RECENT STORIES: Casa Jackson, Guatemala
MALNUTRITION IN GUATEMALA
Sources: UNICEF and Casa Jackson (www.casajackson.org)
"Infants are the most vulnerable victims of poverty. Children come into the world ready to thrive and grow. When they are denied proper and sufficient nutrition in their diets, their systems are ill-equipped to prepare for it and the consequences can be permanent. Casa Jackson for malnourished Infants is rejuvenating the most defenseless victims of Guatemala: malnourished infants. In addition to professionally treating these young children, it is a safe haven for them, providing them with love and affection."
-- Luke Armstrong, Program Director for the Asociación Nuestros Ahijados (GOD'S CHILD Project of Guatemala)
TO HELP - WWW.CASAJACKSON.ORG
Please contact kelly@kellylynnjames.com for use of images and for additional story information.
The Problem
Guatemala has the highest rate of chronic childhood malnutrition in Latin America. Half of Guatemala’s children suffer from chronic malnutrition, the fourth highest rate in the world (UNICEF).
The problem is even more rampant in rural, mostly-indigenous areas, where people have limited access to health services, clean water and sanitation, and little or no formal education. The rising price of basic food staples—particularly beans, one of the only protein sources for impoverished Guatemalans—places an adequate diet out-of-reach for over half of Guatemalan families. Poor or nonexistent infrastructure means no electricity or running water—certainly no clean water—for rural communities, making childhood illnesses like bronchial pneumonia, gastrointestinal diseases, and chronic diarrhea compounding factors in the malnutrition problem.
In Guatemala’s western highlands, where childhood malnutrition rates are higher than in parts of sub-Saharan Africa, simply growing enough food to feed a family is a struggle. In this region, one in 16 children will die before their 5th birthday.
While some children develop malnutrition simply from a lack of food, many develop symptoms after these other diseases weaken them. It is common in Guatemala—where many parents are young and uneducated—for mothers to say they don’t give their sick children food because they’re not hungry.
Chronic malnutrition is also the result of the lowest regional spending on education and health care, extreme poverty, and social marginalization.
The Numbers
• 43.4 percent chronic malnutrition in children 0-5 years old (UNICEF)
• 16.1 percent severe malnutrition in children 0-5 years old (UNICEF)
• 58.6 percent of indigenous children 0-5 years old suffer chronic malnutrition (UNICEF)
• 12 percent of infants are born with a low birth weight (UNICEF)
• 4.5 percent infant mortality rate in rural areas
• Over 60 percent of Guatemalan families cannot afford an adequate diet (IPS)
The Results
• Chronic childhood malnutrition causes lower IQ scores
• 54 percent of children under 5 suffer from moderate or severe stunting (WHO)
• Up to 70 percent of rural children under 5 are stunted
• Stunting is twice as common in Guatemala as it is in Haiti, where income is only ¼ as much (UNICEF)
• Stunting is not genetic. Mayans in southern Mexico are taller than their Guatemalan neighbors (World Bank)
CASA JACKSON CENTER FOR MALNOURISHED CHILDREN:
• One doctor, eight nurses, a social worker and an administrator
• Five to 10 volunteers per shift
• Casa Jackson is equipped to treat 20 infants at a time
• Receive treatment for two months to two years
• Over 150 successful rehabilitations since opening in 2008
• Additionally, hundreds of outpatient cases have been treated through field clinics and home visits
Sources: UNICEF and Casa Jackson (www.casajackson.org)
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