In 2020-21, the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened a long list of existing problems in Guatemala, one of the countries with the most inequalities in all of Latin America. Families have been particularly affected by the pandemic, as parents have been forced to figure out ways to meet their most basic needs despite job insecurities, increasing debts, persisting concerns about health and safety, and prevalent closures of schools for over two years.
Through home visits and a diagnosis of social needs of our scholars, our team identified poor conditions of the infrastructure of houses and the lack of a dignified, adequate place to sleep. The majority of our families still cook with an open fire inside the houses and the access to clean water is not suitable for human consumption which has severe repercussions on their overall health. Material hardship, such as the inability to cover basic needs has been widespread since the pandemic started.
CasaSito will offer water tanks, ceramic water filters, improved stoves and bedding to a selected group of scholars which will help them to meet basic living needs and enable the parents to promote their children's academic and personal development and healthy growth in an emotionally more stable environment. In addition, the families will be accompanied in a training process on the proper use and maintenance of the resources provided.
Through this project 50 families and more than 250 individuals will be benefitted. It is expected that the consistent access to clean drinking water and an improved sleeping and cooking situation will dramatically improve the health and productivity of our families, and our scholars' academic performance.
