THE VOLUNTEERS

The passing of the tropical Hurricane Stan left Guatemala and above all, the area of Lake Atitlán, Sololá in a critical state: the mudslides destroyed bridges and roads leaving many areas cut off, there were great difficulties delivering food and basic necessities to the affected people, tourists had to be evacuated and thousands of people lost their houses and the land on which they depend.   The number of dead and missing persons increased daily. 

During the initial days, an operational centre was opened in Panajachel to coordinaterelief efforts and the support being offered by institutions, the international community and NGOs.  A group of volunteers came together who assisted with various tasks ranging from the distribution of food items to clearing the beaches along the lake.  The group comprised of tourists who had stayed in the area to help, and many of the people of Panajachel, both Guatemalans and foreigners who were living there. 

When the need for volunteers in Panajachel reduced and doubts began to spread about the possibility of an imposed quarantine in the area, a group of volunteers crossed the lake to assess the situation in Panabaj, Santiago Atitlan, the most affected area in the country. 

A few days after arriving, two of the volunteers came to meet Francisco Coché Pablo -Chico- who, together with other affected people from Panabaj had formed an Emergency Committee to organise help for the community and ensure that the affected groups were receiving equitable support. During the initial days the Municipality appeared more concerned with the storage of food items than in their equitable distribution. 

ADECCAP

It was clear from the first visit to the Committee that there were immense needs being faced by the people of Panabaj and the great work that the committee had been doing: with very scarce resources, Chico, Rafael, Cruz, Roberto, Andrés and others had dedicated their time to the cause, in spite of having themselves lost their homes, friends and family and having wives and children to look after. 

A strong collaboration was born, based on the will to help, with respect and a mutual compassion for the community of Panabaj.  They censored the affected families, distributed food and tried to address the many questions and concerns raised by the community. 

The students of the University of San Carlos gave continuous support with their presence and academic training to help to implement the activities effectively.

The Emergency Committee soon realised that once the immediate emergency phase was over, the community had to think of medium and long-term projects for their sustainable development, taking part in the reconstruction and implementing activities that would improve the quality of life for the people