Storm Eta Emergency Response in Guatemala

IsraAID’s teams first arrived in Guatemala in 2018 after the El Fuego Volcano erupted, displacing communities and destroying their homes. Since then, IsraAID’s staff and volunteers have been active in the country, supporting the vulnerable communities forced to evacuate, and bolstering the mechanisms within the Guatemalan school system to improve emergency preparedness.

Amid the current pandemic reality, IsraAID’s professional staff are active on the ground, implementing the following initiatives with Escuintla, the Guatemalan department with the second highest rates of Coronavirus infection—which are expected to continue rising in the coming months.

In this reality, IsraAID’s team in Guatemala is closely collaborating with the Guatemalan medical system to support ongoing response efforts. Local hospitals and health centers are severely overwhelmed, with high rates of infection, overworked health professionals, and a severe scarcity of protective equipment.

IsraAID is providing healthcare professionals with psychosocial tools and supporting their wellbeing through self-care webinars. To date, more than 70 health workers have benefited from these seminars. In continuing to provide urgent support, IsraAID is purchasing and supplying more Personal Protective Equipment to each health unit of the Escuintla Department, to help curb the spread of the virus and provide this acute support to these frontline workers. This includes:

• 280 gallons of liquid soap and hand sanitizer, to be readily accessible for healthcare workers and patients at hospitals and local clinics
• 2,800 face masks and 1,400 protective shields, for healthcare workers to use over the coming months
• Overall, these kits will benefit some 1,111 healthcare workers across 14 districts

 Thank you for your continued support.