But we all used to go, we needed to eat and to live. At the very least, seasonal labor provides a minimal diet. With luck, there may be some cash left over at the end. The average number of living children per family at Cerro Blanco is ten. To North Americans accustomed to small families, overpopulation may seem the most obvious and pressing of Guatemala's many problems.
Children are everywhere.
As a reforestation worker, I've been forced to conclude that any gains I'm helping my neighbors achieve will be wiped out by a growing population's need for even more lumber and firewood. Thank God that we are all healthy, that none of my babies has died. I think it's very difficult to have a baby every year. One gets tired, but it's God who sends us children. In contrast, I see no sign that Cerro Blancanos have lots of children because they feel they need their labor-often a common explanation.