Two months have passed since the official declaration of the Covid-19 pandemic by the World Health Organization. In Guatemala, campaigns to raise awareness on preventive measures have been led by the government and there are some private actors who have been very vocal about the challenges, but there are still many.
Sanitary alert in Guatemala
Despite the prevention measures adopted by the government, thousands of Guatemalans go out every day. The reason: of their 16 million inhabitants, 60% live in poverty. Many people in Guatemala live from informal employment, so going out every day is their only way of ensuring their family’s economic survival.
According to the results of the consultation on the main effects of the Covid-19 in the rural communities of Guatemala, carried out by Helvetas and Irx, despite the existing communication efforts, 10% of the population still lacks adequate information around the prevention of this disease; 16% are still not clear on the subject and 67% consider that they do not know how to proceed in cases where there are cases in their community. This report also highlights the level of aggression that exists with regard to people who are sick.
Alliance2015’s members facing Covid-19
Based on the recommendations emerged from the report, Ayuda en Acción, Helvetas and Hivos are running a campaign that seeks to address the lack of information.
The main objectives of the campaign are:
- raise awareness and increase the availability of information on comprehensive personal care,
- reduce social tensions, and
- prevent contagiousness in the focal departments of Guatemala.
