Guatemala Disaster Relief Update
Dr. Jim and Monica Lindgren and the Window of Hope Disaster Relief team have responded to the current crisis in Guatemala following the eruption of the Pacaya Volcano and the heavy rain, mudslides and flooding from Tropical Storm Agatha.
Since arriving on site we have been able to partner with our in-country network of churches and NGO’s to provide relief on a number of fronts.
The need is great and the “crime scene” of the disaster is spread out over a large geographic area. This is represented by the included photos and the stories we are hearing from the victims. We have worked both in the metropolis of Guatemala City and in the more remote rural areas. Today Dr. Jim flew with other organization leaders to a small air strip and then took a pick-up truck and a boat trip across Lake Atitlan assessing the communities of San Lucas and San Antonio. There we heard the heart breaking story of 3 families who all lost homes and family members to mudslides. One particularly sad report was from San Antonio where a number of people were moved from an area thought to be at risk of a slide only to have been moved directly in the path of where the actual slide came down. The result was tragic. One young girl lost both parents and is now left to face life as an orphan.
The stories are all equally painful and it is our desire to provide real hope and comfort to all who are suffering during their moment of need.
Our friends who work here full-time have begun a plan and are buying property to assist the 3 families mentioned above. We were able to provide a water filtration system for them to prevent disease and are providing medications to a physician who works with this ministry team.
To summarize, since arriving in Guatemala we have been able to:
1. Educate 120+ leaders to provide health information to the victims so they can avoid illness (water purification techniques, hygiene, food preparation, etc.).
2. Provide food for distribution to those at highest risk
3. Provide medical clinic to victims suffering from illness and the stress/grief as a result of the disaster
4. Distribute water filters to multiple sites to provide thousands of gallons of clean water daily
5. Assess needs to insure those suffering get care and are not taken advantage of – and to insure aid does not go to those who do not really need it
6. Assess current needs and work to develop local, indigenous and sustainable responses to restore communities to wholeness
7. Develop partnerships to work together to problem solve rather than reproduce efforts among local and foreign organizations
Many thanks to all of you who continue to hold us up in prayer and to those who have provided funding to our disaster relief efforts.
Your prayers and gifts are truly making a difference.
Be Blessed,
Window of Hope
