Guatemala
Guatemala is the most populous country in Central America, with an estimated 16.3 million residents, nearly half of whom identify as members of one of the country’s more than 20 Mayan ethnolinguistic groups.1,2 Life expectancy at birth is 72 years, and the total fertility rate (births per woman) is 3.2.1
The 2011 National Living Conditions Survey found that 54 percent of Guatemalans were living in poverty, 13 percent of them in extreme poverty.3 Sixty-three percent of births are attended by skilled health staff, a figure which has risen markedly in recent decades.1 While Guatemala today is considered a lower middle-income country, striking ethnic and regional disparities persist. Ladinos continue to enjoy better health and greater access to education, medical care, and other resources than their indigenous counterparts. The country has the highest rate of chronic malnutrition in Latin America and the Caribbean, and the fourth highest in the world.4 More than half of indigenous children (58 percent) and about a third of Ladino children are stunted, according to the 2014/2015 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS).2
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) works with the government of Guatemala to implement the Western Highlands Integrated Program (WHIP), fostering economic growth and social development in 30 priority municipalities around the region. WHIP includes an economic development component alongside health and nutrition initiatives: the Rural Value Chains Project (RVCP) provides technical assistance to smallholder farmers and artisans. Since 2012, with support from USAID/Guatemala, MEASURE Evaluation conducted monitoring and evaluation (M&E) activities related to WHIP. These activities were closely aligned with USAID’s Evaluation Policy and the Feed the Future (FTF) Learning Agenda.5,6 In 2012–2013, MEASURE Evaluation designed and implemented a large-scale population-based survey, yielding baseline estimates on a wide variety of health and economic indicators, including those designated as essential for FTF programs. The survey also provided a foundation for the future assessment of the impact of the RVCP in focal communities.
MEASURE Evaluation worked to:
- Support planning for follow-up efforts related to the WHIP Evaluation, including the RVCP impact assessment scheduled to take place in 2017–2018 and a new population-based survey in 2018
- Produce timely and reliable evidence to inform decision making about health and agriculture investments in Guatemala
- Facilitate effective integrated development programming
All of our work promoted accountability and learning, and responded directly to the information needs of USAID and its in-country partners.
Click here for Spanish version / Versión en español
Related Content
Diagnóstico de la capacidad de monitoreo y evaluación del VIH
Health Information System Strengthening: Guatemala Country Profile
Family Planning in Guatemala: The Achievements of 50 Years
Planificación Familiar en Guatemala: Logros de 50 Años
Ethnicity and HIV Risk Behaviour, Testing and Knowledge in Guatemala
Guatemala Country Profile: Health Information System Indicators
---
1World Bank country profiles. http://data.worldbank.org/country/guatemala (June 12, 2017).
2Ministerio de Salud Pública y Asistencia Social (MSPAS), Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), ICF
International, 2017. Encuesta Nacional de Salud Materno Infantil 2014–2015. Informe Final. Guatemala,
MSPAS/INE/ICF.
3Instituto Nacional de Estadística de Guatemala. 2011. Encuesta Nacional de Condiciones de Vida [National Living Conditions Survey]. 2011.
4The World Food Program. http://www.wfp.org/countries/guatemala (June 12, 2017)
5Evaluation: Learning from Experience. USAID Evaluation Policy. January 2011 Updated October 2016, Washington, D.C. https://www.usaid.gov/evaluation/policy (June 12, 2017).
6Feed the Future Learning Agenda. http://agrilinks.org/sites/default/files/resource/files/Feed%20the%20Future%20Learning%20Agenda.pdf (June 12, 2017)
