Human Survival
The most basic level requires three things:
Food
Shelter
Water
Human survival at the most basic level requires three things: food, shelter, and clean water. Most of the Guatemalan population lack one or more of these basic requirements. Although Guatemala is not the poorest country in Latin America, it has the highest rate of malnutrition in the region and the Western Hemisphere and the fourth-highest rate in the entire world. As of 2009, malnutrition rates in Guatemala were double those in Haiti. Half of the population of children under five years old in Guatemala are malnourished. This average is up to 80 percent higher in indigenous regions. Some even say that Guatemala is truthfully two countries in one—the select few rich and the rest who are extremely poor—with 20 percent of the population having nearly 60 percent of the country's total income.
Recent History of the Indigenous Mayan Population
Indigenous people of Guatemala are Mayan Indians.
There are many groups within the Mayan community with various colorful cultures and customs; however, the one thing they all share in common is abject poverty. They live in the mountainous regions of Guatemala far from any large cities, and they have no public transportation. The Mayans, once a thriving indigenous people, were obliterated by the Guatemalan Civil War, which lasted from 1960 to 1996.
Children - The Greatest Victims
No one knows for sure how many widows and orphans there are in Guatemala as a result of the political violence.
The estimates range from 40,000 to 80,000 widows and 150,000 to 250,000 children who have lost at least one parent. Now UNICEF estimates that there are more than 400,000 orphans in Guatemala.
Stunting and Malnourishment as the Norm
Tremendous poverty has horrendous effects on every area in the life of a child struggling for survival.
Malnutrition in Guatemala not only inhibits the development of each child but also the development of the nation as a whole. The absence of food and the presence of malnutrition is even more apparent within large families.
Polluted Water
Adding to the unhealthy conditions, the country’s water infrastructure is very poor.
Running water is a luxury for the rich, and tap water is unsafe to drink. Contaminated water causes parasites, infections, and diarrhea, which are all correlated with malnutrition. In a study done to explore the prevalence of diarrhea and respiratory infections among Guatemalan children, it was found that half of the Guatemalan children displayed at least one of these problems in a two-week period.
Mental Degeneration
Malnourished children show a decrease in cognitive capacity in which the severity of intellectual disability depends on the severity of malnourishment.
Severity ranges from complete mental disability to lowered academic performance and decreased IQ. How a Guatemalan child forms personal identity and relates to the world is greatly affected by malnourishment, especially if he or she is already negatively affected physically and cognitively.
An Opportunity for Americans
The need is truly great in our neighboring country of Guatemala.
We haven’t been told the truth about what is happening so very close to us. These children don’t get covered on our evening news. They suffer in remote areas where their voices cannot be heard and where they don’t have electricity to see what is just over the next mountain or what possibilities could await them. They live in isolation, and any exposure to life outside of their community is very small.