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Nutritional Programme in Guatemala

The Complete Coffee Foundation is proud to be associated with the Costa Foundation and Fundación UGK and their work on 3 schools in Yupiltepeque, Guatemala, and is directly sponsoring the Nutritional Programmes for the schools at El Sillon, Pueblo Viejo and Las Brisas.

According to UNICEF, Guatemala sadly scores the highest percentage of malnourished boys and girls in Latin America, and the fourth in the world – with 60% of households in Guatemala not even having enough money to cover basic food needs for the family.

This is why the Nutritional Programme implemented by Fundación UGK is so essential.

Project Outline:

Staff from Yupiltepeque's health centre have started measuring the weight and height of all classes. This gives the degree of malnutrition the children are in (minor, severe or acute). As part of a programme from the municipality, all the children from 4th, 5th and 6th grades have already been measured.

Once the children with weight issues have been identified, the two nutritionists have been ensuring that they receive a balanced breakfast at least once a week (depending on how many children there are and on how far the money will go).

One of the nutritionists lives in Jalapa, the town, and has offered to buy some food every Monday so that a teacher from each school can then deliver the food to his school. In addition the nutritionists are working on balanced menus for the children.

They will also go to each school to give food hygiene training to the ladies in charge of preparing the breakfasts.

Deworming has already been performed in all 3 schools with the medicine being administered to the children every 6 months.

The Future:

Fundacion UGK is also looking into the possibility of creating some small vegetable gardens around the schools. In addition, they will meet the local doctor to organise the purchase of multivitamins for the children.