Provide Lifesaving Support for Guatemala

Guatemala’s Fuego volcano erupted June 3 in the provinces of Chimaltenango, Escuintla and Sacatepéquez, where the Guatemalan government has declared a State of Public Calamity. The Fuego Volcano continues to erupt, and on Sunday, November 18, the state of the eruption shifted from moderate to high.  

CARE continues to be active in the area and sincerely appreciates your support through recovery.  CARE has implemented the following in response: 

• Provided 420 cots and mats for families affected as well as 450 garbage cans 
• Purchased and distributed 500 hygiene kits to families living in transitional shelters
• Installed water distribution systems to service more than 375 families
• Delivered 300 water filters to 300 families to support their recovery process
• Provided 200 protection kits in the shelters, which Include flashlights, batteries capes and whistles
• Held a vocational workshop for 150 women and children about crafts and costume jewelery

However, the communities are still very much in need of funding to:

• Provide water and basic sanitation in shelters
• Operate and maintain toilets and showers in an emergency shelter impacting 1,500 people
• Optimize the lists of people in the shelters to provide differentiated support to women, girls, and people with disabilities 
• Establish and increase coordination between government institutions

CARE has strong community connections throughout Guatemala, having worked there since 1959, enabling us to continue to respond to the Fuego volcano eruption. As humanitarian aid diminishes, your contribution is even more vital to helping us get needed supplies to emergency-affected communities for ongoing recovery. We thank you again for your generosity, as you equip CARE to effectively provide lifesaving support for Guatemala.

Several months have passed since the eruption of the Fuego volcano in Guatemala, and CARE continues to respond to the needs of the 1.7 million affected.  To date, CARE has facilitated hygiene and protection kits, sanitation supplies including garbage bins and cleaning kits, as well as equipped two communal dining rooms for eating.  The team has visited shelters to assess the needs of the communities and held conversations with those managing these activites to ensure the adequate use of the facilities.  Overall, CARE constantly communicates and coordinates information between organizations who have responded to the impacted communities, which is a crucial role in effectively managing the disaster recovery process.

CARE is particularly concerned about the well-being of women and girls who often are most vulnerable when disaster strikes, whether natural or man-made. CARE will continue to visit shelters specifically to address water, sanitation and hygiene, education, gender-based violence prevention and governance with a specific focus on women and girls.  

CARE has strong community connections throughout Guatemala, having worked there since 1959, enabling us to mount a quicker and more effective response to the Fuego volcano eruption. As humanitarian aid diminishes, your contribution is even more vital to helping us get needed supplies to emergency-affected communities for ongoing recovery. We thank you again for your generosity, as you equip CARE to effectively provide lifesaving support for Guatemala.