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Health Coverage for Guatemala, Chimaltenango and Sacatepequez
Guatemala, Chimaltenango and Sacatepequez Departments,
Guatemala
HOW TO USE THIS REPORT
Project Goal Project Description
Provide health services for approximately 10,000 families living in rural areas of Guatemala.
The Health Coverage for Guatemala, Chimaltenango and Sacatepequez project seeks to extend health care coverage for families across three departments in Guatemala. Those who live in these impoverished rural areas have a difficult time accessing health care with this project they would be able to receive the care they need.
Food For The Poor (FFTP) will be partnering with Cáritas Arquidiocesana and the Health Coverage Extension Program from Guatemala's Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance (MSPAS) to serve 10,000 of God's children.
This lifesaving project includes the following components:
Two pediatric scales, two infantometers and two height rods for anthropometric measurementsTwo scales to weigh babies under two years oldTwo infrared thermometersThree sphygmomanometers and sleeve kitsThree adult stethoscopesThree pediatric stethoscopesThree portable otolaryngoscopesTwo glucometers with test strip kitsTwo sets of COVID-19 hospital protection equipment:10 latex gloves 50 packs of 50 KN95/surgical masks10 fabric hair covers10 packs of disposable gowns10 pairs of glasses15 pediatric air chambersThree oxygen tanksProcess digitalization:This will ensure data collection of information for the national database to help serve their citizensMedicineMedical Mission days:This initiative seeks to increase access to specialized pediatric health services and support key communities with patient care.Coverage Extension Program promotion plan and medical conferences:10,000 service infographics and flyersThree banners and 20 promotion roll-upsThree municipal radio spots to promote medical conferences in each municipality
Completed project budgets are subject to change if not fully funded within six months. The completion date of this project may be extended for issues related to weather, natural disaster, or civil unrest to the extent that such events exceed normal conditions and impede the project’s progress.
Total Project Costs: $196,021.48Guatemala, Chimaltenango and Sacatepequez Departments Guatemala
The largest country in Central America, Guatemala is home to approximately 18 million people. The distribution of income remains highly unequal with the richest 20% of the population accounting for more than 51% of Guatemala's overall consumption.
More than half of Guatemalans live below the poverty line, with 23% of the population living in extreme poverty. Poverty among indigenous groups, which make up more than 40% of the population, averages 79%, with 40% of the indigenous population living in extreme poverty. A sad result of this widespread poverty is that Guatemala has one of the highest rates of chronic child malnutrition in the world.
Nearly one-half of Guatemala's children under age 5 are chronically malnourished. Guatemala's severe food insecurity and lack of accessible, affordable medical care has led to high infant, child and maternal mortality rates.
In order to help the people of Guatemala, FFTP has worked with Cáritas Arquidiocesana for more than 10 years, which oversees many of the projects undertaken by FFTP in Guatemala.
Guatemala
Located in the metropolitan region of the country, the department of Guatemala spans 850 square miles. It was founded in 1776 in the Valle de la Asunción and declared a department in 1825. Guatemala has a diverse number of ethnic groups and languages and is the center of commerce in the country.
Most speak Spanish, but some Kaq'chiquel and Pocomam-speaking indigenous populations also predominate, especially in the northern area of the Guatemala department.
The department has various levels of poverty in the rural area. Many families are impoverished due to lack of job opportunities. Since they have little to no job opportunities, residents lack access to housing or places to grow their own food, leading to malnutrition and other health issues.
The Guatemala department has 23 health services, including the San Juan de Dios and Roosevelt Hospitals, which are the largest in the country, three specialized care hospitals, and health centers in different areas of the department. With a population density of 1,142 people per square kilometer, health services are inefficient, offset by the fact that the two general hospitals are visited by the entire population of the whole country.
Chimaltenango
This department is located in the central region of the country with a temperate climate with a few cold regions. The language of this community is Kaq'chiquel and its foundation dates back to 1526, but Chimaltenango was publicly established as a department in 1839. It has 16 municipalities, and San Andrés Itzapa, Chimaltenango and El Tejar will be prioritized for this project.
Those who live here work in the agricultural business distributing various vegetables and fruit products. Though they may have access to farming, they still do not make enough income in order to support themselves.
This department has the General Hospital of Chimaltenango, which offers care to the entire population. Each municipality has at least one permanent care center, with priority given to the largest municipalities. There they have some health care clinics, although many of these lack the services or personnel necessary to offer quality care.
Sacatepequez
This area is located in the central region of the country. The main sources of income are tourism and agriculture. They specifically focus on quality coffee, vegetables and fruit production such as peaches and avocados. There are also some sources of income for women in textiles, basketry, ceramics and handicrafts.
More than 60% of this department's population is indigenous. There are 16 municipalities, and five are prioritized for this project: San Juan Sacatepequez, Sumpango, Antigua Guatemala, Santo Domingo Xenacoj and San Lucas.
