Guatemala

Guatemala is an agricultural country, and hurricanes, droughts, and other natural disasters devastate crops as well as roads from rural areas to urban markets. Nearly half of all children suffer from stunted growth due to chronic malnutrition.

How Child Champions Are Helping Children in Poverty in Guatemala

Through OneChild’s Children’s Crisis Fund, families receive disaster relief including emergency food relief supplies, and families who are struggling day-to-day receive vitamins, supplies, and food baskets. At their Hope Centers, children regularly receive nutritious meals and snacks.

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Children in Guatemala are subjected to the worst forms of child labor, including sexual exploitation through child trafficking, working under harsh conditions in coffee bean and sugarcane fields, and working as street performers or beggars in cities. Parents often allow child labor because they need the money to buy basic supplies.

How Child Champions Are Helping Children in Poverty in Guatemala

Child Champions help rescue kids. The attention children receive at their Hope Centers assures them they are loved and provides them with the emotional support they need to overcome difficult situations. Child Champions also hold training sessions with caregivers to give them coping skills and connect children and their families to counselors and other resources. They encourage families to allow their kids to stay in school so that they have a chance to find a way out of poverty.

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Impoverished children and their families, especially those living in rural areas in rugged terrain, don’t have access to regular health care. Since 80% of doctors in Guatemala work in Guatemala City, people who live in rural and poorer areas lack the resources to get proper care.

How Child Champions Are Helping Children in Poverty in Guatemala

Children receive health screenings, medicines, and care when needed at their Hope Centers. Generous supporters of OneChild’s Children’s Crisis Fund also donate for surgeries and care that go beyond day-to-day health needs.

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Guatemala has one of the highest illiteracy rates in Latin America. Education there suffers from a lack of government funding, nonexistent supplies, and no training, especially in rural areas. About 90% of kids who live in poverty in Guatemala will not graduate from high school.

How Child Champions Are Helping Children in Poverty in Guatemala

Many Hope Centers are schools. At these locations, children are instructed in a range of subjects and skills. In communities where schools are in place, Hope Centers provide tutoring services to help children in poverty with their studies and encourage them in their education. In addition to academics, older children typically receive vocational training.

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