Guatemala
COVID-19 Relief in Guatemala: Food & psychological support
Providing emergency food kits and psychological support for children, families, pastors and centre staff in Guatemala
Crisis Response
The Need
Throughout the pandemic, Compassion Guatemala has been responding to the immediate needs of vulnerable children and their families. Even as regular programming was suspended due to lockdown restrictions, our frontline church partners continued to work tirelessly to support families in need, distributing emergency food and hygiene supplies and monitoring children’s well-being virtually or over the phone.
Many of the families Compassion is serving in Guatemala are dependent on informal day jobs and were already living hand-to-mouth before the pandemic. When a member of the household tests positive for COVID-19, the entire family is required to quarantine. This means that caregivers cannot leave the home to work or get food. Desperate and overwhelmed, many were turning to alcohol or drugs to cope. Incidences of domestic violence and child abuse also began to increase.
Our church partners understand that the children and families they serve will be feeling the effects of this crisis for years to come and that they will be looking to the church to help them. However, the pandemic has taken a physical, emotional and spiritual toll on pastors and staff, too. Lockdown restrictions have impacted churches economically, leaving some church staff members without a salary. Many have struggled to provide for their own families, even while trying to meet the needs of others. Compassion Guatemala wanted to support families, pastors, centre staff and volunteers with food to meet their physical needs but also with counselling to help them emotionally through this difficult time, but they needed help to do it.
Our Response
With your support, between June 2020 and April 2021 we were able to provide 339 households with emergency food relief for 15 days during their quarantine period at home. An extension was permitted due to low numbers of those affected by COVID-19 in 2020. In addition, budgetary savings meant that 230 pastors and centre volunteers—154 staff members and 76 volunteers—received grocery gift cards for food supplies, enough to provide them with a minimum of two meals per day for two months. This surpassed the original goal of assisting 200 pastors and volunteers with food support.
In September 2020, 570 church staff and volunteers attended virtual training sessions with a professional psychologist, covering topics relating to child protection, crisis management and emotional health so they could better assist families during this difficult time. A total of 12 psychologists formed three networks in the central, western and northern regions of the country, providing 325 children, family members and church staff with direct access to counselling services. Staff from Compassion’s National Office in Guatemala also held several meetings with the psychologists to share challenges and experiences and ask questions. Partnership facilitators followed up with pastors and volunteers to ensure their overall well-being.
Activities
Grocery cards: Church pastors and volunteers who were struggling financially and/or had a positive case of COVID-19 in their homes received grocery gift cards.
Food kits: Families with a positive case of COVID-19 in their household received food kits to help them feed their families during isolation. They were so thankful!
Safety precautions: Centre staff or volunteers took necessary COVID-19 precautions when delivering food packages to families: wearing appropriate protective equipment and masks, sanitizing hands and maintaining physical distance.
Your Gift Provides...
● Food kits providing two meals per day for 15 days for 339 beneficiary families impacted by COVID-19
● Two supermarket gift cards for food supplies (two meals per day for 15 days) for 154 pastors impacted by COVID-19
● Two supermarket gift cards for food supplies (two meals per day for 15 days) for 76 volunteers impacted by COVID-19
● Virtual training with a professional psychologist on “Socio-emotional well-being and crisis attention” for 570 volunteers, as well as support materials
● Therapeutic support for 325 children, family members and volunteers through three different support networks, run by a total of 12 psychologists: three for the western region, two for the northern region and seven for the central region
ReportA message from those your gift helped
When I tested positive for COVID-19, I felt sad and worried. From that day on, my parents, my siblings and I were told that we could not leave the house. My father is a baker and he was suspended from his work, so I was very worried because he is the breadwinner.
The director of the Compassion centre called me and told me not to worry. She said they were praying for me and my family, and that they would come to leave us something. When we saw the box of food that they came to leave us, it was a great surprise and my parents were very happy.
Now I know that God always has everything under control. He allowed us to go through some difficult times, but with the support of sponsors, Compassion and the Compassion centre we have made it through. We have learned how to appreciate the blessings we receive from God and to depend on Him. We are sure that He will not leave us for a single moment, and that there are always people who care about us.
God bless you for your help. We cannot repay you, but the Lord will reward you for all you have done for us.
ReportThank you for your generosity
With your help, our church partners in Guatemala were able to deliver emergency food kits to 339 families (including 348 beneficiaries) while they quarantined at home after a member of the household tested positive for the virus. We were also able to surpass our goal to provide food support through grocery gift cards for 230 hardworking staff and volunteers.
Compassion is committed to supporting children’s mental and emotional health during the pandemic and connecting our church partners with the professional resources they need. This initiative provided 325 children, family members and staff with access to a professional psychologist for counselling and support. Through virtual sessions, 570 staff and volunteers also received training from a psychologist, equipping them to offer ongoing emotional support, counselling and guidance to children and families in need.
As the pandemic continues, your support of Compassion’s emergency relief initiatives is equipping churches to meet children’s physical, emotional and spiritual needs in Jesus’ name. As these churches continue to reach out to their communities during this difficult time, the light of the gospel is shining brighter than ever. Thank you for your generous gift!
ReportA message from a centre director
It has been a great blessing to be the hands that God has used to do the work that He has entrusted to us, to show love to our neighbours and to serve them at all times through prayer and food support.
When a member of the beneficiaries’ family tested positive for COVID-19, they felt sad and worried because they did not expect this situation. However, when we went to their homes to drop off the groceries, their strength was renewed because they saw God’s love through the staff and realized that they are not alone.
The food aid for families affected by the pandemic was of great impact in the community. They saw that we had not forgotten the needs of the families that are going through this difficult process.
Thank you very much for your support. I hope that the Lord will reward you greatly for what you have done for each of our children and young people. God bless you and keep you always.