Caring Outreach to Immigrants from Guatemala

Determined outreach paved the way for Centreville Immigration Forum (CIF) to provide welcoming vaccine clinics to their community of Guatemalan immigrants in Northern Virginia. While many community members were distrustful or ill-informed about the Covid-19 vaccines, health workers like Claudia Alvarez stepped in to listen and educate. She led a team that performed outreach to local schools, churches, stores, restaurants, and homes. Her team spoke the Guatemalan indigenous dialect Ixil with community members, to build trust and share accurate information about the vaccines. After making strong community connections, Claudia was heartened to see many who previously expressed hesitancy about being vaccinated walk through her clinic doors. “They took care of informing us correctly, translating for us, making my appointment for the vaccine,” said clinic participant Sandra, who was happy that her family could stay close to home to receive their vaccines. Sandra was impressed that CIF took the time to help her understand the vaccine. “They made me laugh, they gave me snacks … I really felt very grateful,” she said.