In both Central America and U.S. Tribal Lands, #COVID19 lockdowns made life difficult for the communities we work with very quickly. When you live in the margins of the global economy, there is no down time, no safety net, and no other way to make ends meet than through your daily hustle.

By communicating promptly with our partners in the areas, we understood how priorities had shifted and realized that there was a pressing need for food and potable water. We responded early by turning all of our resources to provide immediate food relief for vulnerable communities, but we knew that our efforts would only allow us to reach a fraction of the families in need.

We launched our emergency relief campaign ADELANTE/HOKAHEY, to be able to deliver packages consisting of food, water and hygiene items to even more families in urgent need.

So far, with the help of our amazing partners on the ground, we have been able to deliver:

• 10 week supply of emergency packages for 65 families (around 400 individuals) in Pine Ridge, SD

• 90 packages in El Salvador

• 200 packages in Honduras

• Seeds to improve the gardens of families in our Sustainable Family Agriculture program in Guatemala, with the goal of reaching 1480 families total.

The packages delivered in Central America also included seeds such as green beans, cucumber, lettuce, carrot, radish, beet, cilantro and onions that will allow families to start their own gardens, as part of a longer term food security strategy.

Soon we will also be reaching 75 families in Nicaragua with seeds to start or improve their gardens.

ADELANTE/HOKA HEY signifies that there is more strength in numbers, and that by working towards a common goal together we can accomplish more.