Malnutrition...

A visit to the local nutrtition center here in Teculutan...

This 1 year old little girl was brought to the nutrition center a week ago from the hospital. It's a bit difficult to see, however it you look at her hair, you will notice the roots are blonde. Probably about the first inch of hair was blonde, then faded to black.

Notice the hair on this precious little girl. The shape of her head was very odd and large for her body, and she had thin patches of hair around her head, making a close resemblence to the spokes on a bicycle wheel when pulled into a ponytail.

Guatemala ranks 6th in the world for chronic malnutrition, with about 50% of Guatemalan children under the age of 5 suffering from chronic malnutrition, affecting their mental and physical growth. According to UNICEF, Guatemala has the worst malnutrition problem in Latin America, even higher than Africa. 57% of the population currently lives under the poverty line and cannot afford an adequate diet. Mother's are often unable to provide breast milk for their infants due to malnutrition. 75% of the primary indigenous rural population live on less than $2 per day.