Hurricane Eta Relief Fund

Last November, devastating back-to-back hurricanes Eta and Iota struck communities across Central America as residents were trying to manage the burden of COVID-19. Hurricane Eta, a Category 4 storm, and Hurricane Iota, a Category 5 storm, both came ashore in Nicaragua, ultimately impacting about 7 million people in a wide area from Mexico to Colombia. Communities in Nicaragua, Honduras, and Guatemala bore the brunt of the impacts. 

Thanks to your generous donation to GlobalGiving’s Hurricane Eta Relief Fund, we have been able to provide immediate and ongoing financial support directly to our local, trusted nonprofit partners working in storm-impacted communities. Here is a snapshot of how GlobalGiving’s nonprofit partners have been making a difference since Hurricane Eta made landfall:

• Limitless Horizons IXIL has a long history of serving Indigenous youth, women, and families in Chajul, Guatemala. When hurricanes Eta and Iota struck, the organization immediately began providing emergency relief to the Indigenous communities that saw their homes and livelihoods destroyed.

• EcoViva NFP is providing ongoing emergency relief in Honduras with its local partner, Red COMAL. Through this partnership, EcoViva NFP delivered emergency supplies, including food packs and hygiene kits, to impacted families in the areas of Santa Bárbara, Intibucá, La Paz, and Comayagua.

• Highland Support Project immediately responded to the storms by supporting impacted Indigenous families in Guatemala. Their focus was on providing women in Mixlaj, a community outside of Huehuetenango, with feminine hygiene kits, baby formula, vitamins, and other essentials.

• Habitat for Humanity International leveraged its local presence in Nicaragua and Honduras to begin offering emergency relief items and housing support for families that lost their homes as a result of the storm. 

• Comunidad Maya Pixan Ixim quickly distributed basic food supplies and medicine to more than 800 families that are grappling with the extensive damage of Eta and Iota in Maya territory in northwest Guatemala.

• Fabretto Children’s Foundation has more than 20 years of experience supporting underserved children and their families in Nicaragua. In the immediate aftermath of the storms, the organization mobilized emergency relief in the form of food, hygiene kits, and household supplies. The organization has shifted its focus to supporting farming families that have seen their entire season of crops destroyed by Eta and Iota.

GlobalGiving is now closing the Hurricane Eta Relief Fund, but we will continue to manage the Hurricane Iota Relief Fund over the coming weeks in support of our nonprofit partners in Central America. The need remains enormous for communities across the region. We encourage you to follow our continued work in response to these tragic storms through our Hurricane Iota Relief Fund.

Thank you again for your generosity and support of community-led disaster recovery.

With gratitude, 

Chase + the GlobalGiving Team