Combating child malnutrition through education, early detection and treatment in an impoverished, indigenous coffee growing community in Guatemala.
Indigenous Maya in the coffee growing Bocacosta regions of Guatemala suffer from extreme disparities in health care, which especially impact women and children. More than 80% of children are malnourished and also suffer from high rates of anemia and parasitic infections. There is a lack of access to quality pediatric health care. This project will provide preventative pediatric care services and treatment of malnutrition to an entire indigenous agricultural village of 80 families or 500 persons.
This project provides community-based screening of child growth, as well as comprehensive treatment of malnutrition, anemia, parasites, and other common conditions. In addition, all children receive annual pediatric check-ups.
With early detection and treatment of malnutrition, children are given the chance to grow to their full potential. Treatment of malnutrition also positively impacts school performance and economic and work opportunities in adulthood.
This project has provided additional documentation in a Microsoft Word file (projdoc.doc).
