21 Latin American Countries
We are present in four regions of Latin America: Mexico and Central America, the Amazon, the Andean square, and the Caribbean. Around 80% of our projects are related to 17 ethnic indigenous groups; 15% to the afro population in rural areas, mostly in the Caribbean region; and 5% to communities in three countries.
Latin America and the Caribbean present a singular opportunity for support as one of the most biodiverse regions in the world, where five countries, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, and Peru are in the world’s top ten in terms of natural resources.
Why Guatemala / batzul / quiche
Guatemala is uniquely positioned in Latin America, directly aligned with our organizational targets, and intentionally chosen as the site for our training center. With the largest economy in Central America, Guatemala’s growth is unequal and has steadily increasing inequality and poverty, remaining one of the poorest countries in Latin America. It is also one of the most climate change-vulnerable countries in the world, suffering from devastating hurricanes, deforestation, and food insecurity, with rural areas suffering the most. On all fronts, indigenous women are the most vulnerable population, bearing the worst of poverty, discrimination, and climate change.
Guatemala has a rich indigenous culture, and Quiché, the district in which we work, has played an important role in the indigenous history and struggle for centuries. The primary industry is coffee, with most families farming their own land or working for large landowners. Recent dismal harvests have rapidly increased migration to the United States. Young people, seeing the increasing devastation of their coffee profits and the difficulty of life without resources, see no options but to seek better opportunities with international work to support their families. They undertake a dangerous and expensive journey to live alone in an unfamiliar land, doing difficult and unprotected work, for the chance to earn enough money to send home to help.
By operating in this unique indigenous region of Guatemala, we hope to put development solutions in the hands of communities, allowing indigenous women to lead the movement toward sustainable change. By encouraging a flow of information and resources into rural areas, they can develop hope-filled futures for their youth and ensure well-being and growth in the face of adversity. Indigenous culture throughout Guatemala has a beautiful and ancient story that is now suffering under immense challenges, we at Barefoot College International hope to stand in solidarity and walk together into an empowered woman-led, indigenous-led, community-centric future.