Guatemala

The most populated country in Central America, Guatemala is located south of Mexico and borders Honduras, El Salvador, and Belize. Mountains, active volcanoes, and coastal plains fill the landscape.

  • Population
    143,890
  • Land mass
    42,042
  • Life Expectancy
    71 years
  • Literacy Rate
    74%
  • Access to Safe Water
    94%
  • Under Age 5 Mortality Rate
    32/1000
Guatemala Map

US Comparison to Guatemala

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Guatemala United States
Population
143,890
307,000,000
Land Mass
42,042
3,794,083 sq miles
Life Expectancy
71 years
78 years
Infant Mortality
32/1000
7/1000
Literacy Rate
74%
97%
School Enrollment
96%
92%
Access to Safe Water
94%
100%
Average Annual Income
$2,740
$41,400

World Vision in Guatemala Today

World Vision is committed to partnering with the people of Guatemala to improve their lives today and to help enact sustainable solutions for the future of their children, families, and communities. World Vision’s child sponsorship program plays a vital role in this partnership, with donors from the United States sponsoring more than 26,200 girls and boys. In addition to sponsorship, World Vision operates other programs that benefit communities in Guatemala. Highlights include:

  • Providing school supplies, scholarships and encouraging participation in community centers
  • Reducing poverty by offering small business owners loans and other microfinance opportunities.

World Vision History in Guatemala

World Vision assistance to Guatemala dates back to 1962. Sponsorship began in 1974. Since then, some of World Vision’s major accomplishments include:

  • Helping children attend school by providing them with transportation during the 1960s.
  • Providing food, nutrition information, and education to families struggling with poverty in the 1970s.
  • Improving lives by teaching women how to raise poultry, training farmers in soil improvement, and building sanitary latrines during the 1980s.
  • Assisting childrens education by providing school supplies and teachers’ salaries during the 1990s.
  • Helping communities increase economic development and raising HIV and AIDS awareness since the beginning of the 21st century.

Geography & People

Geography and people

The most populated country in Central America, Guatemala is located south of Mexico and borders Honduras, El Salvador, and Belize. Mountains, active volcanoes, and coastal plains fill the landscape. Guatemala is highly susceptible to hurricanes and subsequent flooding and mudslides.

Natural resources include petroleum, nickel, rare woods, fish, and hydropower.

Over half of Guatemala’s population is either mestizo—a mixture of Amerindian and Spanish descent—or of European heritage. Indigenous Amerindians make up the rest of the population. Spanish is the official language, but Amerindians speak 23 native dialects.

History

Guatemala declared independence in September 1821 after nearly 300 years of Spanish rule. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the country experienced relative stability under a series of dictators. In 1944, a group known as the October Revolutionaries instituted several reforms popular with rural indigenous peoples. A military coup in 1954 disrupted the reforms. By 1960, a group of rebels revolted, beginning a 36-year war—the longest civil war in Latin American history.

The government signed a peace agreement in 1996, formally ending the conflict that had left more than 100,000 people dead, and nearly 1 million people displaced.

In recent years, the elected administration has focused efforts on government and social reforms.

Prayer Requests for Guatemala

Please pray for:

A drop in the violence that plagues the country year after year so children can grow up in a safe and caring environment.

The economy’s continued recovery and growth.

Guatemala Facts

  • Guatemala has a low unemployment rate at just over three percent; however, about 56 percent of the population still lives below the poverty line.
  • Children and adolescents remain vulnerable to high incidences of violent crimes.
  • Almost half of children under the age of 5 suffer from malnutrition.
  • Despite high school enrollment rates, many children do not finish school and many remain illiterate.

Child Sponsorship

Through sponsorship, World Vision is partnering with families and communities to help meet immediate needs and promote lasting changes that will strengthen communities and move families toward self-reliance.

Each year sponsors receive updates about their sponsored child and their community. Sponsors also learn about the child's continuing activities and new accomplishments so when they correspond with their child, they can encourage them in their education, hobbies and endeavors.

The commitment of World Vision sponsors helps provide children with love, hope, and opportunities for a healthy, productive future. May God bless sponsors as they make a lasting difference in the life of a special child.

Sponsor a child in Guatemala

Progress in Guatemala

Thanks to the generous support of our sponsors, World Vision was able to work alongside communities to accomplish the
following in 2012.

Food and Agriculture

  • Trained farmers in improved agricultural techniques and crop storage methods to increase the supply of food.

Water and Sanitation

  • Taught families how to purify water and distributed water filters to households and schools, working to decrease waterborne illness.
  • Helped build household and school latrines to improve environmental sanitation.

Education

  • Operated child development centers where children can play and learn in a safe environment.
  • Formed youth groups called "Sowers of Hope," which provide leadership opportunities for young people and strengthen their self-esteem.
 

Economic Opportunities

  • Provided vocational training for young people.
  • Supported local business groups with supplies and training, working to increase economic opportunities for community members.

Child Rights

  • Organized parenting groups to promote positive parenting techniques and strengthen communication in families.

Healthcare

  • Provided age-appropriate HIV-prevention education for young people.
  • Worked with health agencies to immunize and deworm children under age 5 and distribute vitamin supplements.
  • Helped malnourished children recover their health by teaching their mothers about nutrition and meal preparation and providing food supplements.
  • Coordinated the distribution of energy-efficient, clean-burning stoves to reduce respiratory illness among children caused by smoke in the kitchen.