Our Programs

Consistent with the goals of the U.S. Strategy for Central America, and in broad alignment with the Northern Triangle Countries’ Alliance for Prosperity Plan, USAID programs in Guatemala seek to address the drivers of irregular migration to the United States, including high levels of violence and insecurity, pervasive poverty, and chronic malnutrition.

Projected investment totals included below represent an estimate at the time of award, but do not ultimately reflect the total funds expended on these projects. Holds on U.S. foreign assistance for Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador will result in reductions to these totals across all USAID programming. In short, the amounts listed represent an estimate at the time of award, but do not ultimately reflect the total funds expended on these projects.

Innovative Solutions for Agricultural Value Chains Project

This project supports the growth and economic resilience of agribusinesses through training in agricultural and business practices and technologies, diversification of value chains, and private sector investment.

This project supports the growth and economic resilience of agribusinesses through training in agricultural and business practices and technologies, diversification of value chains, and private sector investment.

• Read more about Innovative Solutions for Agricultural Value Chains Project

Coffee Value Chains Project

This project improves coffee agricultural productivity, diversifies income generation alternatives, expands access to markets, and increases resilience through implementation of climate-smart nutrition sensitive agriculture, within a market-driven approach.

This project improves coffee agricultural productivity, diversifies income generation alternatives, expands access to markets, and increases resilience through implementation of climate-smart nutrition sensitive agriculture, within a market-driven approach.

• Read more about Coffee Value Chains Project

Creating Economic Opportunities

This project promotes trade and investment, mobilizes financial services, upgrades productive infrastructure, and improves private sector competitiveness, benefiting poor and vulnerable populations, particularly Indigenous youth.

This project promotes trade and investment, mobilizes financial services, upgrades productive infrastructure, and improves private sector competitiveness, benefiting poor and vulnerable populations, particularly Indigenous youth.

• Read more about Creating Economic Opportunities

Grant to the International Food Policy Research Institute

This project helps to report improvements in food security and nutrition by providing technical assistance to establish the baseline for an impact evaluation and mid term survey of Zero Hunger Pact of the Government of Guatemala.

This project helps to report improvements in food security and nutrition by providing technical assistance to establish the baseline for an impact evaluation and mid term survey of Zero Hunger Pact of the Government of Guatemala.

• Read more about Grant to the International Food Policy Research Institute

Rural Extension Project in Guatemala

This project increases food security among rural households in Guatemala by strengthening the capacity of extension agents and community promoters in planning, organizing, managing, and delivering rural extension services.

This project increases food security among rural households in Guatemala by strengthening the capacity of extension agents and community promoters in planning, organizing, managing, and delivering rural extension services.

• Read more about Rural Extension Project in Guatemala

Strengthening Governance in the Maya Biosphere Reserve

This project strengthens governance in the MBR by supporting field patrols and judicial processes to ensure enforcement of laws and prosecution of offenders, enhancing public and civil society participation in governance, investing in tourism development, and protecting the region’s archaeological heritage.

Sergio Izquierdo

This project strengthens governance in the MBR by supporting field patrols and judicial processes to ensure enforcement of laws and prosecution of offenders, enhancing public and civil society participation in governance, investing in tourism development, and protecting the region’s archaeological heritage.

• Read more about Strengthening Governance in the Maya Biosphere Reserve

Biodiversity Project

This project builds national capacity to improve management and governance throughout Guatemala’s System of Protected Areas (SIGAP), and pilot interventions in three protected areas.

Sergio Izquierdo

This project builds national capacity to improve management and governance throughout Guatemala’s System of Protected Areas (SIGAP), and pilot interventions in three protected areas.

• Read more about Biodiversity Project

Lifelong Learning Project

This project supports implementation of quality bilingual and intercultural education, alternative paths to primary and secondary school completion, and demand-driven workforce development training for teachers in underserved populations.

This project supports implementation of quality bilingual and intercultural education, alternative paths to primary and secondary school completion, and demand-driven workforce development training for teachers in underserved populations.

• Read more about Lifelong Learning Project

Puentes Project

This project supports youth in high migration areas of Guatemala access to education, employment, and entrepreneurship opportunities while providing youth with basic life skills so that they can actively contribute to their communities.

This project supports youth in high migration areas of Guatemala access to education, employment, and entrepreneurship opportunities while providing youth with basic life skills so that they can actively contribute to their communities.

