Realities

I stole this blog from Joel (our Twitter Travel guy), I felt like everyone should read it.

"Reality: 56% of Guatemalans live below the poverty line; 80% of the Maya population are below that line

Reality: Guatemala suffers the highest rate of malnutrition in the Western Hemisphere; 55% of Maya children

Reality: Guatemala has the highest murder rate in the Western Hemisphere; 53 per 100K compared to 17 in Mexico and 35 in Colombia

Reality: Most of the indigenous poor in Guatemala earn less than $1 per day

Reality: 38% of the Maya population receive no education while another 50% attend less than 6 years

Reality: In Guatemala, 1.8% GDP goes to health care, 1.8% towards health care compared to 7.1% and 6.7% in US

Reality: 50% of Guatemalans have piped drinking water and fully 98% of all water sources are contaminated

Reality: Over 50% of Maya children experience growth stunting as a result of malnutrition

Reality: Less than 20% of the Maya population will ever see a doctor resulting in high infant mortality. One in 5 won't make it to their 5th birthday."