A lack of access to water and environmental contamination in the community lead to the infectious diseases that are major contributors to Guatemala’s high infant and child mortality rates. BPD’s partnerships with communities address this by:

Rural women often spend hours of hard labor each day carrying water from a stream and consequently are forced to ration family water use excessively. Access to safe, running water enables people to wash hands, wash food to be eaten and boil water to reduce contaminants. Working with communities to build water systems is life-changing and life-saving.

Building latrines and low-tech filters for used water reduces environmental contamination in and around homes and reduces infections.

Cooking over open fires contributes to smoke inhalation and respiratory diseases and creates burn hazards for women and small children. BPD works with families to build efficient, vented stoveswhich eliminate smoke in the household and minimize the use of firewood.
 

With over 50% of children under five suffering from malnutrition, Guatemala has one of the world’s highest rates of chronic malnutrition and growth stunting. BPD addresses this issue by:

Teaching women to grow vegetables, fruit trees and protein – rich grains such as amaranth can greatly improve families’ nutritional intake.

Low-cost food supplements are available in Guatemala and we teach women to use thesewith vegetables to provide balanced meals.

 

Infants and young children are traditionally wrapped and carried on women’s backs for most of the day in Guatemala. This practice keeps them safe, but allows for little stimulation and exploration. BPD works with mothers and older siblings to teach early childhood development skills including active play to help children learn.

 

Guatemala is one of the 10 countries in the world most vulnerable to natural disasters. Our communities suffer from landslides, drought and flooding, leading to disastrous crop loss for subsistence farmers. BPD is attuned to and prepared to address immediate food needs when emergencies occur. After the initial emergency response, BPD helps communities rebuild water systems and latrines, as well as get their crops replanted.
 

We work with communities to assist in getting donated construction materials, negotiating water access rights and organizing to build community centers, schools, water systems, latrines and stoves. Our specialists provide the training and the community provides the labor and organizes themselves for long-term maintenance of the infrastructure.

Some communities have requested that BPD work with them to increase access to education by helping build schools. BPD facilitates the acquisition of construction supplies and then helps the community apply to the Ministry of Education for a teacher. In eight villages BPD worked with villagers to develop community centers to serve as the focus for educational and other community activities.

 

BPD makes empowerment of women an integral component of its strategies by encouraging women’s participation in water committees and discussing women’s rights and empowerment as part of educational and other activities.

Being able to have children when and if you want to is an important part of people’s empowerment. BPD educators provide information on family planning and distribute some family planning methods in the isolated communities where we work.