for land rights and climate justice across southern Belize.
Our Purpose
Mission, Vision & Goal
Vision
The Future We Dream articulates the Vision of the Maya people as “A peaceful, hardworking, self-determining people, rooted in our culture, open to the world and new technologies, living in community, and collectively stewarding the wellbeing of our people and lands.”
Goal
Secure, guarantee, and enhance land tenure and associated rights for the Maya people (Q’eqchi’ and Mopan) in southern Belize in accordance with the implementation of the Caribbean Court of Justice Consent Order agreed between the Government of Belize and the Maya people.
Strategic Thematic Areas
Program Areas
From the 2007 Supreme Court ruling to the 2015 Caribbean Court of Justice consent order, every milestone has been earned by Maya communities through years of legal advocacy and community organizing.
[Detailed milestone list and dates to be provided by JCS.]
Maya villages lead their own land-boundary mapping process — combining traditional knowledge with GPS technology to produce community-recognized maps that form the basis of legal land tenure claims.
[Specific village mapping projects and methodologies to be provided by JCS.]
Supporting the alcalde system, traditional ceremonies, language preservation, and the village-level institutions that have sustained Maya life for generations.
[Program details and current initiatives to be provided by JCS.]
Maya stewardship has preserved the forests of Southern Belize for centuries. JCS supports community-led conservation, sustainable agriculture, and the defense of Maya lands against extraction.
[Specific conservation initiatives to be provided by JCS.]
Through leadership training, exchange programs, and direct support for youth and women alcaldes, JCS invests in the next generation carrying forward the Maya land rights movement.
[Youth and women's programs to be provided by JCS.]
Climate change threatens the very land, water, and food systems Maya communities depend on. JCS engages in climate justice advocacy, adaptation planning, and ensuring Maya voices are heard in climate decisions.
[Climate justice initiatives to be provided by JCS.]
Now
Current Projects
[ project photo ]
Auto-delimitation of village lands
Communities mapping and demarcating their own boundaries.
[ project photo ]
Environmental stewardship
Protecting forests, rivers and biodiversity on Maya lands.
[ project photo ]
Youth & women leadership
Building the next generation of Maya leaders.