According to the world food program over 46% of children under 5 in Guatemala are stunted due to acute malnutrition, in many of the villages we work in this number is even higher.
Wellkind Guatemala has partnered with Project CAN to begin offering nutrition training via in-depth, four part nutrition training series to 64 women from 2 different communities in Lake Atitlan. This training helps them learn to cook more nutritious meals for themselves and their families, as well as build their knowledge and confidence in food selection and preparation. This is a pilot project that was developed by Project CAN and our trainers will aim to provide useful feedback that will help scale the scope and reach of this program in future years.
Our local, indigenous team has already been trained via the Project CAN team in how to offer these trainings. The program is designed to empower local women to take charge of their family’s health and nutrition by providing knowledge and recipes that are locally appropriate and easily adaptable. This project is sustainable because the trained members of our local staff can replicate this in other communities, and also ensure that the women receiving the training follow through with implementation via ongoing evaluation and check ins. Measurable outcomes will be: amount of women graduated from the nutrition program, as well as survey results of number of meals per week inspired by the trainings, measurements in amount of junk food vs healthy food that is consumed pre and post training, and the number of children who directly benefit from the training of women.
The Mission
To improve the nutritional health of infants, children, and adults in the villages we work with through workshops. We believe that good health is key to a better future for the indigenous communities of Lake Atitlan. Many families with scarce resources do not know how to optimize their nutrition with the money they have and that is where our team is there to help. We hope to scale this program by having our staff train more facilitators in nutritional health within each village of Lake Atitlan.
Wellkind Guatemala currently works with Tzutujil and Kaqchikel Mayan communities on the shores of Lake Atitlan, supporting the health of the communities and the surrounding environment. We mainly work within the municipalities of Santa Cruz La Laguna, San Marcos La Laguna, and San Pablo La Laguna. This project will focus on the villages of Santa Cruz L.L. and San Pablo L.L., aiming to identify and train groups of 8-10 women from each of the two villages, estimating a total of 480 people directly benefiting from these trainings. The direct beneficiaries are not only the women being trained, but their families who will benefit from the increased nutrition and reduction in junk food that is consumed.
Josefina Tepaz Sipac
“ I am very happy to have been invited to the nutritional training workshop that Wellkind offers in Tzununa. It was very interesting and I learned a lot about how to provide a more nutritional diet for my growing boy Leo. We aren’t taught these sorts of things in school but I feel it is very important for any mother to learn these things.”
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References
Méndez, L., Jolón, H.Y., Marroquín, A.C., & Reyes, E.A. (2008). Diagnóstico socioeconómico, potencialidades productivas y propuestas de inversión: Municipio de Santa Cruz La Laguna, Departamento de Sololá. Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala. Read more
National Minority Rights Group (MRGI). (2019, January). World directory of minorities and indigenous peoples: Guatemala. Minority Rights Group. Read more
United States Agency for International Development (USAID). (n.d.). Guatemala: Education. USAID. Read more