Al Jazeera Frames

The Root of Hunger

A young mother explains why she cannot afford to feed her six children in Guatemala.

Filmmaker: Dave Mercer

Twenty-six-year-old Flavia Maria Juan Lux does not have enough food to feed her six children. Her second-youngest child is severely malnourished: His hair should not be blonde. But they do not have enough money to go to the doctor. Her family is an example of why Guatemala has the fourth-highest rate of chronic childhood malnutrition in the world.

“My husband earns very little and it’s not enough for us. With what little he makes we buy corn and beans. This is what we can afford. To get work outside this area and find a good job you need to have a good education. So most people here work on the farms. We have water but we don’t have enough food. I sometimes go to the fields to collect herbs to eat. But sometimes they fumigate the farms, so I can’t always do this. And sometimes they shout at you because you are not allowed on their land. Many people have spoken to me about a birth control operation. But I’m too scared to go through with it. Or with other birth control measures, they can also cause damage.”

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