COUNTRY BACKGROUND
Armed conflict, beginning with the coup of 1954, carried Guatemala into a brutal civil war. With the government under military control, the daily crescendo of attack and retaliation between the government, right-wing vigilante groups and leftist rebels left more than 100,000 dead and created an estimated 1 million refugees, according to CIA World Factbook. The 36-year civil war was the longest in Latin American history, but it was not until the UN oversaw the signing of peace accords in 1995 that hope was restored.
Years of conflict severely stressed the weak social system in Guatemala, and the health sector was not spared. Progress has been made for specific health interventions, such as vaccination coverage, but civil strife has cast a long shadow over health outcomes. In the Central American country of 12.7 million, 30% of pregnant women have nutritional deficits, while nearly half of all children under 5 years old suffer from chronic malnutrition. Guatemala’s infant mortality rate is the third-highest of all of the Americas, a statistic that is significantly higher among the indigenous population, according to the World Health Organization. Investment for social development and the narrowing of equity gaps rely heavily on external resources — and AmeriCares recognizes the need on the ground.
GLOBAL MEDICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
Distribution Through a Broad Network of 500 Institutions
AmeriCares has partnered with the Order of Malta in Guatemala since 1986. Through more than 20 years of partnership for emergency response and the provision of ongoing medical assistance AmeriCares has delivered $397 million worth of aid to Guatemala.
Today, AmeriCares works with the Order of Malta to ensure that ongoing medical assistance is delivered to the Order of Malta’s network of approximately 500 health and social service institutions across a country in which 50% of the population lacks access to essential medicines. The resource-constrained hospitals, primary care clinics, nutritional centers, medical outreach brigades, children’s homes and homes for the elderly receive a wide variety of prescription and over-the-counter medicines, diagnostics, medical devices and supplies, and nutritional supplements to help them better serve their beneficiaries. Additionally, AmeriCares supports the Order of Malta’s training program in CPR and first aid for remote communities with limited access to emergency medical attention.
EMERGENCY RESPONSE PROGRAM
Emergency Response for Hurricane Stan
AmeriCares and the Order of Malta routinely coordinate in times of disaster to bring assistance to affected communities. In 2005 Hurricane Stan’s devastating impact on Guatemala prompted AmeriCares to immediately deliver essential medicines, first aid supplies and hygiene products for the relief effort, as well as fund a post-emergency rehabilitation project in the area of Santiago Atitlán. This recovery project entailed vital community-based initiatives in health care worker training, stocking shelters with medicines and supplies, monitoring shelter water supplies and building the capacity of local health authorities and community leaders to plan for the reconstruction of their community.
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