Over six months, nutrition technicians partner with families to develop personalized, sustainable care plans to support children’s growth and development.
Wuqu' Kawoq
The organization was founded on January 1, 2007, a date known as “Wuqu’ Kawoq” on the traditional Mayan calendar, and which represents medicine and health care providers.
Guatemala’s income distribution is among the most unequal in the world. Maternal mortality rates among Indigenous women are three times as high as those of non-Indigenous women; the rate of type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes among Indigenous people is more than double the national rate; and as many as 70% of children in rural Maya communities suffer chronic malnutrition. Indigenous Mayan communities often lack access to health care — many live in remote areas and do not want to be treated in a hospital where no one speaks their language, or where they may not be treated with dignity.
Led by Indigenous Maya people, Wuqu’ Kawoq provides high quality health care to more than 11,000 patients annually through visits to homes, clinics, and community centers in Guatemala’s Central Highlands. Community health workers provide care in the communities where patients live and, importantly, in their primary languages. About 90% of patients are women or girls.
Program areas include maternal and child health, women’s health, chronic diseases, and primary care.
Photo: Wuqu’ Kawoq nurse hiking to a village. © Wuqu’ Kawoq
Limited information and family pressures prevent most Indigenous women in rural Guatemala from using effective family planning methods. Wuqu’ Kawoq’s community-based nurses provide education and access to a range of contraceptive methods in women’s homes and local health centers.
Every year, Wuqu’ Kawoq provides critical reproductive health care, including modern contraception and cancer screening, to more than 5,000 women.
Photo Credit: Wuqu’ Kawoq
Virtual Events with Maya Health Alliance
This session began with a presentation by Population Connection Senior Analyst Hannah Evans, who visited Maya Health Alliance in March 2025. Hannah provided an essential overview of Guatemala’s demographic trends before diving into photos and stories from her site visit. Then, we heard from Anne Kraemer, co-founder and CEO of Maya Health Alliance, who further explored the organization’s founding mission, key programs, and future goals.
On World Contraception Day in 2023, we were honored to be joined by our Global Partners, WINGS and Wuqu’ Kawoq (Maya Health Alliance). Our Guatemalan-based partners work to deliver high-quality reproductive health education and services to rural communities in Guatemala.
Over six months, nutrition technicians partner with families to develop personalized, sustainable care plans to support children’s growth and development. 
Over six months, nutrition technicians partner with families to develop personalized, sustainable care plans to support children’s growth and development. 
Wuqu’ Kawoq provides traditional midwives with a phone application and other tools to monitor mothers and babies throughout pregnancy. If a problem arises, the application alerts Wuqu’ Kawoq medical staff. 
The groundbreaking phone application program has dramatically reduced maternal mortality by building culturally appropriate pathways for indigenous mothers to seek advanced care when they need it. 
Nutrition program height measurement. 
Wuqu’ Kawoq Leadership Team. 
Through our Global Partners program, Population Connection supports a growing number of grassroots organizations around the world working to increase access to education, public health and family planning services. Their…
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