The Challenge

Guatemala is a Mayan civilization that has suffered greatly from a 36-year guerilla war, which ended with a peace treaty in 1996. The end of this period of violence left over 200,000, mostly unarmed, indigenous civilians, dead and created over 1 million refugees. Although the most populous of Central American countries, one half of the population is below poverty; 50% live on less than $2 per day. Infectious disease continues to be a major challenge with 59,000 people living with AIDS and others dying of bacterial diarrhea, Hepatitis A, Typhoid Fever, Dengue Fever and Malaria. The most dominant social issues include malnutrition among children, exploitation of women and children (to Mexico and United States) for sexual trafficking and forced labor, money laundering, illicit drugs, corruption, infant mortality and hunger. Bridges of Hope International began working in Guatemala in 2011.