BALTIMORE — The Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP) has awarded a $250,000 grant to Lutheran World Relief to fund its efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19 in communities affected by hurricanes Eta and Iota, which caused catastrophic destruction after sweeping across the country last fall.
The grant, which comes from CDP’s COVID-19 Response Fund, will provide assistance to 500 families living in the communities of San Pedro Sula and Choloma who were displaced from their storm-damaged homes. These families are at increased risk of contracting COVID-19 because they are living in crowded conditions in shelters, typically churches, schools or other repurposed buildings, or in other temporary living arrangements, with limited access to adequate hygiene and sanitation facilities. In addition, the economic disruption caused by the storms has forced families to engage in activities that put them at greater risk, including migrating from farms where crops were ruined to urban areas and seeking work in the informal labor market.
The hurricanes have significantly worsened the already dire impact of COVID-19 in Honduras, where even before the disaster, hunger was expected to increase by 82% over pre-pandemic levels.
Lutheran World Relief will build on an ongoing collaboration with local partner Comisión de Acción Social Menonita (CASM) to provide food and household supplies to support immediate wellbeing as well as assist in returning to permanent homes. The project will also aid in reducing the spread of COVID-19 by enhancing sanitation facilities, by promoting education of best hygiene practices and providing personal protective equipment to prevent the spread of the virus. Finally, project staff will identify and reach out to individuals in need of psychosocial assistance.
Lutheran World Relief has been working in Honduras since the early 1990s and has maintained a permanent presence in the country since 2011.
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About the Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP)
The Center for Disaster Philanthropy’s mission is to leverage the power of philanthropy to mobilize a full range of resources that strengthen the ability of communities to withstand disasters and recover equitably when they occur. CDP manages domestic and international Disaster Funds on behalf of corporations, foundations and individuals through targeted, holistic and localized grantmaking. For more information, visit: https://disasterphilanthropy.org, call (202) 464-2018 or tweet us @funds4disaster.
About Lutheran World Relief
Founded in 1945, Lutheran World Relief collaborates with local partners to grow inclusive and climate resilient rural economies, reduce poverty, and respond to emergencies and humanitarian crises. Lutheran World Relief works in concert with Corus International, an ensemble of faith-based organizations working together in the world’s most fragile settings to deliver the holistic, lasting solutions needed to overcome the interconnected challenges of poverty, health care access and climate change.
