Storm Eta Emergency Response in Guatemala

IsraAID continues to provide vital support on the ground after the Volcan de Fuego erupted in Guatemala in the summer of 2018, claiming the lives of some 200 individuals. Mass displacement of communities exacerbated the needs of high-vulnerability communities, forcing them to rebuild their lives anew and overcome the stressful experience.

IsraAID is partnering with local organizations and actors, including the Guatemalan Ministry of Education, toward supporting affected children through a strengthened psychosocial framework and bolstered resilience. IsraAID Guatemala is seeking to cultivate a long-term, sustainable, local leadership in answering children’s needs by training mental health professionals and community workers on administering Psychological First Aid (PFA).

Over the past months, the IsraAID team on the ground has worked alongside the Ministries of Education and Health, as well as the Guatemalan Government Agency of National Coordination for Disaster Reduction, to identify key leaders to undergo training in PFA with IsraAID. In September, all three agencies signed commitments with IsraAID to help with the identification process and target individuals ideal for participation. This cohort will attend a two-day training on PFA, made up of 8 Ministry of Education officials, and 17 representatives from schools, totaling at 25 trainees. A smaller group will then attend an additional day focusing on IsraAID’s cascading model of “training the trainers”—to create a sustainability and efficiency mechanism that amplifies the reach of PFA training, so that they can continue to train school staff and other community leaders. A basic PFA training was also conducted for 35 members of the Emergency Committee of the National Palace of Culture, located in Guatemala City.

In order to further create a culture of disaster preparedness, rooted in the understanding that PFA and other forms of psychosocial support are key to supporting vulnerable populations like children, IsraAID’s Protection specialists in Guatemala compiled a “Pocket Guide to Psychological First Aid.” This booklet integrates context-specific issues pertaining to Guatemala, and was distributed to all trainees as well as local schools and ministry offices.

Additional awareness raising activities will target community leaders to engage them on this topic and provide them with basic PFA tools. As part of the community mobilization process, IsraAID has been leading a working group to gather community leaders and key influencers in this realm. The group was composed of representatives from 4 different communities: Los Lotes, El Barrio, La Trinidad, and Las Palmas—all of whom are now in the process of establishing the “La Dignidad Community,” a permanent government housing project. Two meetings were held with the communities’ representatives, and IsraAID hosted a community event as part of the Guatemalan Day of the Child celebrations.

In the coming weeks, a workshop built for 16 of these community mobilizers will focus on how best to raise awareness of these issues in the newly established community. As part of the training program, community mobilizers will plan and host a wellbeing and stress reduction event, with support from IsraAID Psychosocial Support Specialists, to create a meaningful and safe outlet for participants and also raise awareness on how crucial creating an environment safe for expressing one’s feelings is for children and youth.

Thank you for your ongoing support!!