The Centro Binacional para el Desarrollo Indígena Oaxaqueño, (CBDIO) was created in 1993 by Frente Indígena de Organizaciones Binacionales (FIOB) to serve the indigenous migrant communities from Mexico that reside in California, United States (US). Different sources affirm that there are more than two hundred thousand indigenous from Mexico residing in the US. Of the more than 60 different indigenous communities that remain alive in Mexico, the following are the ones with the largest representation in California: Mixtecs (from the state of Oaxaca and Guerrero), Zapotecs, Triquis, Chatinos, Chinantecos and Mixes (from the state of Oaxaca) and P’uhrépechas (from Michoacan). Each of these indigenous communities have their own language and culture that differentiate them from one another, however all indigenous people faced similar problems in the hometowns from which we have migrated.
Since its foundation as a non-profit entity CBDIO has been dedicated to implement projects on worker’s rights which provide orientation, education, training, counseling and referrals. The organization has also promoted the intensive training on professional ethics of indigenous interpreters, so that they can serve as a medium of communication between monolingual indigenous migrants and various government institutions. Likewise, CBDIO has also worked to increase the participation of indigenous women in the life of the migrant community, by providing training in and promotion of gender equality, so that they may exercise self-determination in their civic lives. CBDIO also promotes health education on prevention and treatment of different illnesses; it facilitates the access to health and social services and helps the indigenous migrants learn how to make changes to improve the living conditions of the communities where they reside.
On the organization’s tenth anniversary we developed its first strategic plan so it could guide us in the fulfillment of our vision and mission. On the retreat that we had on March 2007 in Cambria, California, we updated our first Strategic Plan and we proposed to work in the following strategic areas: Health; Civic and Community Participation; Culture and Education; and Capacity Building for the Organization.
Rufino Domínguez Santos, Executive Director.
Biography
Education
He studied at the Secondary School No. 22 in Juxtlahuaca, Oaxaca. For a period of time he resided at “La Casa Santa María de la Esperanza” under the guardianship of the Marist Brothers. (Technical Junior High School diploma, 1982).
Awards
Leadership for a Changing World award, bestowed by the Ford Foundation with the Advocacy Institute and New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service (2001).
Local Hero of the Year award, bestowed by Valley Public Television and Union Bank of California during Hispanic Heritage Month (2001).
Invited by Mexican President Vicente Fox to participate as a consultant to the Council on Development for Indigenous Peoples (2001).
He has received various awards from the California State Senate and Assembly, and from the US Congress. He has also been distinguished by different migrant organizations and has also received recognitions from the indigenous communities Triqui and Mixtec living in Greenfield, California (2002-2006).
Received the Leadership award for his Sabbatical and his support of the CBDIO, as well as for his work in favor of the indigenous migrant population in California, on behalf of The California Wellness Foundation (2008).
Experience
Executive Director, Binational Center for the Development of Oaxacan Indigenous Communities, (CBDIO) (2001 to the present).
General Coordinator, Oaxacan Indigenous Binational Front, FIOB) (2001 to 2008).
Community Worker, California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA) (1993-2001).
Farmworker (1985-1988); Turkey farm employee (1988-1993).
Community Activist (1979 to present).
Activities
Coordinator, FIOB Binational Program for Capacity Building, to increase leadership capacity, particularly to train leaders in the use of infrastructure for organizational sustainability at a binational level.
Binational administrator, Human and Economic Resources, CBDIO.
Supervisor, CBDIO programs in California.
Event organizer, in charge of collecting funds for the CBDIO.
Facilitator of the workshop “Leadership and indigenous culture”.
FIOB Representative to governments and non-governmental organizations.
Skills
Experienced labor organizer, negotiator, membership recruiter, and community volunteer. Proven fundraiser. Excellent skills in public speaking and as a community spokesperson. Team player and talented collaborator. Highly motivated, independent self-starter.
Computer: Experienced in the use of Microsoft Word, Excel, Power Point, e-mail, and the Internet.
Publications
Editor and a writer for the FIOB’s bimonthly-publicated magazine “El Tequio”
“The Experience of the Binational Front of Indigenous Organizations: Internal Crisis and Future Challenges.” Chapter I. Pgs. 77 to 89 in “Mexican indigenous migrants in the United States” edited by Jonathan Fox and Gaspar Rivera. Mexico City: Miguel Angel Porrúa, 2004.
“Migration and Organization of Indigenous Oaxacans”, Chapter I, pgs.77-94 in “The Mixtec Route”, edited by Sylvia Escárcega and Stefano Varese. Mexico City: Dirección General de Publicaciones y Fomento Editorial, 2004.
“Binational Indigenous Migrant-Mexico-United States” Pgs. 140-152 in “Indigenous Rights in Urban Zone and Development: Memory of Seminar” edited by Larisa Ortiz Quintero and Jerónimo López Marín. Indigenous Migrants Assembly in México City, 2005.
“The FIOB Experience Regarding the Defense of Human and Labor Rights of the Migrants in the United States”, Chapter I, Pgs: 45-50 in “National Colloquium on Public Policies of Assistance to the Migrant”, compiled by the Government of Oaxaca. Oaxaca: Government of Oaxaca, 1999.
Rufino Domínguez has written Op-eds for the newspaper “Noticias, Voz e imagen de Oaxaca” and for the well-known Mexican daily “La Jornada”.
Languages
Tu’un Savi (Mixteco), Spanish and English.