Santa Barbara Project, Guatemala

See the progress you helped make happen in your sponsored community

When the project started, most families lived in poverty and lacked training and tools to grow enough food. Literacy levels were low and many children were chronically malnourished and suffered from diarrhoea due to poor sanitation.

Thanks to your support, your sponsored child and other children in the Santa Barbara community have better access to education, healthcare and nutritious food.

Together we've achieved so much

Over 2,000 children in 19 schools benefited from a literacy program

Teachers were trained to run this program and schools were supplied with books and other learning resources.

  • 96 percent of children aged 7-13 were attending primary school after families were made aware of the importance of education.
  • A school-readiness program also trained 200 families in methods of encouraging their children’s development and early learning to better prepare them for the first grade.
  • 19 school principals and community volunteers were trained in improved methods of teaching reading comprehension and 16 pre-school teachers were trained in building early learning skills in pre-school-aged children.

177 toilets were built in three neighbourhoods

This is contributing to a decrease in diarrhoea in children caused by poor sanitation.

  • Over 1,800 children accessed healthcare, more than 1,500 received micronutrients and more than 100 malnourished children were provided with food supplements.
  • Acute malnutrition in children decreased by 19 percent between 2009 and 2013, after mothers were trained in child health and nutrition.
  • Nurses and medical staff in 15 locations were trained and are monitoring the health, weight and wellbeing of children.

Corn harvests increased by 85 percent between 2007 and 2013

This followed agricultural training and tree planting to improve soil fertility.

  • Three beekeeping groups were trained and they now take care of 85 beehives, producing 1.9 tonnes of honey to sell.
  • Young people gained access to vocational, technical and business training.
  • Five business groups were formed to help entrepreneurs learn about finance, marketing and accounting so they can run their own businesses.

"I am very grateful to World Vision for the support provided to my community and family … now we harvest and sell strawberries thanks to the training we received."

- Ruben, community leader