Yabal Emergency Food Donations

We are so grateful to everyone who donated and shared our crowdfunding campaign last week! We tripled our fundraising goal and were able to raise over $2500 for food support for our partner communities of Pacutama and Chuicutama during this Covid-19 pandemic. We are humbled by the generous and quick response from people around the world, thank you!

The rural communities of Pacutama and Chuicutama, in the region of Santa Catarina Ixtahuacan, have been cut off from stores, commercial centers, income sources, and transportation for over 6 weeks. These are Yabal artisan communities where we have our main cooperative of 42 women backstrap loom weavers. Due to the partial quarantine measures put into place here in Guatemala to prevent the spread of the virus, rural communities that depended on public transportation in order to buy all their basic needs are now completely stranded. In addition, most families no longer have work options or income coming in. As of this moment, they have not received any government or municipal support or communication.

There are 90 families in the two communities, a total of 300 men, women, and children. Due to the lifting of the inter-departmental travel ban last week here in Guatemala, Yabal staff were able to travel from the city of Quetzaltenango to the communities in order to bring out over 1,600lbs of food for the families. Each of the 90 families recieved rice, beans, sugar, fava bean atol, pasta, and soap. We were also able to place orders for backstrap loom textiles with the leaders of the womens cooperative- desperately needed, as most families have been out of work during these 6 weeks. We hope to be able to continue selling as much as possible during the coming months to be able to continue providing fair trade work for our artisans- crucially important, now more than ever!

We’ll keep you all updated as things develop and as we continue responding to the needs of our artisan communities. The community members in Pacutama and Chuicutama send their thanks to everyone. We have all been touched by the solidarity and generousity shown by so many in our global community!

Food donations taken to the Mayan communities of Pacutama and Chuicutama in response to covid-19 in Guatemala

Food donations taken to the Mayan communities of Pacutama and Chuicutama in response to covid-19 in Guatemala

Food donations taken to the Mayan communities of Pacutama and Chuicutama in response to covid-19 in Guatemala