Situation
On Wednesday, June 14, a 6.9-magnitude earthquake stuck western Guatemala at 1:29 AM local time. Two deaths have been confirmed, and at least five people were injured. Landslides have been reported across roads and homes have been damaged, according to the New York Times.
The extent of the damage to infrastructure will become clearer in the next 48 hours.
CWS Response
CWS has family agriculture programs in three parts of Guatemala that empower indigenous women and help develop microbusinesses. These are implemented through partner and ACT Alliance member CIEDEG and with support from Foods Resource Bank. Through these programs, women receive technical assistance to manage about 80 small-scale greenhouses, manage 900 family gardens and lead local advocacy efforts to advance the rights of Guatemala’s indigenous populations.
CWS is in contact with CIEDEG to monitor the situation. If CWS or the ACT Alliance moves forward with a response plan, an emergency appeal will be issued in the coming days as needed.
How to Help
Support the worldwide community development work of CWS – including our programs in Guatemala – here.
Specific donation information will be made available if an emergency appeal is issued.