Start Fund to support anticipatory flood response in Guatemala
Through the Start Fund Network, the United Kingdom has supported the allocation of £400,000 (approximately US$520,000) to enable an anticipatory response to the risk of flooding in Guatemala.
The funds will be channelled through CAFOD, Trocaire, ASECSA, CADENA and CARE Guatemala, which will work with vulnerable communities to prevent a humanitarian crisis.
The alert focuses on communities located in high-risk areas near rivers and prone to landslides and mudslides. Priority municipalities include those in Alta Verapaz (such as Chisec, Raxruhá, Cobán and Panzós), Quiché (northern zone and Ixil region), Retalhuleu (lower Samalá basin), Suchitepéquez (influenced by the Santiaguito volcano), and Huehuetenango (upper Chixoy basin).
The Start Fund is a multi-donor pooled fund to which the UK is a key contributor. It enables rapid funding for humanitarian organisations to respond to small and medium-scale crises. Through a fast collective decision-making process, member NGOs can raise alerts and receive funding within 72 hours, with interventions completed in 45 days.
The UK supported the creation of the Start Fund in 2014 and remains one of its principal donors. Other contributors include the German Federal Foreign Office, the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, the IKEA Foundation, Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Jersey Overseas Aid, and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.