Guatemala

Since 2001, our work in Guatemala has focused on growing economic opportunity in agricultural communities, connecting people to clean water and nutritious food, and supporting effective governance for a peaceful future. In 2024, our programming reached more than 68,000 people in Guatemala.
 

The context

Over 18 million people live in Guatemala, a country rich with cultural heritage, biodiversity, and natural resources. While Guatemala has the largest economy in Central America in terms of population, the opportunity to build a financial future is limited among women, indigenous communities, and young people.

It was estimated in 2023 that more than 55 percent of the country’s population lived in poverty. The rate of poverty rises to roughly 79 percent among Indigenous Guatemalans, the majority of whom live in rural areas where most fertile land is owned by only a few large commercial farms. Though rural communities are embedded in Guatemala’s agricultural sector, most lack access to more profitable markets. Deepening this challenge are the threats extreme or unpredictable weather pose to small holder farmers.

With 4.3 million people within the country estimated to not have enough food to eat in August 2023, Guatemala is considered a “hunger hotspot” by the United Nations. Almost half of all children under the age of five suffer from some degree of malnutrition. And around 44% of the population lack access to clean water.

Indigenous communities in Guatemala have long faced unfair treatment.  In recent years, the compounded effects of economic hardship, extreme weather, and malnutrition have forced hundreds of thousands of families to flee the country in search of a better life.

Our impact

Mercy Corps supports community resilience for the most vulnerable communities in Guatemala through partnerships with local governments and organisations. Our programmes make an impact across these areas:

Building new economic opportunities

In rural communities, Mercy Corps livelihood programming helps women and indigenous people open a financial future for themselves. By increasing access to education, microloans, and business training for smallholder farmers and business owners, our team is supporting communities in growing and strengthening their local economies.

Simultaneously, we work to increase access to markets and strengthen agricultural value chains—which includes all the activities that bring crops from farmers to consumers. By participating in these programmes, farmers improve efficiency and product quality, receive organic and fairtrade certifications, and connect to new opportunities to sell their harvests domestically and as an export. The financial benefits of these efforts lead to better housing, food access, and educational opportunities in rural communities.

Increasing access to clean water and sanitation

By consulting and coordinating with local government agencies, Mercy Corps promotes purification, filtration, and chlorination systems to communities, and we are improving permanent access to clean water by installing water purification systems in areas that lack access to clean water. Many of these disease-reducing initiatives are self-sustaining through partnerships developed with local businesses.

To further increase sanitation, participants received basic training on hygienic practises and safe water consumption. Community members receive information on water purification methods and how to best maintain their water systems.

Growing climate resilience and strengthening food security with farming communities

Changing weather patterns and extreme natural disasters pose serious threats to smallholder farming communities. While our team works with communities to quickly deliver relief in the aftermath of disasters and provide support to recover livelihoods, we also partner on ways people can take anticipatory action—preparation steps to take in advance of a catastrophic event—and reduce their risk. With accurate weather data as well as forecast-based remittances, communities are better able to minimise losses and damages before a disaster like flooding or drought strikes. Our team also trains farmers on how to use the weather data to better plan what and when to grow, helping them to increase their harvests, food security, and profits.

In the wake of disasters, communities also rely on long-term solutions to support lasting nutrition in rural communities. Our team works to improve health and reduce malnutrition by helping families start household gardens, increasing availability of nutritious foods, and providing training for women raising young children to adopt healthy eating habits and prevent hunger.

Promoting peace and civic engagement

To reduce conflict between communities who cultivate land for differing agricultural uses, our team works with people to engage more across groups and local cultures to become key parts in territorial governance. While we promote and lead intergenerational dialogues where all are welcome to preserve historical knowledge, we also provide young people and women with the opportunity to train on land surveying and develop conflict resolution skills so they can offer a peaceful path forward when land disputes arise.