Also, individuals and institutions put their knowledge to the test by manufacturing protective or medical equipment to support health workers in their fight to combat the coronavirus.
In November, the ravages of nature devastated tens of thousands of people with two consecutive tropical storms, Eta and Iota. To date, many communities remain flooded and their inhabitants have lost everything. They only have the hope of a new beginning and the support that individuals or institutions provide with food, equipment or clothing.
In order to value all the initiatives that during this year have turned their resources and energy to support those affected by the pandemic and the storms, Prensa Libre chose them, due to their social projection, as Well Done 2020 characters. This note mentions only some of the projects.
Since before the pandemic
Juan Pablo Ruano, Development in Movement project manager explains that this arose on October 16, 2017 within the Guatemalan American Chamber of Commerce, Amcham, where companies sought to support nutrition. Development in Movement is dedicated to collecting products of first necessity and they have to be sorted, classified and packaged to make it available to people and institutions that can use it.
Ruano invites not only institutions but all people to join this movement. He has supported nearly 300,000 people and during the pandemic almost a million meals have been obtained and he has supported 150,000 people. In addition to donating, you can especially do it with time as volunteers and also with therapeutic volunteering.
During the year they organized the first national food collection with the goal of reaching 25,000 plates of food and exceeded the goal with 29,000 plates. The work continues, to participate in this initiative visit the page www.desarrolloenmovimiento.org. At the moment almost 80 non-profit organizations, churches and social groups that have a social projection benefit from this program.
help coming down from heaven
The Flying Club of Guatemala was organized and with the support of the population, they flew more than 600 hours to transport almost half a million food for humanitarian aid, rescuers and injured people. This was done for almost a month to help the populations affected by the storms Eta and Iota.
Jorge Castellanos, president of the organization, commented that there were about 80 volunteer pilots and 55 planes available, as well as 21 helicopters. In total, the cost of operations was more than more than Q2. 9 million quetzales including monetary contributions, food, donations and fuel. Among the departments that received support were Cobán, Quiché, Petén and Huehuetenango.
the community pot
This is the name of the initiative that was born with the pandemic and that lasted until September. The purpose was to bring food to hundreds of people who were in a vulnerable situation.
Byron Vásquez, a member of said social initiative, comments that the project arose from Café Pending, another similar initiative that had been promoted by the Rayuela restaurant, which he coordinates. With the arrival of the State of Calamity, the restaurant had to close. However, those involved continued to prepare food and went out into the streets to deliver breakfasts and lunches under the community pot initiative. The project was replicated in Antigua Guatemala, Quetzaltenango and Cobán, in addition to El Salvador and Mexico.
Other initiatives
Also read | Well Done 2020: "Profe Lalito", an example of perseverance in times of pandemic in Santa Cruz del Quiché
