This project will result in better nutrition for poor rural elders in Guatemala, and at the same time, give them productive activities that encourage a sense of purpose and worth. We will establish a Nutrition Garden at an elder day care center in Samayac, Guatemala. Both staff and guests will be trained to care for plants in a traditional garden and in containers. We will work with staff on ways to add nutritious garden produce to meals provided at the center.
Many elderly men and women in poor rural areas of Guatemala are without basic resources and cannot count on a supportive family. Their sons and daughters may have moved away, or may themselves be too poor to feed and care for their parents or grandparents. Elder day care centers exist to help out, but their services can be improved. The meals at these centers may be the only food these elders have to eat all day, so they need to be extra-nutritious.
With staff and elder "guests", we will install a Nutrition Garden on the Center's grounds. We will train staff on using the garden produce to boost nutrition in the daily guest meals. A Spanish-language book of local high-nutrition recipes will be provided to Staff members. Center guests will care for the garden, a productive activity enjoyed by many. Our team will make weekly coaching visits, to answer questions and help resolve any gardening problems that may arise.
This project will give better nutrition to approximately 45 poor elders in rural Guatemala. They will also have the dignity and enjoyment of productive work that benefits themselves and their fellow guests. We will produce a detailed and illustrated manual on how to replicate this project. The manual and recipe book will be in Spanish and available to other organizations. We hope this pilot project will be adopted by the many other elder daycare centers throughout Guatemala.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
