CHIANTLA, Guatemala — Juanita Marta Rivas lived and worked in California for 11 years, but she dreamed of returning to her native Guatemala to be closer to her family.
Yet there was one major problem that contributed to her decision to migrate in the first place: “There are no jobs,” she said of her community in Guatemala’s western highlands.
Rivas grew up working the land with her father and wanted to return to agriculture when she resettled back in this area. It has some of the highest rates of poverty and out-migration in the country.
A lack of employment opportunities is a refrain heard across Guatemala from people who desire to stay in their communities but are forced to leave because they cannot make a decent living.
It is also one of the root causes of migration from Central America that U.S. President Joe Biden has pledged to address. Vice President Kamala Harris, whom he has tasked with addressing the issue, is on her first trip to the region this week and arrived in Guatemala on Sunday.
Join Devex on the ground in Guatemala and read the rest of the visual story.
About the author
Teresa Welshtmawelsh
Teresa Welsh is a Senior Reporter at Devex. She has reported from more than 10 countries and is currently based in Washington, D.C. Her coverage focuses on Latin America; U.S. foreign assistance policy; fragile states; food systems and nutrition; and refugees and migration. Prior to joining Devex, Teresa worked at McClatchy's Washington Bureau and covered foreign affairs for U.S. News and World Report. She was a reporter in Colombia, where she previously lived teaching English. Teresa earned bachelor of arts degrees in journalism and Latin American studies from the University of Wisconsin.
