Dear Friends,
I am writing to give the “pandemic update” from Guatemala as it regards our activities. Here the country has gone through various stages of lock-down; there are documented cases of COVID-19 in all departments, but as testing is extremely limited, no one knows the numbers. The big public hospital in the capital is now turning away patients as the ICU is full and the only treatment available is quarantine. The cities remain reasonably well supplied with food, but the rural areas, which comprise 90% of the population, are in trouble. Most of the villages are self-isolating, and those far from the local municipality are suffering from lack of access to basic foodstuffs. Lack of transportation to local markets is a problem, and the shutdown of public transportation has resulted in massive unemployment.
In relation to MHI's programs, our rehabilitation program is not running and all visiting jornadas have been postponed. This is unfortunate as most of the patients in our therapy program have time-sensitive surgical problems that need attention. As you know, we caught a break in that we received a large donation of ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF), via the generosity of an anonymous donor and Edesia, just before the lock-down. RUTF is intended to treat acute malnutrition, however the pandemic has forced us to use it to save families from starvation.
The MHI board approved $10,000 to be used in San Miguel Ixtahuacan and to buy foodstuffs and relief families with extreme need. San Miguel is where our largest rehab center is located and where the majority of the families we serve are living. Our local partner B’ITOL, in conjunction with MHI staff is identifying the neediest families and bought the product in bulk in an effort to keep down the prices. Amidst the challenges of transportation during the pandemic, the team is currently distributing the products dried corn, beans, potatoes, for the most part. Our goal is to reach 200 families. This project is obviously beyond the scope of what has been our mission, but we feel that in these difficult times we must keep in mind those whose lives are at stake because their living conditions had no margin to get worst. As difficult as the lockdown has been for everyone, it is obviously a disaster for the poor. All of our work is made possible by your generosity.
Thank you all for your support. Be well. Bill~
