One of the largest Brazilian transnational’s, the mining company Vale, present in 38 countries in the Americas, Africa and Asia, is able to receive, at the end of January, one of the leading international awards of corporate shame. Chosen from among dozens of candidates, Vale is among the six finalists for the 2012 Public Eye Award, which annually bestows the title of world's worst company to a corporation, elected in an international contest by popular vote during the World Economic Forum in the Swiss city of Davos. The fifth vote in the first week of the prize, launched on January 5, Vale took the lead for the first time on the afternoon of Friday (January 20, 2012).

The Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra (MST) received the 2011 Food Sovereignty Prize.  Inaugurated in 2009, the Food Sovereignty Prize, awarded by the Community Food Security Coalition at its 15th annual conference, held this year in Oakland California.  The prize recognizes leaders in the global movement for food sovereignty.

Janaina will be participating on a panel discussing "Class Based Organizational Building - Organizations and Strategies" at 1:30 PM, Thursday October 27.

Janaina will be one of the keynote speakers at the 2011 Fair Development Conference.

The Fair Development Conference is hosted by The United Workers, a human rights organization led by low-wage workers. The Fair Development Conference will held from Friday, October 28 through Sunday, October 30 at 2640 St. Paul Street, Baltimore, MD.  For more information on the conference, click here.

Om June 20, 2011 the Washington DC Chapter of the Friends of the MST joined with others in protesting the construction of the Belo Monte Dam.  For a short video on the protest, click here:

Building Grassroots Power:

The experience of the Landless Workers Movement in Brazil (MST)

Janaina Stronzake,

MST’s Florestan Fernandes National School 

Thursday, October 20th @ 6pm

Encuentro 5

33 Harrison Avenue – Boston, MA (Chinatown)

To inquire about the Friends of the MST in your area or about starting a chapter in your area, contact Jeff at info@mstbrazil.org.

DC Chapter Marches on Brazilian Embassy

On April 9, 2012, as part of the commemoration of the International Day of Peasant Struggle, the Washington DC Chapter of the FMST, in conjunction with Amazon Watch, marhed on the Brazilina Embassy.  On Apil 9, Dilma Rousseff, president of Brazil, was meeting wth President Barack Obama at the White House.

The march had four demands:

1. An end to rural violence and impunity for the perpertrators of violence

2. Support for agrarian reform

3. For a veto of the revised Forest Code by President Rousseff

4. For an end to the mega-dam projects, such Belo Monte, in the Amazon

For more photos and stories on the Demonstration in Washington DC, click HERE. 

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Contact Information

To contact the Washington DC Chapter, contact Lyndsay at lyndsayhughes@gmail.com.

DC Chapter Joins Protest Against the Belo Monte Dam

On June 20, 2011, the Friends of the MST joined with Amazon Watch, Amnesty International and other groups in protesting against the proposed Belo Monte  dam.  Click here for more information on the protest and dam.

Janaina’s  New York Schedule

Friday, October 14:             International Day of Rural Women and World Food Day

                                            11:00 am – 5:00 pm 

                                            CCUN, 2nd Floor    

                                            777 UN Plaza (corner of 44th St. and 1st Ave.) 

                                            New York

Saturday, October 15:        2nd Black Farmers & Urban Gardeners Conference

        Morning                       Growing Wealth, Health and Justice

                                            Hostos Community College

                                            500 Grand Concourse

                                            Bronx, New York

                                            http://www.blackfarmersconf.org/

       4 to 7 PM                     World Food Day - Hunger in a World of Plenty 

                                           Union Theological Seminary, James Memorial Chapel  

                                           3041 Broadway at 121st Street, New York

                                           http://povertyinitiative.org/world-food-day-hunger-in-a-world-of-plenty

To reach the New York Chapter, contact Tristan at:  tristan@whyhunger.org.