Sustainable Nutrition for 823+ Families in Peru

Did you know that in Peru 67% of newborns would be diagnosed with anemia (an iron deficiency) before the age of 1?  Although this percentage decreases as the  children get older it is still a critical problem. Jose, like 1 in every 3 children in Peru, struggles with anemia and malnutrition. The lack of nutrients has stunted his growth and impairs his ability to stay awake, pay attention, and retain information. The anemia causes him to be light headed and weak, sometimes so extreme he can't go to school. The enveloping weakness that he feels is frustrating and endangers his future as he can't attend school regularly to gain his education and play with his friends.

In Peru, anemia is a major public health problem especially in the rural areas where approximately 50% of children are affected. Community leaders have identified this as a critical issue and partnered with CHOICE Humanitarian to solve this issue. Chickens provide meat and eggs which are a healthy source of iron that is easily digestible and solves the anemia problem. CHOICE technicians have trained the community members how to raise chickens and build coops. Using generous donations, CHOICE was able to provide over 400 chickens to the community to improve the overall level of nutrition and decrease anemia numbers. 

CHOICE Peru focused the training specifically on the women and mothers since their family’s health is their direct concern. Training and educating the mothers gives them the understanding of what is debilitating them and their children and enables them to raise a healthy family. This training and gift of chickens ensures sustainability as it is a practice and understanding that can be passed onto future generations. 

Here in the United States we have been able to effectively tackle anemia, we can easily solve this devastating problem in Peru as well. You can help us provide more chickens by donating to this cause. As global citizens we can overcome this and the many other effects of multidimensional poverty. Join us in making this world a better place!

Links:

• CHOICE Humanitarian website
• CHOICE Humanitarian Peru Facebook Page

In Piura, Peru, villagers in remote communities often suffer from high rates of anemia and chronic malnutrition. These two issues are closely tied to diet and lack of proper nutrients, including iron, vitamin B12, and folate, and are prominent amongst young children and those living in extreme poverty. 

Responding to community needs to improve these dietary issues, CHOICE Humanitarian developed the Community Garden Program. Launched in 2018, this program aimed to benefit 1,500 individuals (400 families) by teaching them how to plant, grow, and nurture their own gardens and harvest nutritious produce for their own personal consumption. Each participant was provided a kit of starter seeds  and supplies, agronomy training, health and nutrition education, and support from an agronomist from the CHOICE Humanitarian Peru team. CHOICE Humanitarian began the program in the community of La Arena-Piura. 

Sara Hyde, a valued CHOICE Humanitarian donor, understood these issues that remote communities in Peru were facing. She had seen firsthand that these rural populations didn’t have a sufficient amount of food, and that the food they did have lacked proper nutrients. After seeing the impact that the community garden program has made since it began in 2018, Sara took action to solve the malnutrition problems she observed by supporting the Community Garden Program.

Prior to CHOICE Humanitarian's involvement, most of the community engaged in rice production; however, community leaders believed the villagers needed to cultivate a more nutritious and diverse crop. Villagers, assisted by CHOICE, planted vegetables for 400 families in gardens located behind their homes. These organic gardens provide food for 9 months and are re-planted at various times to make the harvest consistent. 

Here are the project results from 2020:

2,000 bio-gardens

17 communities intervened

2,000 children benefited

10,000 people benefited

8 schools with bio-gardens

We proudly reported back to Sara and other selfless donors like her about the impact the Community Garden program made in 2020. Sara’s support in this project made it possible to empower families to grow their own food and improve their economic and nutritional situation. With the changes and challenges that the Covid 19 pandemic brought in 2020, it was especially imperative that these rural families had a sustainable food source, and the gardens our donors funded helped these families sustain themselves. Sara’s investment in the gardens paid off in full because these people had enough food for their families, schools and communities.