(ANS – Zunil) – On 10 September the “Liceo Guatemala” and the NGO Jugend Dritte Welt (JDW) Volunteers handed over the first three houses in Zunil, near to Quetzaltenango, to the victims of the “Agatha” tropical storm.
As widely reported in the world’s press at the end of May the tropical storm “Agatha” devastated the village of Chicovix and the town of Zunil. Photographs showed buildings razed to the ground and the local population deprived of everything yet the help promised by the Government never arrived.
To show their solidarity and to provide practical assistance to the poor, the students who completed their courses in 2010 at the Salesian Sixth Form College of Guatemala determined to provide a house for 4 families affected by the storm.
Collections were taken up during the World Cup and there were other fund raising sporting events. In June and July the families who were to benefit were chosen and building plans drawn up. Building materials arrived soon after and the houses began to go up. In a simple ceremony on Friday 10 September, the first three houses were blessed and handed over; the fourth is still under construction.
The funds provided by the “Liceo Guatemala” and the JDW for this project amounted to 9723 dollars. The electrical fittings for the houses were installed by students from the Don Bosco Vocational Training Centre which is part of the “Liceo Guatemala”.
Published 30/09/2010
