HUNGER AND POVERTY RELIEF

HUNGER AND POVERTY RELIEF
An insight into FFTP's Operations in Guatemala

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Providing Urgent Relief

Food Assistance

Our Food Assistance Program is vital for Guatemalan beneficiary families facing food insecurity. We work with in-country partners to support nutritional centers, build canteens, construct chicken coops, and plant family gardens. In these ways, we provide carefully chosen foods that fill dietary gaps and support good health, with a particular focus on early childhood nutrition.

With a budget of $1.3M, the food assistance program focuses on a holistic family approach, recognizing that nurturing families is vital for long-lasting impact. We prioritize families facing nutritional food insecurity, those with young children, pregnant women, and displaced families affected by disasters.

  • In 2022, we distributed 3.6 million food rations—or 37.5 million servings
  • Nutritional education empowers beneficiaries to make informed choices about their health and well-being
  • Studies show that children in the program exhibit notably accelerated growth and development
  • The program is a comprehensive effort to nourish communities and empower families


Home Assistance

The Safe Housing Project provides secure and sustainable homes to Guatemalan families. We’ve helped over 2,600 families across 64 communities since 2007.

We design and build each home with concrete blocks, beams, and columns to withstand earthquakes. Sustainable features include rainwater collectors, solar panels, and wood-saving stoves. FFTP also provides furniture kits. In these ways, we improve living conditions and reduce health problems.

Community engagement is vital to our success. Locals organize material distribution and provide unskilled labor, while professionals share their invaluable expertise. Beneficiaries actively participate in building their own homes, fostering a sense of ownership and community pride. In the process, they develop new skills and knowledge while gaining home ownership.

  • Annual budget: $1.5 million
  • In 2022, we built 172 homes
  • The long-term goal is to build 250 homes annually


Food Distribution

Food Distribution

We provide essential food support to impoverished Guatemalans at nutritional centers, canteens, and self-distribution sites.

EL TABLÓN HOUSING

EL TABLÓN HOUSING

We improved the health and safety of 54 poor families in El Tablón when we built 20 houses, repaired 34 existing homes, and planted 20 fruit trees.

Family Gardens

Family Gardens

Family gardens increase self-reliance and access to nutritious food through home vegetable gardens, greenhouses, and training.

LOS PIRIRES PROJECT

LOS PIRIRES PROJECT

Most homes in Los Pirires had only one room with dirt floors. We built 100 safe, sturdy, two-bed homes with clean water and sanitation facilities.



HELPING WITH BASIC NEEDS TO OVERCOME THE LACK OF INFRASTRUCTURE

Access to Water

FFTP's water and sanitation program in Guatemala is essential—only 32% of the population has proper sanitation. Children are the most vulnerable, suffering from preventable waterborne diseases like diarrhea, cholera, and typhoid fever. In fact, diarrhea is the leading cause of death among Guatemalan children.

The program works to expand access to drinking water and sanitation services through various activities, including:

  • Developing safe water sources, such as community wells, springs, and rainwater collection systems
  • Constructing water distribution systems to deliver water from the source to households and community facilities
  • Providing training on hygiene practices, such as handwashing and food safety
  • Building improved sanitation facilities, such as latrines and rainwater harvesting systems
  • Working with communities to ensure they have the skills and resources to maintain the water and sanitation infrastructure
  • Monitoring the program's impact to ensure it meets its goals

Health Assistance

Guatemala has a high maternal and child mortality rate and a high prevalence of chronic diseases. Access to healthcare is limited, especially for the poor and rural populations. We provide holistic healthcare to address this issue.

The Juan Pablo II Maternal and Child Hospital is central to the program. With over 20 pediatric specialties, the hospital ensures comprehensive care for children and provides a safe space for maternal and reproductive health.

The program's impact extends to underserved villages, where local teams offer medical consultation, prenatal care, and well-child check-ups. We adapt to each community and tailor efforts to match the unique health profiles of different areas.

  • In 2022, the Juan Pablo II Hospital provided care to over 100,000 patients
  • The community health program reached over 50,000 people with preventive care and education
  • Comprehensive training is provided to health promoters, equipping them as community leaders


CHILDREN’S HEALTH

CHILDREN’S HEALTH

FFTP is helping Guatemalan children reach their full potential by improving access to healthcare and combating malnutrition.

WATER FOR CHUAQUENUM

WATER FOR CHUAQUENUM

Your generosity has brought clean water to 74 families in Chuaquenum. Families like Carlos Ortiz no longer need to boil rainwater, and their health and well-being have improved.

