Challenges in Guatemala
- Social inequality is enourmous: 40% of the populations is indigenous and extremely disadvantaged.
- Guatemala is ranks ninth on the WorldRiskIndex, which calculates the risk of disaster as a consequence of extreme natural events and the societal vulnerability of a country. Guatemala is particularly at risk due to climate change, and the very existence of its small farmers is under threat.
- The situation with regard to education is precarious: a mere 41.8% of children in our project areas attend compulsory preschool or kindergarten.
- In Guatemala, there is an immense gap between rich and poor. The indigenous Mayan people especially often live in poverty and are disadvantaged in many ways. In our project region in the highlands of the Department of Sololá, more than 90% of the population is indigenous. 85% of the inhabitants of the department are poor and 20% extremely poor.
- Guatemala ranks 9th among the countries with the highest world risk index. This index calculates the disaster risk as a complex interaction of natural events and the vulnerability of society. Guatemala is particularly affected by climate change, which threatens the livelihoods of many smallholder families.
- The educational situation in the country is precarious: only 41.8% of the children in our project area attend compulsory pre-school. Even at school, Mayan children have little chance of a good start: growing up with Mayan languages, they are suddenly expected to speak Spanish at school, but have never learned it.
Example of a past project in Guatemala
Please note
This is/these are just (an) examples. More past and current projects can be found on the German page (language can be changed at the top right).
