Nutrition for Prosperity

Chronic child malnutrition is one of the main problems in Guatemala, which according to information from the Secretariat for Nutritional Food Security (SESAN) affects 49.8% of children under 5 years of age throughout the country, which directly affects the human and economic development of the country.

Chronic malnutrition rates are highest in the Guatemalan highlands, including the department of Huehuetenango. Chronic child malnutrition is one of the main problems in Guatemala, which according to information from the Secretariat for Nutritional Food Security (SESAN) affects 49.8% of children under 5 years of age throughout the country, which directly affects the human and economic development of the country. The project has been running since May 2022 in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), through its implementing partner “Partner to the Americas”.

The objective of “Nutrition for Prosperity” is to contribute to reducing chronic malnutrition in children under 5 years of age, as well as in pregnant mothers in the communities to intervene. At the same time, the program seeks that the beneficiary families obtain resources from the surplus of goat’s milk produced at home and thus encourage small businesses.

“Nutrition for Prosperity” has four pillars:

1) Training of the members of the beneficiary households, particularly women, community leaders, farmers and healthcare;

2) The endowment of goats, chickens, crops and compost bins, among others, in order to ensure the availability of food in homes;

3) The provision of improved stoves and pens for favored households, which will influence better health and hygiene practices, the consumption of safe water and innocuous food at home; and, in a better management of domestic animals;

4) The development and construction of a Goat Center, which will seek to improve goat genetics in Huehuetenango in order to reduce chronic malnutrition through the consumption of goat’s milk, at the same time, which will help promote small businesses in the region.

The seven communities that are part of the Project are: Chochal, Potreros, Los Hernández, Cinco Arrollos, Los Gregorios, Los Mecates and Ixcamal, all located in the middle basin of the municipality of Chiantla, where the Selegua River is born.