History
Catholic Relief Services has worked in Guatemala since 1963, implementing projects which increase the capacity of rural communities to boost incomes, diversify production, improve their health and promote basic rights.
Led by the vision of "Empowered communities and vulnerable groups having sustainable Integral Human Development," CRS implements our programs through the institutions of the Catholic Church and local partner organizations in the following technical areas: agriculture and the environment, education, emergency response and management, health including HIV, water and sanitation, and civil society (migration and labor rights).
Partners
Asociación Proyecto Conrado de la Cruz (APCC)
Since its foundation in 2000, the Asociación Proyecto Conrado de la Cruz (APCC) has worked to prevent and eliminate child labor among Mayan children, especially girls, in the departments of Sacatepequez, Chimaltenango, Totonicapán, Huehuetenango and Sololá. In addition, since November 2009, APCC has worked with Catholic Relief Services in the implementation of the U.S. Department of Labor-funded project My Rights Matter, which is currently providing educational services to more than 4,000 child laborers in primary level schools in Totonicapán.
Casa del Migrante
Casa del Migrante is a shelter located in Tecún Umán, San Marcos, which borders the state of Chiapas, Mexico. The center offers lodging, food, legal advice and medical attention to migrants entering Mexico and those who have been deported from Mexico on their path to the United States. The shelter educates them on their rights, responsibilities and the risks associated with their journey in order to prevent abuses and warn others about the potential consequences of traveling to the United States without legal documents. It also documents violations to migrants' human rights and supports advocacy efforts in favor of migrants.
Pastoral Social/Caritas San Marcos
Pastoral Social/Caritas San Marcos has worked to support the most vulnerable families of San Marcos since 1969. Caritas San Marcos has permanent and dedicated staff with experience implementing education, micro-credit, health, water and sanitation, agriculture, livelihoods and emergency response projects. Caritas San Marcos is a key partner in improving food security and nutrition in the Western Highlands, with 17 years of experience implementing Title II programs.
Programs
Agriculture
Besides agriculture and livestock activities included in the food security program, SEGAMIL (see below), Catholic Relief Services and our partners manage the Diversified Livelihoods for Smallholder Coffee Farm Families project. This aims to increase and diversify the household income and assets of 450 coffee producing families in the departments of Chiquimula and Zacapa. The promotion of new income generating activities shields families from the volatility of coffee prices.
Activities including coffee-based agroforestry systems, honey production, egg production, the integration of horticultural crops, and the creation of savings groups, work to improve families' livelihoods and diets while providing them with a safety net.
Human Rights without Borders Project
Migrants passing through Guatemala on their way north face many dangers such as assault, rape, exploitation, kidnapping and abuse by authorities, smugglers, and drug cartels. Catholic Relief Services supports the work of the Casa del Migrante which educates migrants about their rights, responsibilities and the risks associated with their journey. They are further educated regarding possible consequences of traveling to the United States without legal documents. Casa del Migrante also provides humanitarian assistance, legal and psychosocial support to those who have been deported from Mexico on their path to the United States, and when necessary, assists them to return home.
Todos y Todas Trabajamos Project
The goal of this U.S. Department of Labor-funded project is to promote labor law compliance through the creation of workers' rights centers in the departments of Chimaltenango, Escuintla and Guatemala. These centers provide information, training and legal counseling to workers engaged in the garment industry, agriculture and varied services (e.g. housekeeping) on the relevance of labor laws (rights and obligations) while also assisting them in the process of solving labor disputes and exercising their labor rights.
My Rights Matter Project
In conjunction with the U.S. Department of Labor, Catholic Relief Services helps prevent children from withdrawing from school and engaging in exploitative child labor. To counteract truancy, dropouts and grade repetition, CRS is using three educational models—Bilingual and Intercultural Mayan Education, Active Rural School and Spaces to Grow—that offer dynamic learning methods making school more appealing to children.
From 2010 to 2012, the project successfully withdrew 6,618 children from exploitative labor, while preventing 3,047 children from becoming involved in child labor in the departments of San Marcos and Totonicapá'n.
Emergency Response to Earthquake
Catholic Relief Services supported local partners Caritas San Marcos and ADIPO to meet the immediate needs (food rations, medicine, first aid supplies, water and basic shelter materials) of families affected by the magnitude 7.2 earthquake on November 7, 2012, which killed 52 people and damaged almost 20,000 homes. CRS is currently working with Caritas Guatemala on a long-term reconstruction strategy in San Marcos.
Food Security Program Focused on the First 1,000 Days (SEGAMIL)
This USAID-supported program aims to improve farming families access to food, reduce chronic malnutrition in children under five years of age and improve resilience systems in 340 communities in the departments of San Marcos and Totonicapán.
SEGAMIL uses the Farmer Field School methodology to train families to improve their agriculture, livestock production and post-harvest management, while incorporating them into competitive markets. The program also educates participating mothers and caregivers to improve household nutrition, health and hygiene, based on the Community Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses strategy. This program will also strengthen existing community structures, assisting with the drafting of community development plans and the implementation of early warning systems.
The goal of Catholic Relief Services HIV programming is to reduce HIV transmission and help people with HIV live in dignity, free of stigma and discrimination. The projects focus on HIV prevention education, empowerment of people with HIV and strengthening Church organizations to work in the area of HIV. All HIV projects are implemented with the approval of the Guatemalan Episcopal Conference.
In 2009, Catholic Relief Services Guatemala transitioned from a microfinance approach to a savings-led method. As of December 2012, CRS Guatemala has helped create 239 savings groups with a total of 4,375 participants. These groups provide underprivileged families without access to financial services the opportunity to save as a group, obtain loans and create an emergency fund. These self-managed groups of 15-20 people are formed based on the principles of transparency, trust and accountability. Beyond building the financial capital of marginalized families, the groups have also led to positive changes in the area of community cohesion and development.
Safer Neighborhoods
This project, supported by USAID's Office for Foreign Disaster Assistance, aims to build safer neighborhoods in at-risk areas of Guatemala's second largest city, Quetzaltenango. In addition to being safer, neighborhoods will improve their capacity to respond to disasters. Main activities include needs assessment and risk mapping, the development of disaster preparedness and emergency plans, and youth training in disaster risk reduction. The project will also support repairs and improvements to homes and community structures to minimize the risk from future natural disasters.