• Read more about Puentes Project

Advance Project

This project builds the universities’ capacity to bridge well-trained and qualified technical tertiary education youth graduates to fill positions demanded by local labor markets. This project is also implemented in Honduras and Jamaica.

This project builds the universities’ capacity to bridge well-trained and qualified technical tertiary education youth graduates to fill positions demanded by local labor markets. This project is also implemented in Honduras and Jamaica.

• Read more about Advance Project

Health and Education Policy Project Plus (HEP+)

This project supports targeted sector reform and central-level planning and policies in the education, nutrition, and health sectors; and the development of civil society capacity to undertake advocacy and accountability efforts and promote a policy dialogue among national, departmental, and local stakeholders.

This project supports targeted sector reform and central-level planning and policies in the education, nutrition, and health sectors; and the development of civil society capacity to undertake advocacy and accountability efforts and promote a policy dialogue among national, departmental, and local stakeholders.

• Read more about Health and Education Policy Project Plus (HEP+)

Global Health Supply Chain for Procurement and Supply Management

• Implemented by: Chemonics International, Inc.
• Duration: October 1, 2016 – November 28, 2023
• Total Projected Investment: $3,250,000

This activity supports the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) efforts to improve the health supply chain’s performance and expand the availability of micronutrients, vaccines, family planning methods and other essential medicines. The activity assists the MOH to enhance the new Central Logistics Unit, work with MOH staff to develop medical supply forecasts at the central and local levels, support the development of a Logistics Management Information System for primary and secondary levels of care, analyze and use essential logistics data to improve the availability of health supplies, and develop and implement procedures to improve storage conditions.

Accessibility of family planning commodities is critical to families managing their desired family size. Without them, the gap of unsatisfied demand among people requiring effective family planning methods increases, increasing numbers of unwanted pregnancies. Families with an unmanageable number of children will be more eager to migrate to the USA in search of jobs and services for their families. Additionally, a functioning supply chain ensures vaccines are available. If the system fails, vaccination coverage will decrease and migrant children could represent a threat for re-emergence of vaccine-preventable diseases in the USA.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Inter Agency Agreement II

• Implemented by: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Duration: April 1, 2015 – September 30, 2022
• Total Projected Investment: $1,450,000

The Epidemiological Surveillance System in Health and Nutrition is an annual national survey that evaluates outcomes of health and nutrition programs. This activity supports the Guatemalan Government’s efforts to carry out a household survey surveillance system using a representative national sample and will continue the transfer of critical survey processes, monitoring and analysis to SESAN (the Food and Nutrition Secretariat).

Chronic malnutrition remains a critical development challenge for Guatemala where stunting rates are the sixth highest in the world. The survey results will help the GOG track its progress on implementing the National Strategy to Decrease Chronic Malnutrition in order to increase health and nutrition throughout the country.

Water Quality Improvement in the Mam Territory and Institutional Strengthening of the Mancomunidad de la Cuenca del Rio Naranjo (Mancuerna)

• Implemented by: Mancomunidad de la Cuenca del Río Naranjo (Mancuerna)
• Duration: September 25, 2017 - September 30, 2021
• Total Projected Investment: $3,000,000

The purpose of this activity is to decrease the incidence of diarrhea and therefore contribute to reducing chronic malnutrition through the provision of safe water and basic sanitation services in Mancuerna’s member municipalities. The activity also aims to strengthen MANCUERNA as an implementing institution so it can develop and carry out additional water and sanitation projects and share the organization’s successful community-based methodology with other municipalities and rural communities.

Breakthrough Action Nutrition Project

• Implemented by: Johns Hopkins University
• Duration: March 4, 2019 – September 30, 2021
• Total Projected Investment: $500,000

This activity helps increase the practice of priority behaviors, such as eating nutrient rich foods, consuming their own agricultural products and better hygiene that improve the health and nutrition status among the Guatemalan population living in select municipalities throughout the Western Highlands.

Breakthrough-Action supports USAID/Guatemala’s Feed the Future Initiative by working with the implementing partners that are focusing on nutrition-sensitive agriculture activities in its Zone of Influence. As both health and agriculture activities intend to reduce stunting, chronic malnutrition, and improve the health status of its beneficiaries, using an integrated approach whereby both sectors reinforce the same behavior change messaging is critical.

