80%

Rate of children who suffer from chronic malnutrition  in the areas where we work

7,000

Number of children we have treated for malnutrition since 2014

90%

rate of recovery among children we treat

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Guatemala has the fourth highest rate of malnutrition in the world. Overall, more than 40 percent of Guatemalans are under the age of 15, and in the western highlands this percentage is higher.  According to the World Food Program, up to 80% of Guatemalan children living in purely indigenous areas suffer from malnutrition. The western province of San Marcos where our operations are based is one of the areas most stricken.

Malnutrition results in stunting of growth and poor brain development and subsequent diminished school performance.  In severe cases,  malnutrition also weakens the immune system resulting in increased vulnerability to infections.

MHI’s nutrition program treats children between six months and five-years of age. In 2017, with the generous support of This Bar Saves Lives and its donation of Nutributter, MHI began treating children at risk for chronic malnutrition. Our goal was to target 3,000 children, however in 2019 we have been treat more than 7,000 malnourished children.  Over the past several years Edesia, a non-profit  company based in the United States that makes ready-to-use-therapeutic food (RTUF), has donated thousands of boxes with PlumpyNut, PlumphySup, NutriButter and other products. that has help us treat children  with acute severe malnutrition all over the Altiplano.

local Partnerships & ongoing nutritional treatment & support

The program collaborates with local distribution partners and is managed by nurse Mario Diaz de Paz who has experience in public health and nutrition. He oversees a team of three other bilingual nurses from the region. 

In the municipalities of Concepcion Tutuapa and San Sebastian, MHI works with the volunteer organization Pastoral de la Infancia. In the municipality of Tacana, MHI is working with the Italian-based NGO Hermana Tierra and the Hospital de la Familia,  in Nuevo Progresso. We supply the hospital's inpatient unit for severely malnourished children.