Guatemala
Many people pass through Guatemala while journeying up Central America. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) runs projects at two border points, offering vital medical and psychological assistance to people on the move.
Our activities in 2024 —
outpatient consultations
individual mental health consultations
consultations for contraceptive services
people treated for sexual violence
MSF is running medical activites in Esquipulas, on the border with Honduras, and Tecún Umán, on the border with Mexico. Our teams provide essential services including nutrition support, sexual and reproductive healthcare, care for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), diagnosis and treatment of high-risk communicable diseases, and psychosocial and basic psychiatric care.
Our clinics remain strategically located, serving not only as medical care points but also as safe spaces where people can rest, access showers and toilets, and use the internet to contact their families.
Health promoters are key members of our teams in both projects. Their work is crucial in understanding people’s needs and connecting them to the right services – for example,identifying cases of sexual violence and ensuring that victims and survivors receive the necessary medical care and emotional support. They also guide people on where to find assistance and how to access MSF clinics along their journey.
Mental health teams and health promoters run both group and individual sessions, where they identify people with prior diagnoses of NCDs or psychiatric conditions, and refer them for treatment. Our team in Danlí, Honduras, also refers patients with these conditions to our nearest project in Esquipulas.
In addition to these activities, we provide staff training at both locations to support partner organisations and the Ministry of Health – for example, training health centre staff to identify psychological disorders.