Breakthrough Action [COVID Response]

This project promotes social behavior change interventions to improve health and nutrition outcomes among vulnerable populations. To combat COVID-19, it implements risk communication and community engagement interventions to provide the general public with the necessary information needed to reduce transmission risk.

This project promotes social behavior change interventions to improve health and nutrition outcomes among vulnerable populations. To combat COVID-19, it implements risk communication and community engagement interventions to provide the general public with the necessary information needed to reduce transmission risk.

• Read more about Breakthrough Action [COVID Response]

Improved Health and Nutrition

This activity will improve the health and nutritional status of women and children in the Western Highlands by strengthening institutions implementing health and nutrition policies.

This activity will improve the health and nutritional status of women and children in the Western Highlands by strengthening institutions implementing health and nutrition policies.

• Read more about Improved Health and Nutrition

Accelerate At-Risk Women’s Prosperity Through Productive Value Chains in Latin America

This project integrates a women-centered ecological approach and other gender-specific methodologies with the Rainforest Alliance’s proven market-based conservation approach.

This project integrates a women-centered ecological approach and other gender-specific methodologies with the Rainforest Alliance’s proven market-based conservation approach.

• Read more about Accelerate At-Risk Women’s Prosperity Through Productive Value Chains in Latin America

USAID/Guatemala also implements the following activities which aim to contain HIV prevalence in Central America:

Central American Project for Sustaining and Championing the Human Rights Response to Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)

• Implemented by: Plan International
• Duration: March 15, 2018 – March 14, 2023
• Total Projected Investment: $9,999,961

The objective of this activity is to enable Central American countries to fulfil commitments to implement Test and Start (antiretroviral therapy) and achieve the 95-95-95 goals. In partnership with diverse regional and national stakeholders including governments, civil society, key populations, the private sector, cooperation agencies, and academic institutions, the project will increase coordination, partnership, and reforms, and support for evidence- and rights-based HIV policies, processes, and practices.

Global Health Supply Chain for Procurement and Supply Management for HIV

• Implemented by: Chemonics International, Inc.
• Duration: October 1, 2016 – September 30, 2021
• Total Projected Investment: $4,420,000

The objective of this activity is to provide technical assistance to the National AIDS Programs to support ministries of health efforts in five Central American countries to improve the health supply chain’s performance and expand availability to improve their anti-retroviral supply forecasts, logistics management information systems, and storage conditions in health facilities. The activity assists the ministries of health to enhance Central Logistics Units, work with MOH staff to develop medical supply forecasts at the central and local levels, support the development of a Logistics Management Information System for primary and secondary levels of care, analyze and use essential logistics data to improve the availability of health supplies, and develop and implement procedures to improve storage conditions.

Strengthening Care and Treatment Cascade Project

• Implemented by: IntraHealth International, Inc.
• Duration: August 13, 2018 – August 15, 2023
• Total Projected Investment: $15,000,000

The objective of this activity is to support countries to ensure that all eligible people living with HIV are on treatment and achieve viral suppression through high quality and discrimination free care and treatment services. The emphasis of the activity is to strengthen HIV care and treatment services for key populations (KP) and priority populations (PP) with an emphasis on increasing treatment adherence and improving quality of life.

Sustainable HIV Knowledge Management

• Implemented by: Centro para la Educación y Prevención del SIDA (CEPRESI)
• Duration: October 1, 2019 – September 30, 2024
• Total Projected Investment: $3,000,000

The objective of this activity is to strengthen the ability of five Central American countries (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama) to track UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets through strengthened health information systems on HIV and improved HIV knowledge management among key population civil society organizations, aligned to global, regional and national strategic information requirements.

Sustainable HIV Response in Central America

• Implemented by: Fundación para la Alimentación y la Nutrición de Centroamérica y Panamá (FANCAP)
• Duration: February 28, 2020 – August 31, 2021
• Total Projected Investment: $2,113,898

The purpose of this project is to move Central American countries towards a technically, politically and financially sustainable stage, in order to contain the HIV epidemic and the fulfill of the 95-95-95 goals.

HIV Prevention for High Risk Individuals Activity

• Implemented by: Pan American Social Marketing Organization (PASMO)
• Duration: September 1, 2020 – August 31, 2025
• Total Projected Investment: $15,000,000

This activity will support government and civil society partners in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama to provide comprehensive prevention services targeted to high risk individuals, including but not limited to non-discriminatory counseling and testing services with a focus on strengthening linkage of HIV-positive individuals to appropriate clinical care and treatment.