The Quiche region of the Guatemalan Highlands still experiences lingering effects of the 36-year Civil War that rattled the country until 1996. With the fourth highest rate of chronic malnutrition in the world, nearly 50% of Guatemala’s children under five are chronically malnourished. The Indigenous Mayan communities, which comprise much of the country's rural farmers, are hardest hit, with some communities malnutrition can be as high as 90%.
Many of the indigenous communities live in areas of the county that are underserved by infrastructure, receive little to no government assistance, and are so isolated that their situation is unknown to the majority of the population.
The indigenous Guatemalan diet is largely plant‐based, making it difficult to meet the micronutrient needs of infants and children from local foods.
Save The Children, one of the many international organizations helping to combat malnutrition, provides assistance by introducing more nutritionally dense crops.
Increasing food prices worldwide have raised Guatemalans’ cost of living. The indigenous populations are the most vulnerable. Faced with rising food prices, families adopt different strategies to adapt. Many families cut down on more expensive foods with higher nutritional value, and reduce the overall quantity of food they consume.
Although Guatemala is the biggest economy in Central America, the gap between rich and poor is vast; 20% of the population owns 60% of the income. Poverty increased from 51% in 2006 to 59% in 2014, and two-thirds of the population lives on less than $2 USD a day.
Malnutrition in infants and toddlers causes lower intelligence and reduced physical capacity. Children can experience up to 40% less brain development within their first 3 years. During this critical period, the impacts of malnutrition are irreversible.
Most villagers live in huts with dirt floors and tin roofs, with little patches of land to grow corn, lettuce, or root vegetables. Some families are lucky enough to have chicken pens or the occasional pig, but the animals' products are usually sold rather than eaten by the family.
About 41% of adolescent girls either have given birth or are pregnant with their first child by the age of 19 .
A boy walks with steer as they crush sugarcane. Vitamin A Deficiency has dropped significantly since sugar production began fortifying their products with Vitamin A in the 1970's.
Close to half of Guatemala’s population are members of indigenous groups that speak over 20 different languages.
The Guatemalan countryside is lush and fertile, filled with fresh vegetables. Very little of those vegetables make it into local homes, as most of the produce is exported out of the country.
Maura Tumhash and her 15 month old son Ricardo Chamatum-tum inside her house in the San Lucas community of Chipaj, Quiche. Ricardo is a recipient of Save the Children's donation of rice, oil, and goat milk.
Villagers in San Lucas in Chipaj, Quiche eat after a group of 3 nutritionists demonstrated how to make bread.
Promasa, a project created by Save the Children, helps the community by donating supplies and food. In this small community a few miles from Nebaj, there are 54 underweight children.
