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Flood Emergency in Guatemala

Lauren Pasche

In October and November 2020, hurricanes ETA and IOTA struck Guatemala. The department of Alta Verapaz suffered severe flooding. Starting in January 2021, Enfants du Monde provided food and psychological support to 400 families with 1,200 children in 14 communities.

Destruction of Infrastructure

Torrential rains flooded and destroyed not only infrastructure such as bridges, access roads, homes and schools, but also fields and crops.

The populations of seven rural municipalities lost everything, including their sources of income and livelihoods.

Essential Aid

In this mountainous region, which is difficult to access, humanitarian aid organisations are very rare and local governments are unable to cope with this emergency situation. Enfants du Monde has been running an education programme in this region since 2001, so we decided to take action to help the people of Alta Verapaz with our partner NGO CIPREVICA and financial support from Chaîne du Bonheur.

Ensuring People’s Livelihoods

After assessing needs, we provided families with a monthly 15 kg package containing food, hygiene products and COVID-19 protection (corn, beans, oil, flour, pasta, incaparine, sugar, coffee, soap and detergent).

To ensure food self-sufficiency in the medium term, we also distributed a kit of local vegetable and legume seeds from an indigenous association in Baja Verapaz.

Protecting the Children

To help children overcome the trauma of the disaster, they received psychological support and were able to participate in recreational activities.

Two little girls from the community of La Isla, in Santa Cruz Verapaz

We are in the sixth year of primary school, and we are trying to continue our education, but we no longer have supplies, and cannot go to school. 

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