Guatemala City, Sep 13 (EFE).- The Guatemalan company Castillo Hermanos has launched an ambitious program backed by a $15-million investment that aims to fight “the scourge of malnutrition and build, instead, a virtuous circle of good health and nutrition” in the Central American country, the company said in a statement.
The “Guatemalans for Nutrition” program proposes to implement a holistic model that focuses on the causes that determine the prevalence of malnutrition, according to the statement.
“The initiative began a year ago with the analysis of studies on malnutrition in the country and, on the other hand, with constant approaches to the affected communities with the purpose of creating bonds of trust and respect,” the company explained.
Work was also done to identify suppliers that would work on the design and construction of the necessary infrastructure to make the program viable.
ARPA, a Spanish company specializing in the engineering and manufacture of mobile campaign equipment with comprehensive solutions for food, logistics, accommodation, health, water, waste management, energy and telecommunications, was hired.
Also on board the program is the Catholic University of America in Washington, which is accompanying the project through annual impact evaluations and the construction of the baseline of the most important indicators.
“Malnutrition is a terrible reality that hits the country’s children and compromises their future opportunities, it is an economic and social problem related to underdevelopment,” Castillo Hermanos said.
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Guatemala has one of the world’s highest rates of child malnutrition, with nearly half of children under five suffering from chronic malnutrition.
PROGRAM GOALS
The following objectives have been defined for this replicable model program:
1. Steadily reduce the prevalence of chronic malnutrition in the intervened communities of Huehuetenango and Quiché.
2. Eradicate child mortality caused by acute malnutrition in the intervened communities of Huehuetenango and Quiche.
3. Generate conditions that stimulate the economic growth of the communities and families benefiting from the program.
4. Stimulate the change of at-home behaviors that allow the sustainability of nutritional recovery.
5. Generate technical evidence to define better strategies to address the problem of malnutrition.
“To achieve these objectives, a work plan was defined that consists of five lines of work and will be executed in various municipalities of Huehuetenango and Quiché,” the company explained.
LINES OF WORK
• PRIMARY HEALTH CARE
• NUTRITIONAL SUPPORT
• WATER AND ENVIRONMENTAL SANITATION
• STRENGTHENING THE FAMILY ECONOMY
• FOOD ACCESS
“This program, which proposes a comprehensive, sustainable and replicable model, will provide the rise of primary health care coverage in the communities included as part of the program’s geographic scope,” said José Silva, Manager of Guatemalans for Nutrition.
In addition, the program seeks to work collaboratively with the communities to steadily reduce the prevalence of malnutrition and eradicate infant mortality caused by acute malnutrition.
“It also ensures that the communities participate in the proposals for solutions in the lines of economic growth, food production and sustained care of water conditions and environmental sanitation,” Silva said.
Nutrimóviles Camp
The lines of work portion of the program will get support from its “Nutrimóviles Camp” infrastructure, which consists of a series of modular and mobile groundworks in which nutritional and primary health care will be provided to pregnant women, women of childbearing age and children under the age of five, the company explained.
“It will have operational autonomy and will be equipped with technology that will favor speed of care. The Nutrimóviles Camp will be the base of operations for this replicable model program,” Castillo Hermanos said.
It will be supported by home visits for weight and height monitoring, as well as educational workshops carried out by community Guatemalans for Nutrition brigades.
“In this way, the intervention will also generate sources of local employment and guarantee the sustainability of the program by promoting local and community skills that can be replicated,” the company said.
The Guatemalans for Nutrition team is composed of a doctor and a nutritionist, as well as a team of nurses, agricultural technicians, laboratory technicians and water and environmental sanitation technicians.
“Together, this group of professionals will work to generate a positive and sustainable impact on the families that are part of this replicable model program,” Castillo Hermanos said.
For more information on the Guatemalans for Nutrition program, visit their website;
www.guatemaltecosporlanutricion.com
Or write to the email;
guatemaltecosporlanutricion@icasa.com.gt. EFE