Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina moved on Saturday to the poorest district of the western city of Huitan, following government-backed charity initiative, Univision TV channel reported.
Molina, a retired military officer who acquired presidential post on January14, decided to spend weekend with an impoverished family in Huitan where a child suffers from chronic malnutrition.
The president said that this experience would help him to understand aspirations and problems of ordinary people better. He will be among other 5,000 volunteers of the government-backed program “We All Can Do Something” that is aimed to provide help to families with low income.
Guatemala, one of the poorest countries in Latin America, had over 56 percent of citizens living below the poverty line in 2011, according to the Central Intelligence Agency’s data.
Molina, whose policy has been approved by 76 percent of citizens during his first 100 days at the top post, declared fight with organized crime a top priority issue.
According to the official information, about 16 people are killed every day in Guatemala.
