Nutrition & Fitness for Immigrant Community

Our program is about Nutrition and Fitness. 

Hello our donors and supporters, 
Thank you for your generous contribution to help us to implement our program to help with healthy lifestyles of immigrants.  

I would like to invite you to our program that was designed to be implemented to maximize social impact on our participants and on their community.  This program is important for each individual; however, the majority of immigrant women are facing unique barriers to achieving a healthy lifestyle due to lack of knowledge about how to implement healthy behaviors in Indiana, a new environment that lacks cultural competency training opportunities. In addition to these barriers, a large portion of the population (both immigrant and local) are often not prepped with the proper knowledge on why a healthy diet is necessary, how to incorporate into daily life, and what the benefits are of pairing healthy meals with proper exercise. In many cases, people opt for unhealthy foods because they are convenient, inexpensive and nonperishable. Darfur Women Network, Inc. (DWN) plans to help equip immigrant women to understand different cultures as well as their own religious obligation with regard to refraining from exercising in the presence of men or wearing religious clothes that hinder them from some activities and comprehend the important of preparing healthy food  in maintain healthy lifestyle.

The input for implementation of the program:
Our immediate need is meeting space to begin offering a nutrition and fitness program three times a week for up to 75 minutes beginning in September, 2015. A space with carpet, wifi-connection and a tv monitor could work well for our exercise classes. We expect 10-12 women when the program starts but we are hoping to accommodate up to 25. Our nutrition classes would be held in the dining room to utilize water, etc. We will need a space with a monitor or projector for presentations and tables that can face the presenter. The exact days and times will depend on many variables. 

Days/times:
M, W, 2:30 p.m. - 3:45 p.m. fitness class/conference room
Th, 2:30 p.m. - 3:45 p.m. nutrition workshop

Objectives
   1. Opportunity to exercise safely and effectively in a supportive environment for at least 45 minutes, two times a week in a group, including cardiovascular exercise, strength and flexibility using repetitive movement, body weight and minimal equipment, which should result in improved cardiovascular endurance, increased muscular strength and increased range-of-motion when participation in the program is consistent. (The expectation will be to help the women know how to exercise as an individual at least three times a week total.)  
   2. The support of other women who are experiencing similar external barriers to becoming regular exercisers. Social support is a vital component of achieving a healthy lifestyle.
   3. The education to know why increasing daily activity is important to individuals, to the family and to our community's health, including how to implement it.

Our challenges
Lack of funding to purchase materials for training despite the instructors are volunteers and DWN is volunteer based organization. The DWN partnered with Center for Interfaith Cooperation and Immigrant Welcome Center to help with reaching out to different source to secure the material for training to start our program in this month.  

Short-term impact
By the end of the six months, this small group of DWN will become a great example to show and to inspire other immigrant women that it possible for them to achieve healthy lifestyles. We measure program success by first launching the program and then measuring participant attendance consistency, total participant growth, the individuals’ in the program reaching individual goals, and proof of educational information taking root in the healthy lifestyle mentality. For example, participants begin to invite others to join the program.