Children in Guatemala
50 per cent of the under-18 population (around 3.7 million girls, boys and adolescents) lives in poverty.
Guatemala has one of the worst nutritional conditions in the region. Nearly 23 per cent of children over three months and under five months of age suffered from general malnutrition, while almost one-half suffered from chronic malnutrition in 2006.
School retention in Guatemala is low, with only 60 per cent of students who start the first grade completing the sixth grade and only 39 per cent completing it at the right age.
a few words about us
We believe that every child should be valued equally, regardless of race, colour or circumstance. For every child is "A treasure beyond all measure".
Fotokids, Guatemala
For over 15 years Fotokids, originally called Out of the Dump, has worked as a non-profit organization breaking the cycle of poverty through training in visual arts and technology.
Fotokids (Fundacíon de Niños Artistas de Guatemala) was founded in 1991 by ex- Reuters Photographer Nancy McGirr, with 6 children from the City's vast garbage dump.
The organization has grown in scope geographically to include other extremely poor areas, both rural and urban. Fotokids has worked in the countryside with children affected by the nation's 36-year civil war. A companion school has also been established in Las Mangas, Honduras, using photography to focus on environmental issues. Including the Honduras project, we now serve 150 children from 6 distinct communities.
The problem it addresses
One half of Guatemala's population is under the age of 15. According to UNICEF, 64% of all Guatemalan children drop out of the first grade, and only 36% of those finish the sixth grade.
Over half the population of Guatemala lives in poverty making $2 per day.
BDT aims to assist in encouraging children in areas of education and want to concentrate on making a change.