Slums in Guatemala

Guatemala

Children are suffering from chronic and acute malnutrition which causes death. Education presents another problem for poor Guatemalans, as some parents call on their children to work long hours to contribute to the family income, preventing them from attending school. Unfortunately, children who have to work instead of attending school miss out on education that is almost always necessary for economic advancement. Although school attendance is compulsory for 6 years by government mandate, only 41 percent of school-age children in Guatemala attend classes, and only 55 percent of total population are literate