For the past two years the Chicago Network for Justice and Peace (CNJP) has given support to the Fray Bartolomé de las Casas (Frayba) Center for Human Rights, a non-profit civil organization located in the state of Chiapas, Mexico. Frayba was founded in 1989 through an initiative of Samuel Ruiz Garcia, then Catholic bishop of the Diocese of San Cristóbol de las Casas. Serving very poor indigenous communities and villages in Chiapas, Frayba works in defense of and promotion of human rights. CNJP funding helps Frayba monitor, document and litigate human rights violations, particularly in the indigenous territory, with special attention to allegations of executions, torture, arbitrary detentions, disappearances and forced displacement. Since many of the poor are minimally educated with a high rate of illiteracy, CNJP helps provide critically needed legal literacy assistance to the poor and excluded segments of society. A key goal of Frayba is the development of a culture of dialogue, tolerance, and reconciliation with respect to cultural and religious pluralism.