According to the Economic Commission for Latin America, only two Central American countries continue to have the majority of their population living in rural areas: Guatemala and Honduras. In Guatemala, the proportion of rural poor exceeds the national average by 10 percent (66.5% vs. 55%).  In addition, the poorest 25% of the population controls 3.44% of the country’s wealth whereas the richest 25% of the population controls 57.83% of the country’s wealth; the wealthiest 10% of the population controls 42.41% of the country’s wealth. (World Bank) The two departments with the highest rates of poverty, Quiché (80%) and Alta Verapaz (79%), are where FUNCEDESCRI works. These rates are shocking as compared to Guatemala City’s poverty rate of 19%. (Encovi 2006)

The indigenous Mayan population is more than half of the total population of Guatemala. Even though the Mayans are heirs to an ancient culture and bearers of knowledge, traditions, and ancient teachings, being indigenous in Guatemala is equivalent, with few exceptions, to marginalization, poverty and lack of opportunities. The figures speak for themselves: 80% live in poverty and more than 40% are illiterate. The statistics for women are even more drastic; more than 62% of the female population is illiterate.

Out of every hundred Guatemalan women 64 live in rural areas, of which 59 percent are indigenous. Many of the economically active women in rural areas engage in activities related to agriculture, farm animal breeding, and the creation of textiles. Being an indigenous Guatemalan woman and living in a rural area is closely linked to precarious living conditions, poverty, and double or triple work shifts. Women face a lack of recognition for their contributions in all areas and a recurrent violation of their most fundamental rights.

Guatemala suffers from constant violence which is tied to the poverty the country faces. Social spending is not getting to where it is needed, which is a hindrance to violence prevention. If in addition to strengthening the justice system a higher amount of funds were devoted to the welfare of the needy, Guatemala might be able to better counter the country’s grave violence problems.

Another critical issue is the hunger and malnourishment that the poor face. According to the U.N. World Food Program, Guatemala has the fourth highest rate of chronic malnutrition across the world and 43.4% of Guatemalan children under six years are chronically malnourished. These statistics are shocking considering the advances documented by the Pan-American Health Organization in recent years.  These results, which also coincide with the report on the State of the World’s Children, presented in November 2009 by the United Nations Fund for Children (UNICEF), do account for a slight improvement, since malnutrition rates were at 49.3% in 2008. Despite some improvements, the most affected continue to be rural and indigenous populations, where chronic malnutrition reaches 70% on average.