Christianity Today

Hungry Guatemala

Under decades of colonization, dictators, ethnic and racial strife, civil war, and government corruption—all punctuated by natural disasters—the lush, gorgeous land of Guatemala has become a death trap for the poorest of its citizens. According to a November report from the United Nations' Human Rights Council, about 40 percent of Guatemala's indigenous population lives in "extreme poverty." Half of all Guatemalan children under age 5 suffer from chronic malnutrition, and the rate increases among those living in the mountains and in rural villages to over 70 percent. According to UNICEF, Guatemala's rate of malnutrition is the worst in the Western Hemisphere. It is commonly ranked as the third worst in the world for child malnutrition. In 2009, the country's food shortage resulted in the government declaring a national emergency. The UN calls the current food situation "extremely serious."

Parents are so accustomed to small and skinny children that obvious signs of malnutrition can go unrecognized for too long. Experts cite malnutrition as the cause of significantly stunted growth among many children. Half of Guatemala's population is stunted, and in rural villages, the figure is as high as 80 percent. Beyond mere survival, malnutrition has effects both long-term and long-reaching. Without nutrients during early developmental stages, both the body and the brain can't grow. Experts forecast generations of Guatemalan adults less likely to attain higher levels of education or entrepreneurship, even when such opportunities are available.