The place

El Salitre

El Salitre is a squatters’ village located on the shore of Lake Amatitlan, about 50 miles outside of Guatemala City. Many problems plague the nearly 5000 women and children who inhabit this community. There is no access to clean water, sewage treatment, or electricity. Violence, especially rape, is endemic. Malnutrition and hunger offer daily sources of pain and discomfort as mothers allocate days for each of their children to eat, spreading the food throughout the week. Life is hard, filled with danger, and little sense of a future that is different.