Guatemala
Summary
Blessed with abundant natural resources, ample farm land, favorable climate, glorious scenery and rich cultural diversity, the people of Guatemala have nonetheless endured a terrible history, most recently the brutal civil war that raged over most of the second half of the twentieth century. But with the signing of the Peace Accords in 1996, and then several reasonably orderly national elections, there may be hope for the country, although Guatemala remains at or near the bottom of the Latin American tables for poverty, inequality, violence, poor health indicators, corruption and human rights abuses.
Rural life in Guatemala: poverty in a bountiful country
Administration
Guatemala is divided into 22 departments. The Tula Foundation concentrated its first efforts in the department of Alta Verapaz, and then extended that work to several other departments that face similar challenges.
Alta Verapaz
The capital and chief city of the department is Cobán. Alta Verapaz is among the poorest and most neglected departments in the country, and along with El Quiché and Huehuetenango suffered the worst ravages of the years of civil war. Alta Verapaz comprises 15 municipalities each of which has a Centro de Salud (Health Center) that serves as a center for treatment, administation and now nursing education.
The population of Alta Verapaz was 958,417 in 2004, an increase of 22.5% from 1999. The population of Alta Verapaz is predominantly indigenous with the exact percentage depending on how ethnicity is defined. The majority Mayan language in Alta Verapaz is Q'eqchi', but with many Poqomchi' speakers in the southernmost municipalities.
There are 3 public hospitals in Alta Verapaz, the main one in Coban (170 beds) and smaller ones in Fray and Panzós.
Health and Social Indicators
The three departments Alta Verapaz, El Quiche and Huehuetenango are, relative to the country as a whole, characterized by larger indigenous populations, and poorer economic and public health indicators.