Improving Nutrition for Bolivian Children
The Problem:
As global demand for quinoa has grown in recent years, farmers have been encouraged to sell more of their crops to take advantage of the increases in pricing. However, the additional income the farmers are receiving is not being directed toward improving their families’ quality of life. More of the quinoa crops are being sold and less are being consumed. In fact, the indigenous people who relied on the highly nutritious quinoa as a large portion of their diet are now eating less of this indigenous grain, and eating more simple and refined carbohydrates in the form of potatoes, breads and sugars.
Malnutrition Causes and Verification:
Malnutrition overall is being caused by poor nutrition education and the following:
- A deficit in protein, vitamin and mineral consumption
- Inadequate meal frequency and poor variety of food
- Malnourished mothers feeding breast milk with low nutritional content to their babies
- Children being nursed up to 24 months of age without the introduction of other foods
According to a study conducted on 30 families with children under 5 years of age (20% of total families in the region):
- 70% of the children show low weight for their age due to some degree of malnutrition of which 20% of these children show signs of severe malnutrition
- 70% of the children also show low height for their age, boys being affected more than girls, as caused by malnutrition
Project Objectives:
Multiple Organics is partnering with our quinoa supplier in Bolivia to educate families on the importance of nutrition and to provide proper diets for their malnourished children by:
- Forming a team of local nutrition educators to work with families
- Developing low cost, nutritionally balanced meals from the food they produce
- Developing a plan for easy access and exchange of a variety of natural foods from other regions
- Continuously monitoring and evaluating the children and nursing mothers
Tracking Progress:
A baseline on the nutritional state of children under 5 years of age has been created. It is from this baseline that the progress of the children’s health and diet will be tracked and measured. Progress will be quantified by:
- A progress report for each child tracking health and diet
- Evaluation by nutritionists from the community to monitor and evaluate the children
- Instruction of proper cooking methods with Andean grains and follow-up on progress with recipes