FUNDEGUA

FUNDEGUA (Fundación Desarrolla Guatemala para la Educación y la Salud) uses evidence and technology to make access to health information and care a right, not a privilege, in Guatemala. Through the ALMA digital health ecosystem, we answer people's health questions one-on-one on WhatsApp and social media, publish trustworthy health information online, train frontline health workers with AI, and strengthen the public health system's response to outbreaks. We also operate 1582 Te Escucha, Guatemala's first four-digit crisis and suicide prevention line.

In rural Guatemala, there is one doctor for every 10,000 people. With no one to ask, families turn to the myths and misinformation shared on social media. The nurses who hold up the health system rarely receive continuing education. FUNDEGUA gives every Guatemalan someone to ask, on the web and on WhatsApp, which more than 90% of the country uses. For families: - ALMA Responde (@alma_responde, "ALMA Answers"): a trained team that answers people's health questions one-on-one by WhatsApp, social media, and phone, and refers them to the right health service. It answers about 3,000 questions a month. - TuSalud (tusalud.com.gt, "Your Health"): a national directory of 7,500+ health professionals and centers, including every public and social security facility, plus evidence-based health articles. It is the only website in Guatemala in the World Health Organization's Vaccine Safety Network. - alma Mujeres ("ALMA Women", in development): a private AI health companion on WhatsApp that gives women reliable answers at every stage of life, from first period to menopause, because women make most of their families' health decisions yet rarely have a trusted, confidential place to ask. For frontline health workers: - almaRED: an AI assistant on WhatsApp that supports the Ministry of Health workforce with on-demand answers and continuing education modules. - almaSALUD: the same AI assistant, adapted for nonprofit organizations that want on-demand support and continuing education for their own frontline staff. For the country during an outbreak: - Salud Juntos (saludjuntos.gt, "Health Together"): the public portal built with the Ministry of Health to respond to the national measles outbreak, designed to expand to other vaccine-preventable diseases. For people in crisis: - 1582 Te Escucha ("1582 Listens"): Guatemala's first four-digit crisis and suicide prevention line, by phone and WhatsApp, backed by a referral network of affordable mental health care for follow-up. Since 2020, IDB Lab, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, PAHO/WHO, UNFPA, individual donors, and Guatemalan corporations have supported this work. Your gift goes a long way. $10 goes twice as far: a year of training for one health worker and a year of personalized health support for one woman and her family. Donate now and help us bring reliable health information and crisis support to every corner of Guatemala.

- About 70,000 people use ALMA's digital health tools every month, and two of every three are women - ALMA Responde answers about 3,000 personal health questions a month by WhatsApp, social media, and phone - 1582 Te Escucha, our crisis line, helped more than 1,000 people in its first month of operation - More than 6,000 searches a month in the TuSalud directory, which lists 7,500+ health professionals and centers - Over 3 million users reached by ALMA's digital health tools since launch in 2020 - During the 2026 measles outbreak, 12,599 survey responses from all 22 departments guided the Ministry of Health's response. 30,693 people used saludjuntos.gt in its first three months, and 5,564 completed the "Do I need to get vaccinated?" questionnaire - In a 3-week pilot, 86 Ministry of Health workers completed 2,743 almaRED training lessons, and 95% would recommend it to a colleague

Direct beneficiaries: - Guatemalan families in all 22 departments, especially women (two of every three ALMA users), who get reliable health information and guidance on where to receive care through ALMA Responde, TuSalud, and Salud Juntos, and soon through alma Mujeres - People in emotional crisis or at risk of suicide who reach 1582 Te Escucha by phone or WhatsApp - Frontline health workers (nurses, auxiliary nurses, physicians, technicians, midwives, and community health promoters) in the Ministry of Health and in nonprofit organizations, who receive continuing education through almaRED and almaSALUD Indirect beneficiaries: - The Ministry of Health, which receives community health data and better-trained personnel - Public hospitals and health centers that receive better-informed patients and timely referrals Approximately 800,000 users reached annually.