Pictured above: We work with communities in Guatemala to ensure people can grow nutritious food to eat and trade

Dear John,

As we continue exploring the impact of issues related to migration globally through our 'A World on the Move' appeal, today we focus on the communities we work alongside in the highlands of Guatemala.

Lack of opportunity, especially among the Indigenous Maya population, has led to mass emigration over recent decades, with many people settling in the USA. As Thomas Hart, our Country Director in Guatemala, explains:

"The population of Guatemala is approximately 18 million people and there are over 1.8 million Guatemalans currently living in the USA. The scale of migration remains significant but the situation has changed due to the political rhetoric coming out of the current US administration. People are afraid of being rounded up and deported."

Pictured above: Our partners in Guatemala share vital skills like methods for producing organic fertilizer

Administrative Assistant Clara Ambrocio expands on the situation facing emigrants and their families:

"Community members are reporting that their relatives in the USA are staying indoors to avoid immigration raids. Remittances to family in Guatemala are reducing and people are starting to send back belongings from the USA, so they're not left with nothing if they're deported."

Teresa Fuentes, our National Administrator in Guatemala, shares details of a recent encounter:

"I visited a deportee last month who hadn't built a home in Guatemala, as migrants often do. He had bought a car on credit and was making monthly payments; when he was sent back to Guatemala, he was left empty-handed.

He says that, like most people who return, he’s now working on the land, but cauliflower, broccoli and potato prices have all fallen, so they’re finding it hard to make ends meet. Next year could be even worse, with more people returning and renting land, or using their own, to engage in farming.”

Pictured above: Community members plant a demonstrative vegetable garden in rural Guatemala

Teresa continues: "He was crying about having to return to Guatemala, somewhere that he hadn't grown up. His wife, children and the rest of his family had to decide whether to remain in the USA and, ultimately, returned to Guatemala too.

Like others in the USA, he had felt quite secure and never imagined there would be a time when mass raids and deportations would occur. People fear being snatched at bus stops while selling snacks, especially women."

Despite the many risks facing migrants, Clara reflects on the ongoing exodus from the Guatemalan highlands:

"People are still travelling with local people smugglers, known as coyotes. They are seen as helping people by giving them an opportunity to go to the USA. The coyotes pay off organised crime groups in Mexico so they can operate in their territory, leaving people very much at their mercy."

As economic issues continue to drive emigration from marginalised communities, like those we work alongside in Guatemala, Health Poverty Action is committed to supporting initiatives that help families improve their livelihoods and maintain their health.

Supporters like you enable us to engage in long-term work with communities, so people can build healthier, more prosperous lives wherever they settle. Please give whatever you can today.

Warm regards,

Siaffa Bunduka,

Supporter Engagement Manager