Tzibal Covid-19 Relief Package

Tzibal is a small community located in Alta Verapaz, central Guatemala surrounded by hundreds of egg carton-like hills. It’s home to about 100 Q'eqchi' families who live off the land farming coffee, cardamom, bananas, black pepper, and mandarins. The community does not have access to electricity or running water, but anyone who has visited Tzibal knows that there is an abundance of love and a big collective ambition. In recent years, Tzibal has benefited from leadership of a devoted group of teachers and local women who have made youth education and community development top priorities. Together with other local leaders, the municipal government and international allies like Operation Groundswell, they’ve overseen the construction of new community infrastructure including a bottle-brick schoolhouse, recreational ballcourt and communal meeting space.

For Tzibal, COVID-19 represents a big setback and now  threatens their very lives and livelihoods.  Guatemala went into lockdown on March 17. The government has offered some financial support but the subsidies are grossly inadequate and do not reach more remote, indigenous communities like Tzibal. Local quarantines compound the problem by preventing community members from acquiring work, going to the market and accessing medical care. This means that in addition to the health risks associated with COVID-19, Tzibal is now facing serious food shortages. 

The pandemic is certainly affecting everybody on the planet in one way or another; but it is far from the great equalizer.  Populations that were living at or below the poverty line before the pandemic are the most vulnerable to its effects and are most often left to fend for themselves. The phrase “we are all in this together” has been floated around a lot over the past few months, but it seems to come with the caveat that we in OUR  community are in this together. 

It is understandable that our communities shrink in times of crisis, but for us and, probably many other Operation Groundswell alumni, Tzibal IS our community. Our experiences in Tzibal and the connections that we made there helped shape who we are. At a formative time in our lives we were met with warmth and generosity by the people of Tzibal, and were able to see a community empowered by their own dreams for a better future. In the context we’re in we feel compelled to reciprocate the generosity, care, and sense of community that Tzibal showed us. 
 
In this first appeal, we are hoping to raise $2500 with all the funds going to a local program of “bolsas familiares”, or emergency family relief kits. This initiative involves the entire community of Tzibal and was requested by a committee of local women, teachers, and the town’s development council. Together they will manage the purchase and distribution of basic foodstuffs like corn, beans, rice, and nutritional supplements while providing hygiene products and health checks to each of Tzibal’s 100 families. $100 can sustain a family for a month but  we know that times are tough and donations of $5 or $10 will also help deliver healthy food and allow the community to maintain its quarantine. So, give what you can and let’s stand together with our dear friends in Tzibal.

This fundraiser is being coordinated with the  team at Operation Groundswell who continue to work closely with Tzibal. Operation Groundswell will be providing updates, pictures, and stories from the community over the coming weeks and months which we’ll post here. 

For more information about Operation Groundswell check out their webpage here and if you have any questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to reach out.