Posted on June 9, 2010 - by marcob
Cancellation of Guatemala Project
The Global Peace Exchange has decided to suspend its Guatemala project due to the devastation caused by the recent Pacaya volcano eruption and passing of tropical storm Agatha through the country. The country is trying to recuperate from these events and it is not a good time for GPE volunteers to engage in a project of our nature. The needs are more immediate and our abilities are limited, therefore, we have concluded that we could be of more hindrance than help to the community of Chaquijyá. Just within the community we were going to be working in, 53 families were affected, out of which some houses were completely destroyed, semi-destroyed and others still remain at risk. The damages caused by tropical storm Agatha include affected houses, damaged water systems, destroyed local agriculture and disrupted transportation. The community is still trying to figure out how to deal with all of these problems and needs assistance that GPE cannot provide. We recognize our limitations at dealing with devastation of such magnitude. We will continue to collaborate with our partners to see how we can be of assistance from our respective locations. Our hearts are with Guatemalans and we hope to continue our collaboration in the future.
We welcome any suggestions or advice regarding ongoing humanitarian aid assistance within Guatemala, and information about how to best address helping the communities affected by the ongoing post-disaster environment