Community

Barrio La Cruz

Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it’s in your power to help them. proverbs 3:27

Paso a Paso has been working in Guatemala for 2 years. We have focused our work in the southern part of Guatemala in the department of Sacatepequez in Pastores. The hillside community we work in is called Barrio la Cruz. This barrio is about 25 kilometers from Antigua. This community has about 250 families or more which means there are over 1500 people, with women and children.

Most men and women in this community have not completed even a primary level of school and cannot read or write. The main occupations for men are: shoe making, farming and factory work. More than 50% of women work in the home. Income sources for women are often limited to cleaning and cooking. 30% of women are single mothers, decreasing their ability to work outside of the home. The average income of families in Barrio la Cruz is about 1500 Q, or $200.

This is a poor community that faces several issues. More than 30% of the homes are run by single mothers; men are often absent or have abandoned the family. These families lack basic necessities like clean water, enclosed stoves and the financial ability to send their children to school and provide a better future for them.

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