Guatemala

A girl from a remote community in Alta Verapaz drinks water out of a creek. The lack of clean water in this region causes high rates of diarrheal diseases among children.

OVERVIEW

A country with a very diverse population, Guatemala has more than 20 different Amerindian languages spoken within its borders. Approximately 60 percent of the population lives below the poverty line. The infant mortality rate of Guatemala is six times worse than the infant mortality rate of the United States.

IMCI PROJECTS AND PROGRAMMING

-Clinical Training

The Guatemalan Ministry of Health has provided clinical IMCI training to doctors, nurses and other health care professionals for improved diagnosis and treatment of diarrheal diseases, acute respiratory infections, measles, malaria, and malnutrition. Assistance for this training comes from a number of organizations, including the Pan American Health Organization and the American Red Cross.

-Community IMCI Projects

San Marcos

San Marcos is located in the state of the same name in the western region of Guatemala. The local economy is primarily based on agriculture. Public health services are almost non-existent. There is only one health post in the area to serve a population of over 12,000 people.

Community groups are organizing efforts to improve child health through:

• Organizing and training local volunteers and health promoters to improve community knowledge of basic hygiene and the 16 Key Family Practices as part of community IMCI.
• Educating and training local families to improve nutrition through improved cooking methods, food use and food storage.

Tejutla

Tejutla is located in the state of San Marcos in western Guatemala. The local economy is based primarily on agriculture. Public health services are grossly insufficient to serve the needs of the more than 19,000 inhabitants of the area.

Community groups are organizing efforts to improve child health through:

• Supporting the existing network of health promoters through training of local volunteers to improve community knowledge of basic hygiene and the 16 Key Family Practices. The Spanish Red Cross is joining with other IMCI partners to support the programming in Tejutla.
• Improving community access to better nutrition.

Coban

The Coban region is located in the northern state of Alta Verapaz. The area has a high percentage of indigenous inhabitants who rely primarily on subsistence agriculture to make a living. A lack of clean water and inadequate sanitation in the region has led to even higher rates of childhood illness.

Community groups are organizing efforts to improve child health through:

• Reducing the rates of diarrhea, respiratory infections and malnutrition through community members working in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, the Red Cross and the Pan American Health Organization.

-Additional Projects

• In the Chiquimula region, Red Cross volunteers and health personnel have been trained to identify the signs and symptoms of malnutrition, and provide hygiene and nutrition education to selected local communities.
• The Red Cross has provided posters and flyers about malaria and dengue fever to the Guatemalan Ministry of Health to improve treatment and public awareness of these two diseases.

Vital Statistics for Guatemala
Human Development Ranking (out of 162 nations)	108
Population	12,974,361
Population growth rate	2.60%
Infant mortality rate	45.79 deaths/1,000 live births
Under-five mortality rate	60 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth	66.51 years
Total fertility rate	4.58 children born/woman
Maternal mortality ratio	190 deaths/100,000 live births
HIV/AIDS adult prevalence rate	1.38%
People living with HIV/AIDS	73,000
HIV/AIDS deaths	3,600
GDP per capita	$3,700
Population living on $1 a day	10%
Population living below national poverty line	60%
Population without access to safe water	8%
Population without access to adequate sanitation	15%