The reality of the climate crisis inches ever closer every time we have what we deem an extreme weather event. But for communities at the biggest risk, they are witnessing climate change first-hand and living with the devastation it can wreak.
The inherent injustice of this is that these are the people who have done least to cause the climate crisis, yet the erratic weather that results is driving them further into poverty. For this reason Trócaire is seeking to highlight their stories as part of its 2025 Trócaire Box appeal this Lent which aims to raise awareness of the direct and indirect consequences resulting from climate change that are having a profoundly negative effect on the lives of millions of people right across the developing world.
Ilma, her husband Julio, and their four children in La Paz, Guatemala, are a prime example of a family struggling with the devastating impact of climate change. Like numerous other communities in Central America, they face huge challenges due to extended droughts and unprecedented deluges during wet seasons.
Claire Kelly, head of communications with Trócaire, has just returned from a trip to La Paz where she witnessed first-hand the profound challenges this family faces on a daily basis. Kelly explains that Trócaire is playing an active role in helping to alleviate the poverty and injustice this family faces.
“For us the deep injustice of it is something that cannot be ignored,” she says. “The people that we visited and many communities like them across the world are doing the least to contribute to the climate crisis but they are the ones who have been impacted the most.”
The current dry season has been marked by extreme drought, something Kelly witnessed with her own eyes. “You can see the dry, cracked earth and crops that have failed,” she says. Not only does this mean they do not have enough food to feed their families, they are also denied the opportunity to make a small income with any surplus crops.
“The reality is that these families do not have the capacity to absorb the damage caused by extreme weather events like hurricanes and floods, or recover from their impact,” Kelly says. “When crops are decimated, so too is the family’s income. “Extreme weather has knock-on effects for the whole family. Their daughter Miriam has just reached the age of 13 and was set to go to the equivalent of secondary school. As it is some distance away from the isolated community, the family must pay the equivalent of about €5 per week for her bus fare.
“But because the crops have failed and they have no income, they are struggling to come up with that and help her further her education,” Kelly says. “It’s so unfair because they have real hopes and dreams.” Kelly says she was particularly moved when they asked Miriam what she wanted to be when she grew up – and Miriam got emotional as she answered “I dream of becoming a teacher”.
“As a mother all you want is to provide a better future for your children but for Ilma it is beyond her control to help Miriam achieve her dreams.”
But despite this devastation and disruption to their lives, the resilience of families like Ilma and Julio’s is remarkable, Kelly says.
“When you see the children holding hands and laughing, they have a joy about them that is remarkable when you think about what they are going through. Julio Jnr reminded me a lot of my own son with a little twinkle of fun in his eye as he played the pretend drums with the failed crop to make his little sister laugh. They are a gorgeous family that is incredibly hardworking and devoted to each other.”
Trócaire is committed to working with communities such as these in the developing world, helping them to adapt long-term to the changes the climate crisis has wrought for their way of living and prevent the cycle of generational poverty. Trócaire’s Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Early Warning System (EWS) training has been essential for the family and many like them, ensuring they move to higher, safer ground during flooding.
Trócaire also supports communities in Guatemala to adapt on a long-term basis from helping them use bioengineering techniques that utilise living plants to help stabilise steep slopes or hillsides to protect the soil from wind and water erosion. They use agricultural adaptation such as the creation of seed banks in communities to store seeds, systems to recycle water for agricultural purposes, drip irrigation systems and the cultivation of fruits and vegetables for family consumption. “It is very much a partnership approach, to help them mitigate these disasters when they come,” Kelly notes.
Supporting Trócaire’s Box appeal this year will positively impact the lives of this family and others like them. “This is the less recognisable face of the climate crisis,” Kelly says. “We have seen the real human impact of rising temperatures and extreme weather events. It needs to be seen to be believed and that’s why we are highlighting their story during out Lenten appeal”
To find out more about Trócaire’s Box appeal or to make a donation visit Trócaire.org
