Rural women in the kachikel ethnic group fight child malnutrition: this is the title of one of the winning projects of NATURA 2014 Award in its twentieth edition.
The project aims to combat chronic malnutrition suffered by families, and particularly the more vulnerable child population of the western highlands of Guatemala. It aligns with the goals of “Zero Hunger” program promoted by the Government of Guatemala and international organizations to be a priority for the country. The project beneficiaries are 100 women and their children at an early age at risk of severe malnutrition. One of the most significant activities of the program is the implementation of family vegetable gardens managed by small groups of indigenous women, in order to ensure growing vegetables to supplement the diet and help overcome the risk of chronic malnutrition. It also seeks to promote a strong role of women thus strengthening the primary role they have in the fight against child malnutrition, as was revealed at the Second International Conference on Nutrition sponsored by FAO and OM, held from 19 to 21 November in Rome.
It is anticipated that the action executed by the Foundation for Integral Development (FUDI) Local Organization with extensive experience working in rural areas of Chimaltenango (Guatemala), have a decisive impact on nearby towns. FUDI and NGO Association for the Development of Latin American Countries (REDI) work together to ensure that the achievements and results of this experience can be disseminated to other NGOs of Latin America, which make up the network and that work in geographic areas with similar characteristics to those of this experience. This is one of the institutional objectives of the REDI: strengthen alliances, disseminate successful experiences and strengthen South-South cooperation.
The other two winning projects were awarded to City Hope for its project on food sovereignty at a center for people with HIV / AIDS in Manmad, India, and Codespa for its DRUMS AGAINST HUNGER project; project to reduce hunger in families in the province Huambo in Angola.
The ceremony for the awards was held on December 16 at the headquarters of Natura in Barcelona.
Foundation Social Promotion of Culture (FPSC) is promoter and member of the Network REDI.