Mayan King's Tomb Discovered in Guatemala
Dating from about 350 to 400 A.D., the preserved tomb, approximately 6 feet high, 12 feet long, and 4 feet wide, lay hidden beneath the El Diablo pyramid in the city of El Zotz.
To read more: http://news.discovery.com/archaeology/mayan-kings-tomb-found-in-guatemala.html
Tropical Storm Agatha Wreaks Havoc in Guatemala
“Landslides and flooding triggered by Agatha’s rains killed 74 people and left 24 missing, mostly in western and central Guatemala,” said David de Leon, a spokesman for Guatemala’s national disaster agency. (See link for more. ) More than 70,000 people have been evacuated from their homes across Guatemala, according to Reuters news agency.
Guatemala Suffers Food Shortage & Diseases
Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom declared his country "a state of public calamity" as 54,000 people suffer in hunger due to food shortages and the global economic crisis.
Lida Escobar, a field monitor for the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) in Guatemala, describes what she sees to BBC:
"In the eastern city of Jalapa I was astonished by what I saw. There were many many children with severe malnutrition problems. We found 22 children with marasmus and kwashiorkor [two nutrient deficiency diseases] in the hospital.
In Jalapa, the children are not only suffering from malnutrition but they also have to fight other diseases like bronchial pneumonia, gastrointestinal problems and diarrhoea. They lose their appetites and their bodies don't absorb the nutrients when they eat. As their body defences are low, they get sick very easily.
I also went to Chiquimula, in the town of Jocotan. I visited two nutritional treatment centres which have been treating children from the indigenous area known as Chorti. We found eight children recuperating there, most of them with Marasmus and Kwashiorkor.
The crisis has very complex causes.
Some children have developed these conditions because of the lack of food, but some because they have related diseases and are weak. The mothers say the children have fever and nausea and that, since they are not hungry, they don't give them anything to eat. The Chorti community have access to medical services through non-governmental organisations contracted to the ministry of health. To reach them, you have to drive and the walk for two hours through a mountainous area. In some cases there is help available, but there are problems with education. We found one girl that was very cold and about to die. We asked the mother why she hadn't taken her to the centre and she replied that they only take their children to the centre when the local shaman cannot do anything else to help.
In the most vulnerable areas, the WFP helps with a project in which we exchange food for work. This gives the community an opportunity to work in projects like soil conservation, reforestation, growing vegetable, fertilising and training. We also provide young children, lactating mothers and pregnant women with Vitaceral, which is a mixture of corn with fortified soy, micronutrients and fortified biscuits. It's very sad to see the children with marasmus and kwashiorkor. They just stare into space and it makes you wonder what they are looking at. What is their future? What are they thinking about?"
This story reminds me of my experience in San Pedro La Laguna several years ago. A group of us, including a medical team, were working in this village on the shores of Lake Atitlan and an emaciated baby girl was brought to the clinic, diagnosed with kwashiorkor. The baby girl was in deep suffering, starving with skin filled lesions. The story was that the poor father withheld any protein for the baby girl as she was the last in the pecking order of importance. Coveted protein was fed first to the males according to age, and then females. Needless to say, the baby girl never received needed protein. Although a local missionary brought the baby girl to Guatemala City for medical care, the baby girl eventually died.
Help us to provide food for poor families around Lake Atitlan by donating to schools today.
Free Education for All Children in Guatemala
In Guatemala, education is divided into Pre-Primaria (párvulos and kindergarten), Primaria (Primary school 1st to 6th grade), Secundaria (Secundary school, 3 years known as Básico), and Diversificado (3 years of High School). For the last several years, children who went to middle school and high school had to pay for tuition to go to school and many families simply could not afford it. The current Guatemalan government has made it possible for free education for all children. Globally Minded Works is thrilled for such a move as many more children will have access to education.
Ongoing needs for most of the rural schools in Guatemala include: books, supplies, furniture, computers, and even buildings. With donations from people like you, Globally Minded Works aims to fill this gap.
Not all schools are fully paid for by the government. Some still require parents to pay for tuition, books, and school uniforms. In such cases, in the communities we work, we may provide scholarships so children can go to school.
Join our efforts to support education and other
charitable projects in Guatemala by donating to our work.
Thank you for your kind donation to support the Mayan children in Guatemala.
Guatemala School Year Begins February 1, 2009
The Guatemalan Education Minister has delayed the school start date to February 1st, in order to assure that public schools receive their guaranteed supplies before the first day of school. Traditionally, school begins January 15th.
Guatemala was recently awarded IDB loans for $350 million to fight malnutrition and improve health and education. With such proceeds, President Alvaro Colom's administration implemented a program called "My Family Progresses", where families in over 80 municipalities receive $40.00 a month, so that children go to school instead of work.
"Although Guatemala is a middle-income country, almost half of its population is under 15 years of age, and of these, 60 per cent are poor and 40 per cent extremely poor,” said IDB team leader Graciana Rucci. “Intergenerational transmission of poverty is a great concern, particularly in rural areas and among indigenous peoples. Their nutrition, health and education indicators are among the lowest.”
“Conditional cash transfer programs have received positive evaluations in the region based on their capacity to improve social indicators,” added Rucci. “Through this conditional cash transfer program, the Government of Guatemala aims to strengthen its human capital by investing in children and youth.”
Source:
http://www.iadb.org/NEWS/detail.cfm?language=English&id=4760#
http://www.plenglish.com/article.asp?ID={9340D321-EFA7-4506-8890-AD0416E60A55})&language=EN