Guatemala
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Photo: Jamie Grant for Mercy Corps
Our strategy
Lift indigenous Guatemalans out of poverty by providing access to land, better food and healthcare.
The context
About 80 percent of the population lives in poverty, partly because fertile land — the most important means of production in this agricultural economy — is concentrated in the hands of a few. Land reform since the end of its 36-year civil war in 1996 has advanced in fits and starts. The country also struggles with government corruption, high crime rates, crippled infrastructure and high rates of malnutrition.
Our work
- Conflict & Governance: Training communities to mediate land disputes that block rural development
- Agriculture & Food: Distributing food and providing nutrition education to mothers with young children; helping small farmer diversify crops, improve quality and increase revenues
- Health: Launching a network of pharmacies in previously unserved remote villages
All stories about Guatemala
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Guatemala: Mapping Out a Healthier Future May 5, 2005
Rosmina is keeping tabs on the women of Cucanha, Guatemala. She knows who's pregnant, how far along they are and many other details about their lives. Are these things really her business? Yes - exactly.
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Guatemala: A Volunteering Spirit May 5, 2005
Three-year-old Maynor sits in his mother's lap, barely conscious. He is pallid, exhausted and falling limp in his mother's arms.
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Guatemala: Reaching Out to Mothers in Guatemala May 5, 2005
Guatemala's wild, verdant Polochic Valley feels like a secret. It's a narrow, winding seam in the country's colorful fabric. As the Polochic River rushes toward the Caribbean, past indigenous Q'eqchi and Poqomchi villages, it seems to be the only thing in a hurry to reach its future.
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Guatemala: Three Months in Tucurú July 12, 2004
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Guatemala: True Peace in Guatemala May 26, 2004
Mercy Corps is working with local residents and organizations to resolve long-standing land disputes in central Guatemala.