Village

Jaibalito is the poorest, smallest and most remote of the villages located on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.  It can only be reached by a hike along a mountainside path or a 30-minute boat ride from the larger and more developed communities along the lake.  The village is remote and because of this, the villagers suffer from extreme poverty, a lack of community services, clean water and sanitation. Only very recently have Internet and television services been made available to the community.

There is no industry in the community and, unlike many of the villages on the lake, there is very little tourism.  There is also very little employment opportunity; therefore, many of the men leave the village to find work.  This leaves the women to struggle to make ends meet in order to keep the family together.  For the most part, the homes are small and dark, poorly constructed of rough lumber and corrugated steel, with many generations living under one roof.