Wuqu' Kawoq

Led by indigenous health workers, Wuqu' Kawoq delivers comprehensive, high-quality, culturally competent care and research to transform health in rural Guatemala. Although almost half of all Guatemalans speak a Mayan language, most health care is delivered in Spanish. Many indigenous Maya people also confront discrimination, cost, and transportation barriers to accessing quality health care. The result is a range of substantial health disparities. For instance, while 46% of children in Guatemala suffer from chronic malnutrition, that rate exceeds 70% in many rural, indigenous communities. Founded in 2007, Wuqu' Kawoq (also known as Maya Health Alliance) is a community-based organiz... read more Led by indigenous health workers, Wuqu' Kawoq delivers comprehensive, high-quality, culturally competent care and research to transform health in rural Guatemala. Although almost half of all Guatemalans speak a Mayan language, most health care is delivered in Spanish. Many indigenous Maya people also confront discrimination, cost, and transportation barriers to accessing quality health care. The result is a range of substantial health disparities. For instance, while 46% of children in Guatemala suffer from chronic malnutrition, that rate exceeds 70% in many rural, indigenous communities. Founded in 2007, Wuqu' Kawoq (also known as Maya Health Alliance) is a community-based organization dedicated to breaking down barriers to health for all Guatemalans. We advance lasting changes in healthcare delivery across rural Guatemala so that high-quality care, health, and well-being are within reach for everyone. We serve 11,000 patients annually and are one of the only organizations in Guatemala providing comprehensive healthcare in indigenous Mayan languages. More than 90% of our staff are women, and 84% are indigenous. We are a recognized leader in the fields of rural health and implementation science and continuously evaluate our programs for opportunities to improve care and delivery. We also work for systems-level change in collaboration with a variety of government and nonprofit partners. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to achieve the best possible health, no matter where they were born or what language they speak.