LARRY KUEHN
Thank you colleagues and friends.
CoDev has been an important part of my life for the forty years of its existence. In 1985 Rick Craig, one of the founders of CoDev convinced me to go on a trip to Central America with leaders from the Ontario Teachers’ Federation and the Quebec teachers.
Central America was in the midst of civil wars and military rule, primarily a result of American intrusion and support for reactionary forces. Sound familiar?
We visited teacher activists and union leaders in Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala. Conditions were grim everywhere—unions were illegal or facing repression from miliary controlled governments. In Nicaragua there were teacher leaders from the other countries who had been given refuge.
It was seeing the incredible commitment of all these teacher leaders to maintaining the fight for the rights of teachers and for public education that cemented my commitment to international solidarity as a comrade in these struggles.
I had the great fortune to work for more than 30 years for the BC Teachers’ Federation and to be responsible for its international solidarity activities. The BCTF has a long history of being a generous partner in international solidarity.
It has been a major partner with CoDev throughout forty years, carrying out solidarity partnerships with teacher organizations throughout Latin America.
It began with work with SUTEP in Peru, out partners represented here at this event. The focus of much of the work has been in supporting the involvement of women in their unions, strengthening them by ensuring that all the interests are represented. It has included working with our colleagues in Cuba, unique among North American teacher unions in being willing to ignore the US blockade and demonization.
Even after 40 years, the work of CoDev is far from over. It is my hope that many of us will be able to meet here in ten years for the 50th anniversary of CoDev.
And you can contribute to ensuring that can happen. You can become a member of CoDev and a donor.
And most importantly, you can be an advocate in your union or organization on behalf of its partnership with CoDev.
CoDev is a tool for solidarity partnerships between Canadian workers through their unions with colleagues in Latin America. Its work depends on you playing a part in that solidarity partnership.
Viva international solidarity. Thank you.
Larry Kuehn
SUTEP — Sindicato Unitario de
Trabajadores en la Educación del Perú
SUTEP, our first southern partner, recipient of CoDev’s 2025 International Solidarity Award.
Rosa Maria Lezaquia Vargas and Kathy Ramirez Gonzales made a whirlwind trip to Canada to receive the award on behalf of SUTEP. Both are members of the national executive committee and Kathy, from Uyacali in the Amazon region, is the first indigenous representative in that specific role on that executive committee, to bring the voice of indigenous educators to the fore. Rosa Maria is the Equity and Gender representative. Both of them received womens’ leadership training!
SUTEP has a 53 year history and is a large, growing, militant union struggling for the dignity of the education sector, defending public education and also demanding rights and dignity for retired educators. Lucio Castro Chipana is the current Secretary General. SUTEP represents teachers, education assistants, education promotors who work with young children in communities, and retired teachers, with more than 350,000 members. Membership is voluntary, not automatic!
SUTEP is always finding ways to make their work sustainable, to be able to grow in effectiveness. They renovated their building in downtown Lima and as part of that there is now a hostel where teachers visiting Lima can pay a moderate fee to stay. They created “La Derrama Magesterial” that is a benefits co-op providing benefits, mortgages, vacation opportunities and pensions to members. What they are demanding government provide, they are also facilitating in the interim and in addition to the inadequate government pension and meagre benefits. Teachers see the value of paying their dues!
Our collaboration and solidarity with SUTEP go back to our earliest days, they were our first “southern” partner. Over that time we have consistently provided support through their “northern partner,” the BCTF, for their Women’s Leadership training program, sessions that have been delivered throughout the country, and have helped SUTEP grow and strengthen as a union. The BCTF has also provided core support for union officers’ leaves, and from 2008-14 had a direct project in sharing English language teaching resources and training in workshops delivered by BC teachers in collaboration with Peruvian colleagues.
Rosa Maria and Kathy helped us learn about the advances SUTEP has made and their current campaigns, especially on behalf of retired educators who have pensions that are wholly inadequate. After the festivities, they had the opportunity to meet with indigenous leaders in the Vancouver Elementary and Adult Educators Society. After meeting Tsleil-Wau-Tuth leader Rueben George who helped us open our dinner in a good way, they were invited by him to Tsleil-Wau-Tuth on the North Shore for a pipe ceremony in community.
