A group of Maltese volunteers were so impressed with Fr Anton Grech’s tireless mission work in Guatemala they set up an NGO to help him in his philanthropic work.
Chaired by Carmelo Agius, the NGO Guatemalta aims to promote solidarity and sustainable projects to the poorest in Guatemala to relieve suffering. It will also provide support and information to people travelling to Guatemala on a voluntary experience in aid of Fr Grech’s mission and will implement sustainable projects assisting the needs of the communities.
“It’s about giving them a fishing rod and not merely fish,” Fr Grech, 42, told this newspaper. The Gozitan priest has been working in Guatemala for the past 17 years.
In December 2009, he took over the responsibility of a new parish dedicated to Santo Tomas de Castilla, in the department of Izabal in the rainforest, home to a number of ethnic Mayan communities. The communities are made up of people who fled the civil war that dragged on from 1960 till 1996.
The communities live a very primitive life and face a number of challenges from drug lords, intent on taking over their land, and petroleum companies looking to extract the fuel.
“Part of our pastoral work is defending them from these powerful entities.”
Children have a high mortality rate and health services are scarce, with several people suffering from malnutrition and infections.
Roads to the nearest town are in a bad state, meaning the communities are cut off. Fr Grech visits them regularly, together with a nurse and a doctor.
Illiteracy is also high. However, the ethnic communities are still able to learn some IT skills on old computers, many of which were donated by Maltese families, even if they lack internet access.
Fr Grech has spearheaded a number of projects. In Izabal, five classrooms have been built and informal classes in English, guitar and computer have started with the help of voluntary teachers. Another room is being equipped with machines and tools for courses in carpentry and welding.
With the help of children from the Xagħra parish, a farm was set up with 350 egg-laying chickens and is serving as a means of sustainability for families, who then sell the eggs.
The Church is also involved in providing sports facilities, not only as a means of distraction but also as an opportunity to build characters and values. “Football is their god,” Fr Grech says. Unfortunately, many youths are exposed to gangs, violence and drugs.
The latest project Fr Grech has undertaken aims to furnish families with clean stoves. “Women cook on wooden stoves in enclosed spaces. The amount of smoke generated often leads to lung infections and incidents involving children who get burnt are not uncommon. Clean stoves use up less wood and are less polluting.
“But I never give them anything for nothing. You must respect their dignity and not be patronising. They also need to learn the value of things. So I usually ask them to give up some of their time to help out in the projects.”
Fr Grech expressed his gratitude at the setting up of the foundation.
“I’m very thankful to the volunteers who did not merely spend a month in Guatemala and then return to Malta but who perceived that the donations were being utilised in a good way and decided to make the system more formalised and organised.”
For more information, visit http://guatemalta.org .