According to the United Nations, the most intrusive and difficult challenge in the world today is insecurity. Insecurity can mean different things to different people, but everywhere in the world it is a very important obstacle that we must overcome. Different regions of the world have different ways of overcoming this obstacle, but they all need to focus on one very important factor: education. In Latin America, education must be more developed. The situation is very serious with many people without education. Across Latin America, only 85 percent of the population is literate. Furthermore, the problem is more serious in Guatemala, where barely 70 percent of the population can read. (UNDP, 2004) This essay will discuss the contrast between Guatemala and other Latin American countries, the disadvantages of the indigenous population in this country and the disadvantages of the poor. Next, I will discuss some ways in which the illiteracy situation in Guatemala can be improved. (All data are from the study of indigenous youth in Guatemala by Paracca, Hallman, Catino, and Ruiz [2006], unless otherwise noted). In a UNESCO study (2004), it is called <> and compares Latin American countries. regarding education. In almost every case, Guatemala was in last place, or even second to last. This study shows that Guatemala only has a literacy rate of 68.5 percent and that 84.3 percent of school-age children enroll in primary school. These figures are quite low for this part of the world. In high school, 37.0 percent of students enroll... middle of article ...... as Mayans: The effects of gender, ethnicity, poverty and residence on education in Guatemala (pp. 145-175). New York: Population Council. Mensch, B. 2005. “The transition to marriage.” In CB Lloyd, ed., Growing Up Global: The Changing Transitions to Adulthood in Developing Countries. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. Stromquist, NP, S. Klee, and SJ Miske. 1999. Improving girls' education in Guatemala: impact evaluation. Report PN-ACA-919. Washington, DC: United States Agency for International Development. UNDP (United Nations Development Program), (2004) Regional Human Development Report 2004: Latin America. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), (2004). Education for all: the imperative report (2 ed.). Paris: UNESCO.