As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chains have been damaged, forcing many to go without access to reliable sources of food. The United Nations World Food Program reports that up to 309 million people are facing acute levels of food insecurity in 2024.

Prior to the pandemic, many families in Guatemala struggled with acute poverty. However, over the last several years their situation has become even more desperate leaving many families unable to provide the basic necessities to feed and care for their children. This situation is magnifying the already dire conditions many women and children experience on a regular basis.

Let’s take a look at three challenges that mothers and women living in poverty in Guatemala face every day, and explore the ways that you can help them strengthen and nourish their families.

3 Major Challenges Facing Mothers and Women in Guatemala

They don't have adequate access to pregnancy and maternal health services...

One study found that while every rural community had a midwife within the community or nearby, biomedical services were far less accessible:

• Only 40 percent of rural communities have a health center
• Only 20 percent have a private physician that serves pregnant women
• Approximately 50 percent of rural communities have a private obstetrical doctor within an hour’s traveling distance

One of the more devastating effects of the rampant poverty in Guatemala is the extremely high rate of infant mortality. In fact, in the US, the infant mortality rate (IMR) is currently 6.2 deaths per 1,000 live births — a stark contrast to Guatemala’s Infant Mortality Rate of 22. 

They are drinking diseased water and breathing dirty air...

The struggle to find water dominates the lives of many Guatemalan women. Walking for hours each day to locate water, these women still end up carrying unclean water home to their families from unprotected sources which can cause terrible illnesses, like Hepatitis A, typhoid fever, and bacterial diarrhea. According to the World Health Organization, 1.4 million people die each year as a result of inadequate drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene

Only 5% of wastewater in Guatemala is treated, and sewage flows into surface water and rivers, contaminating the water sources that rural Guatemalans rely on for drinking water. More than 40% of rural Guatemalans do not have access to water in their homes.

In addition to the struggle to find clean water, many Guatemalans are affected by harsh air pollution. In the cities, air pollution comes from unregulated vehicles and in rural areas, smoke from cooking fires. The leading cause of premature death in Guatemala is respiratory infections or illnesses.

They cannot put food on their children's plates and it's causing long term damage...

Many of the health complications that plague families result from a lack of proper nutrition. In fact, 1 in 2 Guatemalan children under 5 years of age is suffering from chronic malnutrition.

The cycle of malnutrion is especially harsh, according to Estefania Turpin, medical coordinator for Doctors of the World in Guatemala. Young girls are malnourished through childhood, who then are malnourished during pregnancy, and subsequently give birth to infants that are also malnourished. 

50% of children in Guatemala are facing long-term physical consequences like permanently stunted growth, slowed brain development, weakness, and susceptibility to illness because they don’t have access to enough food and to food with the right nutrients. In some parts of the country, malnutrition affects up to 90% of children.

The mothers of Guatemala desperately need resources and education to better feed their children, especially in the precious first two years of their child’s life. 

The Root of Health and Wellness

At the heart of health is proper nutrition, something many families in Guatemala struggle to achieve. With poor sanitation and diminishing access to safe food sources, children go without the basic necessities that allow them to grow properly and safely. 

To help support and serve the poorest of the poor, particularly women and children in Guatemala, our missionaries founded and continue to staff the Bethany Center. The center — a network of soup kitchens, maternal care facilities, and schools — provides food, healthcare services, education, training, and general support in these impoverished rural communities.

How can you help Guatemalan families in their time of need?

First, please join us in prayer for the families of rural Guatemala, as they experience greater devastation and food insecurity as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. You can pray on your own or participate in nine days of community prayer with our Guatemala Novena offered for our brothers and sisters in need. Remember, also, the missionaries as they care for the most vulnerable of Christ’s brothers and sisters in Guatemala with the love and strength they need.

Second, consider supporting the work of our missionaries to provide food and resources for mothers and their children. At the Bethany Center, each meal we serve costs just 15 cents and (pre-COVID) our soup kitchens were feeding 250 children, ages 4-14, daily. Because these families can no longer come to the soup kitchen, we are bringing food to them.

Here's how much it costs to feed one family:

• $15 Feeds a family for one week

• $30 Feeds a family for two weeks

• $60 Feeds a family for one month

• $360 Feeds a family for six months

With access to proper nourishment, mothers in Guatemala can care for their children without fear. When you share the food and love from your family table with a family in Guatemala, you are feeding the Body of Christ and making your dinner table an act of charity.

There is no better blessing than the gift of life and health. From your family table to theirs, let's share the bread.