At least 12,000 people have died and 2milion made homeless by flooding and mudslides following in the wake of hurricane Mitch. "The scene is one of total devastation," says the CAFOD director Julian Fiochowski from central Africa. Horrific images of overflowing mortuaries and people signalling desperately for help from rooftops have hit television screens around the world.
             In the capital of Honduras crews filmed as a two story house was washed away with two children crying in the second floor window. The collapse of the casitas volcano in Nicaragua buried whole communities.
             CAFOD has been working in central America for over 30 years and so has a network of long – term local partners for getting help to where it is most needed.
             CAFOD has already received requests for help to the level of 300,000 with more coming in daily from partners. CAFOD hopes to raise £1 million for immediate relief and rehabilitation.
             In Honduras, a grant of 50,000 has been made immediately available to provide 12,417 families with food packages, cooking stove and utensils, clean water, medicines, sanitation and hygiene supplies.
             In Nicaragua £30,000 has been sent to local partner john XXIII institute for food and mendicants.
             CAFOD will be there after the crisis, working for long – term reconstruction and development.
             The 3rd world countries because of the lack of money have had to take out a lone with the bigger countries, England and the us, and are paying £1.3 million in debt service to these countries. In other words they are paying us money but will not be able to if we do not help. Another way we are involved with the problem is the people of the countries work for out food manufactures.
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