November 8, 2005

Disaster strikes Guatemala

Dear Friends:

Finally, the rains have stopped. A month ago Hurricane Stan dumped tons of water on a region already soaked to the limit by the heaviest rainy season in 25 years. Stan caused disastrous flooding and mudslides, especially in Guatemala’s impoverished southwestern highlands and along the Pacific coast. The result? Hundreds of deaths, thousands of displaced persons, and hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to crops and infrastructure.

Now, a month later, the cold has begun. In Guatemala City, the night-time temperatures have already fallen to the forties; in the highlands it has already fallen below freezing. For the thousands of families still living in temporary shelters, this unusually early cold snap poses an added health risk.

Although Cedepca is not a relief agency, we were able to respond to the emergency quickly. We are fortunate to have Ken Kim of the Presbyterian Church in Canada as a new member of our staff who is consulting with us on development issues.

On October 10, Ken was able to use money and supplies donated by local friends, students and staff as well as money provided by individuals and churches from the United States to fill his vehicle with bottled water, food, blankets and other emergency items and take them to Quetzaltenango. He took the supplies to a group he knows well, the Fraternidad de Presbiteriales Maya. This group trains Mayan women on development issues and has worked with Cedepca’s Women’s Program over the years.

At the Fraternidad’s suggestion, Ken took the supplies to La Estancia and Toj Alic, two villages near San Martín Sacatepequez. Ken describes in graphic terms the heroic efforts of the men in Toj Alic to rebuild by hand the road to their community. The wash where the road used to be was 40 feet wide and 30 feet deep. (You can see pictures at Cedepca's Web site). Their families’ well-being for this next year depended on their getting their potato crop to market. Thus, they were working every waking moment with shovels and hoes to rebuild their road.

Mari helps Cedepca design stress management program

Another way Cedepca is responding to Hurricane Stan is by training a team of promoters to offer post-disaster stress management assistance. Experience has taught us that in a post-disaster environment people, and especially women, need to know how to deal with stress and how to care for themselves.

When we hurt deeply, we desperately need to learn how to listen to our own bodies and take care of ourselves. The program responds to the spiritual and physical pain generated by violence and tragedy, helping participants to identify signs of stress in their own bodies. Through simple exercises, including breathing, massage, visualization and meditation, participants learn how to restore balance in their lives. These techniques, in no way a substitute for professional counselling, are deeply rooted in a practical spirituality, rich with the experience of women as caregivers.

Mari met Karen in 2004. Karen had come to Guatemala as part of a team that shared strategies on how to combat domestic violence; Betty Carrera Paz, coordinator of Cedepca’s Women’s Program, asked Mari to be Karen’s interpreter. Mari and Karen found that they had much in common and began to work together.

Karen sought to offer a holistic approach to human wellness, balancing the needs of body, mind, and spirit. Thus, she called the program she is developing “Salud Integral.”

Please pray especially for Mari and those who will be reaching out to hurting communities in these coming months.

Under the Mercy,

Dennis & Maribel Smith Pérez
Dennis Smith or Maribel Smith Perez