Guatemala 

The Situation

In 1996 the Guatemalan government and the National Union of Guatemalan Revolutionaries finally ended their longstanding armed conflict by signing Peace Accords. During the armed conflict more than 400 indigenous communities were destroyed and countless people were internally displaced, became refugees or went missing. Institutional violence was the cause of more than 200,000 deaths, 50,000 of which were children.

The effects and consequences of the Guatemalan armed conflict are evident in almost all aspects of Guatemala today - with regards to education, school children especially at the primary level and those in rural areas are affected the most. High absenteeism and dropping out are particularly chronic with children in rural areas, as with indigenous children.

 

Messages of Peace from Guatemala
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Our Target

• By the year 2010, 53,394 children affected by armed conflict, have access to quality Primary Education
• Improve educational quality for 273,00 children in Early Childhood Development, Primary and Secondary Education
• Increase government finance commitment to education
• Contribute to safer schools and learning environment
  

How Guatemala measures up

• Only 30 out of 100 children reach grade six
• The primary access rate for indigenous girls is only 39 %
• 82 % of the rural population in Guatemala is illiterate, compared with 35 % of the national population
• Direct and indirect costs of education represent significant barriers for poor families
  
  

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