The cost of beans in Guatemala went up 19.6 percent last year, according to the World Food Program. As his family reduced their daily meals from three to two to one, he decided it was time to head to the United States. In a new report, the World Food Program predicts 428,000 Guatemalans will have reached a “Phase 4” level of food-insecurity emergency this year — the highest before famine. Even as Guatemala’s gross domestic product has grown, its malnutrition rate has continued to rise. He didn’t have a “single dollar,” but he would borrow the money at interest from friends already living and working in the United States.

Source: Washington Post April 01, 2021 20:48 UTC