ALDEA: Advancing Local Development through Empowerment and Action

As sister organizations, ALDEA and ABPD are working together to address the principal needs of rural, predominantly Mayan communities in the Department of Chimaltenango in Guatemala. ALDEA is a 501(c)(3) organization based in the U.S. and focuses on advocacy, education, and fund development to support ABPD’s work in the field. On the ground in Guatemala, ABPD, a largely-indigenous organization, empowers rural villages to address the devastating effects of poverty and disadvantage. Through a grassroots development approach, ALDEA and ABPD help communities understand and tackle the root causes of the multifaceted problem of chronic malnutrition in infants and young children. The process is designed to achieve both short-term and longer-term results. In the short term, our programs lead to measurable improvements in chronic childhood malnutrition by supporting families to improve water and sanitation, infant and young children feeding, family planning, and other key drivers of malnutrition. Equally important, the positive experience of mobilizing to reduce chronic malnutrition gives community members the improved organizational and problem-solving skills they will need to find locally-driven solutions to additional priorities going forward.