What's "New" at USAID in Guatemala

Leadership, Innovations and News Items

USAID/Guatemala has pioneered various innovations and provided leadership within the Agency and with other donors in programs that are now being copied and replicated. Unique and creative approaches to development issues that USAID/Guatemala has employed include:

HIGH PERCENTAGE OF PRIVATE-SECTOR ALLIANCES
USAID/Guatemala has actively promoted alliances with the private sector and worked to integrate them into the larger program and strategy. At one point, the Mission had 17 alliances worth $23.3 million (obligated funds), including those associated with the regional program. Alliance programs in the Mission involve the Gap, Rainforest Alliance, Starbucks, and Microsoft and the amount of leveraged funds is more than $100 million (average leverage ratio exceeds 1:4). USAID/Guatemala has also pioneered an “alliance project” in the area of health and education where much of the labor intensive work of alliance building is shared with a grantee partner.

CUTTING-EDGE CRIME PREVENTION/COMMUNITY POLICING ACTIVITIES
USAID/ Guatemala is one of the first Missions to take advantage of the new legislative authorities allowing USAID to support community-based policing. The Mission pushed for these authorities to allow us to respond to what a majority of Guatemalans identify as the most important problem they face--growing crime, especially related to the growth of youth gangs. USAID/Guatemala is working closely with the NAS Law Enforcement Development program in designing a community policing approach, including a pilot project in a high-crime suburb of Guatemala City. USAID is focused on at-risk youth who may be recruited into gangs, community crime prevention efforts associated with the municipality, community organizations, and local justice center, and coordination between government entities at the community level.

GOVERNMENT USE OF NGOS FOR EXPANSION OF BASIC HEALTH SERVICES
USAID/Guatemala has helped the Government of Guatemala develop a unique approach to expansion of basic health services in rural and remote areas whereby, rather than build government health posts, payments are made to NGOs under contract with the Ministry of Health to provide basic services. This uses the installed capacity of NGOs who already have a presence in many of these areas.

EXHUMATION OF CLANDESTINE CEMETARIES TO PROMOTE RECONCILIATION
USAID funds the Guatemalan Forensic Anthropology Foundation to carry out exhumations of bodies of persons killed during the internal conflict. Bodies are identified so that friends and relatives can provide a dignified burial and bring closure to that era. Mental health services accompany the exhumation process to promote healing in the affected communities. Monies from the Victims of Torture Fund appropriated by the U.S. Congress are used to finance this program which is one of the most successful human rights and reconciliation projects of its kind.

MANAGEMENT CONTROL ASSESSMENTS OF KEY GOVERNMENT MINISTRIES
The incoming Berger Administration asked USAID to apply a pilot methodology to assess internal controls in key ministries as a means of determining a baseline and developing recommendations to improve operations and efficiency and control corruption. So far, 10 major executive branch ministries have been assessed as well as the Public Ministry, the Supreme Court, and the Tourism Institute. The result has been a clear understanding of institutional challenges facing these entities and a commitment to institute needed changes. A relatively low-cost effort, these assessments have the potential to save millions in government resources by preventing corruption and using resources more efficiently.

FORESTRY CONCESSIONS CONSERVING FORESTS BETTER THAN PROTECTED AREAS
USAID/Guatemala has pioneered the concept of providing concessions to local communities for the sustainable management of forest resources in a program focused on the rainforests of the Petén. Analysis of forest conservation has demonstrated that these concessions, which give local communities a stake in the preservation of the forest, have been more effective in conserving forests than protected areas, which have often been invaded by outside groups. USAID has also helped the concession communities obtain certification for the wood and other products they harvest from the forest to help them secure a better price and to provide additional incentives for sustainable management.

INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE ATMS
USAID/Guatemala has helped BANRURAL (Rural Development Bank) to upgrade ATM (Automatic Teller Machine) services to better serve its clients. BANRURAL is a Private/Public Development Bank with high presence in the rural areas, and the only bank active in all of Guatemala’s Departments. The upgrade is allowing BANRURAL customers to access ATM voice services in their native languages and use their fingerprints as a security mechanism. This innovation has increased access by illiterate and non-Spanish speakers customers to formal banking services, and improved the flow of family remittances. More than 100 ATMs have been upgraded in rural and urban areas, with more than 500,000 people directly benefited.

JUSTICE CENTER CONCEPT
USAID/Guatemala pioneered the concept of a “justice center,” which involves bringing together all the principal actors in the justice system within a specific geographic jurisdiction -- judges, public defenders, prosecutors, private law practitioners, police, municipal representatives, military officers and civil society -- in an integrated and coordinated effort to improve services and provide greater access to justice to local population groups. The Justice Center has been a focal point for: 1) improving coordination between the key justice sector institutions (police, prosecutors, courts, and public defenders) and with local community groups (municipality, NGOs, community organizations); 2) improving efficiency through modernization efforts such as oral pre-trial procedures, case tracking system, unified administrative arrangements, and alternative dispute resolution; and 3) improving access to justice services and attention to community problems through translation services, outreach efforts, and special committees focused on local problems such as lynching or crime prevention. More than 15 justice centers are now supported by USAID, primarily in departmental capitals, and similar centers are now being supported by other donors. This concept has recently been incorporated in Mission programs in Colombia, El Salvador, Bolivia, and various other Missions.

QUALITY COFFEE INTERNET AUCTIONS
USAID/Guatemala supports “Q” auctions via internet that link international coffee buyers directly with small farmers and have resulted in diversification toward higher-value coffee and above-commercial grade prices for Guatemalan coffee.

INTRODUCING A CULTURE OF EVALUATION IN EDUCATION
Historically, policies and investment decisions in the education sector have not been made with the benefit of solid data and analysis. In addition, such data, if collected at all, has not been shared or published. Today, USAID investments in strengthening research and evaluation capabilities in Guatemala are paying off. A culture of evaluation in the education sector is being embraced by the Government of Guatemala and key stakeholders. Standards are being defined, testing instruments are being developed and used, and data is being measured and shared. More importantly, analysis of data is now the basis for much of the policy efforts, as demonstrated by the newly launched Visión Educación. This Vision has been translated into detailed proposals for four key policy reforms for the period 2005-2008: a) education quality, b) teacher development, c) improved financial management, and d) school infrastructure. President Berger announced that his administration will support these goals by increasing the Education budget 46 percent between 2005 and 2008. The increased resources for education are in large part a result of USAID investments in strengthening capacities in research and analysis, monitoring and evaluation.

INTEGRATION OF MODERN MEDICINE AND MAYAN TRADITION
USAID has supported the development of a cadre of Mayan Midwives, or skilled birth attendants, through a merging of modern medicine and Mayan tradition, enabling many rural and indigenous communities to receive maternal health services for the first time.

MULTI-COUNTRY CONTRACT
USAID/Guatemala assumed leadership of the design and management of a unique and innovative multi-country program to support the region’s efforts in the areas of Anti-Corruption, Transparency and Accountability. USAID/Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Panama embarked together on what is hoped will be a successful, cutting edge effort that will promote greater cross fertilization and sharing of initiatives, approaches and lessons learned across country programs.