Hurricanes Eta and Iota devastated many parts of Central America beginning Nov. 3. You can donate here to Food for the Hungry’s hurricane relief efforts. Your prayers for the children we work with, and their families, are also needed. We’ll update this space with photos and news of the relief efforts as they continue.
Update: February 23, 2021
There’s been good news from FH Guatemala on efforts to respond to damages from Hurricanes Eta and Iota. Here are a few highlights:
- Most roads are now cleared of hurricane-induced landslides, although some communities in the Ixil region still have no road access.
- 3,673 kits containing staple foods, hygiene items, and COVID-19 protective masks have been delivered to families throughout FH’s work zones.
- United Way of Guatemala donated a portion of the food/hygiene/mask kits.
- Coca-Cola FEMSA donated over 600 water-purifying filters for communities that suffered the most damage to their water systems.
With the start of the new school year in February, FH Guatemala staff had an important job: Make sure students returned to school. But with so many families hurting economically, the team remained concerned that students could drop out. COVID-19-related job losses and devastation of crops and livestock during the hurricanes drained pocketbooks. While school is tuition-free, students are expected to buy uniforms, books, and school supplies. FH ensured that no student dropped out because of an inability to buy those items.
FH Guatemala is also making sure girls won’t miss school because of their menstrual cycles. Feminine hygiene products are expensive. In much of the world, girls elect to stay home because they have no way to maintain adequate feminine hygiene. By providing needed products, the FH staff ensures that girls have what they need.
Next Steps:
Hundreds of thousands in the communities lost their corn and bean crops, the staple foods in their diets. FH is preparing to distribute seeds and provide technical assistance to make sure those crops mature. We’ll also help families re-start kitchen gardens full of healthy vegetables. There is also a plan to distribute chickens and coops to give families eggs and poultry to eat and sell.
Food distributions will continue for some families. Others will benefit from food-for-work programs that provide staples in exchange for work on projects that benefit their recovering communities.
Recent photos:
Update: November 25, 2020
FH Guatemala has been finding a variety of ways to get food and other items into communities devastated by Hurricanes Eta and Iota. Today, we received photos showing one special delivery to 350 families that were trapped by landslides in the Ixil region. The Guatemalan government supplied a helicopter to make the airlift. See the photos below showing the helicopter being loaded, received today from FH Guatemala staffers.
Update: November 17, 2020
Food for the Hungry staff have been able to reach some communities to provide distributions of basic groceries, hygiene items, and blankets. Roads blocked by mudslides continue to be a major barrier. But little by little, FH is reconnecting with the families we work with, keeping long lists of their needs to ensure they can soon get the help needed.
Update: November 11, 2020
FH staff members started sending photos of destruction to supporters almost immediately after the storm hit. Several staff had to evacuate their homes. These photos came in the first hours after it was safe to venture outside, as FH staff began talking with community leaders and families to assess the damage.