The Sacatepequez department has a national hospital, five health centers and 16 health clinics. Like many departments, the number of health services is not sufficient to attend to its population, and the hospital in Antigua Guatemala is very distant from the rest of the municipality. Additionally, the costs of mobilization are high, and in the existing posts, the attention patients receive is lacking.
Provide Necessary Healthcare for Families
Due to the vast difference in healthcare quality across Guatemala, many families are at risk. In areas with larger indigenous, rural and poor populations, it is difficult for individuals to access healthcare. Maternal mortality is 2.2 times higher in the indigenous population than in the non-indigenous population. Chronic malnutrition in children under 5 years of age is 1.8 times higher for indigenous populations than for non-indigenous children.
In the public sector, there are three entities that offer the MSPAS coverage extension program service: public hospitals, Military Health and the Guatemalan Social Security Institute (IGSS). The MSPAS public hospitals provide 75% of the country's healthcare.
Even so, the costs of human mobility and especially for diseases that require periodic control make access impossible in some cases. This is why many people try to seek medical services through private entities, which are scarce and costly.
With your generous support, FFTP will be providing the necessary medicine, healthcare, digital data collection and medical equipment to ensure that the coverage extension program can reach individuals in need across three Guatemalan departments. Additionally, we will support Medical Mission days, which are days when a doctor or group of doctors comes and offers medical support to areas that do not normally have access to healthcare.
Blessing these people with healthcare services will allow families in Guatemala to work towards a better life. We hope that you will prayerfully consider supporting Guatemalans in need of life-changing care.
Her mother has come to the Medical Mission days in their area where they were able to receive care that they would not be able to afford otherwise. For many families like Fátima's, this is when they can obtain the medical support that is not readily accessible to them due to their income instability.
Fátima's mother expressed how "it is a blessing that they bring these medical days to our neighborhood and that they give us medicine because we cannot afford to pay a private doctor and the care in the government health center is not good."
TestimonialsFátima Aylen Ramírez Pérez is 7 years old and is in the first grade of primary school. She lives with her parents and has two brothers aged 15 and 16.
Her mother is a housewife and her father is a factory worker, earning the minimum wage. Together they live in their own house, located in a marginal urban area with high crime rates.
Due to the lack of economic resources, when the children get sick, Fátima's mother treats them at home using natural medicine. Then if they do not improve, she looks for a doctor she knows who charges a fairly low fee for the consultation and sometimes gives them the medicine for free.
Madelin Leonela Argueta Mejía (known as Leonela) is 26 years old and the mother of 3-month-old Madelin Leonela, who is pictured above. They live in the Lucerna community.
Unfortunately, Leonela has suffered from obstetric complications in previous pregnancies, so little Madelin Leonela is a gift from God.
Madelin Leonela was born at 8 months via C-section due to low amniotic fluid in the womb. She was taken to the hospital in Antigua Guatemala. When she was born, she was diagnosed with hydronephrosis (kidney disease) and an imperforate anus due to a genetic malformation.
Madelin Leonela is now at home, but she must visit the hospital and must not lose weight. Through the coverage extension program, Leonela attends pediatric consultations in her community. She was referred to the Juan Pablo II Maternal and Child Hospital for gastrointestinal follow-up and neurology. Leonela is very grateful for the support she has received, given her condition and location. The coverage extension program, which this project will help promote, is a great help for her family and community.
With your support, we can continue carrying for families like Leonela and her baby by ensuring that this coverage extension program can continue.
Please click the circles on the map below to view the various Google Maps locations FFTP will be serving through this project.
Guatemala: 14°38'30.6"N 90°30'47.0"WChimaltenango: 14°41'09.0"N 90°51'08.3"WSacatepequez: 14°33'23.9"N 90°44'01.3"W
Even the littlest of patients need your help so that they may live a happy and healthy life.
Medical consultations allow doctors and nurses to assess the patient's needs. With your help, they will be able to continue serving their patients.
Those living in extreme poverty are at a higher risk for medical issues.
Families of every shape and size deserve the best medical care.
These doctors and nurses care about their patients. Your gift will ensure that they can continue to provide treatment to vulnerable populations.
These doctors do their best to make a scary situation for kids and make it a positive one. Together, let us provide them with the means to continue serving these communities and make even the scariest of days a little brighter.
“Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.' When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.”
Matthew 19: 14-15
Every individual, regardless of income, needs access to medical services throughout their entire life.
Providing medicial supplies and equipment will ensure that every patient receives the very best care!
We hope that you will join hands with us as we serve families like Fátima's so that they may receive the healthcare that they deserve.
May God lead you in all that you do.
Budget
About Food For The Poor Food For The Poor, one of the largest international relief and development organizations in the nation, does much more than feed millions of hungry children and families living in poverty primarily in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian ministry provides emergency relief assistance, water, medicine, educational materials, homes, support for vulnerable children, care for the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance. For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.