PARENTS’ HEALTH

PARENTS’ HEALTH

Our commitment to parents' health encompasses prenatal and postnatal care and combating transmissible diseases, waterborne illnesses, chronic conditions, and disaster-relief injuries.

WATER FOR NIAGARA

WATER FOR NIAGARA

The Niagara Water Project brings vital water connections to 54 families through spring catchment, PVC conduits, and a distribution tank to improve their health and well-being.



Investing in Local Communities to Make a Long-lasting Impact

Education

We offer educational services from early childhood to vocational training. The program reduces illiteracy, ensures consistent enrollment, and builds skills.

The program helps increase access to quality education, improves educational attainment, reduces gender disparities, and increases employability.

We achieve those goals using the following strategies:

  • Constructing and renovating schools, prioritizing safe and inclusive learning spaces for all students
  • Granting scholarships, empowering disadvantaged students to pursue secondary education
  • Prioritizing training to address the demand for new teachers and provide quality instruction and support to every student
  • Promoting lifelong learning with programs focused on adult literacy and vocational training

Micro-Enterprise

Our micro-enterprise initiatives in Guatemala provide sustainable solutions to poverty, primarily for parents at risk of falling back into extreme poverty after receiving urgent relief. We support the launch of small-scale businesses by turning small donations into micro-investments, such as agricultural tools, seeds, animal husbandry supplies, and fish-farming equipment. This boosts the local economy by increasing supply and demand while reducing reliance on imported goods.

Our approach to micro-enterprise development addresses distinct community needs and nurtures economic self-sufficiency and advancement. FFTP also provides technical guidance, administrative training, financial literacy, and support for community organizations.

Examples of our economic development projects include:





SCHOOL SCHOLARSHIPS

SCHOOL SCHOLARSHIPS

Scholarships unlock educational opportunities for students, empowering them to build a brighter future through financial support and academic guidance.

SUPPORTING MOTHERS

SUPPORTING MOTHERS

Our Empowering Women Through Sewing project trained 400 women in marginalized communities, giving them skills and tools to provide for their families.

INVESTING IN SCHOOLS

INVESTING IN SCHOOLS

New schools and renovations provide access to education for children from underserved communities. We offer training to their teachers so they can receive quality education.

TILAPIA FARMING

TILAPIA FARMING

FFTP's Tilapia for El Tabacal Project changed the lives of eight local families through tilapia farming, helping Juan Ruiz Castro transition from low-wage work to managing his own business.



Guatemala Operations' Highlights

2022

  • Total meals served: 37.5M
  • Daily meals served: 31,260
  • FFTP completes Los Anonos school enhancement project
  • FFTP finishes 3 water projects benefitting 322 families
  • Meal beneficiaries: 10,000+ people through the Department of Food and Nutrition Security
  • FFTP feeds 15,000+ children through nutritional recovery centers and soup kitchens

2021

  • FFTP supplies 17,500 Tilapia fingerlings to the Tilapia Project
  • FFTP builds 557 homes, bringing the total to 3,460 since we started work in Guatemala
  • FFTP ships 473 containers of essential items to Guatemala
  • FFTP funds surgery for Baby Marcela of El Progreso, Guatemala

2020

  • FFTP ships 484 containers of essential items for COVID-19 and hurricane relief
  • FFTP establishes a face-mask production and training center to help women earn money
  • The women project produces more than 16,720 face masks
  • The Tilapia Project begins in Aldea del Tabacal, impacting a village of 48 families
  • FFTP builds 139 homes
  • FFTP gives 1,555 abandoned children a safe home

2018

  • FFTP provides safe housing for 1,822 abandoned Guatemalan children
  • FFTP ships 597 containers of supplies
  • FFTP builds 350 additional homes
  • FFTP provides disaster relief after the eruption of Volcan de Fuego
  • FFTP completes 45 agricultural, medical, and housing projects

2016

  • FFTP provides a home for 1,621 abandoned Guatemalan children
  • FFTP ships 463 containers of supplies
  • FFTP supports over 250 training programs for women to earn a living as dressmakers, bakers, and handcraft designers
  • FFTP builds 90 homes
  • FFTP etablishes 8 nutritional centers and a school
  • FFTP finalizes 3 water projects
  • FFTP builds 3 medical centers

2006

  • FFTP provides take-home rations for another 160,000 people
  • FFTP feeds 100,000 children
  • FFTP distributes 1,436 containers of food and milk

1996

  • FFTP begins work in Guatemala. In-country partners include Caritas Arquidiocesana and the Order of Malta