GUATEMALA HURRICANE RELIEF UPDATE JULY 2021
TOTAL PROGRAM IMPACT
2,292 17 601 4
LIVES IMPACTED VOLUNTEERS VOLUNTEER DAYS SITES WORKED ON
Current Activities Progress is going well at our two sites in Sesajal and Seraxqen, despite challenges with heavy rains and damaged roads. After a groundbreaking event in Sesajal with the Mayor of San Pedro Carcha, the volunteers have been busy digging and bending rebar in preparation for pouring the concrete foundations of the new community center. The pit for the latrines is almost finished, and local workers have been setting the formwork for the kitchen. In Seraxqen, where we’re constructing additional rainwater catchment and storage stations, we’re pleased to share that the team is working ahead of schedule. Off site, our team has created a recycling and organic waste system at our base of operations after a recent visit to the local waste facility. This will help to reduce our waste impact in the local community.
Community Stories “My name is Ernesto Tiul Coc; I have four positions in this community and region of Sesajal, including being the leader of the Community Development Council and President of the Local Government Unit. Everything that has happened in the two hurricanes last year, it affected us a lot because we have never experienced something like that, so we did not know what to do and how to react to hurricanes. Now we are learning how to protect the lives of the people in our community. And thanks to the All Hands and Hearts organization, a community center is being built that will serve as a shelter if a flood should happen again. As we have already experienced, the community center will also serve for us to receive training. Thanks for all the support! Sesajal now looks more beautiful, we are very happy and thanks to all the people from different parts of the world who are working here with us.” Photos: (top) the construction site for the new community center in Sesajal, (left) Ernesto Tiul Coc meeting with our Community Coordinator on site.
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Disaster Profile In November 2020, Hurricane Eta and Hurricane Iota, both Category 4 storms, devastated communities across Central America. First, Hurricane Eta struck on November 3 and slowly moved across northern Nicaragua and into eastern Honduras, before continuing its path into northeastern Guatemala and the Caribbean. Just 15 miles away from Eta’s landfall, Iota then struck on November 17 and followed a similar path. Both storms led to significant flooding and landslides across the region, impacting millions of people. Alta Verapaz was one of the hardest hit regions in Guatemala. Sesajal and Seraxqen are suffering from a severe lack of suitable WaSH infrastructure, relying on water sources that were compromised by the floods after Eta and Iota.
Our Work All Hands and Hearts launched a remote assessment immediately after the Hurricanes in November 2020. Based on our findings and the varying COVID-19 situation in the region, we transitioned to a ground assessment in Guatemala at the end of January 2021 to explore how we could contribute to the recovery effort. Our relief program will focus on the ground-up construction of a community center in Sesajal, San Pedro Carchá, with the associated WaSH facilities, including latrines, rainwater catchment and water storage. We will also construct additional rainwater catchment and storage stations in the nearby community of Seraxqen, Chisec, to increase access to clean water. If you’re interested in supporting this program, please donate today. All donations up to $100,000 will be matched dollar for dollar, so you can double your impact!.
About All Hands and Hearts We effectively and efficiently address the immediate and long-term needs of communities impacted by natural disasters. We communicate directly with local leaders and community members and then deploy our unique model of engaging volunteers to enable direct impact, helping to build safer, more resilient schools, homes and infrastructure. We have earned a 4-star rating by Charity Navigator for the seventh year in a row. This year only seven percent of rated nonprofits received this distinction for financial and operational efficiency.
Photos: (top to bottom) groundbreaking event with the Mayor; a volunteer sharing why they wanted to be involved; a digital image of what the new community center will look like.
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