Harboring Hope Of A New Dawn
The torrential rains have brought misery and despair to the lives of thousands of Salvadoran families, who have had to leave their homes, leaving all their belongings, their animals, their crops and their homes, becoming part of the statistics of the shelters have been established in the West zone of the country.
The need as the rains are increasing. “We left only with our children and what we were put”; “Hunger and thirst is great in this hostel”; “We are cold and we have not blankets”, are the expressions that are heard over the din that people in the hostel, where are families of several cantons of the municipality of Garita Palmera, in Ahuachapan.
Sonia María Ayala with her eyes red for fatigue, and the tears coming out, to remember the release of his home located in the hamlet of El Chino, said: “I didn´t think it was so awful what was to bring rain. In the community decided to shelter in a foil hat, but was impossible…The galley was not strong enough to give protection and had to leave to save us. We can´t oppose to God´s things. We have sad stories. We had previously suffered by the rains (in other years), but never had been like this. It makes me sad to remember how the trees fell, animal drowned, see the anguish of mothers crying, and we can´t do anything.”
Sonia, like other families have been shattered dreams of having filled their barns for the summer, “We had hope and faith in God to not buy corn, because we were having a good harvest, but the rain came and it went”, said Sonia, while waiting to receive the donation that World Vision took for housed families. “Nobody has come to help, just the Red Cross gave us medical assistance and World Vision has helped us”.
Sonia is a strong and a fighter woman, that survived the flooding of their home that was completely covered by the currents and as a community leader all thought to safeguard the lives of children in the community “We took the children in a boat and then we pushed it, thank God.”
Another leader who lives the calamity of families is Juan Bautista, from La Garita Palmera community, who lost their furniture, crops and home. “In 55 years of life I have, I never saw something like this. But we will stand…and we will move forward,” he says as he appreciates the food package from the hands of an employee of the New Revival Program, funded by World Vision El Salvador.
In Ahuachapan are more than 14.000 people being affected in 18 communities, some more than others, but all with the hope of helping hands to join their care and protection.
The country is still affected by the rains and the Government has declared a state of emergency nationwide. Meanwhile, the Rapid Response Team of World Vision remains, visiting hostels in the west zone of the country, doing a Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis to answer that has already started with the distribution of food, water, family hygiene kits, baby hygiene kits, kitchen kits; and cushions with a total amount which is more than $60.000 and benefiting 1.750 people in five shelters of Sonsonate and Ahuachapan
The support continues, and the hand of World Vision members are united to bring hope and comfort to the affected families, specially the children who had to leave their homes unexpectedly. Now they just waiting the sun comes up again…
By Katia Maldonado / Communications Officer