The Dark Side Of Guatemala

Poverty in Guatemala

Poverty in Guatemala

Guatemalan Profile

Guatemala is a country full of corruption, it’s a place where many live in poverty, and very few live in wealth.

Imagine sitting in your car at a red light. The car on your right is a BMW, and the car on your left is so old and rusty you can’t distinguish its model. On one corner of the street you see a child dressed in raggedy clothes selling gum. On the other side of the street you see a mom with her on baby on her back walking up and down the street selling phone chargers.

In front of you, you see two kids. They are entertainers. One hops on the others shoulder and starts to juggle balls. You want to give them money, but the streets are so corrupt you know better not to roll down your window. Finally, you look in your rear-view mirror and you see an old man walking in between cars asking for money. His face caters pain. He his clothes have holes in them, and he walks with a limp.

As the light turns green, the city bus in front of you takes off. It dispenses black thick smoke. You are forced to turn off your AC because the smell of the smoke is too strong to bear.

Guatemala is divided by zones and each zone hold its reputation, rather poor of rich let it be know that every zone lives in corruption.

One minute you can be driving in a wealthy zone, and the other minute you can be driving in a rural and dangerous zone.

According to Cooperative for Education, in a population of 13.3 million people, 75% of rural Guatemala houses illiterate people. It estimates that 2 out 3 children live in poverty, and that an average family earns about $4 a day.

When it comes to education, experts say that, for every 10 students who begin first grade, only 3 students will continue to seventh grade. Out of those three students, only one student will complete tenth grade. Furthermore, only 36% of Guatemala will complete secondary school.

When it comes to health, 49% of children under the age of 5 are malnutrition.

Overall, 21.5% of Guatemala earns less than $1 a day, and 56.2% live below the country’s poverty line.

El Reporte Estadistico De Guatemala

Guatemala es un país lleno de corrupción, es un lugar donde muchos viven en la pobreza y muy pocos viven en abundancia.

Imagínese sentado en su carro en un semáforo en rojo. El carro a la derecha es un BMW y el auto a su izquierda es tan viejo y oxidado que no puedes distinguir su modelo. En una esquina de la calle ves a un niño vestido con ropa andrajosa vendiendo chicle. Al otro lado de la calle verás a una madre con su bebé en su espalda caminando por la calle vendiendo cargadores de teléfonos.

Delante de ti, ves a dos niños. Son animadores. Uno de los ninos se sube sobre los hombros y comienza a hacer malabares con pelotas. Quieres darles dinero, pero las calles son tan corruptas que sabes que es mejor no bajar la ventanilla. Finalmente, te ves en el espejo retrovisor y ves a un hombre caminando entre los autos pidiendo dinero. Su rostro es dolor, y su ropa tiene agujeros, y camina cojeando.

Cuand la luz se pone verde, el autobus que va enfrente de usted dispersa denso humo negro. El humo tan fuerte te obliga a apagar su aire acondicionado porque es demasiado fuerte como para soportar el olor del humo.

Guatemala está dividida por zonas y cada zona mantiene su reputación, pobre o rico Guatemala siempre ha sido un pais donde existe la corrupción.

Cuando manejas en Guatemala, en un minuto puedes estar manejando en una zona de suburbios y en el siguiente minuto puedes estar manejando en una zona de pobreza y alta criminalidad.

De acuerdo a la “Cooperativa de Educacion”, en una población de 13.3 millones de personas, el 75% de zonas rurales de Guatemala alberga a personas analfabetas. Se estima que 2 de 3 niños viven en la pobreza, y que una familia gana un promedio de cuatro dólares al día.

Cuando se trata de educación, los expertos dicen que, por cada 10 estudiantes que comienzan el primer grado, sólo 3 estudiantes continuara al séptimo grado. De esos tres estudiantes, sólo un estudiante completará el décimo grado. Además, sólo el 36% de Guatemala completan la escuela secundaria.

Cuando se trata de salud, 49% de los niños menores de 5 años estan en grado de desnutrición.

En general, 21.5% de Guatemala gana menos de $1 al día y 56.2% vive por debajo de la línea de pobreza del país.

Comments

The Dark Side Of Guatemala — 1 Comment

  1. Wow.

    As I read through the descriptions of the streets of Guatemala, they sounded very similar and almost identical to those of Tijuana. In the past three months I traveled to Tijuana once a week (my cat was ran over and her leg surgery cost $4000 in the US / 600 pesos in TJ). Although I had been there many times before, I had never been there so frequently and by myself. I do not know if it is because I feel comfortable with other Mexicans that I was not afraid. But the corruption you describe definitely existed. The amount of people at the border struggling to make a living selling you anything and everything is real. A part of you wants to buy everything and help everyone, but as my travel became routine, so did seeing these people. The difference was I never felt in so much danger that I couldn’t roll my window down.

    It is so sad the amount of disparity there is between the rich and the poor in third world countries such as Guatemala. My boyfriend and a close friend of mine are both from that country. My friend, Joel, has parents from two distinct countries: Mexico and Sweden. He was part of the privileged people in Guatemala. However, his parents now run missionaries trying to help those in need.

    What hurts the most is the fact that these countries are so close to our own. Mexico is our neighbor, and Guatemala is their neighbor. How can our country be so thriving and powerful, when our neighbors are struggling to feed their children, much less educate them? I hope that one day those countries can lessen the illiterate, malnutrition and poverty levels. Thank you for informing us.