Guatemalan grandmothers are working with Plan to run a confidential helpline

21 October 2009: Plan Guatemala has teamed up with some very special local experts to give the people of the Jalapa area a place to turn to for confidential advice.

In the rural society of this small Central American country, grandmothers – ‘abuelas’ in Spanish – still have a central place in the societal hierarchy.

‘La Linea de Ternura,’ or ‘the Tenderness Line,’ is an anonymous call-in service staffed entirely by local grandmothers where adults can learn how to become better parents, and where abused children can ask for help. The line has dealt with a range of issues, some of them shocking, including children that have been severely beaten and even burned.

A sometimes violent society

Guatemala is a relatively young country and the poorest nation in the Americas next to Haiti. The Civil War ended less than 15 years ago in 1996. Unfortunately, since then levels of violence have escalated.

“The men are not very sensitive towards their wives and children. This is why we have to bring the vaccine of tenderness,“says Alena, one of the grandmothers.

The Abuelas have had to deal with some very serious cases. “A 14-year-old girl was raped,” says Alena, “She came to us on the line. The most disheartening thing was that the attacker was a policeman. We talked to the psychologist at the hospital and continued to support the girl throughout the case – he was arrested and put in jail.”

Committed to helping children

The group of grandmothers were first brought together by Plan in Guatemala and the helpline was implemented by CONACMI, the National Association Against Child Mistreatment.

“These women have an integral role in the community,” says Maria Jose Dufourq of Plan Guatemala. “They take turns everyday on the phones, they are very committed to the work."

The Abuelas are part of a wider plan to prevent and address any form of violence against children. Every month the Abuelas receive extra training on counselling techniques, and they recently received an office from the Guatemalan Interior Ministry.

They support the victim and encourage them to go to a hospital, lodge a complaint at a police station or the authorities if needed. One day, the grandmothers hope to go nationwide with their service.

Find out about more about Plan's work in Guatemala.