New Guatemalan Leadership

Today is inaguaration day for Guatemala's new president - Alvaro Colom. Colom's VP is Rafael Espada who gave up his day job as a heart surgeon in Houston to try and give Guatemalans a better quality of life. Today, roughly 75% of Guatemalans live on less than $1/day. There is still too much corruption and gang activity throughout the country. Guatemala spent 36 years in a civil war (1960- 1996) which left over 200,000 people dead and 40,000 others who simply disappeared. Those of Mayan descent, about 1/2 the population of Guatemala, were hit hardest and suffered all sorts of discrimination at the hands of those in the ruling, elite class. Colom have been working for the past 10 years to bring hope Guatemalan refugees who mostly fled to Mexico after the civil war ended and was instrumental in working with the government and the UN to invest monies into the areas of Guatemala that were hit hardest by the war so that the refugees could start over. Colom has said his immediate focus will be on rural aid, public safety, and building more schools and public health faciilties.The problems that Guatemala faces are staggering. Colom can make a difference. Maybe not a lot in 4 years, but hopefully, he will start something that can continue, and as Abby grows up, the future for Guatemala will be much brighter.