The indigenous Mayan Indians of Guatemala suffer discrimination, exploitation and poverty. In the early 80’s the Achi Indian’s of Rio Negro, Baja Verapaz and surrounding villages along with other Indian groups, were nearly exterminated by a series of massacres that took place. More than 600 massacres of indigenous communities were recorded during that period. Those that survived were either put in
to government ghetto’s or tried to re-establish their lives up different locations in the mountains. Having their lively hoods torn from them, they could no long fish in the waters of the flooded Rio Negro or grow crops in the lush fertile soil of their ancestral land. What was given to them by the government in exchange is rocky poor soil that is extremely hard to farm and yields small crops. There has been many generations that have not had educational opportunities and so physical labor jobs, when they can find them, is what they have to look for to support their families. Businesses either do not hire indigenous people all together or do not pay them equal pay for equal work as non-indigenous. The Mayans face racial discrimination, and marginalization at the hands of the country’s Ladinos, those of mixed Indian and European heritage. Many of them suffer from chronic hunger, chronic malnutrition and sever poverty. The chronic malnutrition affects over 50% of the children five and under. They often find themselves on the margins of society, with limited access to education, health care and other basic services. Their native languages are not officially recognized. According to Global Education Fund, 60% of the indigenous population are illiterate, with only 3 out of 10 children graduating from the 6th grade. Because many of the girls are needed to take care of younger siblings, needed to work, have children and marrying early, live in chronic poverty, limited education. They are the countries disadvantaged with less than 30% of the rural indigenous girls going to secondary school. You may think that getting a cold is no big deal. That is one of their worst fears. If you can barely feed your family, someone getting sick and needing medicine is not even an option. I know of a young man who’s father died from something that could have been avoided had they had the funds to take him to a proper doctor or hospital. This young man feared he was next because he had a sinus infection. Many of the Mayans suffer from diabetes because of their diet of corn tortillas and beans. Most cannot afford anything else. So this brings me to One Starfish. Check out our projects and help support us financially and in prayer.
