Guatemala Housing Alliance to Feed 300 Families

GPA has provided an emergency grant to Guatemala Housing Alliance (GHA), which is based in San Juan la Laguna, Sololá, Guatemala, near Lake Atitlán. Guatemala was one of the first Central American countries to react to the pandemic by instituting a restrictive lock-down and curfew throughout the country. This is due to its very vulnerable situation as a result of its widespread poverty and its under-resourced health system. The estimated 6,500 Guatemalans who have been deported from the U.S. and Mexico have been a particular threat, as they could be leading vectors for transmission of the Covid-19 virus. Guatemala reacted by banning air and land travel. Most public transportation has been suspended.

These measures have placed a particular burden on its vulnerable indigenous Maya communities, some of whom are unable to access food markets. Guatemala Housing Alliance, which was established in 2011, has been working with families in the village of Pasajquim, a Kaqchiquel-speaking community experiencing extreme food insecurity. With this grant from GPA’s Emergency Action Fund, GHA will provide food products, medications, vitamins and protective equipment for 300 women and 800 children in the community. You can read more about this incredible organization at https://www.facebook.com/guatehousing/