About Guatemala

On Mexico's southern border, Guatemala is a country of 12 million people with the largest indigenous population in Central America. More than half come from Mayan groups such as the Q'eqchi', Quiche, and Mam. Although Spanish is the predominant language, the government has officially recognized 23 indigenous languages.

A devastating 36-year civil war ended in 1996, but the political, economic, and cultural effects of the conflict are still felt today. More than 100,000 people, mostly indigenous, were killed, and more than 1 million were displaced. Thousands of refugees left mountainous regions for southern Mexico or the remote Guatemalan jungle, where the increased population has accelerated deforestation and strained resources. In cities, violence has become a serious threat to women and girls, more than 2000 of whom have been murdered since 2001.

Especially in rural regions, lack of potable water, lack of access to state health care, and hunger contribute to high infant and maternal mortality rates. Unlike other Latin American countries, Guatemala has not made significant progress toward the UN Millenium Development goal for 2015 of reducing hunger and extreme poverty by half.

Our Work in Guatemala

• Education: Since 2003 we have conducted advanced workshops for 15 indigenous health promoters at Proyecto Ak’Tenamit, a health project in the eastern jungle that serves thousands of Q’eqchi’ Mayan people displaced during the civil war.

Sources: The CIA World Fact Book; Amnesty International; Pan American Health Organization