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Indigenous People in Central America Vulnerable for COVID-19

Países
Guatemala
+ 3
Fuentes
ICCO
Fecha de publicación
Origen
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The COVID-19 pandemic is much more than a health crisis: it is affecting people´s societies and economies. Although the impact of the virus varies from one place to another, it is very likely that it will increase poverty and inequality at a global scale, affecting especially the communities and indigenous peoples of Latin America, the most vulnerable groups in this context.

In Central America, the effects are multiple: due to the quarantine, the closing of commerce, the isolation measures taken to contain the spread of the virus, the indigenous populations and peasant communities are having serious supply problems, with difficult access to food, hygiene materials and medical attention.

The project: “Our Land, Our Forests: Forest Governance of Indigenous People and Forest Communities in REDD+ and FLEGT”, implemented by ICCO with funds from the European Union in Guatemala, Belize, Honduras and Nicaragua, has reoriented part of the project´s resources to support the most vulnerable communities and families so they can face the COVID-19 crisis.

In each of the 4 countries, through representatives of our partner organizations ACOFOP, YA AXCHE, UTZ CHE, FEPROA, MASTA, GTI and CONICEFV, ICCO has delivered aid packages containing basic foods so the families can hold on until the normal routines return to the communities and the confinement measures are lifted. Likewise, ICCO has delivered health kits to help the communities be better prepared in case of a possible contagion.

ICCO expects that with this emergency intervention with the amount of 147,100 euros, we can support at least 1,660 families. Besides, ICCO is influencing local governments to prioritize actions and policies in favor of the indigenous people and communities of Latin America.