Nutrition Program
Initiated in 2011, the Nutrition Program focuses on children between 6 months and 5 years of age who suffer from chronic malnutrition. Nearly 47% of all Guatemalan children under the age of five are diagnosed with chronic malnutrition. This percentage is even higher in rural, Indigenous areas.
In 2024, we served 155 children from four rural communities.
Thirty-six children graduated from the program at a healthy height and weight and without anemia.
This holistic program includes:
-
Height and weight monitoring
-
Pediatric consultation and medication if necessary
-
Parent education (breastfeeding, introduction of solids, hygiene and food preparation, child development, and parent-child activities etc.)
-
Healthy snacks during program activities
-
Provision of appropriate food and supplements including high quality eggs; ground, toasted amaranth; and Chispuditos for the participant children
-
Incaparina for the rest of the family
-
Cooking activities
-
Family vegetable and medicinal plant gardens, seed saving, and follow-up visits
-
Collaboration with specialists, laboratories, and public health services as needed
Program for the elderly and chronic patient
After the green revolution, our food systems have been transculturalized, this meant not only the commercialization of sacred food, but also its modification and appropriation, to the point that to maximize its production it has been contaminated with agrochemicals, without respect for animal life or food land. This has caused chaos in public health, and we see it clearly in the epidemic of food insecurity and child hunger, which has long-term consequences when in adulthood chronic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, hypertension, kidney failure are suffered, among others. For this reason, the program for chronically ill patients is being worked on in an integrated way with the nutrition program, with the aim of strengthening people who suffer from these diseases, understanding their origin and the paths to recovery through a change in consumption and style of eating. We do it as follows:
-
Medical control and nutritional control
-
Regenerative food and cooking club
-
Regenerative agriculture workshops
-
Food sovereignty workshops
-
Group therapy and spiritual support
-
Community participation and organization
-
Strengthening identity through cultural relevance
-
Physical activity
-
Medicine delivery
-
Seed delivery
-
Evaluation and monitoring
Our goal is that patients are happy individuals, and that they seek the regeneration of their body, spirit and planetary consciousness of its consumption.
Comprehensive and family care clinic
Our comprehensive care clinic (based in Xela and also mobile that reaches the communities on a recurring basis), seeks well-being of the patients it cares for, with a comprehensive approach to health, which includes nutritional, mental and physical activity; Low-cost consultation and diagnostic sessions are given to continue monitoring and referral services are scheduled in necessary cases.
The clinic gives social prices that cover care consultations primary, specialized, and drug facilitation in cases necessary, as well as laboratories and references.
The beneficiary families of the programs have free access to this service and alternative education workshops. This service is given at the headquarters of 32 Volcanes and at mobile clinics community.