Charito Calvachi-Mateyko's Page

What motivated you (or your organization) to become involved in peace and conflict resolution?

My strong believe in people's desire to transform relations and to live in a peaceful world.

Please feel free to provide a short bio about yourself or the work of your organization (no more than 3 paragraphs)

Storyteller and restorative justice practitioner Charito Calvachi-Mateyko, a native of Ecuador, offers “cultural stage presentations” featuring the stories and traditions of Latin America. Her inspirational programs celebrate ethnic diversity and broaden the audience’s understanding of other cultures.

Calvachi offers Stories of Latin America in which Latin American stories, legends, and indigenous traditions are interwoven and presented through music, spoken word performance, and PowerPoint. The stories she tells are simple yet poignant. They talk about the courage it takes to get a block of ice from a high Andean mountain, the indigenous peoples’ respect for Mother Nature, their capacity for the love of others, and their vision for the world. Also available is a holiday program demonstrating the Christmas traditions of Novenas, Parrandas, and Posadas. Audience members assist in both programs by wearing typical costumes from Latin America provided by Calvachi. Musical instruments can be made available and, for school programs, scripts may be provided in advance to give students and teachers the opportunity to participate in dancing, music performance, and/or dramatic storytelling.

Calvachi received a law and doctoral degree in law in her native country and obtained a master’s degree in Conflict Transformation from the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, VA. Her Navidad Latinoamericana/Latin American Christmas, published in 1999, is a bilingual Spanish/English book and CD comprising well-known Latin American holiday carols, Novena prayers, and descriptions of holiday traditions from 25 Latin American countries.

Calvachi draws from her experiences in journalism, broadcasting, mediation, restorative justice, and political activism to convey a living experience of traditions, rituals, legends, and stories of Latin America. Her peace-building perspective infuses all of her work. Calvachi says that “the stories from Latin America confirm the ancient wisdom, the strength and the power of healing a nation to a world in need of it. Stories – little children of our hearts — grow vast at being told to audiences. There is the hope that they can transform our collective community towards a life of peace.”

Please list the countries and/or regions in which you (or your organization) have direct and significant expertise

Latinos in the USA (Pennsylvania and Delaware); Latin American region, with emphasis in Ecuador.

What is your current country of residence (or location of your organization)?

Delaware, USA

What is your current job (and organization) and/or where and what field are you studying?

Restorative Justice Practitioner from Restorative Justice Services. Member of the National Association of Latinos Restorative Justice Practitioners.

Which are your primary sectoral areas of expertise (or the primary sectoral areas of your organization) ?

Conflict Resolution, Conflict Mainstreaming, Culture, Education

Which are your primary skills areas(or the primary skill areas of your organization)?

Capacity Building, Communication, Program Design, Training

What are some of your current areas of research (if any)?

Indigenous people of Ecuador and their justice practices.

If appropriate feel free to list several of your (or your organization's) publications

Sumak Kawsay and the Indigenous People of Ecuador.
Responding to Crime in a Restorative Way.