PANABAJ Santiago Atitln, Guatemala

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PANABAJSantiago Atitlán, Guatemala

• The Tragedy of
• Tropical Storm Stan

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• Situated in the town of Santiago Atitlán, the
  village of Panabaj is one of several Tzutujil
  Mayan communities on the shores of Lake Atitlan
  in Guatemala.
• During the armed conflict of the 1980s, many
  Tzutijul men were killed by members of the
  Guatemalan military, leaving a disjointed
  community of mostly widows and orphans.
• The community was finally able to expel the army
  in 1990, six years before the peace accords that
  ended the conflict.
• For the 5,000 people that now live in Panabaj,
  the mens work in agriculture and the womens
  sale of handicrafts provide insufficient
  resources for survival. Poverty is extreme and
  children represent a large percentage of the
  population.

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• In the middle of the night on October 5, 2005,
• following heavy rains from Tropical Storm Stan,
• a wall of mud and rock from an overlooking
  volcano struck Panabaj.

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• More than 150 houses were completely buried under
  mud and rock.
• Others were swept away by the flood,
• while many remained either seriously damaged or
  completely destroyed.

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• Due to the sudden and unexpected nature of the
  tragedy,
• much of the population could not escape
• and was either buried under
• or swept away by the mud.

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• To date, the community has given formal burial to
  100 people

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• 600 people
• remain unaccounted for

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• Many families were destroyed, and all community
  members suffered psychologically.
• 25 children were orphaned by the loss of both
  parents, and 77 women were widowed.

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• Due to the magnitude of the disaster recovery
  efforts have been abandoned

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• For survivors, the pain of lost loved ones is
  exacerbated by the inability to give them formal
  burial according to traditional Mayan
  spirituality.
• The area of Panabaj is being declared a cemetary,
  closed off to public access.

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• The lives of between 4,000 and 5,000 people were
  in some way affected by the natural disaster.
• The amount of lost land and crops, ruined for the
  foreseeable future, has yet to be quantified.

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• More than 600 families
• have been moved to temporary shelters and refugee
  tents

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• The magnitude of the tragedy has left the
  community scarred and fearful.

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• As it did during the armed conflict,
• the community has transformed
• the pain of its loss into a united search for
  survival

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• In this tradition of grassroots organization
• The Association for Community
• Development in Panabaj
• (ADECCAP)
• was formed,
• aided by a strong collaboration with
  international volunteers,
• and based in the will to participate
• and mutual respect.

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• ADECCAP is working for immediate disaster relief
  and the development of Panabaj, through community
  participation, gender equality, and the
  recognition of human rights.

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• ADECCAP has founded the project
• IJATZ LA SEMILLA
• a community center
• with the following objectives

psycho-social rehabilitation economic
revitalization youth education
and professional training for adults.
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• Join us as we build a better future.