Guatemala stands at the 116th position of quality of life in all 169 countries in the world. It is further down on the list than any other Latin American country with the exception of Haiti.
The United States stands in the 4th position.
The city of Cobán rests in the state of Alta Verapaz- a state in which 76% of citizens live below the national poverty line and 21.5% of all Guatemalans live on less than $1 per day.
In a time where we all hear so much conversation about United States health care reform, 84% of Americans have access to some sort of health care. Only 11% of Guatemalans share that luxury. 68% of indigenous Guatemalan children suffer from chronic malnutrition.
All of these statistics have one thing in common. One common factor that could aid in each of these grim statistics: Water.
The Church of St. Patrick, in conjunction with its sister parish, Resurrection Priory in Cobán, Guatemala, has taken on the challenge of bringing clean, safe, drinking water to these communities- one family at a time.
Welcome to the project.
