Asociacion Instituto Para La Superacion de la Miseria Urbana

Instituto para la Superación de la Miseria Urbana de Guatemala (ISMUGUA), or the Institute for Overcoming Urban Poverty in Guatemala, was founded in 1993. At the beginning ISMUGUA concentrated its actions in the urban communities of low-income residents in the municipalities of the Metropolitan Area of Guatemala City, accompanying 52 settlements in the process of managing the legalization of the land they inhabit. ISMUGUA continues to manage together with the population and in coordination with the municipalities of each municipality; the introduction of basic services, housing construction through self-construction and home improvement. Since 2005 we have expanded our risk management work to the departments of San Marcos, Escuintla, Izabal and Chiquimula, which have been affected by disasters caused by landslides, volcanic eruptions, floods and droughts. We have worked together with families and local authorities in the distribution of humanitarian aid, construction of houses, training of Local Coordinators for Disaster Reduction - COLRED-, Municipal Coordinators for Disaster Reduction -COMRED-, strengthening with this work the capacity of communities and municipalities to respond in case of emergencies and disasters. We work with 80 children and young people who for economic and social reasons could not start or continue their studies and who are given support with the payment of tuition, educational tutors, bags of food or medicines when necessary, with women's groups from different communities we work on the recovery of livelihoods through training, the implementation of organic gardens and strengthening the development of local crafts that sell in nearby markets. An example is the project "Building with the poor" that benefited 130 families (10 more than originally planned) to upgrade their makeshift shelter. 75% are women headed households, with an average of 5 persons per family. Selection was based on a socio-economic assessment and consulted with community representatives. Most beneficiaries were extremely poor. They participated in the project with labour and own resources. This is a good example of a people-driven strategy that empowers community organizations and promotes a collective approach to solve the needs of all members. Families shared and learnrf, builded their own doors, looked for the most convenient alternatives to buy and transport materials and components, and helped each other during the building process. Materials were used in an efficient way, and recycling makes possible to stretch resources to build a new room or add new improvements. That is why they could include more families into the project. The housing project was also a starting point for other initiatives that the community wants to implement, and motivated their interest to negotiate changes at a higher level. They are now associated with other NGOs and CBOs, with the support of the National University, to demand that the National Congress approves some changes to the Housing Law that will favor the poor. Some of our actions: a)We are training people from community-based organizations in the preparation of disasters. b)We are also coordinating with the ministries of health and education, such as our work with 20 schools on developing school evacuation plans and family emergency plans. c)The innovative part of the family evacuation plans is parents and the children themselves are involved in identifying the risks that the families are exposed to. They create family emergency plans so that in case of emergency everyone from children to parents know how to evacuate and to find meeting points. d)We are also working to implement systems of early warning in the southern part of Guatemala City that affects people and the industry located in that area. e) Creation of the "Centro Rural Para la difusión del Bien Vivir" which has the purpose of demonstrating in practice how to live well in harmony with nature.