(ANS – San Pedro Carchá) – Last Wednesday, 4 July, the Salesian community in San Pedro Carchá gave foodstuffs to 40 displaced families. They will continue their help in the future.

Within the boundaries of the “Saint Joseph” parish, entrusted to the Salesian missionaries from  San Pedro Carchá, there are about 120 villages of the Maya-Q'eqchi' tribe, not all at peace with each other. For several months in Finca San Vicente there have been moments of tension on account of the distribution of land.

The tension erupted into violence about two weeks  ago when the inhabitants of Finca San Vicente invaded the village of Sechac Nazareno burning houses and destroying the crops sown by the villagers forcing them to flee from their land and find refuge in nearby Chisec.

The 40 displaced families with many children for a total of about 200 people, are now struggling with hunger far from their lands and without a harvest. On 4 July in the name of the Salesian community, Fr Vittorio Castagna arrived where they were staying near the village of Semococh, in the Chisec municipality, about  4 hours from the parish of San Pedro Carchá.

With the support of the New Rochelle Mission Office the Salesian community gave each family 14 kg of rice and will return next week with further supplies.

Meeting the displaced people Fr Castagna encouraged them. However he does not hide the gravity of the situation: “I have been in Guatemala for about two years and I have seen the poverty in the 70 villages I visit. I ask myself how these peasants can continue without land and with no harvest. They are also kilometres away from the nearest water supply!”

Published 06/07/2012