The Chico Mendes Reforestation Project is a Guatemala-based environmental group formed in 1999 to plant trees in a rural part of Guatemala. The group operates out of the Guatemalan highland village of Pachaj and operates planting projects throughout the area. The group is named for Chico Mendes, a Brazilian environmental activist who was assassinated in 1988. The project is a fiscally sponsored project of the Alliance for Global Justice (AfGJ), a far-left nonprofit with a history of supporting socialist and Marxist-aligned movements in Latin America and beyond. ^{1 2 3}

Background

The Chico Mendes Reforestation Project was formed in 1999 by Armando Lopez Pocol in his home town of Pachaj, located 2,400 meters (7,900 ft) above sea level and approximately 6 miles (10 km) from the town of Quetzaltenango, also known as Xela. The organization was named after Chico Mendes, a Brazilian rubber tapper and environmentalist who was killed in 1998 over his opposition to deforestation in Brazil, and became a notable figure in the global conservation movement. ^{4 3}

The project focuses on planting trees in rural areas of Guatemala, specifically the town of Pachaj, which is part of a larger municipality called Cantel. The group’s founder, Armando Lopez Pocol, stated that “From the 1960s to the 1990s, there was a lot of deforestation in Cantel, as the wood was used extensively for building houses and as firewood for families… I started Chico Mendes to stop the deforestation, as I was worried about climate change and environmental problems in Guatemala, with mining companies destroying the community forests of Indigenous people.” ⁴

The group raises money by inviting tourists and environmentalists from the United States to tour its project and facilities and volunteer on the project. It also provides “adventure treks” to tourists to fund its activity. The group has also conducted several events and fundraisers in the United States, with founder Armando Lopez Pocol conducting a 2015 speaking tour of the United States that consisted of 35 events held in universities and activist organizations across the country. ^{5 5 6 7}

The project reports planting between 5,000 and 20,000 trees annually and operates two tree nurseries. It also reports that more than 1,000 international volunteers have visited the project since its founding. ⁸

Alliance for Global Justice

Chico Mendes Reforestation Project operates under the umbrella of the Alliance for Global Justice (AfGJ), a controversial fiscal sponsor that supports numerous radical-left causes and activist groups. AfGJ has sponsored groups with alleged ties to foreign militant organizations and far-left movements across Latin America and the Middle East. In January 2023, the Washington Examiner reported that the Ford Foundation ceased all grantmaking to AfGJ after “years of warnings” about the organization’s ties to a Palestinian group with terrorist designations under U.S. law. ⁹

As Chico Mendes Reforestation Project is not an independent nonprofit and operates under AfGJ’s legal and tax status, it does not file independent tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service, publish audited financial statements, or disclose its internal governance. The group’s revenue sources, expenditures, and budget scale remain unclear. The project’s website notes that donations to the project are tax-deductible in the United States under AfGJ’s tax-exempt status. ^{9 10 3}

1. Make a Donation! Chico Mendes Reforestation Project (Guatemala). Accessed October 6, 2025. https://www.chicomendesguatemala.org/donate
2. Richardson, Valerie. “Antifa violence splits left as another major protest looms at Berkeley.” The Washington Times. September 13, 2017. Accessed October 6, 2025. https://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/sep/13/antifa-protest-of-ben-shapiro-looms-at-berkeley/
3. Chico Mendes. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Accessed July 5, 2025. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Chico-Mendes
4. Bearne, Suzanne. “One man, thousands of trees and heaps of determination: how regreening Guatemala transformed a village.” The Guardian. June 19, 2005. Accessed October 6, 2025. https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/jun/19/green-planet-reforestation-chico-mendes-environmentalism-regeneration-guatemala
5. Adventure Treks. Chico Mendes Reforestation Project (Guatemala). Accessed July 5, 2025. https://www.chicomendesguatemala.org/adventure-treks
6. FAQs. Chico Mendes Reforestation Project (Guatemala). Accessed July 5, 2025. https://www.chicomendesguatemala.org/faqs
7. Our Team. Chico Mendes Reforestation Project (Guatemala). Accessed July 5, 2025. https://www.chicomendesguatemala.org/our-team
8. By the Numbers. Chico Mendes Reforestation Project (Guatemala). Accessed July 5, 2025. https://www.chicomendesguatemala.org/by-the-numbers
9. Kaminsky, Gabe. “Liberal Ford Foundation to Stop Funding Palestinian Terror-Tied Group after Years of Warnings.” Washington Examiner. June 18, 2024. Accessed July 5, 2025. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/2579782/liberal-ford-foundation-to-stop-funding-palestinian-terror-tied-group-years-of-warnings/
10. “Make a Donation!” Alliance for Global Justice. Accessed July 5, 2025. https://afgj.salsalabs.org/AdAstra/index.html