A view of Tierra Linda
There are not paved street, just dirt road and foot paths.
Tierra Linda is a very traditional agricultural village. Most of the people in this village do not speak Spanish, nor know how to read and write. It has a population of 826 people – and no real economy. It is at the end of the road, no through traffic. There isn’t enough land and many of the subsistence farmers are forced to rent land at high prices far from the village. The village members live in very small homes, mostly adobe brick that are connected by dirt roads and foot paths. There is no medical clinic, no dentists; the closest medical attention is an hour’s walk to Sololá.
Guatemala is the most populous country in Central America and struggles with some of the lowest social indicators in the hemisphere. It is still suffering the effect of the 36 year old civil war that ended in 1996. It suffers from extreme income inequality — 56 percent of the population lives in poverty, one in five in extreme poverty. Infant mortality is among the worst in the region (39 per 1,000 live births), maternal mortality is extremely high (153 per 100,000 births) and chronic malnutrition remains a serious problem (49 percent)
In the Department of Sololá, where Tierra Linda is located, 76% of the population lives in poverty – living on less than $2 per day. Fifty five% of the children are chronically malnourished.
Malnutrition is a chronic problem. The basic diet for many children is bread and coffee in the morning - this is a very watered down sugary coffee. Tortillas, beans and rice for lunch and often, bread and coffee for dinner again. For many children from poor families their diet often consists of tortillas and salt. Many children go hungry.
Guatemala is the most populous country in Central America and struggles with some of the lowest social indicators in the hemisphere. It is still suffering the effect of the 36 year old civil war that ended in 1996. It suffers from extreme income inequality — 56 percent of the population lives in poverty, one in five in extreme poverty. Infant mortality is among the worst in the region (39 per 1,000 live births), maternal mortality is extremely high (153 per 100,000 births) and chronic malnutrition remains a serious problem (49 percent)
In the Department of Sololá, where Tierra Linda is located, 76% of the population lives in poverty – living on less than $2 per day. Fifty five% of the children are chronically malnourished.
Malnutrition is a chronic problem. The basic diet for many children is bread and coffee in the morning - this is a very watered down sugary coffee. Tortillas, beans and rice for lunch and often, bread and coffee for dinner again. For many children from poor families their diet often consists of tortillas and salt. Many children go hungry.
View of the lake from Tierra Linda.
1 comment:
Thank you for taking the time to let people know of the great needs of the Guatemalan people, David
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