Thanks to Rosa Maria and Kathy for making the long journey to reconnect us with SUTEP in an excellent way. Kathy had to travel by boat for 8 hours from Uyacali to Pucallpa before flying to Lima, and they spent two days on their way to Canada, stopping in Bogota and Montreal. On their return, they had to go through Toronto and repeat a complicated journey. Nothing is as simple as it seems in International Solidarity!
Julie MacRae, President, CoDevelopment Canada
SUTEP, nuestro primer socio del sur, receptor del Premio Internacional de Solidaridad CoDev 2025.
Rosa María Lezaquia Vargas y Kathy Ramírez Gonzales hicieron un viaje relámpago a Canadá para recibir el premio en nombre de SUTEP. Ambas son miembros del comité ejecutivo nacional y Kathy, de Uyacali en la region amazonica del Peru, es la primera representante indígena en ese rol específico en dicho comité ejecutivo, para llevar la voz de los educadores indígenas al primer plano. Rosa María es la representante de Equidad y Género. ¡Ambas recibieron capacitación en liderazgo femenino!
SUTEP tiene una historia de 53 años y es un sindicato grande, creciendo y militante que lucha por la dignidad del sector educativo, defendiendo la educación pública y también exigiendo derechos y dignidad para los educadores jubilados. Lucio Castro Chipana es el actual Secretario General. SUTEP representa a maestros, asistentes educativos, promotores educativos que trabajan con niños pequeños en comunidades y maestros jubilados, con más de 350,000 miembros. ¡La membresía es voluntaria, no automática!
SUTEP siempre está buscando maneras de hacer su trabajo sostenible, para poder crecer en eficacia. Renovaron su edificio en el centro de Lima y como parte de eso ahora hay un albergue donde los maestros que visitan Lima pueden pagar una tarifa moderada para quedarse. Crearon “La Derrama Magesterial”, que es una cooperativa de beneficios que proporciona beneficios, hipotecas, oportunidades de vacaciones y pensiones a los miembros. Lo que están exigiendo que el gobierno proporcione, también lo están facilitando en el interín y además de la inadecuada pensión gubernamental y los escasos beneficios. ¡Los maestros ven el valor de pagar sus cuotas!
Nuestra colaboración y solidaridad con SUTEP se remonta a nuestros primeros días, ellos fueron nuestro primer socio "sureño". A lo largo de este tiempo, hemos proporcionado consistentemente apoyo a través de su "socio del norte", el BCTF, para su programa de capacitación en liderazgo femenino, sesiones que se han llevado a cabo en todo el país y han ayudado a SUTEP a crecer y fortalecerse como sindicato. El BCTF también ha proporcionado apoyo fundamental para las licencias de los oficiales sindicales, y de 2008 a 2014 tuvo un proyecto directo en compartir recursos de enseñanza del idioma inglés y capacitación en talleres impartidos por maestros de BC en colaboración con colegas peruanos.
Rosa María y Kathy nos ayudaron a aprender sobre los avances que ha realizado SUTEP y sus campañas actuales, especialmente en nombre de los educadores jubilados que tienen pensiones que son completamente inadecuadas. Después de las festividades, tuvieron la oportunidad de reunirse con líderes indígenas en la Sociedad de Educadores de Vancouver, (VEAES.) Después de conocer al líder Tsleil-Wau-Tuth Rueben George, quien nos ayudó a inaugurar nuestra cena de una buena manera, él los invitó a Tsleil-Wau-Tuth en Vancouver Norte para una ceremonia de pipa en un lugar sagrado en su comunidad.
Gracias a Rosa Maria y a Kathy por hacer el viaje largo para reconnectarnos con SUTEP en una manera excelente. Kathy tuvo que viajar en barco por 8 horas de Uyacali a Pucallpa antes de volar a Lima, y los dos pasaron dos dias en camino, parandose en Bogota, y Montreal. Al regresar, tuvieron que ir por Toronto y repetir un viaje complicado. No hay nada sencilla en la solidaridad internacional!
Julie MacRae, President, CoDevelopment Canada