What follows is by no means an exhaustive review, but a number of examples of ways in which UK NGOs have been supporting the emergency relief effort in the wake of Hurricane Stan in October 2005.

UK Government's response through DFID provided a total of £250,000 of emergency relief to Guatemala and El Salvador after Hurricane Stan. This support was provided through Plan International UK, £103,000 (70 per cent. for Guatemala and 30 per cent. for El Salvador) and through Care International UK, £100,000 for Guatemala, and £50,000 for El Salvador.

Rights Action, which now has an office in the UK as well as Canada and the US, has put together an interesting update (08-12-05) on Hurricane Stan after collecting over US$100,000 for their emergency relief fund. Rights Action has been able support a whole network of community organisations across Guatemala involved in the relief effort.

Oxfam have been involved in the relief effort providing 13 water tanks in temporary shelters in Solola. An article on the Oxfam website describes some of the experiences of survivors from the worse affected areas in and around Solola.

£200,000 has been approved (£100,000 from CAFOD and £100,000 from Islamic Relief). Of this, £80,000 is being spent on immediate relief and £120,000 is set aside for the longer-term reconstruction and economic and agricultural reactivation. One of CAFOD partners in Guatemala is the partner the Guatemalan Federation of Radio Education (FGER) who have been helping to coordinate the relief effort by radio. CAFOD have written a series of articles on the aftermath of Stan.

Christian Aid covered Stan in their round up of current issues in Guatemala today (January 2006). Christian Aid works with 13 partner organisations in Guatemala.

Action Aid Guatemala arranged for an additional £40,000 for San Marcos, in particular for food, medecine and clothes in the wake of Stan.

Save the Children has distributed more than 21 tons of food rations including rice, beans, oil, and biscuits as well as medicines, blankets and specific items for children including toys and recreational equipment to assist more than 6,000 displaced people in Santiago de Atitlan and San Lucas Toliman. Additional staff members are arriving at shelters to improve health care and create safe play areas for displaced children.

The Guatemala Solidarity Network would also like to highlight the individual efforts across the UK to respond to the emergency. These ranged from organising local fundraising events to actually flying out to Central America to lend support to Guatemalan friends and loved ones.

Please let us know of any other work of UK NGOs in Guatemala after Stan, we would be happy to include it here.