Guatemala
- Population:
- 13.2 million
- Capital city:
- Guatemala City
- GDP per capita:
- $4,562
- HDI ranking:
- 122 out of 182
- Life expectancy:
- 70 years
VSO is working in Guatemala in the areas of participation and governance/access to justice, and protecting environments and managing natural resources.
Participation and governance/access to justice
Guatemala is the most multiethnic and multilingual country in Central America, with over 24 ethnicities (22 of Mayan origin, one Xinca and the other Garifuna). 2002 census data indicate that 41 per cent of the approximately 11.3 million inhabitants self-identify as indigenous. Unofficial sources suggest that more than 65 per cent of the total population is indigenous.
Women represent 51 per cent of the population; four of every ten persons are under 15. Mortality rates – overall as well as infant and maternal – are high, especially in indigenous and rural communities. A significant proportion of deaths, particularly among children, are attributable to avoidable health risks associated with poor nutrition and inadequate sanitation. Guatemala is among the least urbanised countries in Latin America. Rates of emigration are high, especially to the U.S. and Mexico.
VSO contributes to efforts to make formal and alternative justice mechanisms and processes more accessible and responsive to women and children – particularly those from marginalised groups – in confronting problems of violence and other human rights abuses. Our organisation directly supports and links existing local and national initiatives, and facilitates exchange of relevant knowledge across national and regional boundaries. The impact of CUSO-VSO in this area is that women and children, particularly those from marginalised groups, have more effective and accessible means of defending their rights.
Protecting environments; managing natural resources
This program contributes to the empowerment of communities in seven countries to better manage their natural resources through strategies that combine environmental conservation with the reduction of poverty and the satisfaction of the basic needs of community members. Program goals – which include increasing community capacity to both mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change – are achieved by directly supporting and linking existing local and national initiatives, and by facilitating exchange of relevant knowledge across national and regional boundaries.
The program focuses on the management of forest landscapes, watersheds and protected areas, as well as on the empowerment of traditionally disenfranchised communities to help them become key actors in transformative change. The impact of VSO in this area is that communities are empowered to manage their natural resources in ways that sustainably satisfy their basic needs.
In Guatemala, VSO’s work in this program area is carried out in alliance with the Ibero-American Model Forest Network, which is developing two sites in Guatemala.
