Dear Friends:
We are writing to request your support for the "All for Guatemala-Todos por Guatemala-Campaign".
As you may already know, our country Guatemala, was recently struck by a volcanic eruption, a tropical storm, floods, mudslides and the emergence of several massive sinkholes. Storm Agatha came in the wake of the eruption of the Pacaya volcano, which clogged the sewers of Guatemala City and several towns around it with massive ash deposits, leading to further flooding. Homes, roads and bridges have been rendered useless for a large part of the rural communities affected by the storm. Cornfields, the substenance of much of the rural population, have been destroyed. Therefore, on behalf of the "All for Guatemala Campaign", we would like to invite you to participate at different activities related to the relief fundraiser campaing.
All proceeds will be channeled through the Tatamagouche Centre – Breaking the Silence - emergency fund -http://www.tatacentre.ca/. Income tax receipts will be issued upon request for donations of $10 or more. Should you wish to donate by cheque? write it to: Tatamagouche Centre, with the memo "All for Guatemala" and mail it to Toronto at: 1280 Finch Avenue West # 205. Toronto Ontario, M3J-3K6.
100% of the donations will go directly to the Campesino Committee of the Highlands (CCDA) working in support of indigenous communities, in the worst hit rural areas of Guatemala: http://accionesccda.blogspot.com/.
Besides the break-in and death-threats that some of the members of the CCDA have received recently because of their grassroots work in community development in rural Guatemala (The Toronto Star http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/791024--fiorito-a-cup-of-coffee-and-a-death-threat-on-the-side ), the area where the CCDA works has been heavily hit by tropical storm Agatha of May 28, 2010.
Part of the work that the CCDA has done in the last few years is strategic emergency planning with the rural communities to know how to react in the face of natural disasters. These preparations have reduced the number of deaths resulting from the numerous mud and landslides.
Additionally, you can also support this campaign by buying/selling the freshly roasted, fair trade organic coffee from the Campesino Committee of the Highlands (CCDA). http://cafejusticia.ca/
By supporting the CCDA coffee sales, we are supporting the reconstruction efforts (shelters, food, health, long term planning), while also enjoying a good cup of fairly traded and organic coffee.
Coffee Order
We will be placing a new order of coffee in the next week. The coffee will be sold at $12 per pound. If interested in ordering, please respond with the following info:
1. Your name
2. How many pounds you would like:
3. Ground or in beans, dark or medium dark?
The Waterloo Region Guatemal Group.
wrguateg@gmail.ca
