Antigua, (Guatemala) -- To Eradicate Hunger.

Guatemala is the Latin American country with the highest rate of chronic infant malnutrition, with 48% of the children affected. Faced with this stark reality, the government has invited all social sectors to unite in a pact aimed at “Zero Hunger.”

The Las Gravileas training center for women, near the city of Antigua, has for several years been assisting women in situations of extreme poverty from “the dry corridor” and the Eastern plateau, regions where the poorest Guatemalan communities are found.

In the context of the “Zero Hunger” pact, this year the two-and-a-half-day courses have been multiplied. There women learn a productive skill, are helped to draw up a business plan, and are given a “kit” that enables them to begin earning money right away. A tutor from the school accompanies the women during the training process and visits their community to help overcome the difficulties that often arise at first. Since the women tend to spend the greater part of their income in feeding and raising their families, this type of program has a direct impact on the battle to eliminate hunger.

Romana, n. 56, January-June 2013, p. 119-120.

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