Sister Parish Emergency Aid Update – September 2020

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the Sister Parish emergency aid fundraiser. We have raised enough to provide every Sister Parish community with aid money to use as they define based on their greatest need. The majority of funds disbursed so far have been used for food aid and basic hygiene supplies like soap, toothpaste, and toilet paper.

As of September 2020, aid disbursed has included:

Food aid to hundreds of families, with priority given to elders, single mothers, differently-abled people, people living with a chronic illness, craft cooperative members and others who lost their jobs due to COVID-19, and farmers who lost their crops to drought last year
Masks and basic hygiene supplies
Electric repairs at a health clinic
No-touch thermometers for two health clinics
Medication to treat COVID-19 for a health clinic serving two urban communities
Medication to treat chronic illnesses
Vitamins

Sister Parish communities that have organized local relief efforts with the funds include:

Tierra Nueva 2
Tierra Nueva 1
UPAVIM
San Andrés Itzapa
Chichipate
Virginia
Chontalá

Communities in El Salvador will be disbursing food aid and medication with the emergency funds in September and October.

This will be a long-term emergency for many Sister Parish communities. Even when the health crisis passes, recovery from the economic crisis will be a long road. We will keep our fundraiser open and will continue to disburse funds as needed, as we accompany people through this difficult time.

Thank you to everyone who has made this possible. Thank you to those who donated and thank you to the Sister Parish members in Guatemala and El Salvador who are volunteering their time and taking risks to serve those most in need in their communities.