BOGOTA (AlertNet) - Guatemala’s fight against organised crime and violence has taken centre stage ahead of elections next month while malnutrition, one of the leading killers of children under five, is receiving scant attention on the campaign trail.
Here are some facts about malnutrition.
* Guatemala has the worst malnutrition rate in Latin America.
* Nearly 50 percent of Guatemalan children are chronically malnourished, while among the country’s indigenous communities the rate is close to 70 percent, according to UNICEF.
* In Guatemala’s province of Quiche in the western highlands, an area where many Mayan indigenous communities live, eight out of every 10 children suffer from chronic malnutrition, according to UNICEF.
* One of the leading causes of children dying under the age of five in Guatemala is acute and or chronic malnutrition.
* Child malnutrition affects the development of the brain and reduces brain capacity.
* Children who suffer from malnutrition are more likely to drop out of school at an early age.
* In Guatemala, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) receives up to $16 million a year to tackle malnutrition and other health and social problems.
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Guatemala's invisible crisis gets little attention ahead of elections
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