¿Why Guatemala?

I am often asked, “Why did you chose to do your work in Guatemala?”

My first response is because I have two sons adopted from Guatemala.  It is their home country and a country with great need.  Describing that need is the challenge.

Fundamental issues in Guatemala exist on a scale not seen in the developed countries. Rural Guatemalans, especially the idigenous, face some very serious challenges:

Health: Infant mortality is among the worst in the hemisphere.
- Infant mortality rate is 55 per 1,000 live births.
- Maternal mortality rate is 110 per 100,000 live births.
- 16% of infants suffer from low birth weight.
- 67% of indigenous children are malnourished.

Poverty: Guatemala is one of the poorest countries in the hemisphere.
- 75% of the population is estimated to live below the poverty line.
- 58% of the population have incomes below the extreme poverty line.
- 32% of the population lives on less than $2 a day.
- 13% of the population lives on less than $1 a day.

Literacy: Guatemala has one of the lowest literacy rates in Latin America.
- Indigenous male adults have a literacy rate of 20%.
- Indigenous female adults have a literacy rate of just 10%.
- The average schooling of the indigenous population is just 1.9 years.

Human Rights: Guatemala is one of the world’s most violent countries.
- There are 43 murders per 100,000 people last year, according to a government estimate.3
- Charges are filed in only 2% of all murders.

People struggle to get by every single day here.  I guess that is my answer to the question, “Why Guatemala?”