Severe malnutrition in Guatemala

Through poverty, illness or lack of education, Guatemala is suffering a crisis of malnutrition. According to Government figures, some 54,000 families suffer from hunger, and a further 400,000 could see themselves affected before the end of the year.  President Alvaro Colom has declared a state of national emergency, a move that will allow the country to access international aid. 

The two most common types of malnutrition in Guatemala are Kwashiorkor, a swelling caused by fluid retention due to protein deficiencies, and Marasmo, a deficiency of calories and proteins, seen in children with their skin stretched taut across their bones. 

The worst affected areas of the country are the seven provinces that make up El Corredor Seco ('the dry passage') region of Guatemala. A recent drought and the economic crisis are thought to be the key factors behind the widespread food shortages.

However, Lida Escobar, field monitor for the Global Nutrition Programme in Guatemala (PNG), argues that the causes of the problem are more complex. While some children are victims of a simple lack of food, others are trapped in a vicious cycle where pre-exisiting diseases cause lack of appetite and a weakened immune system, leading to weight loss. 

In some cases the help exists but a lack of education prevents Guatemalans from using it. According to Escobar, rural areas such as the indigenous Chortí are actually well provided for by NGO and government funded health centres or mobile medical aid. The problem is that locals are reluctant to take their children to these facilities, preferring instead to visit the 'bujo' - witch doctor - first. Medical teams are often viewed as a last resort, and therefore have to admit and treat children already in the advanced stages of starvation and malnutrition.