Crime in Guatemala
The crime rate in Guatemala is very high, with 101 reported murder cases per week in 2018 alone. The actual number is likely even higher. One of the cities most affected by this is Escuintla in the southwest of Guatemala, about an hour away from Antigua. Escuintla is the third-largest city in Guatemala after Guatemala City and Quetzaltenango.
Last week, Lesli Daniela, one of the girls we support with our school supplies project, was shot in the head during a drive-by shooting while she was in a supermarket. The incident occurred in a village in the Escuintla district. Unfortunately, drive-by shootings are very common in Guatemala due to gang violence. Sometimes people are killed for as little as $ 110 because they didn't pay the "insurance money" to the gangs.
The bullet lodged in Lesli's head was only removed because she is part of our school project, and thanks to donations, we could cover the procedure for her. If we hadn't paid for the procedure, the doctors wouldn't have even performed a brain scan on Lesli. All the children we provide with school supplies also have access to medical treatment if they need it.
Healthcare in Guatemala is not freely accessible to people. Any treatment beyond basic first aid must be paid for by the patients themselves. Due to the high poverty rate in the population, many cannot afford these treatments.
Fortunately, Lesli has since been discharged from the hospital and is now recovering at home. She is one of the most diligent students we support and recently received a new pair of shoes because she has been achieving excellent grades.
This incident was a big shock for all of us, but unfortunately, these things are part of daily life for people in Guatemala. Lesli was very lucky that the bullet in her head could be removed without causing further damage to her brain.
We know that there are countless other stories like this in Guatemala, which is why we have made it our goal to provide as many children as possible with a better future by supplying them with school supplies and thus giving them access to education and healthcare.
