"According to the UN World Food Program an estimated 285,000 people are still at risk of severe hunger (after Hurricane Stan) after their subsistence crops and food reserves were destroyed by the rains and resulting floods and mudslides. Fields were saturated or slid away down the mountain sides and many people lost their crops of maize. The export crop of sesame was destroyed. The heavy rains also affected the coffee crop, bringing an early harvest and much lower than expected yields. St Margarets parish has committed to raising £15,000 to assist in rebuilding a small mountain village called Panimaché in the quiche department of Guatemala where 109 families have lost their homes. The village is near Lake Atitlán in the western highlands. During the hurricane mudslides swept down the mountains burying their homes and the river overflowed destroying their crops. Fortunately, no one died.

Our support will enable CAFOD partner Caritas Quiché to work with the community to rebuild their houses. If the parish raise more than £15,000 the remainder will go to the International Refugee Trust’s Children’s Home in Uganda."