COVID-19 RELIEF

Fund: Bringing Hope & Relief to Guatemala 2020:

WE REACHED OUR GOAL! Thank you to all who have made it possible to help so many. If you’d like to support our families in another way, please give to our general campaign (gofundme.com/f/acd-guatemala-doing-miracles-together) or our soon to be launched effort to create a new learning space for tutoring and access to internet and technology as schools will continue to closed well into 2021.

CAMPAIGN

GOAL

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Over the past 4 years, ACD Guatemala has built strong connections with children, parents, and community leaders in the Pacaja community of Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. We’ve supported year-round up to 100 kids, and their families, with educational, emotional, and spiritual support, with the goal to reduce the trend of irregular migration and involvement in criminal or gang activities. In the larger community, our medical clinic, migration education, efficient wood-burning stove installations, and water purification outreaches with hundreds of people has demonstrated our commitment to walk alongside our community to discover a new path of life and to pursue new opportunities in the face of economic and social hurdles. As families have shared their stories, we’ve come to know more and more the challenges they face, but also witnessed great resilience and determination.

As we continue to journey TOGETHER with our community, we continue to create and implement new development strategies and outreach. The arrival of COVID-19 changed many dynamics around the world, including making the daily challenges of our families even more difficult. 3 out of 4 families have been unable to work or earn much money for over 3 months due to restrictions which have closed businesses, shut down schools, and led to increased violence and abuse at home. While we celebrate that Guatemala saw a slow growth in infections and deaths, numbers have recently increased, even with the restrictions in place. The toll on families and their ability to pay bills and put food on the table has been extensive. Only very limited local and national support have addressed basic needs, and some promises of help have been slow to materialize.

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While ACD’s facility has been closed since early March, we are continuing to stay in contact with families and community leaders, supporting kids in continuing their education, and delivering medicines to our diabetic and hypertensive patients. Our new outreach the past 2 months has been to PROVIDE SUSTAINING FOOD BAGS to some of our most vulnerable community members: SINGLE PARENTS and THEIR KIDS, OLDER ADULTS, and FAMILIES UNABLE TO WORK. This blessing is possible as donors like you respond to ACD’s fundraising and we receive help from other organizations like THRIIVE Guatemala. For $30 you can give a gift of nutritious food to a family for a month, for $90 share 3-months of food security–providing basic foods, such as beans, rice, protein drink, corn flour, and oil.

Every gift, from $8 to whatever is on your heart, will make a powerful impact on the health and state of mind of our families. We are already assisting 40 families for 3 months, and have enough funds to move forward with helping 60 more.

By achieving the 2nd half of our campaign goal of $10,000, we can WORK TOGETHER IN LOVE to assist 50+ more families during this devastating time. These families are ACD’s family, and we are motivated to make a difference, and know that you will receive the same joy as we as we all stand together alongside them.

By donating you are giving not only food, but also sharing a physical sign of love and solidarity with a family and a nation. It is an immeasurable gift for a family to know that ACD and others stand with them. By inviting people you know to join the campaign and donate, you can multiply the blessing even farther. With this support, hope is not lost, malnutrition is held at bay, and vulnerability to COVID-19 and other sicknesses is minimized.

We are so thankful for the love that has already been poured out and the blessings that continue to be shared. As well, from the families we walk alongside, we share genuine gratitude and smiles that radiate beyond the masks and are seen clearly in the eyes of our moms, kids, grandmothers and grandfathers. Your donations, your prayers, and your love mean so much to so many right now. We are thankful for every way you support our families and ACD, through donations, sharing the campaign, prayers, or sending us ideas of other ways we might expand our support of families. We invite you learn more about ACD at Facebook acdguatemalaorg and our blog page.

BLOG